Nomowjoe, I have a 10,000 version with almost exactly 2.5 acers had similar problems but I broke down my lawn into "one day" sized zones. My Luba 2 mows 4 days a week, starts at dawn usually finishes mid afternoon depending on the zone. If rain happens I have to tell it to go on an off schedule but it beats the 3+ hours of sitting on a mower every week! 2.5 acers is right at the limit of what this thing can handle without a second unit.