Yard Force Compact 400RiS Robotic Lawnmower with App, Wifi
Yard Force Compact 400RiS Robotic Lawnmower with App, Wifi and iRadar – Active Safety Technology for lawns up to 400m²
From the brand
4V and 12V range
| Dimensions: | 60 x 40 x 27 cm; 15.3 Kilograms |
| Model: | Compact 400RiS-UK |
| Part: | Compact 400RiS-UK |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
| Manufacture: | Sumec |
| Dimensions: | 60 x 40 x 27 cm; 15.3 Kilograms |
Had the mower operating for two months now. There were some initial teething problems e.g. tree root caused it to dig up the soil likewise when crossing the footpath there was at some points a bit of a step upto the lawn but the wheels could not get purchase on the paving stones. After a little thatch removal it operates really well. The lawn has never looked so good and not no clippings to get rid of. Truly wonderful.
The only downside is the lawn edging to the border. The instructions say lay the wire 30cm from the edge but if you do that you end up with long grass growing where ithe mower does not reach. We solved this by by laying a block paving border to the lawn and as the blocks are 20cm if you lay the wire on the lawnside next to the block like we did you do not need to cut the untidy bits giving us a lovely easy care lawn. This is the most useful item I have ever purchased and cannot recommend it enough and has replaced a 19″ petrol mower that was heavy and continually had to have the grass collector emptied.
Once set up and “fine tuning” the location of the boundary cable it is great. Every day my grass is getting cut. It looks the best it has done for ages
Got a new lawn planted. Bit sparse at the moment but love my new mower. Took a few hours to get the boundary wire pegged out and followed the paper instructions and works great. Super quiet so running it on a night for 10 days now.
I have Ms and slowly witnessed my once well maintained lawn become overgrown and it was heart wrenching. Mowing was impossible because of the pain.
Now my Yard Force or Jurgen as we call it has solved everything!
Easy to install, connected the wire to the two points to the rear and around the circumference of the lawn.
I’ve had to change the position of the wire a few times as I became experienced.
Easy to follow instructions and when programmed off he goes..
Lawn is great for April, extremely happy with the product. Has remained outside and survived a few U.K. storms so is weatherproof.
Would recommend definitely if you are less able.
This robot mower has proved to be very good and reliable. I have a bumpy irregular shaped lawn and it has coped well. It occasionally goes across the perimeter wire, but I have noticed this only happens when it’s raining. I guess it interferes with the signal. Because it has lasted over two years now, I would certainly recommend. I believe husquavana have bought it from yard force or copied it, they look almost identical. I’m very pleased with this robot mower.
The boundary wire seems a bit fragile and easily broken, and even when set up as directed, it’s easy for the machine to get caught on obstructions outside the mowed area. But when it’s going, it does a good job.
I have been enjoying my robot until yesterday, it has worked very well but for some reason it now justs turns around. I have looked this morning (noting its been on charge overnight) that it says it is flat agin. Whats wrong and can you correct it for to save sending it back?
Give them time and they become excelent.
Tip when buying this dont expect this to work without some tweaking spending time getting the boundry wire correct.
Yes it got stuck quite a few times at first and cutting boundry lines. All part of the learning process. At first you need to baby sit it to sort out issues. sorted out the boundry wire and it now cuts fine no issues and no getting stuck.
The Radar works great which is missing of the othet budget models. It does not like bumpy uneven lawns but now I sorted the few places it goes well. I have now since buried the boundry wire around the lawn so no more cutting and I can no leave him to his job on his own.
I love mine and my robot hoover. Great it you stick at it.
This is a no frills robot mower, but does exactly what I wanted. The grass is kept neat even in the rain, which has been unavoidable of late. Trying to register the warranty for the extra year was a bit arduous as the links provided didn’t work, but got there in the end.
Easy setup….
1. Lay/site the perimeter wire…. this is the hardest/most boring/most time consuming part.
2. Site the base unit/charging station.
3. Wire to a spur or plug into outside socket.
4. Select signal code to make sure mower and base are the same.
5. Turn the mower on and put it in the cutting area near the station and press the home key…. if it docks…. BINGO, set your mowing time, grab a gin and tonic, forget about Eastenders and see how easy cutting grass can really be.
If it doesn’t dock, make sure charging station is not too close to a wall or obstruction….. like the edge of decking… it really makes a difference.
We have 520sq m of lumpy bumpy lawn, set on a 4hr cut, over 3 days we notice all grass is even, no high spots. It manages the uneven surface well….. doesn’t appreciate molehills tho!!
Having said all that, and after all the tribulations, I think its great.
The first thing to say is manage your expectations, if you have a crap lawn unkempt full of weed with pot holes lots of divots etc do not expect any robot to make it better, in fact a robot may not be for you or you may not be ready for a robot. I would say they are for people who don’t mind/ like or enjoy gardening, don’t mind cutting lawns (but like me would prefer not to if there is a viable alternative). I actually get a bit of “lawn anxiety”, I even like my stripes, but I don’t like it being left, so the regular cutting of a robot seems ideal for me and I’m prepared to sacrifice the stripes.
Be patient when setting it up, do not expect it to be press and go and you will need to invest time fitting the guide wire and making some fine tuning corrections, do not sink the wire into the ground, only do this after a few weeks when you’ve got it doing what you want it to do. All my teething issues were because of me or the lawn, the yardforce was not at fault.
My yardforce is possibly not needed, but it is an experiment for my much larger rear garden that cannot be linked for one robot to do front and back. The functionality of this model is pretty simple and basic (with no Wi-fi functionality) once you get to know it. It works on a 7 days-a-week programme, and in most scenarios will run two one hour cutting programmes per day. it’s early days but this is probably too much for a small lawn. The only way you can change this is by turning it off which is what I will do, if we go away on holiday it will just cut 7 days a week whether it is needed or not, that isn’t a bother to me.
My layout is very simple, just a lawn on a slope with borders, no flower beds, trees or rocks etc within the cutting area . I do like the sensors, they stop the robot actually bumping into things so in theory it never bumps into anything like many other robots on the market that actually rely on coming into contact with an object. This means the robot should not get any “impact marks”. The down side of this is it sometimes senses an object (in my case a hedge) marginally before it gets to the boundary wire.
The first cuts have been made in November, but it definitely looks better than next door that hasn’t been touched for weeks. The robot can be let out in damp conditions to do its job when “conventional” cutting will churn up the grass. Mine is only a small lawn but it doesn’t leave any uncut tufts, only the edges will need the occasional trim.
You must consider how to protect the Yardforce, a garage is recommended. I agree, it should not be left out in the open for too long so consider this preferably before buying. Either make one yourself, as I did, or buy one of many on offer on various web sites.
This yardforce feels sturdy but I will not know how good it is for at least a year. I am aware there are other brands that boast superior build quality etc and you have to pay a lot more. Time will tell. I was fortunate to get mine on Amazon for 245 new (not used), at the time this is a bargain as the price has since returned to 340.
3 MONTH UP DATE
I’ve just started to use for the 2021 season. I have some observations. 1. My lawn is very small and having written to Yardforce (excellent customer contact) I now realise there is no facility to reduce cutting times automatically. It cuts for 4 hours minimum, 7 days a week, this is too much. The answer is I control it manually by switching it off after one cut. I can also leave it off for a day or so as at this time of year daily cutting is unnecessary. 2. Our lawn has a slight slope. When cutting across the slope it does not hold a straight line it tends to curve with the slope. Not really a problem but an observation. 3. The “eyes” prevent the Yardforce from bumping into obstacles, the only thing is it prevents it from cutting up to the edge of the lawn e.g. when it gets close to my hedge. No adjustment to the boundary wire can help in this situation. 4. This model does not have a pin code security facility so if it is stolen, and the base station is stolen with it, it will still function for the thief (he/she would only have to buy a new boundary wire). Do not buy this model if this is a serious consideration.