The robots are here! Robots have been revolutionizing so many industries and they’re now here in the lawn and landscaping field, providing a unique opportunity. Robotic mowers are an exciting advance for our industry and may be a great choice for your property.
A robotic lawn mower is an autonomous robot that is used to cut grass. When you choose a robotic mowing service it means that you won’t have crews showing up at your house for a weekly scheduled mow. Instead, a robotic mower will “live” at your home and actually come out daily to cut the grass.
Robotic mowers aren’t right for every property in Bozeman and Big Sky, MT, but there are some where it makes a whole lot of sense.
Here are some of the reasons that a robotic mower might be right for you.
1. You’re Someone Who is in Search of More Privacy
We understand that a lot of folks have homes in Montana because they desire privacy. For that reason, they may not love the idea of a crew showing up at their house every week for mowing. As much as we try to go out of our way to not inconvenience homeowners in any way, we recognize it can be disruptive to come out with a weekly mowing crew.
This is why robotic mowing can be a great choice for those who want more privacy.
Because the robot will live on your property, it drastically reduces the need for site visits. The weekly mowing crew is replaced with monthly site visits where we come out to service the mowers. This would include blade checks and cleaning the underside of the mower to ensure that the mower is functioning optimally. The lawn mower blades will also be sharpened as needed.
A lot of people find this much less invasive than a mowing crew showing up with their equipment—particularly if they’re trying to enjoy some peace, quiet, and seclusion.
2. You Have a Difficult Property to Access
Site accessibility is another issue (and another reason why robotic mowing could be a good choice). A lot of people purposely choose secluded, “off-the-beaten path” homes here in Bozeman and Big Sky, MT for the privacy and the immersion into nature. But these remote homes are not always terribly easy to access.
It could be that the roads leading to your home are not easily passable with a truck and trailer—particularly if there has been rain or other weather issues. Or maybe, your home is incredibly far and sending out a mowing crew is not only costly but a poor choice in terms of eco-consciousness.
Sometimes the property itself has accessibility issues. If your lawn area is located down steps where it is difficult to get a mower, it might make a lot more sense to have a robotic lawn mower handle your mowing.
3. You are Someone that Cares Deeply About the Environment
We know that a lot of our clients care about the ways in which we practice eco-friendly landscaping. They care about preserving the beauty of Montana’s natural habitat as much as we do. For that reason, they are looking for a company that makes eco-conscious decisions and has better options available.
There’s no question that robotic lawn mowers are much more eco-friendly than traditional gas-powered mowers. As we mentioned, because the mower lives on your site, it drastically reduces those site visit needs.
That means we are not running a gas-powered mower and creating emissions, which is a big deal. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), gas-powered lawn mowers account for 5 percent of the air pollution in the United States. Using a gas-powered mower for one hour can produce the same amount of emissions as 11 new cars running for an hour.
We love the idea that we’re able to start working on reducing those figures with the availability of robotic mowers.
Of course, keep in mind it’s not just about the mower. Having a robotic lawn mower live at your home also means we don’t need to drive out with the truck and trailer, either. As a whole, it’s a much more eco-conscious choice. For many people, that’s the selling point for choosing robotic mowing.
4. You Care About the Health of Your Lawn
Another big benefit of robotic mowing is the fact that it’s better for your lawn. The robotic mower will come out daily, only making a small cut each time it mows. It is so much more beneficial for your lawn to be mowed regularly than to wait until it needs a drastic cut.
Even in a week’s time, you’ve probably seen just how much a lawn can grow. Now imagine it gets cut just a little bit every day, at just the right height. It’s so much healthier for your grass.
It’s important to mention that the results are much more of a natural-looking lawn, which a lot of people here in Bozeman and Big Sky, MT can appreciate. However, if you are someone who is used to seeing a heavily manicured lawn—something like you’d see at a golf course—those are not the type of results you’ll see with robotic mowing.
The mowing pattern is random and the mower is going to constantly change its route. It will learn the boundaries and edges of your property but it won’t follow the same pattern every time. This is something that is, again, better for the health of your lawn. It puts less stress on the grass to be mowed in alternating directions and patterns (as opposed to repeating the same pattern every time). However, it’s going to create more of that natural look we mentioned. For many, that can actually be a benefit. It makes them feel like their lawn blends well with nature. But it all comes down to expectations.
5. There’s a “Cool Factor” that Appeals to You
At Blanchford Landscape Group, we are people who like to be on the cutting edge (quite literally) of new technology and we find that many of our clients feel the same way. They hire us because they know that we’re keeping up with “what’s new” and giving them access to advanced options that they might not have elsewhere.
There’s no denying that there is a “cool factor” associated with robotic lawn mowing. Not a lot of people can say that they have a robot living at their house, handling their mowing for them.
If you’re someone who is always keeping up with the latest gadgets and staying on top of technology as it evolves, then robotic mowing might appeal to you.
6. You’re Looking for Long-Term Value
It’s also worth mentioning that robotic mowing can eventually save you money. While we will still be coming out for those monthly service checks, we aren’t sending trucks and crews nearly as often and that is ultimately going to boil down to cost savings in the long run.
While the initial investment in robotic mowing is high, we are expecting that it will take about 2 seasons to recover the cost and then start saving money on what you would have spent on mowing.
Cost should not be your only reason for choosing robotic mowing but if you can see value in the other benefits, then it’s an added gain.
Choosing a Robotic Lawn Mower for Your Montana Home
In terms of getting started, we offer the opportunity for homeowners to buy or lease robotic lawn mowers from us. Those who want total access to the mower and more hands-on involvement in the maintenance are the ones who buy. But the majority of our clients prefer a leasing option. They want their robotic lawn mowing service to be hands-off and hassle free. They want us to handle cleaning and blade care and they just want to know that their mower is doing what it should.
We expect to see around 30 percent of our robotic mowing clients purchase a mower from us and 70 percent lease one.
At Blanchford Landscape Group, we believe that we owe it to our clients to stay on top of the evolution of our industry and robotic mowers are one of the most exciting innovations right now. In fact, we really see it changing the industry as a whole. In time, we believe you’ll see more and more of these robotic mowers—and that’s going to have a tremendously positive impact on the environment and on peoples’ satisfaction, too.
As with any technology we adopt or change that we make, we’re always looking to ensure it meets our clients’ needs. We feel that robotic mowers are one such game changer that will make a big impact.
Are you ready to learn more about what we can offer and how the latest innovations can help at your Bozeman or Big Sky, MT home? Let’s connect and talk about your needs. Then we can meet and review a detailed plan of action. With everything being handled for you, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your landscape.
Image sources: robotic mower
