LawnBott LB3500 Robotic Lawn Mower Review
 he LawnBott LB3500 is LawnBott's newest and most advanced robotic lawn mower. Currently, there are three different LawnBott models in the US:
LawnBott (also known as Ambrogio) has been imported from Italy to the US since 2005. LawnBott robotic lawn mowers have been sold in Europe for over 8 years with more than 70,000 in-use units worldwide so far.
The following is an in-depth review of the final-release LawnBott LB3500 – not a prototype.
The dimensions of the LawnBott LB3500 box are 36.5 inches x 31.5 inches x 15 inches, which is larger than the other LawnBott models. A box within a box - All accessories packed quite securely next to the LawnBott, which is in a separate box. The LawnBott LB3500 is surrounded with molded Styrofoam that does a great job protecting the lawn mower during shipping. The box is labeled “Fragile” but it is packed well enough to withstand not so fragile treatment.
LawnBott Accessories and Parts Review
- Charging base
- Perimeter signal transmitter
- Power supply (Battery charger)
- 650 ft. wire
- 200 pegs
- Manual in English
- Manual in Italian
- Warranty card and certificate
- LawnBott installation DVD
- Battery connection sheet
If robotic lawn mowers are new to you, the charging base is where the mower goes “home” to charge. The LawnBott LB3500 charging base is more sturdy and heavier than the LawnBott Evolution (LB3200) and LawnBott Professional (LB2100) charging base, which comes to my surprise because the previous models are covered. The charging base is heavy enough that strong wind would not cause it to move even if it were not staked to the ground. It is secured to the ground by the same pegs used for the perimeter wire. The base is weatherproof and is meant to stay outside all the time, even during the winter months.
Cosmetically, the round corners of the base fit the contour of the LawnBott LB3500 quite nicely, but I would have preferred it in green to match the color of the LawnBott.
The charging contacts are mounted under the rim and are wide enough to leave several inches of play. The charging base is attached to a 30-foot long cable, which connects to the perimeter wire transmitter.
Unlike the LB3200 Evolution & LB2100 Professional, the LB3500 charging base is not covered but does not need to be. However, in development are several designer cover options that disguise the base to look like a rock, doghouse or a green high-tech cover.
 The sinusoidal transmitter is about 4 inches long. This little device is responsible for sending a low voltage signal around the perimeter wire. While mowing, the LawnBott is “listening” for the signal at all times. If the LawnBott is out mowing and the signal is interrupted, the mower will stop immediately. If the signal resumes, the mower will automatically continue. The transmitter can power up to 2,000 feet of perimeter wire, which is plenty for most yards. An optional signal booster can be added to power over 3,000 ft of wire. The transmitter connects directly to the wire from the charging base.
The power supply (also called the transformer) reminds me of the Robomower fast charger. It connects into the perimeter signal transmitter.
The LawnBott will cost only $7-11 per year in electricity to charge the mower and power the perimeter wire. This is a fraction of what you would pay in gas every year for gas powered lawn mowers.
  Transmitter and Power Supply are not waterproof - Both sinusoidal transmitter and battery charger are the only items that must be kept dry. If you have a covered porch, garage, a crawl space or a utility shed these items can be kept there. If the transmitter and power supply must be kept outside, you can purchase the optional transformer cover (diagram on the right). The transformer cover itself is about 11 x 8 x 3 inches and fits the power supply, sinusoidal transmitter and their wires perfectly. It can be mounted on a wall or fence.
 The LawnBott LB3500 comes with a 650 ft roll of perimeter wire, which is enough to cover about a quarter of an acre. Prepare to use about 500 ft of wire for every quarter acre of yard – you may need more or less depending on how many obstacles you run wire around. LawnBott perimeter wire is designed to stay outside all year round. Installation is a one-time event.
 The LawnBott LB3500 comes with a bag of 200 plastic pegs. These pegs hold the perimeter wire and charging base to the ground. The end of the peg can be snapped off to shorten the length. At first I thought this was a useless “feature” until I tried nailing them into my hard clay soil. It did not take long before I was snapping off the ends as soon as I took them out of the bag. LawnBott pegs serve their purpose very well but I would have liked the area around the head to be firmer. I broke several peg heads while nailing them in the ground. Here is some advice – if your ground is very hard, use water to moisten the soil. I went through about 200 pegs per 500 ft of wire. If you stake the wire down, grass (and their roots) will completely conceal it. It usually takes about 2 - 3 weeks for grass to hide the wire.
Two manuals come with the LB3500. One English and one Italian. I am not sure why they bothered putting the Italian manual in US mowers. The English manual is poorly translated but is a must read. It is packed with illustrations to help you along the way. You can download it here. (The online version is in color but the printed version is in black and white.) The units within the manual are metric so it helps if you have a metric tape measure or a conversion calculator handy.
Upon reading the print manual, I immediately saw some of the menu items were slightly different than the mower itself. The LawnBott LB3500 is new to the market, and LawnBott is known for making frequent updates. One great feature about the LawnBott LB3500 is you can connect a cable from the lawn mower to your computer to update the firmware over the internet free of charge.
Taped to the outside of the box is a package that contains a DVD and warranty cards. The installation footage of the DVD requires you to fast forward past the beginning. The installation video is quite informative. Not only does it show someone installing the mower, but there is footage of how to raise the blade height which I think is a nice bonus.
The mower and charging base comes fully assembled, but the battery is not plugged in to the main board, as explained in a sheet of paper wrapped around the manuals. To connect, you have to remove the double lithium battery to access the main board. Four Phillips head screws secure the battery to the chassis. It only takes about 5 minutes to connect from start to finish, but we have been doing this for all our customers before shipping. It is required to charge the battery for at least 12 hours before the first run.
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