Great lawn styler and grass flattener, but I wanted it CUT lol

Yarbo seems to just roll over the grass without cutting it. Sometimes and some places.

Front yard looks great, side yard looks like the Yarbo drove through with the blades shut off. I’m mowing it again, and it’s the same. The front edge knocks it down, the machine rolls over it without cutting, I can walk back and kick the grass back upright again.

Was 3" I’m trying 2.7 now, changed the pattern.

Yesterday the back yard was the same way. I mowed it again, it looks fine now. Not great but good enough.

As I write this there is dew on the grass in the side yard which was “cut” yesterday midday. The dew could be the problem, except with yesterday in the back there was no dew - it was pm.

My comment: I think it’s an issue that there is no lift with these units, and also every surface under the deck is a low flat one with no overhead space. But I’ve only been running mine for a month, so I’m asking, not stating.

What do I do to have it always cut, not just flatten the grass? Cool season rye, fescue blugrass mix as fas as I know. Always mowed at 3" in the past.

Thanks for any insights.

3 Likes

I have the same issue and have not found a solution other than lowering the blades to 2.7", the recommended minimum. I end up having it mow twice everytime I send it out and that helps a little bit but it doesnt solve the problem.

2 Likes

@kdtravis and @JNS

this is my experience as well. I have a small yard and can have yarbo mow everyday and it has gotten better with multiple passes at different angles while slowly bringing down the height. I have centipede and Bermuda which can handle being under 3" but am glad my grass can tolerate being short as yarbo leave blades flattened yet significantly longer than desired at higher settings.

1 Like

You’re micro-Multching with Yarbo. More isn’t always best when cutting a yard. It’s better to only trim a very small portion for the health of your yard anyway. If it grows fast, cut more often. I always mow all yards @ 3 1/2. Unless someone asks for it to be burnt to the ground.
The mowing 1/3 rule is a necessary mowing practice because it protects your grass and encourages healthy growth. Removing more than 1/3 off of your grass blades in a single mowing session can have some serious repercussions; cutting your grass too short will limit your turf’s vital nutrient supply, which can actually weaken your lawn and even cause it to start dying. The weakening of your grass can also result in weeds growing more aggressively on your lawn. Abiding by the mowing 1/3 rule is an easy way to help keep your grass strong and healthy. Hope this helps.

Early on we first timers with our mowers (you know, way back in the dawn of time (April)) were puzzled at the cut, too. Someone said, “Ya know, it looks…‘natural’.” And that kinda stuck for me. (I wanted to say “Tucker Carlson,” but let that go.)

I kept at it, mowing mostly at 2.7", some spots at 3", and rotating the Parallel pattern or using Diamond. Now that the grass is getting into summer mode, it’s looking better. Spring was very wet. I also use the slowest speed you can set with Working Preferences.

Is it the same as my riding mower or push mower. NO. Lift is needed, but this is a trimmer with razor blades. I’ve got clover, and the little white heads duck down, and, yep, I see the tracks through that stuff. With the Diamond pattern it looks like waffles or the pastoral equivalent of bubble wrap from some angles sometimes.

Is it “good enough,” especially since I’ve mowed zero times this year? YES. I do like the “natural” cut it gives, and I know that just trimming it and mulching should be better for the grass as we get into the dry/hot season.

I think the mowing angle rotation is key, plus mowing often, since Yarbo is a trimmer. Then just squint and get back to your beer as Yarbo does YOUR job.

My “lawn” is just a varied set of clumps, so fussy I’m not. Scott Grams and other Product Pioneers are lawn care experts and have great lawns, and I know Scott has said likes Yarbo’s cut over the competition. If you have questions about Yarbo’s cut, lawn care, and what those guys all think, and if you’ve got Yarbo questions, join the discussion on the Discord Yarbo Community this evening.

4 Likes

Thats not the issue. The issue is Yarbo just pushes the grass down and doesnt cut it. Also, cutting more often isnt always possible because you have to babysit it. I have no faith in letting this thing run unattended in my front yard along the street and sidewalk especially since I had to turn off vision because it sees imaginery objects all over the place.I do let it run unattended in the backyard. Let’s just say there is a lot of room for improvement.

1 Like

Cutting frequently (2-3 times a week) and rotating your angle of cut 45-90 degrees will go a long way. I’ve had best results with 3. I want to do 4, but it does leave that push over look on the tall fescue and especially bluegrass lawns. I e heard 2.7 is a good number for cool season grasses but in the summer it’s not good to be that low.

Unfortunately it doesn’t have lift. None of the disc style robotic mowers do. The M1 Pro will and would probably be the best choice for these types of lawns to be left cut higher than 3 inches.

3 Likes

Yarbo is like a drunk blind guy with a push mower, sometimes, who overheats in the sun. Somebody’s gonna get hurt.

2 Likes

I was unhappy with the quality of the cut the first couple of times I mowed then I realized that I was treating Yarbo in the same manner and with the same expectations I have for my John Deere X390. Upon reflection I lowered the blades to 2.7 or 2.8, slowed down to medium speed (or even slow speed) and overlapped 8 inches and mow 2 or 3 times per week. Now my lawn looks like a professional cut. Of course it takes several hours to do a job I performed in an hour with my John Deere but, hey, it is a robot.

4 Likes

I have 1.7 acres. Never completed a mow without problems, takes me a week, then it’s time to mow again. Now it has battery issue error and doesn’t recognize the mower is connected. Wonder how much Kid Rock would give me to let him shoot it up…

For those specific problematic areas, lowering the cutting height and changing the mowing route may help. You can also try slowing down the speed to see if this improves the performance. Let me know if you notice any improvements!

1 Like

I found I was having the same problem of not cutting the grass… I pulled the mower and I have extra mowing discs with blades setup… when I check the discs that had been on the mower, I found the blades were folded in on the discs and not moving freely, thus the mower was just pushing the disc into the grass and not the blades which could not extend beyond the edge of the disc with centrifugal force. With the new discs/blades problem resolved. I’ll bet your blades are not moving freely. Grass clippings were binding the blades so they wouldn’t spin out properly. Really poor design. I mow 3+ acres with my Yarbo, my other 3 acres of yard are still done with tractors, Yarbo can’t handle nuts and small branches.

1 Like