No AutoMower For You! (Not Yet, At Least!) #Automowerfirst

Posted by on
So, guys!  I have some fun news.  As part of an outreach campaign, the fine folks from Husqvarna have selected *this guy* to test out one of their Automowers.  They're having one delivered and if I comply with some asks (posting photos on social media, etc), I'll get to keep the mower.   So, that's pretty awesome, right?

The plan was for the Automower to be delivered in May and then use it all summer and have me document my experience here on the blog and on social (Twitter, Instagram).  I'm all for it!  But...I've had a little bit of an issue with *actually* getting the Automower.  Between some delays and then some scheduling confusion with the dealer in Roselle, my poor lawn (and kids!), who I have been bragging to about our soon-to-arrive lawn robot overlord, are starting to wonder if we'll ever get to see this thing in action.  I'm hoping we can get it figured out and the Automower will be in service next week!

In the meantime, the fine folks at Husqvarna sent along some literature and some swag.  That hat up at the top of this post was also sent along with a pretty rad Ocra tumblr (competitor to those sweet Yeti stainless steel cups/thermos/coolers that you see from time-to-time) that Nat has TOTALLY glommed onto.

So, I have those to hold me over.  While I read over and over longingly this brochure.
One of the things that I'm wondering about is whether I'm getting the 'right size' unit.  I'm slated to get the Husqvarna Automower 315.  Which, as you can see above is capable of covering 1/3 of an acre.  In square feet, that translates to 14,520 square feet.

Where we're currently living in Elmhurst, the lot is 65' wide by 165' deep.  That's a total of 10,725 square feet.  And there's the house, garage, driveway and play area that take up big parts of the square footage.  So, the Automower 315 is totally doable for that size space.

But, what happens if we move to something like a 65' wide by 300' deep lot?  That's 19,500 square feet.  Suddenly, we might be out of range for the Automower 315.  Husqvarna offers something called the Automower 450X that has 1.25 acre coverage.

An acre is 43,560 square feet, so the lot at just under 20K square feet is not at it's limit, but in looking around at other participants in the #Automowerfirst program, some of them are using the Automower 450X.  Thus...I'm wondering if I need to talk to the Husqvarna folks and see if we can get the bigger one for our future needs?  You can see others posting about their Husqvarna Automowers on the #AutomowerFirst tag on Instagram or Twitter.

Either way, I'm geeked.  C'mon Chambers Lawn and Power.  Let's get this delivery set up so I can watch this thing cut my grass!

(Reminder...I mentioned this up at the top, but to be clear:  Husqvarna is NOT paying me to write this post or any posts on social media about the Automower and #AutomowerFirst campaign, but they *are* giving me an Automower to use and test this summer.  And if I post about it on the blog and on social, they'll let me keep it!)
Location: Elmhurst, IL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Be nice to each other here.

Popular posts from this blog

Lou Malnati's Salad Dressing Recipe as Published in the 60's

Posted by on
Image
Earlier this winter, I wrote about the old Lou Malnati's menu and mentioned that as I was waiting around for my pie to finish up, I spied an old Chicago Tribune article posted on the wall that included the original Lou Malnati's Italian Salad Dressing Recipe.  The Tribune reporter called it "prized".  We were set to host a little pizza party over the weekend, so I figured I'd give it a shot.  Here's the article as seen through my mobile phone's camera. I'm not a wine drinker, so the fact that the recipe called for Burgundy wine didn't strike me as odd.  I went shopping at Angelo Caputos in Addison - a really incredible shopping experience - and when I got to the wine section I found Burgundy wine was carried ONLY in those HUGE jugs.  And they were dirt cheap.  The only issue is that needed just 4 ounces.  We ended up with a whole-lotta-wine that Nat won't drink. I've taken the recipe and modified it a bit by eliminating the percentage...
Read more

Tom Thayer's Italian Beef Recipe

Posted by on
Image
TOM’S TAILGATER ITALIAN BEEF COURTESY OF Steve Dahl  and  DAHL.COM Ingredients: One 3 ½ to 4 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast One package of Zesty Italian Salad Dressing and Recipe Mix One 16 oz. jar of hot giardiniera One 16 oz. jar of mild giardiniera One dozen baguettes (French rolls) Directions: In a four-quart Crock-Pot, pour in one bottle of giardiniera. Place the roast on top of the layer of giardiniera. Sprinkle the salad dressing mixture on top of the roast. Add the second bottle of giardiniera to the top of the roast. Cover Crock-Pot and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours. When fork tender, shred the roast in the Crock-Pot and allow it to combine with the other ingredients. Slice the baguettes in half and pile on the beef and giardiniera mixture. ------------------------------------ For the babe's baptism party, we hosted a collection of family and friends back at our house after the church proceedings. We ordered some of t...
Read more

Overwintering Disneyland Roses With Leaf Mulch - Floribunda Roses - December 2024

Posted by on
Image
Yesterday, I posted photos of how I'm attempting to overwinter some Dahlia tubers in the ground and in a couple of those pics, you might have peeked at the chicken wire cages next to the piles of mulch on the dahlia tubers.  Those chicken wire cages are full of fallen leaves and are set on top of the three Disneyland Rose crowns along the southside of our house. See below for a couple of photos showing how I set up the ring of chicken wire and filled it with mulched-up leaves: These roses struggled this year, so here's hoping this little bit of extra Winter protection is going to help them get through the cold.
Read more