LawnBott LB1200 Spyder Robotic Cordless Electric Lawn Mower

by LawnBott

• The LawnBott LB1200 Spyder cuts up to 5 hours on single charge using a lithium-ion battery
• This lightweight lawn mower only weighs 18-pounds and is designed for yards up to 5,500-square-feet
• Set the mower to cut a couple times per week to keep your lawn looking great with no bagging or clipping
• The world's first robotic mower that doesn't require a perimeter wire to operate
• Easy to use, just set it down, turn it on, and walk away ; measures 19.2 by 19.2 by 10.6 inches

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 32 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B004G8Q8XU
• Item model number: LB1200 Spyder
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,049 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden)

Product Description

The LawnBott LB1200 Spyder is the world's first robotic mower that doesn't require a perimeter wire to operate. Able to maintain yards up to 5,500 square feet, the LB1200 keeps your lawn looking great, with less work from you. Using patented sensors, actually detecting grass, the LB1200 will move across your yard, mowing until it comes to a non-grass area: mulched flower beds, patio or driveway, then reverse direction. With its Li-ion battery, the LB1200 Spyder will mow for up to 5 hours without needing a recharge. And at a lightweight 18lbs, the LB1200 is very easy to move from its storage area to your lawn. When it is done, simply place it back in the garage and connect the charging cable so your LawnBott is always ready to go. By letting it cut a couple of times per week, your yard looks good all week long. No more overgrown lawns. And as a bonus feature, since most weeds need to flower to spread seed, by keeping your grass trim, the LawnBott helps to reduce the amount of weeds you have. The LawnBott only take about 7-10 a year in electricity to operate; a great low cost, energy efficient alternative to gas powered mowers. No gas, No oil and No noise; easier for you, better for the environment. With its 4-wheel drive and aggressive rubber tread design, the LB1200 can handle slopes up to 27-Degree and virtually any yard or grass type. No more sweating it out in the summer to cut your grass, smelly fumes to worry about, bugs biting you or allergies to ruin your day. With the LawnBott you can enjoy your yard without having to work at it. Now that will make our neighbors jealous. 2 year warranty on robot, 1 year warranty on battery.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I Love It March 12, 2011

By Bill M

The model being sold in the USA market is bigger than the model sold in the European market. The European Spyder weighs 18 pounds and is featured in many of the online videos for this product. However, the Spyder sold for the USA market weighs 23.2 pounds. - The specifications in the listing on Amazon which say that it weighs 18 pounds are erroneous.

Nevertheless, it's a great machine! I love mine. It's great to be able to relax on the patio with a cold drink, and watch the grass being cut by this machine.

Initially, I had a problem with one of the two drive belts breaking on two separate occasions, which was caused both times by a screw which kept working loose from the center of the right front axle, inside the case. (There are four short axles - one for each wheel.)

Replacing the loose screw that had worked out from its location in the center of the axle required removing the top cover from the machine - finding the loose screw in the case - and then replacing it in the axle. Before replacing it the second time, I coated the threads of the screw with Loctite so it would never come loose again. - Wonder why the manufacturer didn't do that?? Oh, well.

The two drive belts transfer power from the two direct drive rear axles to the two front axles, giving the machine its four wheel drive. The machine will still cut grass with broken belts, since the rear wheels will continue to propel the mower. But the cutting pattern will be badly disrupted, it will have problems climbing slopes, and there will be some loss of traction and spinning wheels when backing up and turning.

A quick test to check whether you have a broken belt is to try spinning the front wheels with your hand. If either front wheel turns freely with no resistance, then the respective belt is broken and needs to be replaced.

To replace the broken belt, I removed the wheels on the side where the broken belt was located, then removed the long oval shaped plastic cover from over the drive belt & axles on that side. There are gaskets and o-rings which will be loose after you have removed that cover. They seal against moisture & debris and are very important.

When a belt breaks, typically one or both of the plastic pulleys will also break. I replaced the broken pulleys, which just slip over the axles, and then replaced the broken drive belt.

The programmed extricating pattern could be better, in my opinion. My Spyder occasionally gets stuck against walls or in corners, simply because it gives up much too soon in its attempts to extricate itself (via repeatedly backing up and attempting to make a left turn away from the obstacle). - So I occasionally have to go out and extricate it manually.

I'm using my Spyder for the second year now on my centipede lawn, and I'm very happy with it. In fact, I'm seriously considering getting a second one so I can cut the front and back yards at the same time.

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UPDATE on April 26, 2011:

After a little over a year of owning this machine, the second drive belt on the other side of the Spyder broke. Same problem, a screw in the center of the axle had worked loose causing the belt to break. This is not the belt that I replaced before. That repair on the other side of the Spyder is holding securely.

I have just finished doing the same repair (replacing the screw and adding Loctite "blue" thread locker). And this time, I replaced this belt with one I bought online from an electric motor parts supplier for $14.95. Total cost of repair was about $20, including everything.

You have to buy a new stainless steel blade each year, which adds about $45 to operating costs. So in the year plus that I've owned my Spyder, I've spent about $65 total for maintenance.

The machine is working great now. It cut the grass this morning beautifully.

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Another update. This one is on June 18, 2012

The Spyder has continued to work well. The front of the case cracked, and I repaired it with GOOP (on the interior of the crack) plus J B Weld on the crack edges and outside bead.
Not as pretty as it was, but it is a lawnmower, so who cares?

I updated the firmware (software) and the new firmware has solved many of the problems I mentioned earlier. For example, it will work well in narrow spaces now.

I'm having a minor problem with long recharge times on my two plus year old Spyder, but when it is recharged, it works fine. I probably have a poor connection problem with the charger, which I will troubleshoot and correct.

I'm so happy with my Spyder, that I recently bought a second one, so I can mow the front and back at the same time. And I bought a third one as a gift to send to a 70 year old relative.

But it's important to keep in mind that the USA model Spyder weighs 23.2 pounds, and many older ladies may find that weight too difficult to deal with.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars BUYER BEWARE Read the fine print BEFORE you buy! June 11, 2012

By theshamanswife

Lawnbotts.com web site shows a "30 Day Money Back Guarantee" emblem, but it doesn't show anything like 'click here for details' or 'restrictions apply' - if you click the emblem you'll see that your lawn must be pre-approved 'to qualify for the 30 Day Trial (Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee)' and 'A 15% restocking fee will be applied to validated Spyder returns'.

Of course, we didn't know this when we bought their Spyder LB1200 model, so when we received it - and it didn't work on our lawn - we called them and they told us that our lawn hadn't been pre-approved --- so they simply refused to take it back!

We had to file a dispute with our credit card company, who mediated and finally got Lawnbotts.com to agree to take the return for a 30% restocking fee (yep 30%). BUT WAIT --- on top of that, they charged us $40 Shipping & Handling (we paid the return postage ourselves), PLUS a 3% transaction fee (because by this time it was beyond 59 days of purchase), PLUS the cost of a new mowing blade (because we had opened the blade package to assemble the Spyder) --- keep in mind that this machine had never cut a single blade of our grass!

So we paid them $1,199 and they ended up refunding us only $715.83. Hope you learn from our costly mistake!

Lawnbotts.com does not operate in a professional, customer service oriented way - we recommed buying elsewhere.

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Works okay until it breaks or cover is opened. May 21, 2011

By D Burmie

I purchased my 18 months ago, a demo from the dealer. It was a dream until I decided to do an update to the motherboard, which I had purchased the correct internet cable from the manufacturer. Opening it was the biggest mistake ever, as the "update" from the manufacturer was defective and shorted my board. Off I sent it to the only USA repair center at a cost of $50, even though it was under warranty, as you have to pay the shipping to send it there. 6 weeks and no repair, finally it was fixed when the new board came. However, it arrived damaged, one wheel broken. Be forewarned that the insides are plastic, and not a strong plastic, and this means that this mower is not built like my former robomower to handle drops or tough work.

At another cost of $50, I sent it back to the only USA repair shop. It was sent back "repaired", but the "repaired" wheel had the broken piece replaced with a different than original piece that is defective. I searched online and found a now defunct complaint blog where other lawnbott owners were complaining about their broken wheels being replaced with cheap plastic pieces.

What this meant for me is that my mower which originally could climb and mow with power, now has a defective back wheel that slips constantly so I hear a click-click-click and it will get stuck repeatedly. On average, I have to "unstick" my mower about 50 to 80 times as it mows. You can bet I sent it back again, at another cost of $50. After another "repair" it came back with the same functionality.

I was out $150 all from trying to "upgrade" my motherboard according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you buy this, I warn you to never never get tempted to do an "upgrade" or open it without cause as, at least mine, shorted with each opening. That is another thing, on the two additional times I was trying to trouble shoot the broken wheel for the tech, who is a nice guy, by the way, each time my motherboard would short, and that would mean another replacement of the motherboard. Since it was determined it was some kind of defect, it was all covered under the warranty.

Now I still run my mower, but it is the hardest work ever as I have to supervise it and kick it to steer it as it has no remote. To put it this way, a visitor came to my yard, and he exclaimed, "Who the heck mows your lawn, as I would fire that guy!" because this mower has an imperfect pattern, and with the defect of the wheel, it leaves "mohawk" like strips that take 3 or 4 mowing sessions to get, at a time of 3 to 4 hours mowing each.

Next mower I get will be a robomower as I originally had that is hardy, and electrolux repaired mine in the past, and it lasted over 10 years, same lawn. If you are not mechanically or electronically inclined, stay away from this mower, as it is very touchy and fragile inside.