Collection Gift Guide: Auto-mow-tic

Christian Gulliksen
12/02/2003

Husqvarna Auto Mower 
Few of us escape childhood without having the onerous duty of mowing the lawn at least once. Sometimes parents reward the chore with an allowance, but all too often they consider the forced march up and down the yard a pro bono contribution to the upkeep of the family manse, and one with the pleasing side effect of building character. Multiple factors influence how much time—and sweat—trimming the grass requires. How large is the lawn? And how flat? Is there a push mower without a motor, or is there a tractorlike conveyance in the shed that can be ridden? All of those variables might be rendered moot, however, because we live in a world where a lawn can now practically mow itself.

Granted, you have no doubt abdicated responsibility for your lawn’s maintenance to your son or the gardener. But you might still find the Auto Mower from Husqvarna intriguing. The Swedish manufacturer has been building equipment for 314 (yes, three hundred and fourteen) years, and bills its products as just the thing for maintaining gardens, lawns, and forests. The people at Husqvarna are very serious, it seems, about what they do. (Click image to enlarge)

Battery operated and computer controlled, the Auto Mower mows a lawn automatically, guided by a perimeter wire that is buried or stapled to the ground. The Auto Mower can be programmed to operate at any time of the day with simple keyboard entries. A safety device stops the blades if the mower senses it has been picked up or tilted, and collision sensors allow it to stop, back up, and change direction if it encounters a solid object. Mowing is continuous, and cuttings are returned to the ground as fertilizer. When low on power, it returns to its charging station and can be fully recharged in an hour and a half. The Auto Mower can maintain a lawn of up to one-half acre, and it will work in sunshine or rain, during the day or at night, without gas fumes or noise. Find a gardener who will do that. The Auto Mower is available for $1,500. (Click image to enlarge)

Husqvarna
800.448.7543
www.automower.com

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