Got a hilly garden? Don’t worry. A robot lawn mower can efficiently handle hills and slopes to make your lawn look spectacular.
Many people think that a robot lawnmower won’t be able to cut grass on slopes or hills, but it’s quite the opposite.
All you need to do is choose the right type of robotic lawn mower that can climb up the slopes and hills.
It is true to some extent that cheaper robot mowers have less slope performance compared to expensive models. Luckily, we found a great entry-level lawnmower that doesn’t cost you a dime but allows you to clean the steepest slopes.
Best Robot Lawn Mower For Hills
Let’s see what are the best robot lawn mower for hills and slopes.
Easily, the Husqvarna Automower 430XH is our favorite robot lawn mower for hills and slopes because it has the best slope capacity.
The manufacturer said that this robot mower is ideal for a “highly complex medium to large lawn” with slopes of 24 degrees.
Among the features of this lawn mower are GPS navigation and tracking that helps if it gets stolen and pin code security protection that automatically turns on/off the mower in case of theft.
Furthermore, this lawn mower can cover 3/4 of an impressive acre.
Finally, there are LED headlights, rubber bumpers, and orange X-Line wheels caps.
The lawnmower offers great battery life of 145 minutes, and it takes 50 minutes to charge again.
Compared with other robotic lawnmowers, this one is the quietest as it produces noise of 57 decibels, giving you noiseless operation in your lawn or garden.
If you want to cover an area of more than 5000 square meters, this is the mower that you should invest your money in.
This lawnmower has a 3-razor-sharp blade that can easily cut the grass and obstacles coming in its way without damaging them, thanks to the in-built sensors that sense obstacles and stop the motion or spinning of the blades.
The best part is that you can track this mower using a sim card which is impressive for a robot lawnmower.
Overall, this is a perfect lawnmower for a decent-sized hill. It offers 45% inclination coverage, suitable for moderate-size lawns with hilly gardens. It offers you a runtime of 145 minutes on a single charge which is impressive. This is the ideal robotic lawn mower for really steep slopes.
The next best robot lawnmower on our list is Robomow RS630, a perfect robotic lawn mower for dealing with hills and slopes.
This is a great robot mower because it can self-level over rough terrain for even cutting.
The area coverage capacity of this lawnmower is 3/4 of an acre. But, you will get more cutting coverage, thanks to the steeper cutting width of 22 inches.
The inclination capacity of this mower is 36% allowing it to work on almost all types of slopes.
Furthermore, the 6 Ah battery keeps the mower running for more than 100 minutes.
The zone allocation feature allows you to allocate zones to let the mower automatically clean certain types of areas earlier.
The best part of this lawnmower is the inclusion of various sensors protecting the mower from rainy weather, moisture, and theft.
This particular lawnmower can mow separate gardens, and thanks to the docking station, that allows the mower to charge itself automatically.
If you don’t want to use this mower while standing in the sunlight, you can download the Robomow app to schedule a cutting time and other mower settings while sitting on your couch.
The mower is designed to handle 20 degrees of slope comfortably but will get stuck on smaller steep bumps and require manual help to unstuck it to start flawless mowing.
This is the only mower with turbo, Eco, and Edge modes, allowing you to use the mower in different situations.
This is a decent robot lawn mower for hills and slopes that offers great runtime, has a plethora of sensors, and can detect obstacles to navigate easily while cleaning the lawn.
The next up on our list is WORX WR155, an extremely affordable robot lawnmower designed to handle 1/2 acres of land or ground with a slope inclination of 35%.
The best part of this robot lawn mower is that you can issue voice commands using Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.
This mower can efficiently mow on hills and inclines, and that’s why it is ideal for the steepest grades. It can easily handle ground elevation from bumps and ruts to even cuts, proving that the mower has good slope capability.
The Worx WR155 comes with a powerful noise-reducing motor design that will relax you about not receiving complaints from your neighbors about the mower’s noise.
Further down the row, LED headlights and rubber bumpers protect the body from bumps or collisions with obstacles, kids, pets, and walls. Additionally, colcollision sensors prevent the mower from crashing into other objects.
The mower also features an anti-gravity sensor that helps a lot when the mower is mowing slopes and prevents the mower from sliding down.
This robotic lawn mower offers a battery backup of 100 minutes on a single charge which is impressive and enough to cover an area or half-acre or a complete acre if there are not a lot of obstacles around.
This is a great robotic lawn mower for hills because it provides a level cut even in harsh weather conditions. The maximum coverage area of this lawnmower is 2,200 impressive meters.
There is no need to manually charge the robot, thanks to the auto-charge feature of the lawnmower. The best part is that the mower doesn’t emit fumes which makes it an eco-friendly mower for your environment.
This is a smart robotic lawn mower for mowing on slopes which is the most popular choice for many homeowners. It comes with a budget price tag, making it our favorite pick for the robotic lawnmower.
The next worthy robot lawn mower on our list is the Husqvarna Automower 450XH, which is the upgraded version of the 430XH discussed already on our list.
This robot lawnmower has better run-time, cutting capacity, and a higher slope rating at 45% which is impressive.
Like other robot lawn mowers, this one also requires you to lay down the guidewire to form a perimeter that the mower will follow while mowing your garden. Plus, you may also need to obtain a PIN to program your settings on the large LCD screen.
This allows you to control the mower through the app as well. Plus, there is an option to control the unit through voice commands by connecting it with Amazon Alexa or Google assistant.
Similar to other mowers, this one also has a GPS tracker that keeps the mower in the range of perimeter and prevents the mower from going in off-limits areas. If somehow the mower gets stuck or goes outside the boundary, you instantly receive a notification to take necessary action.
All in all, this is an impressive lawn mower that offers great run-time and also has an amazing theft deterrent system onboard that makes it ideal for homeowners.
Ambrogio 4.0 Elite
The next great robotic lawn mower for hills and slopes is the Ambrogio which features a touch-screen control that allows you do all kinds of settings of the lawnmower without any limitation or restriction.
Like other lawnmowers, this machine uses guidewires and a GPS tracking system to keep the mower confined in your range.
There is a central joint installed on the rear wheel axle that ensures the mower is balanced and can automatically adjust its level while mowing rough terrains.
The smartphone app allows you to control the lawn boundaries as well as do other settings of the mower while sitting on your couch.
There are three different variants of this robotic lawn mower available and they are capable to handle land of half-acre to 2 acres and all of them use the same robotics, patterns, and materials.
All in all, this is an outstanding robot lawn mower for hills that offers 3 hours and 45 minutes of run time which is exceptional, and takes 3 hours to fully charge.
The other two models of this mower are equipped with a charging port and a contact port which is not available in this model.
Robot Lawn Mower For Hills Buying Guide
Before buying a robot lawnmower, you should do detailed research, especially about the hills and slop performance of the robot lawnmower. How disappointing it will be that you purchase a brand new robot lawnmower, and later, you figure out that it is not suitable to cut grass from the slopes of your garden.
Robot lawnmowers are constantly optimized to handle all surface types regardless of the size and shape of slopes. So, it would be best if you always opted for a versatile lawn mower that can easily take care of all shapes and gradients of lawns.
Normal or less steep slopes are not problematic for robot lawnmowers; the issue rises when the slop is highly steep that requires a different set of approaches from a robot lawnmower to handle such a scenario.
Let’s further explore what makes a robot lawnmower capable of working on slopes and what you should know before buying such a lawnmower to reduce the impact of slopes and avoid problems.
Calculating the slopes of your garden
Calculating the slope might be the first step toward this whole process of learning and understanding how a robot lawnmower works and what you should do about it. This guide helps you measure the slope of your garden because it is not ideal to discuss that in this article.
If you already know how to measure the slope of your garden, then continue reading.
Let’s take a look at the different elements of a robot lawnmower involved in handling slopes and hills.
Wheel Design
Wheels are the only mechanism for robot lawn mowers to move around. The specific wheel design for robot lawn mowers includes larger wheels with deep treads that determine the control and stability over a steep slope. Plus, the slower movement of the wheels maintains traction and grip on grass over steep slopes. Let’s look at different scenarios that a robot lawnmower will face.
The first obvious situation for a robot lawnmower will be wet grass that reduces the traction. For casual rainy days, that’s not a big deal. Still, if it is the rain of late autumn or early spring, the grass will be softer and muddy, which can affect the performance of the robot lawn mower ,but ultimately, you will get the desired result cleaning results for sure.
Secondly, there can be a scenario where the grass clippings and dirt accumulates in the wheel’s treads over time, directly impacting the wheels’ traction. Muddy grass will cause this condition, and that will require manual help to clean the treads regularly so that the lawnmower can keep working smoothly. A suggested duration to clean the treads is roughly two weeks.
For cleaning, use a coarse handheld brush, and it will hardly take a minute or two to remove the stuck dirt and grass clippings completely.
You won’t see a lag in performance for a long time in dry conditions, but when you see, clean the tires, the mower will be back to normal performance. Sometimes the grass clippings can be tough to remove, so using a screwdriver will help you scrape the wheel treads clean, and then you can clean the remainings with a brush.
A regular cleaning session will keep the robot lawn mower working smoothly. Regardless of the cleaning place, it is recommended to clean the wheels’ undersides weekly to make sure that the mower performance isn’t hindered by anything.
Rain and Moisture Detection System
You would never want a robot lawnmower to cut your lawn in adverse weather conditions. Therefore, you should ensure that the robot lawnmower you are buying is equipped with a rain detection system that will help the mower not mow your lawn while it’s raining.
As discussed earlier, the robot mower will get less traction on wet grass. Therefore, getting a model that prevents cutting in wet conditions is the best choice.
What if a robot lawnmower was cutting the grass, and it started raining? Thanks to the humidity sensor, the robot mower will abort cutting the grass instantly as it feels humidity in the air due to rain or fog.
The best part is that you have complete control over the actions of the robot lawnmower. You can set your desired features and override the default settings. You can also research the weather conditions and make the mower cut the grass before getting too long.
Low center of gravity
Robot lawnmowers have a low center of gravity; whoever single wheel of the robot lawnmower has an equal weight that positively impacts the mower’s performance. The other advantage of a low center of gravity is that it won’t cause the robot mower to tip over on slopes or hills.
The design of the robot lawn mowers is intentional to get optimal performance of surfaces like steep slopes and to ensure safety as well. It would be disappointing if a robot lawnmower cleaned the lawn on a slip and got tip over, exposing sharp blades.
Although lift and tilt sensors are installed in the lawnmower to stop the blades instantly if this happens, it’s not imaginable to have exposed blades that a pet or a child can touch.
Handling Slopes Efficiently
Let’s see what else you can do to ensure the robot lawnmower carefully takes care of slops without interruptions or issues.
The first step you should take is to pay attention while installing the guidewire of the mower, and if you encounter a steep slope, lay the wire across it and not directly on the slope. Lay the wire at an angle to help the mower easily climb the hill without negotiations.
So, the guidewire will help the lawnmower clean the top of the steep slop every time.
Similarly, there is a perimeter wire placement. If your lawn is ending at slopes, then there is a high risk of the wheels losing traction in wet weather, and there are higher chances of the mower getting slipped across the perimeter wire. This way, the mower can get stuck in a flowerbed. Plus, the mower will detect that it is outside of the perimeter, which will cause it to stop working, and it won’t be able to make it back into the working zone.
So, when installing the perimeter wire, leave some area slop areavered to prevent such incidents that make one thing obvious the strip of the grass next to the perimeter wire won’t be cut.
Rather than risking your lawnmower, it would be ideal for trimming that extra centimeter of grass manually.
Consider a planted area or retaining wall for very steep slopes
Some people don’t have entirely flat lawns; some part of the lawn is highly steep. While some people have hilly gardens by having terracing work done where flat sections are very short. Such steep terracing is not easy to cut by a robot lawnmower or manual mower.
A considerable alternative to handle such a situation is to convert the slopes into planted areas because planted areas require little to no maintenance. You can also make the slopes retaining walls to prevent mowing a steep section of grass because now there will be a flat area left only in your garden to mow.
Using these techniques will make your lawn flat, but you will get a rectangular lawn that a robot lawnmower will perfectly mow.
These approaches are easier, but they require little to no extra cost, and as a result, you can do better landscaping of your garden.
What Slopes Robot Lawn Mowers Can Manage
Different robot lawn mowers can handle different slop tolerance. A considerable variation between models allows you to make a clear choice for small or largest gardens with different slopes.
Suppose your garden has no gradient greater. At 8.5 degrees, you can comfortably buy a robot lawn mower because it will easily tolerate slopes this steep.
Slope Inclination Capacity
Before you purchase a robot lawnmower, you should carefully determine the inclination of your slope, and the ideal range for a mower is 35% or 20 degrees. This information beforehand will enable you to choose the right robot lawnmower to ensure the machine doesn’t stop in the middle of a steeper slope.
Among all these options, the best one is the Husqvarna 430X, which has a capacity of 45%, which means it will be able to mow decent-sized hills and slopes.
Size of the Yard
Before investing your money in a lawnmower, the biggest question you should answer is how many acres you are trying to handle with a robot lawnmower. All these suggested lawn mowers can efficiently handle half acres, 3/4 acres, one or even 2 acres, but for larger-sized yards, you should look at this option.
Battery Life
The most important element for a lawn mower is battery life. The higher the battery life is, the more uninterrupted cleaning and mowing sessions a lawnmower will deliver. So, the battery life highly affects the efficiency of a robot lawnmower.
The next thing you should consider about a battery of robot lawn mowers is the time it takes to charge again. You may not like to wait an entire day for a robot lawnmower to charge so that you can use it. You can opt for those robot lawn mowers that automatically charge themselves because they can sense when the battery is low and quickly head back to the docking station and charge themselves there.
Blades
The type of blades determines the type and style of grass to cut. By default, a robot lawnmower will bring two or three blades. Each blade has its motor to power it up. And they are sharp enough to cut all kinds of length and widths of grass while handling weeds and dirt.
A manual is included in the package that will help you know when to change or swap the blades or clean them.
Connectivity
Many robot lawn mowers can be connected with smartphones using Wi-Fi, enabling you to control the mower using your smartphone while sitting inside your home on the couch. Similarly, you can connect the mower with smart home devices like Alexa to control the mower with voice commands, which helps you handle the machine remotely.
Slope degree
Robot lawnmowers can easily manage all types of slope degrees, but you should consider the slope degree to choose the right robot lawn mower for hills and slopes. The common slope gradient coverage for all robot lawn mowers is 8.5%. The best news is that few robot mowers are capable of handling 25 degrees or slopes regardless of the lawn size. So, consider the gradient slope before you purchase a robot lawnmower.
Blade Size
The blade size determines how neat and beautiful the lawn will be after the mower is done mowing. The longer the blades use, the less sharp they will get due to cutting the grass. A regular maintenance checkup also includes either changing the blades or sharpening them to get good results.
You might need bigger blades to cover that big area if you have a bigger lawn. Also, make sure to choose durable blades so that they can cut for a long time without requiring a replacement.
Make sure to choose the right blade size to get the best mulching results.
Power System
The power system determines the capability of a lawnmower to mow your lawn. The more efficient the system is, the more convenient the robot mower will be.
The power system is what delivers the power to the mower and is also responsible for the charging. Depending on the size of the lawn, the power system will deliver variable power limits.
Are Robotic Mowers Safe for Hills?
Yes, robotic lawnmowers are safe for hills and slopes. They have a child sensor that helps them know when isa child isusinguse the safety measures while kids are playing around.
Do I need extra accessories?
That depends on the usage of the lawnmower. Most of the time, the package contains all the important and requires tools and accessories like adapters, plugs, wires, screws, blades, covers, and boundary wires.
But, what accessories are included is dependent on the manufacturer. An additional accessory that won’t be available with the package is a separate shelter for your robotic vehicle where it will stay.
How often Should I do maintenance of the Mower?
Well, one thing is obvious the more you keep your lawnmower maintained, the longer it will live.
But a rule of thumb is to clean your mower once or twice a month, and the maintenance can involve cleaning tires from dust and grass, cleaning blades, and sharpening them. If not cleaned regularly, the mower will be moving sluggishly. If there are damaged parts of the mower, you should carefully replace those parts to prevent the mower from further damage.
What is a boundary wire?
This is a wire that you install along the edges of your lawn, and it helps the robot lawnmower know the territory to cover without crossing and going into another area. SO it would help if you lay the wire wisely so that the mower is confined to your lawn.
This is super important for hilly areas or slopes where you can lose sight of your mower. So, having a proper boundary wire laid out will help you prevent the mower from moving beyond a certain point because that can also result in the loss of the device.
What is a Robot Lawn Mower
A robot lawn mower is a futuristic machine that gives you labor-free lawn maintenance. A robot lawn mower runs on commands issued by smartphones and makes the tedious chore of cutting the lawn breeze.
Having an automated lawn mower means you can use that spare time for other errands like writing articles, online shopping, or anything.
Robot lawnmowers are getting advanced gradually, but for now, you might have to babysit them according to the type of terrain in your yard.
Is Robot Lawn Mower Suitable for Hills and Slopes?
The easiest job for a lawnmower is handling various grasses, but these little droids face challenges when there is a hilly garden or slope in your yard.
Although robot lawn mowers can efficiently handle hills and slopes, that requires you to measure the height of the slope to determine if the mower is rated to handle such a higher slope.
One thing is clear these little autonomous machines are designed to handle sizable hills and slopes in your yard.
But, if you have moderate size hills and slopes ranging from 35% to 45%, you can pick any robot lawnmower to get the job done.
Robert Smith is a technology lover and loves to write about laptops, monitors, printers, tablets, Apple products and anything that's related to computers and games. He is passionate enough that he maintains this blog regarding tech updates on a daily basis.
Robert Smith is a technology lover and loves to write about laptops, monitors, printers, tablets, Apple products and anything that's related to computers and games. He is passionate enough that he maintains this blog regarding tech updates on a daily basis.
