Suitability
Q. Will I still need an ordinary lawn mower?
No, normally you don’t need an ordinary lawnmower any more. In the event of uncut grass along the edges of your lawn, it’s best to use a trimmer to get a perfect finish for your lawn.
Q. Can the Flymo 1200R handle all types of gardens?
With minor garden adjustment, in principle all types of gardens can be handled by the Flymo 1200R. Of course the garden must meet the product specifications when it comes to maximum inclination and narrow passages for example.
Q. How narrow are passages allowed to be in my garden?
Minimum is 150 cm (wall to wall) to make sure that the mower can easily reach the areas on both sides of the passage.
Q. Will the Flymo 1200R cope with my uneven lawn?
With the large driving wheels, the Flymo 1200R can also cope with uneven surfaces. Sharp/deep holes should be avoided, for example by filling up the holes with soil to get an even surface in order to avoid unnecessary stops.
Q. Can the Flymo 1200R detect objects such as clothes or toys lying around on the lawn?
No. It is up to the owner to keep the lawn surface free from objects. Any object that is small enough for the Flymo 1200R to pass over may be damaged, as well as cause damage to the machine’s blades. Make sure your lawn is clear of small objects before operating the Flymo 1200R.
Q. What about pine cones, tree branches and fruit on the ground?
To avoid unnecessary stop and maximize the life of the blades these types of objects should be raked or collected regularly. They will probably not damage the Robotic Lawnmower but reduce the performance.[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B00C70LUQ4″ key=”image” locale=”UK” localize=”y” nw=”y” tag=”easylawnmowin-21″]
Q. How does the Flymo 1200R handle very long grass?
In normal operation a robotic lawnmower does not need to cut long grass since it continuously maintains a well-cut lawn. If the grass is very long and thick, at your first start-up, you should raise the cutting height and then gradually reduce it to the preferred level.
Q. I have a lot of moss in my lawn – can the Flymo 1200R handle that?
Yes. In fact, the Flymo 1200R will reduce the moss. The continuous mowing has a very positive influence on grass growth leading to the gradual disappearance of moss from the lawn.
Q. Will the Flymo 1200R cut the grass in rainy conditions?
Yes. However it’s recommended that you bring the mower inside in extreme weather conditions, such as torrential rain and storms. If thunder storms are expected you should disconnect all wires to the charging station.
Q. Will the Flymo Robotic Lawnmower 1200R cut in very hot conditions?
The Flymo Robotic Lawnmower 1200R is designed to function in temperatures of up to about 45ºC.
Q. Can the mower work at two different locations?
Yes. You will need two charging stations and two loop wire installations. At each moving from one charging station to another you will need to synchronize the Flymo 1200R to the charging station via the mower menu system. For most convenient use, it’s best to buy and install one mower each in the different locations.
Installation
Q. How do I install the boundary wire?
The boundary wire can be installed in one of the following ways:
1. Securing the wire to the ground with pegs. It is preferable to peg down the boundary wire if you want to make adjustments to the boundary wire during the first few weeks of operation. After a few weeks the grass will have grown over the wire making it no longer visible. Use a hammer/plastic mallet and the pegs supplied when carrying out the installation.
2. Bury the wire. It is preferable to bury the boundary wire if you want to dethatch or aerate the lawn. Make sure to lay the boundary wire at least 1 cm and a maximum of 20 cm in the ground.
For more information and video guidance, head over to my Flymo 1200R review.
Q. How do I install the guide wire?
The guide wire is a wire that is laid away from the charging station, for instance out towards a remote part of the working area or through a narrow passage and then connected with the boundary wire. The same cable roll is used for both the boundary and guide wires.
Q. What is the purpose of the guide wire?
The guide wire is used by the mower to find its way back to the charging station but also to guide the mower to remote areas of the garden. It helps the mower to quickly find the charging station and additionally helps the mower to give an even cutting result also on remote areas.
Q. How do I connect to wire ends?
Always use the solderless original coupler whenever connecting to wire ends, for example when connecting the guide wire to the boundary wire. Insert the boundary wire in each of the holes in the coupler. Insert the guide wire in the centre hole in the coupler.
Check that the wires are fully inserted into the coupler so that the ends are visible through the transparent area on the other side of the coupler. Use pliers to completely compress the button on the coupler.
Q. How do I install the charging station?
Take the following aspects into consideration when identifying the best location for the charging station:
Allow for 3 meters of free space in front of the charging station. It must be possible to lay at least 1.5 meters of boundary wire straight out to the right and left of the charging station. Choose a spot close to a wall socket. The supplied low voltage cable is 10 meters long.
Find a level surface to place the charging station on. Protection from water spray for instance from irrigation. Protection from direct sunlight. Place in the lower part of a working area that has a major slope. Possible requirement to keep the charging station out of sight for outsiders. Any aesthetic preferences.
For more information and video guidance, head over to my Flymo 1200R review.
Q. How do I get 100% cut to the edge?
Due to safety reasons the body is bigger than the cutting disc. Therefore the cutting disc will not be able to reach for example grass along a wall. To eliminate uncut grass you can place for example flat stones or concrete on areas that the mower cannot cut. In the event of uncut grass along the edges of your lawn, it’s best to use a trimmer to get a perfect finish for your lawn.
Operation
Q. How do I start and stop the Flymo 1200R?
Once the system is installed and the calibration of the guide wire has been carried out you can easily start the mower by pressing Start and close the keypad hatch. To stop it, simply press the orange STOP button and the keypad hatch is automatically opened for you.
Q. Do I need to bury the wire in the ground?
No. The wire can be laid upon the ground using the supplied pegs and will after some weeks be grown over and disappear into the grass. A good tip is to cut the grass as short as possible at the perimeter in order to get the wire as close as possible to the ground. However, to allow for aerating of your lawn, you can bury the wire up to 5-20 cm deep.
Q. How do I adjust the cutting height?
It is very easy to adjust the cutting height. Open the keypad hatch and turn the height adjustment knob. You can choose a height between 2-5 cm.
Q. How long does it take to recharge the batteries?
The Flymo 1200R automatically returns to the charging station and charges for approximately 80-100 minutes. After having completed the charging process the mower automatically starts cutting.
Q. How long does it take to mow the lawn?
The principle of a robotic lawnmower is to continuously cut the lawn so that it will always be well maintained and have a good looking. The question “How long time it takes to mow the lawn” is therefore not applicable on a robotic mower.
Q. How does the Flymo 1200R work and how does it know where to go?
The working area is defined by a perimeter wire (called loop wire) that you can compare with the fence for sheep. The mower operates in a random pattern within the fence. That gives a carpet-like nice looking result.
Q. What happens if the Flymo 1200R hits trees or other objects?
The Flymo 1200R will make a gentle touch to the tree, reverse and change direction. Soft/sensitive obstacles and obstacles lower than 15 cm are simply protected by laying the loop wire around that obstacle. That will make the mower stop and reverse without touching the obstacle.
Q. Do I need to collect grass?
No. The principle of continuously cutting makes the clippings become very small. These clippings fall to the ground and fertilize the lawn.
Q. How can I program the Flymo 1200R timewise?
Use the timer settings to make the operation time suit you and your garden. For each 30 m² lawn area, please program one hour of operation time per day.
Example: For a lawn of 300 m², from 7.00 until 17.00 or from 7.00 until 12.00 and again from 15.00 until 20.00 (all days a week). During that operation time, the Flymo 1200R will independently mow and charge. You can also increase the time per day and skip cutting one day per week.
Safety
Q. Can children play on the lawn when the Flymo 1200R is working?
A built-in safety feature means the blade will automatically stop if the mower is lifted up or turned over. Though, it’s strongly recommended to turn off the mower when small children are playing on the lawn. It is also recommended to use the built-in timer to automatically park the 1200R in the charging station during the part of the day when children are expected to be on the lawn.
Q. Does the Flymo 1200R have a theft alarm?
Yes. The mower has several theft protection systems that may be activated. Most important: The Flymo 1200R cannot be used without the personal PIN code. The installation lock prevents the mower from functioning on any other installation than your own. The time lock requests your four-digit PIN to be entered at an interval of 30 days. The alarm requires the PIN code to be entered when the Flymo 1200R is stopped – or an audio alarm will go off.
Q. Is the Flymo 1200R potentially dangerous to cats and dogs?
No, pets usually respect the mower and give it some space. However, the Flymo 1200R is equipped with sensors which means that it reverses and chooses another direction if it runs into ‘objects’ such as pets. If it does collide with a pet, the contact is very light and unlikely to cause any damage.
Q. What happens if I forget my PIN code?
Contact the Flymo Robotic Helpline 0844 844 4558. Make sure you have the serial number and the product registration key available. The serial number is found on the product label on the 1200R and the product registration key is included in the box.
If you haven’t done the product registration or lost your product registration key, please contact the Flymo Robotic Helpline and they will guide you to a solution.
Q. Is the electrical power in the boundary wire dangerous for humans or pets?
No. It has such a low voltage and current that it is totally safe.
Technical
Q. What battery type does the Flymo 1200R have?
The Flymo 1200R has a 1.6 Ah Li-Ion battery.
Q. How do I get the latest software updates?
Register your Flymo 1200R online, according to the instructions in the Product Registration Document included in the box, and Flymo will notify you when a new software version is available.
Q. What’s the lifetime of the battery?
The battery is maintenance-free but has a limited life span of 2 to 4 years. Battery life is dependent on the length of the season and how many hours a day the Flymo 1200R is used. A long season or many hours of use a day means that the battery must be replaced more regularly.
Q. What’s the lifetime of the blades?
The lifetime of the blades varies immensely and depends for instance on:
Operating time and size of the working area. Type of grass. Type of soil. The presence of objects such as cones, windfalls, toys, tools, stones, roots and the like. The normal life is 1 to 3 months when used in areas more than 300 m² in size and longer for smaller areas. You can easily replace the blades by yourself.
For more information on how to properly maintain the Flymo 1200R mower, head over to my Flymo Maintenance page.
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Troubleshooting
Q. How do I find a breakage of the boundary wire?
Breaks in the loop wire are usually the result of unconscious physical damage to the cable such as when gardening with a shovel. In countries with ground frost, even sharp stones that move in the ground can damage the wire. Breaks can also be due to the high tension in the wire during installation.
Mowing the grass too low right after the installation can damage cable insulation. A defective splicing of the loop wire can also lead to disruptions first several weeks after the splice was formed.
A wire break can be located by gradually halving the distance of the loop where the break may have occurred until there is only a very short section of the wire left.
Q. There is an error message in the display – what do I do?
In the installation manual there is a list of the most common error messages and recommended actions.
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