McCulloch ROB R1000 Robotic Lawnmower Review (2020)

 

McCulloch ROB R1000 is designed for lawns up to 1000 m² (or 0.247 ac.) where slopes are up to 14° (or 25 percent) steep. It’s otherwise an autonomous robotic lawnmower using a 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion rechargeable battery running on electric power. It’s got 3 pivoting razor-like blades for a cutting system with which it mulches grass at a random pattern. The robot mower operates quietly (up to 59 dB) and maintains your lawn at a cutting height of 20-50 mm (or 0.8″ to 1.97″).

Check its price here: McCulloch ROB R1000 Robot Mower.

Apart from that, the R1000 has a couple more features when compared to the R600, and the similar ones (features) are amplified a little. The more advanced features include remote start, guide wire Corridor width setting, drive past wire function, inaccessible zone coverage, and a few more things. It otherwise has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features. It lacks a rain sensor (can mow during rain regardless) and a remote control option.

There are a lot of people who aren’t yet aware of robot mowers being a thing. Not only will they save time were you to mow your lawn manually, the running costs are also super low on top of time saved. In my case, these little workers are one of the investments I do not regret.

 

Quick Overview for the Hasty

McCulloch ROB R1000 robot lawn mower measures 60 cm x 44 cm x 26 cm / 23.6″ x 17.3″ x 10.2″ (length x width x height) and weighs 7 kg (or 15.4 lbs).

Here’s a useful overview of robot mowers in general: “Robot Lawnmower Buying Guide”.

At base value, McCulloch ROB R1000 features tilt, lift, and collision sensors, but no rain sensor. If you looked past some advanced features like the remote start, corridor width, drive past wire function, inaccessible zone coverage, energy saving mode, etc, it’s otherwise like a typical robot mower.

For extra cost you could get a wall hangar or a mini garage, but these are something you could build yourself or simply just skip entirely with the right placement of the docking station on your lawn.

Pros:

• simple, convenient, practical – gets the job done
• more for less – affordable

Cons:

• no remote control
• doesn’t do your dishes

 

Who’s Behind McCulloch ROB R1000 Robotic Lawnmower?

McCulloch UK Ltd is a brand within the Husqvarna Group.

This Swedish company, currently the global leader in robotic lawn mowers by the way, acquired the rights to the American based McCulloch brand first in Europe and then on the North American markets in 1999 and 2009 respectively.

McCulloch has these robot mower models available: McCulloch ROB S400, S600, R600, and R1000. And the only real difference between them all is how they’re wired to handle the corresponding size of mowing area. They all share very similar features wherein the R-series are older than S-series models and thus have slightly older features/solutions in comparison.

Also, Gardena, another brand dealing with robotic lawn mowers, is also part of Husqvarna Group. Just saying.

 

What Are the Specifications of McCulloch ROB R1000?

• Dimensions – 60 cm x 44 cm x 26 cm / 23.6″ x 17.3″ x 10.2″ (length x width x height)
• Weight – 7 kg (15.4 lbs)
• No load speed – 2900/min (rounds per minute)

• Max cutting area – 1000 m² (0.247 ac.)
• Maximum slope for cutting area – 14° (25 percent)
• Max incline for perimeter wire – 8.5° (15 percent)
• Battery pack – 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion rechargeable battery
• Mowing time – 65 min (avg.)
• Charging time – 50 min (avg.)
• Cutting width – 17 cm (6.7″)
• Cutting height – 20-50 mm (0.8″ to 1.97″)
• Cut height positions – 4
• Volume level – up to 59 dB

 

What Are the Features of McCulloch ROB R1000 Robot Mower?

I’m not going to touch on the more basic features one would expect to find in every single robot mower out today, rather just the ones more unique or so. The R1000 has a few extra features when compared to R600, but less than the S-series robot mowers.

1) General:

• autonomous charging and mowing
• silent operation (up to 59 dB)
• low running costs

2) Control System:

• manual control panel keypad
• alert messages

3) Navigation system:

• random mowing pattern
• relies on a perimeter wire
• Remote start function (2)
• Scheduling options (2)
• built-in standby period
• Guide width
• Drive Past Wire function
• operating mode (3)
• collision sensor

4) Charging system:

• ECO mode

5) Cutting system:

• mulching system
• cutting height adjustment dial
• 3 pivoting small blades

6) Safety features:

• emergency STOP button
• collision sensor
• tilt sensor
• lift sensor

7) Security features:

• Time Lock function
• pin code
• alarm

 

1) General Features

Automatic charging and mowing cycle 
Much like any robot mower out there, the McCulloch ROB R1000 is also autonomous. That means it will mow and recharge on its own as per the schedule.

Silent operation (up to 59 dB) 
Most robot mowers are somewhat quiet, sound levels being around 60 dB. The one under review here can reach up to around 59 dB, but that’s the highest it can go which is fairly quiet on the market of robot lawn mowers. This can be compared to normal conversation’s sound levels. For reference, compare that to your regular motorized push mower that roars at around 90 dB and even up to 110 dB and can be heard a mile away. You can learn more from here: “How Loud Are Robot Mowers?”

Low running costs 
Apart from the initial purchase, there are also the running costs involved. Electricity and certain replacement parts factor into it. The battery will last anywhere from 2 to 6 years while the blades need changing roughly twice per mowing season (3 at a time). When it comes to electricity, a 18 volt 2.1 Ah battery uses roughly 0.036 kWh (calculated here), and around 7 kWh per month at full capacity. It would cost a couple of cents to keep it running for the whole day. It wouldn’t be much more than a few tens of bucks per mowing season like that.

 

2) Control System

Control panel keypad 
McCulloch ROB R1000 has quite a few buttons on control panel with a screen at the top for feedback, and it’s all under a protective cover for added protection against the atmospheric elements. You’ve got arrow keys and a few more intuitive buttons to play with. Overall, you can configure scheduling options, mess with mowing modes, security settings, and more.

Alerts 
The screen gives feedback in a simple manner so as to confirm your actions while configuring settings or when there’s something wrong with the system and whatnot. The app gives a better overview of things as the manual control panel screen is a little more limited in that regard.

 

3) Navigation System

Mowing pattern: random 
There are only a couple of robot mowers on the market that don’t mow in a random pattern, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the random mowing pattern – it’s a reliable, efficient, and practical low-effort solution.

Relies on a perimeter wire
Again, there’s only a few robot mowers that can do without a perimeter wire, and those without it cost a lot! It might seem bothersome to install, but honestly it poses less hassle in its simplicity – also a practical low-effort solution. The wire itself is electrified (not harmful) making a loop around the cutting area and thus defining the mowing area for the robot mower. It connects again at the recharging station. It partly helps the mower find its way back to the recharging station, too. The wire can be installed tightly against the ground or a few centimeters underneath.

Remote start function
This function allows the McCulloch ROB R1000 robot mower to reach certain mowing areas where it otherwise might hardly ever get to normally. It makes use of a guide wire that goes out of the charging station and connects to the perimeter wire somewhere else. There are 2 Remote start options which you can set. The 1st option simply makes to robot mower follow the guide wire till it meets the perimeter wire, and the 2nd option is to choose how many meters the mower should follow the guide wire after which it would break off and mow as usual. You can set a % of times it uses the 1st option, 2nd option, the rest of the time it simply starts (3rd default option) from the charging station instead. (this guide wire also helps the mower get back to the charging station)

Scheduling options
You get basically 2 options: a factory setting and a custom setting. The 1st option, that is if you do nothing and it runs on the factory settings, the mower will operate at its max capacity which is 20 hours per day from 00:00 to 20:00. That is assuming your lawn is around 1000 m² (or 0.247 ac.) in size. The 2nd option, the custom timer setting is for when your lawn is smaller than the 1000 m² (or 0.247 ac.) wherein you can set the working hours manually. To figure out how many operating hours are needed for a smaller lawn, refer to the manual that comes with the purchase of this robot mower.

Built-in standby period
This one is simple, but it’s hard to convey its purpose. So the standby period is when the mower just sits at the charging station doing much of nothing. Since this robot mower max capacity is 1000 m² (0.247 ac.), the standby period has to be 4 hours a day at the minimum. That means 20 hours of operating hours per day (within 24h) at the maximum (can be less). So if you haven’t set a custom scheduling option, the factory one is in effect with operation hours from 00:00 to 20:00 (20 hours), and standby would go into effect from 20:00 to 00:00 (4 hours). More info in the manual. You can change the schedule the way you want, but the standby period has to be 4 hours per day still.

Guide width
To avoid tracks from forming on the grass as the mower follows the guide wire to and from the charging station, McCulloch ROB R1000 has this feature called Guide width. By default, it’s set to Medium, which defines the width around the guide wire the mower is allowed to follow the guide wire in. If you set it on Narrow then the tracks are more likely to form, but sometimes the guide wire might go through narrow passages in which case it may be the only option to choose from. The wider you can set it, the better.

Drive Past Wire function
It’s a default feature with the factory setting being on 25 cm (9.84″). This is essentially a cut to edge feature where the robot mower goes over the perimeter wire to cut closer to the edge. You can adjust the length at which it goes over the wire from 20-30 cm (7.87″ – 11.8″) if you didn’t like the default one.

Operating mode (3)
McCulloch ROB R1000 has 3 operating modes which you can access by pressing the home button on the keypad: 1) home mode, 2) auto mode, and 3) manual mode. The 1st one, Home, essentially sends the mower back to the docking station where it’ll remain until you change the operating mode. Another use for it would be for testing whether the mower can find it’s way back to the charging station if it’s the first time you’ve set things up. The 2nd operating mode, Auto, is the default (standard operating) mode where the mower mows and charges automatically as per the schedule. The 3rd one, Man, is the manual mode wherein you can carry the mower to some secondary mowing area, hit start, and the mower will mow that area until it runs out of battery and waits for you to bring it back to the charging station.

Collision sensor 
A simple but practical bump sensor and not the more sophisticated ultrasonic sensor that can detect the obstacle from afar. With this bump sensor, the robot mower will first bump into obstacles to register them as such and alter the mowing direction based on the information acquired that way.

 

4) Charging System

As with all robot lawn mowers today, McCulloch ROB R1000 charging and mowing cycle is automatic, too. That means it will mow and recharge all on its own as per the schedule.

ECO mode
The ECO mode for McCulloch ROB R1000 is not an ideal energy saving feature requiring babysitting as it’s only a temporary thing, but it’s something. When the mower is not mowing and is charging or doing nothing, you can activate this ECO mode upon which a green led light starts flashing on the charging station. Electricity to the wire and so forth is shut. It won’t start mowing or doing anything until you press the STOP button and deactivate this ECO mode. Not so much of an active automatic energy saving feature unfortunately, but the running costs even without you manually enabling every now and then are super low regardless.

 

5) Cutting System

Mulching system 
Mulching is where the grass is cut, but not collected, rather dropped back down onto the soil as a fertilizer. It works because robot mowers are designed to cut more often and nibble the grass tips rather than cut off a huge chunk once a week as it is for regular mowers. Mulching keeps the grass fairly healthy. If you wanted a truly healthy looking lawn like in those commercials, all that’s left for you to do is aeration.

Cutting height adjustment feature 
The cutting height can be adjusted between 4 options: 20, 30, 40 or 50 mm (0.8″ to 1.97″).

3 pivoting small blades 
McCulloch ROB R1000 robotic lawnmower has 3 pivoting razor-like blades that are attached to a rotating disc that make up the cutting system. There’s also the solid type of cutting system, but this pivoting blade type of a cutting system here is quieter, safer, and more energy efficient in comparison. As for the negatives, the pivoting small blades attached to a rotating disc are a little less efficient at cutting things. There’s also the higher risk of the small blades just breaking off, but the chance of it actually happening is fairly low.

 

6) Safety Features

Emergency STOP button 
Apart from McCulloch ROB R1000 robot lawn mower having a big emergency STOP button, being fairly quiet (up to 59 dB), moving slowly, and having a considerably weaker motor when compared to your regular lawn mower, meaning it will have a hard time with anything other than grass, along with blades being small and tucked deep under the chassis, there are a few more tricks under its belly (learn more: “Robotic Lawnmower Safety”).

Collision, tilt, and lift sensors 
Collision sensor the McCulloch ROB R1000 has is essentially just a bump sensor and NOT the ultrasonic sensor that detects and avoids collision with obstacles entirely helping it navigate. The bump sensor also acts a safety measure because instead of pushing on forever, it will change direction upon somewhat light bump into things. Tilt and lift sensors will stop the blades almost instantly when the mower is tilted or lifted.

 

7) Security Features

Security levels
There are 3 security levels: low, medium, and high. The picture is self-explanatory, but I’ll still go over it in words. At the “Low” only Time Lock function is active. At “Medium” it’s PIN-code and Time Lock function that are active. And, you might have guessed it, at “High” security level there’s also the alarm function on top of the PIN-code and Time Lock function. A little more info on those 3 functions down below.

Time Lock function
When the PIN-code is not entered for 30 days, the mower gets locked and a PIN code has to be entered in order to unlock it. So that means you can’t get away from having to remember or write down the PIN code. This function is present even at the lowest security level and the aim is to prevent unauthorized access in the long run.

Pin code 
At the medium or high security level the PIN code prompt comes up more often. E.g when you press the STOP button while it’s working or when you start up the mower, you ought to inset the correct PIN code to proceed. At first there likely is no PIN code, so you have to create one from scratch (you can change it later on). Try not to forget the PIN code once you’ve created it! (it is not possible to use 0000 as the PIN code)

Alarm
At the highest security level, that is at “High”, the alarm becomes active. It goes off when the mower is lifted while it’s working or when the correct PIN code is not entered within 10 seconds after pressing the STOP button. You can stop the alarm by entering the correct PIN code once it has gone off for one reason or another.

 

Additionally, you could:

Hide from bypassers
Try installing the charging station somewhere hidden from bypassers for added protection.

Use a sticker
You can custom make a sticker with fake information about its security features and put it on the mower for the potential thief to kindly return the mower once they notice it – once they realize that they can’t do anything with it without knowing the PIN code, instead of just leaving it somewhere, they might return it knowing they could still get off easy. They might…

Fake surveillance system
Putting a camera, even if fake, in an obvious easy to spot location overlooking the area will at least make the potential thief think twice.

 

What’s Included In the McCulloch ROB R1000 Package?

Robotic Mower
Charging Station
Installation Manual
200 m Boundary Wire
Additional Guide Wire
Extra Cutting Blades (3)
Boundary Wire Staples (400)

Nails, screws, hex key, power supply & cable, wire connectors, and the like.

Additionally, for extra cost:
Mower house, etc

 

Should You Buy the McCulloch ROB R1000 Robot Lawn Mower?

There are quite a few robotic lawnmowers on the market and every year new ones push in. R1000 isn’t the newest model to hit the shelves, but it reliably gets the job done without costing you a fortune, covering up to 1000 m² (or 0.247 ac.) sized lawns.

It’s got all the essential mowing, safety, and security features along with a handful of more advanced ones, such as remote start, corridor width, drive past wire function, inaccessible zone coverage, energy saving mode, and a few more side-functions. If you asked me, I’m all for efficient, simple, and practical solutions to getting the lawn cut automatically. I’m not looking for ego boosting gimmicky features to toy around with. Saves on costs and minimizes the risk of something going wrong in the circuit. It’s of high quality coming from a reputable brand in the world of robotic lawnmowers (McCulloch is a brand of Husqvarna).

As for the downsides, it doesn’t have a rain sensor (PS! it can still mow when it’s raining), there’s no obstacle detection ultrasonic sensor for navigating the lawn without contact, and neither is there a cloud computing AI making use of GPS to map out the lawn without the need of a perimeter wire. Oh, and no remote control either.

It might not be for you if your garden layout was very complex and/or the slopes were large and steeper than 15% (or 8.53°) where you wanted to install the perimeter wire, but also when you wanted the cut height to be less than 20 mm (0.8″) or more than 50 mm (1.97″). Or when you wanted remote control. All in all, it just doesn’t do your dishes is all…

You can check its price here: McCulloch ROB R1000 Robot Mower.

 

How To Install McCulloch ROB R1000?

When it comes to the setup, you’re looking at the installation of the perimeter wire and the charging station. The whole process can take a few hours (check with installation manual). It is all very well documented.

For perimeter wire, there are a few requirements on how far it should be from the edge and so forth. You can get good info on everything from the installation guide. But for the sake of the review, make sure your lawn doesn’t have steeper than 15% (8.53°) slopes where you’d place the perimeter wire. The robot mower itself can handle steeper slopes (25%). Additionally, you can either bury the wire or lay it tightly against the grass instead using the staples. Ultimately it is better to bury it though.

Another thing is the charging station. Setting this up is fairly straight forward (check with installation guide), but I’d like to point out a few key things still. They’re mainly to do with the charging station placement requirements:

• It must be close to a wall socket;
• preferably under shade & cover;
• install on a relatively flat surface outdoors;
• install it somewhere out of sight from bypassers;
• leave at least 2 m (6.6 ft) of free space in front of the charging station;
• if you installed the charging station to an island, make sure the guide wire runs into the island also.

 

How To Take Care of the McCulloch ROB R1000 Robot Mower?

As is with all robot lawn mowers, McCulloch ROB R1000 robotic lawnmower, too, requires very low maintenance:

• clean regularly;
• replace cutting blades when need be;
• replace rechargeable battery when it seems almost dead;
• install charging station in shaded area to protect the mower from the elements;
• don’t forget to unplug the power supply connected to the charging station you left outside for winter;
• when storing the robot mower itself, charge fully, turn off, clean, and place in dry indoor conditions, and avoid leaving in freezing temperature.

 

Conclusion

McCulloch ROB R1000 is designed for lawns up to 1000 m² (or 0.247 ac.) where slopes are up to 14° (or 25 percent) steep. It’s otherwise an autonomous robotic lawnmower using a 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion rechargeable battery running on electric power. It’s got 3 pivoting razor-like blades for a cutting system with which it mulches grass at a random pattern. The robot mower operates quietly (up to 59 dB) and maintains your lawn at a cutting height of 20-50 mm (or 0.8″ to 1.97″).

Apart from that, the R1000 has a couple more features when compared to the R600, and the similar ones (features) are amplified a little. The more advanced features include remote start, guide wire Corridor width setting, drive past wire function, inaccessible zone coverage, and a few more things. It otherwise has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features. It lacks a rain sensor (can mow during rain regardless) and remote control option.

McCulloch brand
McCulloch UK Ltd is a brand within the Husqvarna Group. And the latter is the global leader in robotic lawn mowers. McCulloch robot mowers are competitively priced and, similarly, of good quality, not overly advanced nor complex. They just get the job done reliably.

What’s in the package
McCulloch ROB R1000 package includes the robot lawn mower itself, a charging station, 200 meters (approx. 656′) of perimeter wire, 400 boundary wire pegs, and some manuals, but also the power supply & cable, screws, nails, wire connectors, and the like, everything you need, essentially.

Where to buy
It’s simple, buy here: McCulloch ROB R1000 Robot Mower.

 

EXTRA READING

Best Cheap Robot Lawn Mowers in 2022 | post | Lawn Story
Robot lawn mower care & maintenance | post | Lawn Story
How much do robot mowers cost? | post | Lawn Story
How long do robot mowers last? | post | Lawn Story
Robot lawn mower buying guide | post | Lawn Story
How do robot mowers work? | post | Lawn Story
Robot lawn mower safety | post | Lawn Story