The Benefits of Proper Robot Mower Maintenance in the Winter

But while the purpose and use of a robot mower is clear during the spring and summer months when you spend countless hours outside enjoying your lawn or training on the local sports pitch, the winter months are a little different.

For one thing, your grass doesn’t require much maintenance in the winter beyond ensuring that it supports optimum drainage. What this means is that even if robot mowers were built to withstand bad weather conditions (which they are) and if your grass could handle the weight of a robot mower when it’s waterlogged and muddy, the need for regular mowing is minimal.

As such, winter is the time when we recommend giving your robot mower a bit of a break – investing time in a proper annual service, ensuring that all the mechanical parts and components are working efficiently, and protecting both the mower and it’s charging port from potential water and frost damage from a winter spent outside.

In this blog, we’re talking about all things robot mower maintenance as we head deep into winter – with advice on how to use the winter months to effectively service and maintain your robot mower.  

What do you do with a robot mower in the winter?

There comes a cut off when it’s time for your robot mower to hang up its blades and take a break – with the first signs of frost a good indicator that it’s time for a break.

This is for a multitude of reasons, not least because your grass needs rest and recuperation during the winter months.

For one thing, during the winter your grass barely sees any growth – which means that it doesn’t require the same amount of cutting to keep it looking well maintained and neat. What’s more, even on sites of high footfall including parklands and sports pitches, the footfall on the grass drops significantly during the winter months. This means that the need for a high standard of maintenance drops, with sports teams moving their training indoors and onto astro pitches, and park visitors using footpaths and areas of hard standing ground.

Another reason to take your robot mower inside during the winter is for maintenance benefits – taking the time to properly clean and service your robot and ensure that it is ready for a busy spring season when the sun and warmer weather returns. Despite the sophisticated design and build of modern robot mowers, they are still a culmination of working parts and components which all need to be kept in good order. The best way to achieve this is through a comprehensive health check every year during the winter, checking for any signs of wear and tear, and ensuring that the battery life is healthy among other things.   

Look out for our winter health checklist towards the end of this blog. But first, how do you winterise a robot mower?

How do you winterise a robot mower?

There are a few things that you should do in advance of storing your robot mower over winter, which include fully charging the battery and attending to the charging station as well as the mower itself.

The charging station needs to be protected from the elements to alleviate the risk of water and frost damage, with many maintenance teams covering the station with a tarpaulin and/or a bucket to keep it safe from damage.

It is also recommended that you remove the battery from the robot mower and charge it fully in advance of winter storage, to prevent it from wearing down and to extend its lifespan.

Finally, clean the individual components of the mower fully before storing it for winter, removing any mud or debris and allowing it to dry fully to avoid rust and other damage. It is important that you clean it effectively without high pressure, as pressurised water can cause damage to the motorised blades and the integrated technology. Wash the mower gently but thoroughly.

Winter checklist for your robot mower

We’ll leave you with this checklist, which you can save for next winter and share with other robot mower owners to keep their tools in top condition.

•       Take your mower inside and clean it fully, allowing it to dry out before storing
•       Complete a full service on your mower, looking for any signs of wear and tear and ensuring that each component is in good working order, ready for next spring
•       Attend to the charging station as well, cleaning it and covering it to protect from winter damage
•       Store your robot mower somewhere dry, where it will not be impacted by the cold or damp
•       Charge the battery fully, ready for next season

Your robot mower is an excellent investment which will continue to provide efficient and effective outdoor maintenance support for years to come, provided you invest time and energy in proper winter care and maintenance.

For more advice on this and to discuss our annual subscription servicing and maintenance checks, get in touch with us directly.