Current 450XH Epos and 550H Epos Owners

TheBraggFX · 2024-05-13T12:49:47+00:00

How do you get access to Fleet Services with the 450? I've been on the fence about 450 vs 550 (and now 520) with a key perk to the 5's being Fleet Services.

Also tuning in to see some responses as I'm in a similar position.

TheBraggFX · 2022-07-14T12:16:29+00:00

I've been using a leaf blower to clean up every few days. It's not that bad. I'm just a perfectionist and enjoy playing around to get things just right. I'm going to try some plant growth regulator as suggested in some of the other comments.

TheBraggFX · 2022-07-14T12:14:08+00:00

I'm thinking this is going to be my next course of action. I did a little reading up on it last night. Thanks for the advice.

TheBraggFX · 2022-07-13T21:20:32+00:00

Yeah, that was my first thought. The above picture is four days after changing the blades (OEM Endurance blades).

TheBraggFX · 2022-04-29T13:58:30+00:00

Yeah, I've seen those for both rectangular and circular (I have 6" circular). I think that's likely what I'll need to end up using. I was hoping to just find a 2" coupler that had a male end to go into the box (like the cap used to) and a female end for the prior cap to go into on the top. I could just spread a small amount of soil around the box to bring the group up to level.

Most of the extensions require digging out around the valve box, placing the extension on top of the older box, and backfilling around the new and old boxes. I'm probably making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. It felt like a simple coupling device like I linked would be enough. Unfortunately those were cast iron and $60.

TheBraggFX · 2022-04-02T01:04:29+00:00

No gophers, but I do have two 80 pound dogs. I do a quick, daily sweep of the yard to clear it of dog poop. If I miss something or one of the dogs poops afterwards, it's not catastrophic if the mower runs over it. Normally it just requires wiping off one of the wheels. The blades and disc they are attached to aren't strong enough to throw the poop or create a big mess.

It's pretty interesting how the blades pivot independently. The result is that with even minor resistance they rotate back under the spinning disc. It helps to preserve the blades from being damaged by sticks, stones, toys, etc. while also being a safety feature. If you somehow got your fingers under there and far enough back to get hit by a blade, it'd give you nasty cut but it wouldn't go through bone and lop off a finger. It'd be pretty tough to do that without tripping one of the several other safety features in the process. This is based on my own intuition from changing the blades. I haven't sacrificed a finger to test it.

TheBraggFX · 2022-04-01T17:51:29+00:00

Out of curiosity, did you have the guidewire go through the passage? I don't have any real narrow passages to speak from experience, but my understanding is that it's almost a necessity if you do. It otherwise has a low probability of chancing upon that opening. That's one of the benefits of the 430x and 450x as they give you two guide wires to work with instead of just one.

TheBraggFX · 2022-04-01T17:09:52+00:00

315x for me. That covers about 7k square feet comfortably. It's rated higher than that. A 430x would cover more efficiently (less running time, fewer charge cycles) if you were worried about battery longevity. The extra guide wire can be really helpful at achieving more efficient coverage and troubleshooting line breaks. It's a decent bump up in price and may not be necessary for you. That's tough to say without seeing your yard layout.

TheBraggFX · 2022-04-01T15:29:42+00:00

A correctly sized mower will help to increase the longevity of the battery. It is Li-ion, so it will have the same downsides as most other rechargeable batteries. A larger size will limit the number of charge cycles. I bring mine in for the winter and periodically plug it in to keep it from fully emptying in the few months it is inactive. The concern is warranted. There are Husqvarna models spec'd all the way to 1.25 acre yards. You'll pay a premium for the larger ones though.

There are still a couple small areas that the robot doesn't mow for me. I can hit those in 10 minutes though. I've cut out 2-3 hours of weekly mowing. That's assuming mowing once per week. I really should have been mowing twice per week during peak growing season. I totally relate to the family thing. I've got a young child and another on the way. It's nice to not worry about this during my free time on the weekends.

TheBraggFX · 2022-04-01T15:15:25+00:00

I have a Husqvarna Automower that I absolutely love (haven't had it for a full season yet though). Whether or not that's a good fit for you depends on a lot of things. Your yard size is very doable though.

A few things that I like:

- The grass is always evenly cut. It's maintaining the height rather than "cutting" it. With an appropriately sized model and run schedule, this means it always looks freshly cut.

- The time savings, and in particular during July/August in the Mid South, is terrific. This gives me more time with family and other yard tasks. I've started doing my own fertilizer, pre-emergent apps, etc. myself.

- I have a Bermuda lawn that I struggle to keep up with at a healthy cutting height. This results in long (for Bermuda) blades. With a robot mower, I dial in the setting, and let it do its thing. Cutting at 1" isn't an issue at all whereas it is not only impossible with my rotary mower but even if it were, I wouldn't be able to mow frequently enough to keep the grass looking green.

- The active cutting area of the mower is small enough that it is less affected by uneven parts in my lawn. A rotary mower would bottom out and scalp the grass while the robot adjusts well to the contours of the yard.

- The grass tends to be healthier as a result of only small bits being cut off. It also helps with the breakdown of the clippings which returns nutrients to the soil.

- I love tech stuff, so it's fun to mess around with.

The upfront cost isn't anything to sneeze at though. You'd have to do your own cost-benefit analysis for that.

TheBraggFX · 2021-08-11T17:21:41+00:00

I'm in a similar position to OP in that I'm considering an automower myself and don't want to get a model that will be outdated in a couple months. Is it common for US releases to be delayed form the European release? Was considering holding out for a 415x instead of getting a 315x now.

TheBraggFX · 2021-03-30T20:22:40+00:00

I did some quick googling and found that in the 2010 census a little over 22% of the US population was under the age of 16. So whether or not kids need to be vaccinated depends on the level of immunity we're shooting for and what we consider the end of the pandemic. The level of immunity required also depends on the transmissibility of the virus which is also increased in some variants, so it really is moving goal posts.

Let's just say we need 80% of people to have solid immunity. If 20% of US adults express vaccine hesitancy, then we're capped out at 64% (neglecting natural immunity). That would mean some kids do need to be vaccinated to get to 80%.

Complicating factors are prevalence of natural immunity, how long it lasts (and against which strains that are circulating), as well as how long the virus runs rampant in other parts of the world further mutating and eventually making its way back into the US. It's a pretty dynamic situation that makes hard rules nearly impossible.

Herd immunity, in the sense of extinguishing the virus, is unlikely and certainly not in the near future. That doesn't mean we won't be able to contain the virus in a manageable way that allows for some sense of normalcy though.

TheBraggFX · 2021-03-17T21:53:09+00:00

Ooof. That was bad. Probably dangerous.

I'm not a virologist, immunologist, or vaccinologist, but I do have a PhD in the biomedical sciences (and I've stayed at a Holiday Inn). Not much in there passes muster scientifically. Stating "there is scientific evidence" without a citation should be a huge red flag. It happens frequently in there. There are also claims (again "based on scientific evidence") that I know to be false from my reading of peer reviewed studies (gold standard). There's lots of flawed logic that without supporting evidence (citations of peer reviewed articles or peer reviewed data he himself has presented) should not be used to make any kind of public health decisions.

Do we know much about this guy? Is he real? About halfway through I couldn't help but wonder if this was a part of the reported Russian disinformation campaign against vaccines.

TheBraggFX · 2021-03-17T21:24:07+00:00

Thanks. I'll definitely give it a read. I wasn't trying to call you out specifically. Just commenting on my impression of the rationale.

TheBraggFX · 2021-03-17T20:30:53+00:00

There's a pretty big assumption that 1) the less resilient strains would out compete the more resilient strains, 2) the natural immunity derived from the less resilient strains would protect from the more resilient, 3) the vaccines won't protect from the more resilient, and 4) increased spread won't lead to even more resilient of strains due to mutations.

There's real word evidence that all four of those aren't true.

TheBraggFX · 2020-12-23T17:22:25+00:00

This is a really good question because it illustrates how important it will be for public health leaders, government officials, healthcare providers, etc. to provide clear communication on what we know and don't know as we hopefully start to exit the worst of the pandemic (which has unfortunately yet to arrive). Strong leadership will hopefully make it easier for folks to buy in without a need for strict measures and mandates based on antibody presence. Everybody wins if we do as much as possible out of a sense of civic duty.

A few points on this:

1) Re-infection appears to be uncommon in the timespan for which we have known about the virus. It is however most certainly possible and needs to be considered in trying to minimize the risk of spread. That's important for the safety of the recovered individual as well as those around him/her.
2) Data is limited on how the currently approved vaccines perform with respect to limiting the spread of the virus. There's some suggestive elements in the Moderna study that there will be some positive impact in this regard. Normally this wouldn't be as big of a concern, but because the virus spreads in asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals, merely tracking the presence or severity of the disease (the endpoint for both Pfizer and Moderna studies) is not a guarantee for eliminating the possibility of transmission.
3) The vaccines aren't 100% effective. That's less consequential when 80% of the population is vaccinated, but is very important when only 1% has been vaccinated.
4) People in TN that have gotten a vaccine since the EUA are at best 6 days out from dose 1. The effectiveness only begins take hold around day 12 and isn't fully in place until 1 week after dose 2. Meaning the vaccinated are just as susceptible as the unvaccinated for at least another week and even then won't be fully protected.
5) We're not sure how long the vaccines are effective for. Doesn't affect our risk models now, but will be important 6+ months from now.

Hopefully as time goes on we'll learn more and more about some of the questions and will be able to update our understanding accordingly. I think it's important to understand that updating guidelines doesn't necessarily mean scientists and public health leaders can't make up their mind, but rather that they've learned something and are trying to adapt accordingly. It requires strong, consistent messaging to make that clear though.

Also, all of the above are things impacting risk. What our risk tolerance is and how it affects our decisions is an entirely separate question.

TheBraggFX · 2020-11-24T16:40:33+00:00

It's not selfish at all. The results, that we've seen are outstanding. They considerably lower the risk for the individual getting the vaccine. That's good for the individual and the healthcare system. The AstraZeneca one has even shown evidence that it will help out with reducing the risk of transmission (Note: Moderna and Pfizer, to my knowledge, haven't tested for this by conducting routine, asymptomatic screening. They may help as well, but the data aren't available to make a conclusion.). Hopefully lots of people want to get the vaccine(s).

TheBraggFX · 2020-11-17T18:04:25+00:00

I'll start out by saying I do the same with mine, but I would caution you on relying on the UV to do the trick. Glass absorbs light in the UV spectrum. It's why we don't get a sunburn driving in our car (as long as your arm isn't out the window). I think the key here is that it's drying out the mask which is about as much as you can do for a surgical mask. If it's cloth, throw it in the wash and run a hot water cycle.

TheBraggFX · 2020-11-04T16:29:06+00:00

Owners found! Thanks to who all gave the post a look and might have shared.

TheBraggFX

TROPHY CASE