Robot Mowing by the Numbers: Everything We've Measured

Spec sheets are written by marketing departments. These numbers weren’t.

Everything below was measured by us — on customer installs, on our own demo units, or on the test bench — and each one links to the full write-up where we measured it. If you’re deciding whether a robot mower fits your property, these are the numbers we’d actually plan around. (For aggregate data from hundreds of mapped lawns, see our robot lawn mower statistics page — this post is the field-and-bench companion to it.)

Signal & positioning

What we measured	The number	Where we measured it
RTK range, clear line of sight	~600 ft	Paoli, PA range test
RTK range through mature trees	Meaningfully less — degrades fast	Same test, same yard
Highest antenna mount we’ve needed	25 ft (above canopy, after two installers walked away)	RTK placement rules
Outdoor WiFi extender coverage	250–300 ft dependable range, from a ~$160 unit	Shed extender fix

The theme: positioning is a real-estate problem, not a mower problem. The four antenna rules decide more than the brand does.

Blades & cutting

What we measured	The number	Where we measured it
Blade life to “can’t cut a single blade of grass”	~30 days of daily mowing (OEM and coated)	Titanium vs OEM test
Replacement interval we plan around	Every 4–6 weeks, new screws every time	Blade replacement guide
OEM vs “titanium” blade weight	2.5 oz vs 2.0 oz per 20 blades — OEM ~25% heavier	Titanium vs OEM test
Edge sharpness, new and worn	OEM sharper both times, on a laser edge reader	Titanium vs OEM test
Blades a Navimow disc actually accepts	9 per disc via factory holes (ships with 6) — 18 total, +50% edge	The 18-blade setup
Deck cleaning	~5 minutes, every 1–2 weeks in season	Cleaning guide

The number that changes behavior: both blade sets were done at 30 days. The interval matters; the brand doesn’t — and the disc has three empty slots if your grass needs more edge.

Capacity & terrain

What we measured	The number	Where we measured it
Most lawn on one Navimow X450 (rated 1.5 ac)	1.91 acres mapped — 27% past the rating	Lewes, DE install
Real daily output of a 6-acre-rated Terranox	~1 acre per day per unit (the rating is a 24/7 lab number)	The real math behind 6 acres
Biggest system we’ve designed	12 acres, 10 robots (5 Yarbo + 5 LUBA 3), zero gas mowers	Eastern Shore case study
Steepest grade climbed in our field test	84% (~40°), clearing 2-inch obstacles	Slopes field test
Steepest real property running daily	40° Pennsylvania mountain slopes, no cell coverage	Pine Creek mountain install
Strongest residential slope rating	~80% grade (≈39°)	Best for hills & slopes

Two honest asymmetries hiding in there: a right-sized mower on an open lawn can beat its rating, while a big-acreage rating quietly assumes the mower never stops. Size to your real mowable square footage, not the sticker.

Ownership & running

What we measured	The number	Where we measured it
Operating noise	~60 dB — quieter than a dishwasher (~75 dB)	Wilmington two-yard install
Scheduled-run battery gate	Won’t start below 90% charge	Scheduling explained
Median mapped lawn (n=294 profiles)	0.43 acres (mean 1.05 — big lawns pull the average)	Statistics page
Lawns with a >20° max slope	17% of profiles measured	Statistics page
Median estimated mow time	3.5 hours per cycle	Statistics page

Why we publish this

Because “it depends” is true but useless, and adjectives are worse. When a customer in a wooded yard asks whether RTK will reach the back fence, we’d rather hand them a measured 600-foot number with the caveats attached than a brochure. Every number above has a full write-up behind it — and when a new measurement lands, it gets added here.

Get your own numbers

The first number that matters is yours: real mowable square footage, slope, and satellite sky view.

📍 Check my lawn — free — your lawn’s real size, slope and satellite sky view, measured in about two minutes.
🗺️ Book a free site assessment — we’ll pull up your address, plan the antenna and dock, and quote the whole install.
📞 Call or Text Us: 410-725-7500

Measured so far: 600-ft RTK range · 25-ft antenna mount · 30-day blade life · 2.5 vs 2.0 oz · 1.91 acres on a 1.5-acre rating · 84% grade climbed · 12-acre, 10-robot system · ~60 dB

Frequently asked

How far can a robot mower work from its RTK base station?

About 600 feet with clear line of sight, in our real-world range test on a Segway Navimow — meaningfully less through mature trees. Spec sheets quote more; 600 feet is what we actually measured on a residential install before the fix degraded.

How steep a hill can a robot mower actually climb?

In our field test, an AWD robot climbed an 84% grade — about 40 degrees — while clearing 2-inch obstacles, and a Navimow Terranox held daily duty on a real 40° Pennsylvania mountain property. The strongest residential ratings sit around 80% (roughly 39°); plan a real yard a notch below the sticker, because ratings assume dry grass and a straight climb.

How long do robot mower blades really last?

About 30 days of daily mowing before they can no longer cleanly cut a single blade of grass — we verified this with a laser edge reader on both OEM Segway blades and titanium-coated aftermarket blades, and both were done at a month. That's why we tell customers to replace on a 4–6 week interval and ignore blade-brand marketing.

How much lawn can one robot mower really handle?

More than the rating in the right conditions, less than the rating in the real world. We mapped 1.91 acres on a Navimow X450 rated for 1.5 (27% past the sticker, on an open lawn with a dialed setup). Meanwhile the 6-acre-rated Terranox does about 1 acre per day per unit once you schedule around dew and recharging — the rating is a 24/7 lab number.