YARD FORCE Robotic Mower Instruction Manual
- June 7, 2024
- YARD FORCE
Table of Contents
YARD FORCE Robotic Mower Instruction Manual
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Description of product
- STOP button
- Charging port
- Rear wheel
- Height adjustment dial
- Control panel
- USB interface
- On/Off switch
- Front wheel
- Cutting blade
Scope of delivery
Installation
Installation Guide
This chapter explains how to install the Robotic Mower. Please read this
completely before you
start the installation.
Introduction
We recommend creating a drawing of your lawn, including all obstacles and how
these should be
protected. This makes it easier to find a good position for the docking
station and how to correctly place the boundary wire around your garden
perimeter protecting bushes, flower beds etc. You will also need some tools,
like a hammer and wire cutters, pliers or scissors.
Pre Cut your lawn
Your lawn needs to be prepared correctly, prior to installing the robot lawnmower. Pre cut your lawn to a height of 45 mm.
Cutting limitations
The Robotic Mower is equipped with collision sensors. These detect all rigid
and solid obstacles
that are higher than 100 mm, such as walls, fences and garden furniture.
When the sensors report an obstacle, the Robotic Mower stops, backs up and
then mows in a
different direction. As a long-term solution, it is recommended to lay the
boundary wire accordingly using the ruler to protect obstacles and the device.
Lay the boundary wire so that the Robotic Mower is not more than 20 m away
from the boundary wire at any point in the mowing area.
Trees
The Robotic Mower treats trees as common obstacles, but if the roots of the tree are exposed and lower than 100mm, this area should be excluded using boundary wire in order to protect the tree root, cutting blades or rear wheels from damage.
Stones
We recommend clearing the lawn of small (less than 100 mm high) rocks and
stones and any
stones with a round or sloped edge. The Robotic Mower might try and climb such
rocks instead
of recognising them as a barrier. A Robotic Mower getting stuck on such a
stone requires user
intervention to restart mowing. Contact with stones can result in damage to
the blades.
Slopes
The Robotic Mower can navigate slopes up to a maximum of 30% incline or decline. The boundary wire should never be perpendicular to an incline of more than 10%. Also, leave strip of at least 2 m between a slope of 10% or steeper and the boundary wire. Otherwise, the higher speed going down the slope may cause the Robotic Mower to go over the boundary wire, especially on wet and slippery ground.
Paths, Driveways and Roads
If an elevated driveway crosses your lawn, better keep it outside the boundary wire. Please allow a safety distance of 40 cm between driveway and boundary wire.
If the driveway and lawn are at the same level, feel free to use the boundary
wire to create a
corridor. This allows your Robotic Mower to cross the driveway and reach the
opposite lawn.
Uneven lawn surfaces
Uneven lawn areas may cause the blades to touch the ground. We recommend
leveling the lawn
before using your Robotic Mower or excluding uneven areas with the boundary
wire.
Placing the docking station
Locate the best position for your docking station. Be aware that it needs a
permanent connection
to the mains, so take into account the location of the nearest power outlet.
To ensure the Robotic Mower can return to the docking station smoothly, leave
1.5m of straight
wire to the front of the docking station and 30cm to the side facing the
cutting area. Use a shaded location for the docking station, as a lower
temperature while charging is beneficial to the battery. Important: Place the
docking station on an even, flat surface away from ponds, pools or stairs. We
recommend suitable protection from the elements, for example a robot port or
garage.
Do not place the docking station too close to a slope, such as at the top of a hill or the bottom of a furrow. Avoid left and right inclination in excess of 5 degrees.
If your lawn has a soft or uneven surface, we recommend fortifying the area
around the docking
station with a grass protection mesh. Otherwise, the repeated stress of the
rear wheels can
damage the turf.
Once the position of the docking station is confirmed and mains electrical
connection is laid out,
please do not connect to main power yet. Finish all boundary layout work
before connecting the
docking station to the power supply.
Pegging your boundary wire
We strongly recommend mowing the lawn to 45 mm or less before laying out the
boundary wire. Burying the boundary wire is entirely optional. Still, the
closer to the ground you lay out the boundary wire, the lower the chance of
tripping over it or damaging it when mowing the lawn.
Use the included ruler to ensure the required 30 cm distance between wire and
obstacles.
The recommended distance between two pegs is about 80 cm in straight lines,
and less in tight
curves. Note that the pegs’ hook and wire slit always faces the outside of the
boundary. Within a
short time the cable will be covered with grass. Since the voltage is only 20
V, there is no risk of
electric shock. Make sure that the hook of the peg and the opening for the
cable always face the
demarcated.
When first planting the pegs, do not drive them fully into the ground. Use a light hammer to drive them in a little bit. Also locate the fixing pegs and lay each one on the lawn at approximately the correct distance from lawn edges (30 cm) and obstacles.
Flowerbeds
Use the boundary wire to exclude any flowerbeds from the cutting area. There are two options for the two lengths of boundary wire running between the flowerbed and the outer boundary:
-
Keep the distance between the parallel wires above 5 cm. This way, the Robotic Mower will
recognise the boundary wire as an ordinary obstacle. When cutting, it will “bounce” off it as usual. When following the boundary wire back to the docking station, it will take the detour around the flower bed.
-
Alternatively, keep the distance between the two parallel wires below 5 cm. Do not cross the wires – see below. This way, the Robotic Mower will not recognise the wires and travel across them unhindered. This option requires placing an obstacle on the boundary wire around the flowerbed. Place the obstacle, e. g. a large rock or pole, near position A indicated on the below illustration. The obstacle must be surrounded by a flat area of about 1 m x 1 m, without any slopes. This obstacle will allow the machine to exit the circle.
Ponds and Pools
While the Robotic Mower is protected against rain and spray water, being
submerged is likely to cause severe damage to the electronic parts.
Therefore, it is imperative to exclude any pools from the cutting area. For
added safety, we
recommend placing a fence around the pool.
Inventory and garage
If you have created a boundary corridor inside your working area, the corridor
should be at least 2 m wide and a max length of 8 m. If a corridor is too
narrow or too long, the Robotic Mower might not be able to navigate it from
one end to the other.
Connect the docking station to the boundary wire
Run the boundary wire underneath the front of the docking station and connect
the end of the
wire to the left (black) connector marked ‘F’ (front). After you have placed
the wire around the
garden then place the other end into right (red) connector marked “B” (back).
Insert the mains plug into a properly installed socket. Once the blue LED confirms all is OK, test the Robotic Mower’s function. Check the LED regularly to ensure fixing the boundary wire has not affected the connection and signal shows S1 on the charging satation. Then place the Robotic Mower in the working area, a few metres beside the docking station. Set the main power switch to “ON”.
Press the buttons and OK , a few seconds later, the Robotic Mower should automatically return to the docking station by locating and following the boundary wire in anti-clockwise direction. If Robotic Mower fails to dock correctly, move the docking station to a more suitable position.
Once the device has docked, the symbol will start flashing. This indicates
that the battery is
charging correctly.
After initial installation, the Robotic Mower will remain in the docking
station until the battery is
fully charged. Successful docking and charging indicates that you have found a
suitable position for the docking station. You should now drive fixing pegs
into ground fully.
Take care not to damage or kink the surplus wire stored under the docking station.
Signal selection
Note: the default signal is S1, no need to change the signal when there isn’t
a influence signal
form the neighbors.
If your neighbour is using the samer, will need to keep a distance of 0.5m
between you and your
neighbour’s boundary wires to prevent the two devices interfering with each
other. Ensure to
position your docking station at least 10m away from your neighbour’s boundary
wires and that
both products are using different signals. Please refer to section “Signal
setting” in order to select
signal S1 or S2 for your installation.
- Press the “signal” button on the charging station, the indicator will be switched to S2.
- Turn on your robot mower, push the mower into the charging station, after 5 seconds, the
mower will be switched S2 automatically.
Note: if your mower can not be switched to the right signal after stay in the charging station, signal switch could be set manually.
-
Press and hold the button ”6H” and then switch on the mower for 5s, after 5 times beep,
signal is switched from S1 to S2. -
Press and hold the button “3H” and then switch on the mower for 5s, after a long beep,
signal is switched from S2 to S1.
Operation
Control panel
Start mowing
Return to Docking station
Emergency Stop
Press STOP button to halt the mower at any time.
Cutting height adjustment
The cutting height can be adjusted by rotating the height adjustment dial
located on the top of
the machine. Cutting height range from 20 mm – 55 mm.
NOTE!
We recommend using an ordinary lawn mower or trimmer to cut the lawn below 45
mm before using the Robotic Mower. This will ensure you get the optimum
performance.
Technical Data
* WARNING: For the purposes of recharging the battery, only use the
detachable supply unit
provided with this appliance.
Maintenance and storage
Maintenance work that has not been described in these instructions must be
carried out by a
servicing agency authorised by the manufacturer. Only use original parts.
Maintenance
Check and clean your Robotic Mower regularly and replace worn parts if
necessary. Preferably use a dry brush, a damp cloth or a sharpened wooden
piece. Never use flushing water. Following these maintenance instructions can
extend your Robotic Mower’s service life.
Battery Life
The Robotic Mower has a maintenance free Li-ion battery, with an estimated
life of more than 2
years (depending on treatment and usage).
Winter Storage
During winter, keep your mower, docking station and power supply in a dry
place.
We recommend a shed, garage or preferably store it indoors.
Prepare your device for winter storage as follows:
- Fully recharge the battery.
- Set the mains power switch to “OFF”.
- Thoroughly clean your Robotic Mower.
- Unplug the power supply from the mains outlet.
- Disconnect the power supply from the docking station.
- Disconnect the boundary wire from the docking station. Lift up the docking station and clean. The boundary wire can remain outside. However, it is imperative to protect the wire against corrosion. We recommend a water-free grease or suitable sealing tape.
If available, repack the product in the original packaging.
Alternatively, our service centre offers a winter service for your device.
This will include a check-up of all parts and – if available – a software
upgrade.
Preparing for spring
After winter storage, please clean the charging contacts on both the Robotic
Mower and the
docking station.
Use a fine abrasion paper or a brass brush; this will help to achieve the best
charging efficiency
and avoid any charging interference.
Cleaning the mower body
As your Robotic Mower is battery powered you need take care when cleaning.
Remove rough dirt with a soft brush. Use a manual water spray with mild
household detergent for intensive cleaning. Wipe off any residue after
cleaning with a moist rag.
Disposal
To help the environment, please dispose of the product properly when it has
reached the end of
its useful life and not in the household waste. Information on collection
points and their opening
hours can be obtained from your local authority.
Li-ion Environmental damage through incorrect disposal of the batteries / rechargeable batteries. Remove the battery pack from the product before disposal. Batteries /rechargeable batteries may not be disposed of with the usual domestic waste. They may contain toxic heavy metals and are subject to hazardous waste treatment rules and regulations. Please dispose of batteries according to the relevant local requirements.
Cleaning the underside
Ensure the main power switch is in OFF position. Wearing protective gloves,
turn the Robotic
Mower onto its side to expose its underside. Clean the blade disc and frame
using a soft brush or
damp cloth. Rotate the blade disc to make sure that it can move freely, check
that the blades can
turn on their pivots and that there is no grass is obstructing them.
Clean the contact pins and the charging strips
Using wire wool, metal cleaner or very fine grade emery paper, clean the
contact pins and the
charging strips on your mower and docking station. Remove any debris, leaves,
or grass clippings
around the contact pins and charging strips to ensure efficient charging.
Reversing or replacing the blades
WARNING!
Ensure the Robotic Mower is completely shut off before cleaning, adjusting or
replacing the blades. Always wear protective gloves.
WARNING!
To ensure maximum cutting efficiency and safety, always use recommended
replacement blades and blade mounting parts when replacing.
Your Robotic Mower has three blades, fixed to the blades disk.
Unless damaged by hard obstacles, these blades can last for up to five months
of everyday use.
Weekly inspection of the blades and the fixing screws is advised. Note that
the blades are doubleedged. When the first side becomes blunt, loosen the
fixing screw and the blade upside down and re-fix. Check that the blade can
move freely.
A set of spare blades is included with the Robotic Mower. More blades can be
purchased via
customer support.
To ensure you get the best performance from your machine, always replace all
three blades at the
same time. Only use spare parts recommended by manufacturer.
Spare parts list
In case you need spare parts or any support with your device, please call our
after sales centre.
Software Update
Should your machine need a software update, contact our customer service team
for more
information.
Troubleshooting
Robotic Mower cannot dock with docking station
- Check that the boundary wire in front and underneath the charger is in a straight line.
- Check that the docking station’s position is suitable as explained in this manual.
Robotic Mower runs in circles while mowing or while following boundary wire back to docking station.
- Verify that no power cable runs parallel and in close proximity the boundary wire. If necessary, reposition the boundary wire.
- Check if a front wheel is stuck.
- If a neighbor has a similar Robotic Mower, the signals may interfere. Try setting your docking station and Robotic Mower are set to the alternative boundary signal.
- Driving motor may be damaged, please contact customer support/
The Robotic Mower is noisy.
-
Inspect the blade fixing screws; tighten if necessary.
-
Inspect the blades for damage; replace if necessary.
-
Grass may be too high. Try increasing the cutting height, or mow the lawn with an ordinary
lawnmower first. -
Cutting motor failure, please call after sales service.
Mower remains at or returns to docking station when pressing START button
- Check if the mower has already completed the programmed working time for that day.
- Battery is low, let give the Robotic Mower time to charge and try again.
LED signal indicator on docking station
Related to before/during/after charging
Related to mowing
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