As seen on WNEP News:

As read about in the Press Enterprise Newspaper:

RIVERSIDE -- A longtime landscaper says he only spends an hour a week tending to 20 lawns because he deploys robots to do the job.

Dave Decoteau, Riverside, said he got out of the landscaping business years ago because of how much time it took him and five workers to tend to people's grass.

About three years ago, he jumped back into the business when quiet, electric robotic lawnmowers hit the consumer market by rebranding himself as "Mister Mowbot."

Decoteau is one of just a handful of landscapers in the country leasing his small army of roomba-like bots to businesses and homeowners.

Clients name, dress them

Decoteau chatted about his venture from the front yard of his business Wednesday morning as a mower named "Shopbot" slowly made its way around the lawn.

"I haven't cut this grass this year," he said, pointing to his trimmed lawn.

Most of them have more endearing names -- like Adam, Cassandra and Roy -- that Decoteau says were given to him by the families who lease them.

Decoteau says Roy's seasonal keeper has given the mower personality and it often wears holiday attire like Easter bonnets or Halloween witch hats.

"They consider him part of the family," Decotea said of the Husqvarna machines that make mowing a human-less, but daily chore.

He said the robots can mow about and acre and a half on a charge, but less if they encounter obstacles like rocks, shrubs and trees.

Not for the golf course

"They aren't perfect for every condition," Decoteau said. He knows some people find tranquility in mowing their own lawns or take pride in perfectly lined, evenly cut rows of cut grass.

But the robot mowers hum along quietly, meaning homeowners can choose to have them working at night. Most have them set up to "bop around" all day long inside a perimeter to keep them from wandering off.

They also aren't perfect machines, he said.

They can't tell water from grass and occasionally find themselves sunk after heavy storms. He said he usually sends them all on break -- to their solar-powered stations -- if the forecast calls for rain.

They do run into things and sometimes get stuck, but they are pretty efficient and stay out of trouble.

The slightest bump into a reporter's shoe and Shopbot paused a moment before turning itself around and moving off into another direction.

When they manage to get stuck, Decoteau gets an alarm message from it on his iPad and then goes to the site to rescue it. He also still has to use a weedwhacker to keep some spots trim.

"They aren't super smart; what they are is persistent," Decoteau said of his robotic landscaping fleet.

Popular at hospital

Decoteau has 50 robots and most are deployed from spring to fall at homes and businesses. He said Geisinger Medical Center in Danville leases two from him which patients enjoy watching from the windows of the Janet Weis Children's Hospital.

Decoteau said the hospital has so far leased two in Danville and more in Wilkes-Barre to maintain steep hills.

"Before, maintenance guys were sliding down the hill and getting hurt," Decoteau said, pointing out that his lawn robots can not sue him if they are damaged.

Decoteau said he once got a call from a nurse who requested he activate the bot to the delight of a child patient.

"The kids want to see it, people really like it," he said.

The two are set to mow day and night and only stop to dock and recharge themselves, he said.

"They just keep doing their thing," he said.

Decoteau says he is not worried about the robots wandering off because he gives each a virtual boundary they cannot cross.

If one were to go rogue or get stolen, he will be the first to know. Decoteau lifted Shopbot off the ground and it let out a loud and constant alarm before notifying him by phone there was a problem.

"They will report themselves stolen and track themselves," he said.

"Grass looks the same"

The robot mowers range in cost from $1,000 for a basic model to $4,000 for a heavy-duty four-wheel drive machine.

Decoteau leases them from $70 up to $155 per month.

He says they are safer for wildlife and people because they are designed to stop at the slightest obstacle. If they were to run over a rabbit den, the machine would sense trouble and stop its circular blade from spinning, sparing bunnies from untimely death.

In the offseason, they come back to his Riverside garage for "spa treatments" that include updates to their software, maintenance and cleanings.

Decoteau says he has been using a robot mower at his own home for over four years.

"Every day I wake up and the grass looks the same as it did yesterday, it's like a gnome came by overnight."

M.J. Mahon covers Bloomsburg and can be reached at 570-218-7536 or mj.mahon@pressenterprise.net

Why robot mowers?

Click each category below for more information

Three steps to mowing of the future:

1. Get and estimate from the menu of services (at right, on this page).

2. Schedule your appointment with our Mowbot Expert (below estimate).

3. Finalize your plan and we’ll take care of the rest!

NO DOWN PAYMENT

NO COSTLY INSTALLATION

NO LARGE UP-FRONT COSTS

Once you understand robotic mowing, and see how effortless Earthscapes and our "Mr. Mowbot” division has made the process: you will agree: this is the future!

Ready for the revolution in lawn mowing?

We are. And that’s why we want to lead it.

Electric, robot mowing is going to change everything.

Already convinced and ready to sign-up? WELCOME! Use the right column of this page to get started with your service!

Need more info? - if you are new to the concept, want to be convinced, or have questions about our service and why robotic mowing is a game-changer: please fill out the form (at right) and continue to read down this webpage. There is lots of materials here, and in the links provided where you can learn all about this exciting new way to maintain your turf.

We think that by the end of this webpage, you will want to join us in the future of mowing!

You are going to start seeing these more and more. They have been used in europe intensively for about 15 years. it’s “new to us”, but not really that new. Don’t be the last person to start saving time and money on this great solution for a routine and back breaking task.

Additional Information and resourses:

Facebook owners group

Husqvarna Automower

Want more info? Use the form below to contact us.

Why robot mowers?

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Do you really want to spend so much time cutting grass?

• Listen, if you are the kind of person who loves being on your tractor in the open spaces, hearing the deafening sound of internal combustion in your ears while filling your nose with sweet petroleum exhaust…this solution might not be for you.

Or…

• If you are in a relatiionship that depends on your getting away from your significant other for at least an hour or ten each weekend, so that the loud sounds of mowing can drown out their incessant suggestions on how you could “be a better person”…we get it. We aren’t in the relationship destruction business.

But…

• If you are the kind of person who values their time (and the planet, and efficiency and saving money) and you think you might be able to find a better use for potentially hundreds of hours a year… you might want to consider this option.

Stop wasting time:

Cutting - If you cut your own grass, you need to take the time to do the work. For a 1/2 acre, most folks will take between a half hour and and an hour, depending on how motivated you feel, and the type of equipment you have.

Trimming - That yard then needs time for weed whacking and blowing off the clippings.

Clippings - If the grass gets long in the spring, you might have to cut twice to disperse clippings. You might even have to rake…UGGGGHH! This will take two or three times as much time.

Gas - you need to go get gas and oil to keep your equipment running. That takes time.

Maintenance - you need to get the blades sharpened, oil changed, filters, belts, and that’s just the routine stuff. What about the time it takes to get the mower repaired when it breaks? What about the time lost while you figure out how to keep the grass cut while you wait for repairs?

Damage - since you have to cut when the lawn is still wet sometimes, you “turf” the grass and compact the soils. This means either paying someone to fix your turf, or the time to aerate, overseed and maybe add topsoil and seed to fix the spots.

All these problems are solved with robotic mowers.

Cutting - the mower cuts for you. We set when it cuts, and it follows the commands automatically. No pollution or noise.

Trimming - because it has settings that allow it to cross the border wire by different distances: it gets just about everything. But, admittedly, there are some places it can’t reach. That is why it is important that a Tech from Mr. Mowbot come every other week (approximately) to hit any areas it can’t reach using our all electric trimmers. We keep consistent to the mission even with the details.

Clippings - There are no clippings with the robot mowers. They cut all the time, day and night, rain and shine (as much as programed and needed) to make sure they are only ever cutting off a little of each grass blade. This is the most healthy way to mow, as clippings quickly decompose and help build the soil profile without building thatch.

Gas - there is none. Our electric vehicle (charged with solar energy) transports our Technician to your property every other week. You do nothing but feel good about bring part of the solution.

Maintenance - it’s a different world. No big powerful engines means less maintenance. Wheel motors do break sometimes. And sometimes they need a software update (which we can do from a laptop or tablet). And if it really breaks, you get a loner-bot immediately as we bring your’s back to be fixed.

Damage - the low weight of the Mowbot keeps soil compaction to a minimum. Aeration is always a great idea, but turf damage due to mowing, will be a thing of the past.

Additional Information and resourses:

Facebook owners group

Husqvarna Automower

Why robot mowers?

Click each category below for more information

Why wouldn’t you want to mow greener?

This is one of those rare chances to be conservative that doesn’t require you to sacrifice anything else:

• It’s cheaper

• It’s quieter

• It’s saving you time

and…

it’s not making exhaust and other potentially harmful byproduct of internal combustion.

What do you have to lose?

Our commitment:

For 30 years, we cut using the traditional tools.

big trucks, pulling trailers full of high powered, heavy mowers, and then finishing the job with gas powered string trimmers and blowers.

Additional Information and resourses:

Facebook owners group

Husqvarna Automower

Why robot mowers?

Click each category below for more information

Why cause clippings and compaction…then pay to fix it?

• Mowing is 50% of any good lawn. You can pay a service to get rid of all your weeds and fertilize all you want, but if the mowing is bad…the lawn will be bad.

So what makes for “bad mowing”? There are a many ways you can really screw it up. Here are the most common:

You can cut too short

You can let the

Stop working against yourself:

Cutting - If you cut your own grass, you need to take the time to do the work. For a 1/2 acre, most folks will take between a half hour and and an hour, depending on how motivated you feel, and the type of equipment you have.

Trimming - That yard then needs time for weed whacking and blowing off the clippings.

Clippings - If the grass gets long in the spring, you might have to cut twice to disperse clippings. You might even have to rake…UGGGGHH! This will take two or three times as much time.

Gas - you need to go get gas and oil to keep your equipment running. That takes time.

Maintenance - you need to get the blades sharpened, oil changed, filters, belts, and that’s just the routine stuff. What about the time it takes to get the mower repaired when it breaks? What about the time lost while you figure out how to keep the grass cut while you wait for repairs?

Damage - since you have to cut when the lawn is still wet sometimes, you “turf” the grass and compact the soils. This means either paying someone to fix your turf, or the time to aerate, overseed and maybe add topsoil and seed to fix the spots.

All these problems are solved with robotic mowers.

Cutting - the mower cuts for you. We set when it cuts, and it follows the commands automatically. No pollution or noise.

Trimming - because it has settings that allow it to cross the border wire by different distances: it gets just about everything. But, admittedly, there are some places it can’t reach. That is why it is important that a Tech from Mr. Mowbot come every other week (approximately) to hit any areas it can’t reach using our all electric trimmers. We keep consistent to the mission even with the details.

Clippings - There are no clippings with the robot mowers. They cut all the time, day and night, rain and shine (as much as programed and needed) to make sure they are only ever cutting off a little of each grass blade. This is the most healthy way to mow, as clippings quickly decompose and help build the soil profile without building thatch.

Gas - there is none. Our electric vehicle (charged with solar energy) transports our Technician to your property every other week. You do nothing but feel good about bring part of the solution.

Maintenance - it’s a different world. No big powerful engines means less maintenance. Wheel motors do break sometimes. And sometimes they need a software update (which we can do from a laptop or tablet). And if it really breaks, you get a loner-bot immediately as we bring your’s back to be fixed.

Damage - the low weight of the Mowbot keeps soil compaction to a minimum. Aeration is always a great idea, but turf damage due to mowing, will be a thing of the past.

Additional Information and resourses:

Facebook owners group

Husqvarna Automower

Why robot mowers?

Click each category below for more information

Three steps to mowing of the future:

1. Pick out a plan from the menu of services on this page.

2. Schedule your appointment with our Mowbot Expert.

3. Finalize your plan and we’ll take care of the rest!

NO DOWN PAYMENT

NO COSTLY INSTALLATION

NO LARGE UP-FRONT COSTS

Once you understand robotic mowing, and see how effortless Earthscapes and our "Mr. Mowbot” division has made the process: you will agree: this is the future.

Ready for the revolution in lawn mowing?

We are. And that’s why we want to lead it.

Electric, robot mowing is going to change everything.

Already convinced and ready to sign-up? WELCOME! Use the box at right to get going with your service!

if you are new to the concept, or want to be convinced, or have questions about our service and why robotic mowing is a game-changer: please continue to read below. We think that by the end of this page, you will want to join us in the future of mowing!

Additional Information and resourses:

Facebook owners group

Husqvarna Automower

Why robot mowers?

I had 5 crews and 20 men cutting all kinds of turf: residential, commercial and industrial…and it was terrible. Why?

1. The workers - were a revolving door. Not a career for most, but more a “summer job”. Hard to make those folks care.

2. The weather - made us have to rush to “make hay when the sun shined”. Clippings, thatch, “turfed” patches, and soil compaction were the result.

3. The equipment - was heavy, powerful, and destructive, and took massive amounts of fuel, equipment, time and labor to move around from place to place.

4. The hypocrisy - when I preach the good cultural practices of “no compaction” and “minimal clippings” and “your yard is your natural escape” and then I send a swarm of strangers, with giant trucks and trailers, and zero turn mowers that weigh 1,000 lbs. and cut the grass in 10 minutes and turf the wet grass, while producing tons of clippings, and exhaust, and noise, and disturbance…well….there is a disconnect and hypocrisy there which with, I was never comfortable.

Mr. Mowbot intends to embrace new technology, and rectify all those past problems in one, quiet, tranquil, quality-conscience, and environmentally sound redefinition of how client think about turf mowing.

Big trucks, heavy equipment and guys who change jobs like most people change underwear.

We can do better. Love you guys, but like the wheel right and the Ice house workers…innovation moves us forward.

Additional Information and resourses:

Facebook owners group

Husqvarna Automower

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