Comparison of autonomous mowers energy consumption and working capacity on a bermudagrass turf at different cutting heights

Low input turfgrass management focuses on reducing resource inputs while maintaining the quality and functionality of turfgrass areas. Warm season turfgrasses are a popular choice in low input turfgrass management due to their low water and chemicals inputs. The use of warm season turfgrasses together with the adoption of Autonomous Mowers (AM) may further reduce inputs in terms of energy consumption. The current study aimed at identifying the best AM performance in terms of energy consumption and working capacity at different workloads scenarios. Cutting motors of different power (30 and 100 W) were tested both at two cutting disk speeds (2300 and 3100 rpm) in increasing workloads conditions, removing 0, 3, 10, 15 and 20 mm. AMs data recorded were forward speed, rpm and current consumption, while assessed turf parameters were Cleanness of Cut (CoC) and mowing evenness. Results showed that AM equipped with a 100W cutting disk motor was able to maintain constant rpm and forward speed even when subjected to highest workloads (15 and 20 mm of removed biomass). 30W cutting disk motor AM performed well at the lowest workload (<3 mm removed biomass) and at daily mowing (3mm removed biomass) but did not manage to sustain the heaviest workloads (10mm, 15mm, and 20mm of removed biomass) resulting in reduced cutting precision and uneven mowing.