Lawn mowing question---this is a stretch, but.....

[ms fowler]

The more time i spend mowing, the less time is available for garage stuff---so help me mow quicker.

I am looking for a program that will let you draw your property boundaries, building and other obstacles, input your mower's turning radius and width of cut, and then provide the most efficient mowing pattern. Seems like something should be out there. has anyone found it?
If not--can someone write it?

 

[Regnar]

Sketchup and Google Earth. If you want it to be automatic you would need to install a CAM program and used the deck distance as a tool dimension and pick a pocket tool path.

 

[Bessy]

Seems like the work/time would be spent trying to spec out your lawn and plan things out would outweigh any real time savings than would really be gained. Post up an overhead shot (google Earth, or similar) of your lot and I can maybe toss in some input on how I'd do it, if you wish (I owned/operated a lawncare company until 2015). Also would help to know what you are mowing with, be it a 14" reel, or a fullsized ztr.

 

[Shiftless]

Here is the perfect opportunity for techies. We're on the verge of seeing lots of driverless cars navigating our streets and highways. Seems like it would be a lot easier to program a lawn mowing tractor to navigate a guy's lawn. Less traffic on a lawn, right? Non varying perimeter to deal with. Same route each week. Lower speeds.
Piece of cake!

(Dont do it like Roomba though...)

 

[30cal]

Experience.. works every time

 

[Eslader]

Seems like it would be a lot easier to program a lawn mowing tractor to navigate a guy's lawn

.

Robotic mowers already exist. They're starting to get fairly good provided you have a fairly small patch to mow (or get more than one of them) and your ground isn't too rough.

 

[slip knot]

yeah, let Roomba technology run your mower.... I haven't figured out if the Roomba has a method or if its just crazy.
I'd love to see it running a mower. There would certainly be some WTF moments.

 

[bdog]

Do you have a zero turn? If not it will cut your time in half.

 

[ddawg16]

Hire a gardener

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Hire a gardener

^^^ This^^^

You've already spent more time thinking and posting about this than is remotely necessary.

 

[ddawg16]

^^^ This^^^

You've already spent more time thinking and posting about this than is remotely necessary.

I was one of those "I do my own yard work" kinda guys.....

Then one day Armondo was walking by....my wife was outside....he commented in his 'very broken English' how nice our yard looked....they start talking (lots of sign language)....next thing you know...I'm paying $60/m for him to do the grunt work.

He lives close by....has a 'knack' for gardening....he and my wife get along great....she points....he does it.

It lets us do the more fun stuff.....

 

[ms fowler]

Thanks for the replies....
I actually enjoy my "seat time" while mowing, so i don't want to avoid it altogether. Antique Cub Cadets is one of my hobbies. I do most of my mowing with a Cub Cadet 127 --12 HP ( 12 very large horses!) and a 42" deck.
If I can find the time, I will post up a sketch of the property.

 

[cookiemech]

I've been mowing since I was 11 (60 now) and have to agree with the person who said "Experience". Every yard I have ever mowed took several mowings until I optimized my time; my guiding principle is to not mow any piece of yard twice.

And zero-turn mowers are amazing for saving time. With my old Gravely tractor and its 40-inch deck, it takes two hours and 20 minutes (optimized) to mow my yard; if I use my Gravely 260Z (60-inch deck), one hour 10 minutes. But I still use the old tractor around the house, because it does a prettier job.

 

[30cal]

^^^^exactly^^^^

No lost motion..anywhere..at all.

I mow 16 acres a week, 3 1/2 hrs, with a 72" ztr

Been doing it for 30 years...

I take that back..it was 6 hrs before the ztr...it has a "reverse", but if you use that you're doing it wrong..

 

[laser3kw]

start in the center, spiral pattern out until you reach the edges, then trim - done!
or as other stated, do not overlap. Down and back (missionary style), longest run possible, minimize "turn arounds", blade cutting time max!

 

[rlitman]

I would suggest you vary your cutting pattern. Sticking to the same pattern will lead to ruts.

It is details like this where experience wins.

 

[rcktsled]

I'm paying $60/m for him to do the grunt work.

In my neighborhood it's more like $200/month for basic lawn care and the yards are small. Send Armondo over to my house.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Go to your county property website and you will probably find the GIS site that shows the house, lot line and any improvements. The site will usually let you print it out. It will also tell you lot number, tax id number and even the easements for utilities. Then go into sketchup etc if you need to add stuff to it.

 

[MoonRise]

AFAIK, around my area for a 'medium' size lawn, going rate for a mow-and-go is about $50. Per week/visit.

That's $200/month, or about $1200/season (roughly, depends on just when the lawns green-up and when Mother Nature says lawn-time is done in the fall).

As to the OP, barring some software robotics algorithm to 'optimize' the mower path, use your human intellect and experience and optimize your mowing path by doing the longest straight paths and no overlapping or going over the same path(s).

But you still will (or really-really should) alternate or modify your mowing paths at least slightly so you are not getting the grass to 'bend' in the same direction every time, etc, etc.

 

[CNGsaves]

I would suggest you vary your cutting pattern. Sticking to the same pattern will lead to ruts.

It is details like this where experience wins.

^ ^ ^ This. Last thing you want to do is mow lawn same way each time.

Long runs in square pattern 1st time, Short runs going other direction next time. Diagonal runs the 3rd time. Other diagonal direction runs the 4th time. Finally, repeat the entire cycle.

Mow often enough that all grass is mulched with no residue. If too tall, then cut 1/2 swath at a time so all grass is mulched up.

When . . and IF . . . "Roomba" mowers can do the above, then I "might" consider. Until then, I'm the programmer of my mower !!

 

[CoogarXR]

I used a Friendly Robotics Robomower RL-850 where I used to live. I had a totally flat, small yard, which is what it needs. You just drive it out to the middle of the yard with a joystick, and hit start. You come back later and the yard is done.

I still have it, but my new yard needs a lot of work before the Robo could handle it. It has to be free of obstacles and have no holes. I have both, lol.

For now I just run the push mower and weed-whacker first, do all the trim work, get all tired, then finish the job in the wide-open parts, relaxing on the tractor.

 

[red94chev]

My boss has some robot lawn mowers but he's still getting them to run right. From what I can tell, the one is more like a Roomba with a boundary set by wires in the ground. The other one which he's seems to like more is programmed to be most efficient. I believe he does it with something like a CAM program.

Cool stuff but I think I'll stick to my old lawn tractors even though I know a zero turn would be lightning fast.

 

[Parrothead]

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/

You place wires in the ground to set your boundaries and it just mows and mows and mows. Made by Husqvarna so all the Tim Taylor types can feel manly

Eventually I'll get one but a little more than I care to spend right now. I'll settle for my Simplicity ZT-1438 zero turn. Fits through most fence gates

 

[shoot summ]

You shouldn't mow the same way every time, need to mix it up, different directions, etc.

 

[-Brent-]

The more time i spend mowing, the less time is available for garage stuff---so help me mow quicker.

I am looking for a program that will let you draw your property boundaries, building and other obstacles, input your mower's turning radius and width of cut, and then provide the most efficient mowing pattern. Seems like something should be out there. has anyone found it?
If not--can someone write it?

I mowed my lawn two or three times (max) and I knew which was the easiest/most efficient way. If you know your machine and you're thinking about efficiency you shouldn't need to diagram it.

32" Snapper Pro walk behind walking at a decent pace and double cutting the front (I like to have a pattern) takes me an hour with trimming.

 

[rattle_snake]

I think Randy Quiad character's v8 mower in the movie 'Moving' would do nicely to cut down on mow time.

 

[tomstin]

I cut my own lawn and find it therapeutic. But then again, it roughly 5K square feet. But I get teased by the neighbors has I vary the pattern every week. Too boring going the same way every time. Better for the grass to vary the cut and helps my sanity. At work I have projects that last months, at least for the lawn I get some instant gratification. Trim, edge and cut in about an hour!

 

[ms fowler]

OK, I have been mowing this 1 acre yard for 2 years now, and experience has shown what seems to be the best patterns--never straight down and back--always circling around something--the garage, a group of trees, the fire pit etc.
I just thought it would make for an interesting math problem, with the slight chance I might save 10 minutes. When I get the engine in my
new" Cub ( from 1982) rebuilt, i will move up to a 48" deck, and a quieter, smoother ( 2 cyl opposed) ride. No zero turn in my future.

 

[Eslader]

Cool stuff but I think I'll stick to my old lawn tractors even though I know a zero turn would be lightning fast.

There are other considerations than speed. I'll put the JD lawn tractor I used to have up against just about any ZTR as far as utility beyond mowing goes. Plowing snow, for instance. I know ZTRs can be fitted with plows, but I had a hard enough getting the mower to turn while pushing snow when the engine was up front weighing down the drive wheels. Hang the engine off the back and I'm betting I'd have pretty much no control whatsoever. That's fine if you're just pushing around a little 1/2" snowfall, but when you live where I live and sometimes measure snowfall in feet, you need all the help you can get.

 

[PeterT]

I was one of those "I do my own yard work" kinda guys.....

Then one day Armondo was walking by....my wife was outside....he commented in his 'very broken English' how nice our yard looked....they start talking (lots of sign language)....next thing you know...I'm paying $60/m for him to do the grunt work.

He lives close by....has a 'knack' for gardening....he and my wife get along great....she points....he does it.

It lets us do the more fun stuff.....

HOpefully Armondo isn't getting to close to the wife

 

[Farmall450]

Seems like the work/time would be spent trying to spec out your lawn and plan things out would outweigh any real time savings than would really be gained. Post up an overhead shot (google Earth, or similar) of your lot and I can maybe toss in some input on how I'd do it, if you wish (I owned/operated a lawncare company until 2015). Also would help to know what you are mowing with, be it a 14" reel, or a fullsized ztr.

Agreed. Is this REALLY worth looking into lol?
Turn as little as possible or get a zero turn.

 

[ford33]

Remove the lawn grass and replace with colorful bushes, flowers and rock formations and lawn artwork. The time spend mowing and the cost for watering just isn't worth it anymore.

I don't understand the need for expansive lawns.

 

[BSTON]

Here is the perfect opportunity for techies. We're on the verge of seeing lots of driverless cars navigating our streets and highways. Seems like it would be a lot easier to program a lawn mowing tractor to navigate a guy's lawn. Less traffic on a lawn, right? Non varying perimeter to deal with. Same route each week. Lower speeds.
Piece of cake!

(Dont do it like Roomba though...)

The agriculture industry is a closer comparison. They already have this in tractors for plowing, planting, harvesting, etc. Set the boundary with GPS, enter the equipment (if it doesn't already know just from hooking up), and hit go.

 

[jd_1138]

Do you have a zero turn? If not it will cut your time in half.

I hate those things. I'd rather use an old fashion lawn tractor/riding mower.

 

[MarkG]

This is a case of 'over-thinking' things that don't need it. Going back and forth or else concentric 'laps', or some combination or hybrid will do the job just fine and will be within milliseconds of a 'computer-generated-mowing-optimization'. OTOH, if your time is really that valuable, there are plenty of guys doing this for a living who would be glad to give you a quote. Decide how much your time/weekends are worth to you vs. how much you like doing your lawn work vs. what their estimates are and make a decision. Simple.

 

[bushmechanic]

It's not AutoCad, but this will help you visualize patterns. Watch the whole video so you can actually see the program and enjoy the retro commentary; don't just skip around.

 

[braidmeister]

The agriculture industry is a closer comparison. They already have this in tractors for plowing, planting, harvesting, etc. Set the boundary with GPS, enter the equipment (if it doesn't already know just from hooking up), and hit go.

HERDS expensive...Real time kinematic setups for tractors start around $30k+. Getting GPS with enough resolution to pull off mowing is VERY expensive. This doesn't take into consideration collision avoidance and other factors like making sure it doesn't accidentally run over your kid.

The robo mowers are expensive & pieces of **** if you own anything larger than a postage stamp. Many require 'beacons' for the sensors to pick up the boundaries. Crude versions use buried wire like a dog fence. There's no way they could cut my grass...it's just too thick. (Ever see what the blades look like on those things? LOL)

"It ain't all worked out yet" - so buy the widest, fastest mower you can and keep your foot planted. It used to take me 6-7hrs to mow. With a fast mower I can do it in 2.5 hrs now.

 

[bczygan]

Do you double mow diagonally?

Bill

 

[Parrothead]

The agriculture industry is a closer comparison. They already have this in tractors for plowing, planting, harvesting, etc. Set the boundary with GPS, enter the equipment (if it doesn't already know just from hooking up), and hit go.

Actually...the Roomba is a closer comparison since it already exists in lawn cutting form. The Husqvarna mower has a home base in the middle of your lawn and just mows constantly unless it's charging. It mows literally everyday! You never have a shaggy lawn again.

 

[bczygan]

Use a Zamboni pattern: