Use the Winter Break to Plan a Better Mowing Season

Your robot mower is cleaned, charged and stored for the winter. That’s not the end of the job, it’s the ideal moment for the one bit of thinking that makes next season run smoothly. Everything below is free, and none of it needs the mower to be running.

No purchase is required for any of this.

1. Review last season honestly

While it’s fresh, note what didn’t work. The common ones:

• Where did it get stuck? Certain spots, after rain, in thick grass? Each has a fix, and winter is the time to plan it. Our guide to a mower that keeps getting stuck covers the causes.
• Where did it lose signal or mow crooked lines? Usually an antenna-placement problem worth solving before spring. See RTK mower losing signal.
• Where did it leave grass uncut? Edges, narrow strips, corners it couldn’t reach.
• Did the schedule fit your life? Was it running when the yard was busy, or the grandchildren were over?

Write these down. A short list now is worth more than a good memory in March.

2. Fix the ground while you can

Some of last season’s problems are best solved on the lawn itself, and a mild, dry winter day is a fine time to do it:

• Fill hollows and level bumps that trapped the mower. Topsoil and seed, and by spring they’re gone.
• Ease a raised edge or lip the mower kept catching on.
• Firm up a soft passage between zones that turned to mud.
• Widen a tight gap the mower struggled through, if you can.

Doing this in winter means the repairs have settled and the grass has recovered before mowing resumes.

3. Rethink your zones and schedule

You know your yard a season better now. In the app, you can plan (and where the mower allows, adjust) changes ready for spring:

• Add no-go zones around anything the mower troubled last year, or anywhere you’re adding a bed or play area.
• Rethink the mowing times so the mower runs when the yard is empty and in daylight, which is also best for wildlife.
• Plan a lower starting frequency. It’s easier to add mowing time in spring than to repair a lawn cut too hard early on.
• Note a higher spring start height, to be lowered gradually.

4. Sort repairs and parts now, not in spring

Segway makes the point plainly: if you noticed problems in autumn, such as navigation errors, dull blades or cracked parts, winter is the perfect downtime to sort them, because waiting until the grass grows leaves you scrambling when you most need the mower.

• Order replacement blades and screws so they’re on hand. Husqvarna recommends fitting new blades before storage; if you didn’t, have them ready for spring.
• Book any repair or service while dealers and support are quiet, rather than in the spring rush.
• Check for a firmware update in the app. Manufacturers release improvements over the off-season, and Segway suggests connecting occasionally through winter to keep the mower current.

5. Plan any changes to the yard

Thinking of a new flower bed, a bigger lawn, a play area or some landscaping? Winter is when to plan how it affects the mower. A new bed means a no-go zone; an expanded lawn means checking it’s still within the mower’s rated area; a new slope means checking the mower can handle it. Better to think it through now than to discover a mismatch when the mower is back out.

In a mild-winter region, the store-it-or-not question is trickier: see robot mowers in a mild winter.

When spring comes

With the planning done, restarting is quick: put the dock and antenna back exactly where they were, charge the mower, apply your planned changes, and watch the first mow. The full routine is in our spring startup checklist.

Questions

What should I do with my robot mower over winter besides storing it?

Use the downtime to plan. Note where it struggled last season, fix hollows and edges on the lawn during dry spells, rethink your zones and schedule, order blades, book any repairs while support is quiet, and check for firmware updates. It makes the spring restart far smoother.

Can I change my robot mower’s map and settings in winter?

You can plan the changes and, in many apps, adjust zones and schedules ahead of time, though you won’t be able to test them until the mower is running again in spring. Make sure your map and settings are backed up in the app so your fine-tuning carries over.

Should I get repairs done in winter?

Yes. Segway recommends sorting autumn problems over winter rather than waiting, since spring means scrambling to fix things when you most need the mower. Dealers and support are also less busy in the off-season.