The City of Vallejo adds three more RC Mowers to its fleet

The City of Vallejo, Calif., aims to keep its maintenance workers safe and its more than 8,000 acres of land protected from potential fire hazards. To do so, the city decided to add three more remote-controlled robotic mowers from RC Mowers to its fleet this season. 

“Our team spends a great deal of our work week clearing the brush and other vegetation that serve as fuel for wildfires,” said Robert Ljuba, facilities maintenance supervisor for the City of Vallejo Water Department.

“Because this brush is usually located on hills and in rough terrain, our crews are often put in harm’s way,” he said. “As a result, we are constantly evaluating equipment that can help mitigate those risks while doing an effective job at removing fire hazards.”

Suamico, Wis.-based RC Mowers claimed that its robotic mowers can add revenue and profit, protect workforces, and present new opportunities for companies. Alongside its Autonomous Mowing Robots, the company also offers Remote-Operated Robotic Mowers like those the City of Vallejo is using. 

Ljuba said that in addition to steep slopes, his team also battles biting insects and dangerous wild animals when trying to mow around the city’s water tanks, reservoirs, dams, pump stations, and treatment plans. However, the brush still has to be cleared, and the land has to be maintained to meet both state and city fire codes. 

How did Vallejo choose its robotic mower? 

When it comes to robotic lawnmowers, Ljuba has a range of systems to pick from. The market includes Scythe Robotics, a Colo.-based company developing autonomous lawnmowers for commercial landscapers; Electic Sheep, a San Francisco-based startup that uses vertical integration to get its robotic mowers onto fields; and Yarbo, a New York-based provider of automated mowers, among others. 

After hearing about the RC Mowers’ remote-operated robotic mower, Ljuba decided to research it. The city bought one, and he said it has been pleased with its ability to handle Vallejo’s toughest terrain.

In addition to the mower’s safety features, Ljuba said he has been impressed with its ability to improve his team’s productivity.

“Our productivity is through the roof,” he asserted. “For example, fuel mitigation on our Summit Reservoir dam would take 12 or more contracted hand crews one day to cut and complete.”

“With our RC Mowers’ R-60 and newly acquired R-52 machines, we have been able to independently manage the brush on the dam and cut working time down to four hours,” said Ljuba. “It’s amazing how these mowers have changed our lives.”

RC Mowers addresses landscapers’ challenges

RC Mowers’ goal is to address ongoing challenges in the land management industry, which include labor shortages, productivity, and staff safety, said Tim Kubista, vice president of sales and marketing at the company.

“Land management companies and municipalities across the United States have been experiencing a severe and ongoing labor shortage for several years, and our remote-controlled robotic mowers help alleviate some of that problem,” Kubista said. “Our R Series is built to be highly efficient and can mow steep slopes and other hazardous terrain in half the time with just a crew of one.”

He asserted that the company’s commercial mowers are suitable for municipalities that deal with large tracts of land in the roughest terrain. The R Series’ upgraded rear-discharge deck improves the first-pass yield by more than 100% and can power through the toughest conditions, Kubista claimed.

RC Mowers recently expanded its Autonomous Mowing Robot dealer network outside of the U.S. It has also partnered Colbrook Industries, an industrial vegetation management machinery dealership near Melbourne, to bring its offerings to Australia. 

Ljuba said that while the mowers’ design and capabilities are impressive, the ability to safeguard their crew has made them indispensable.

“With the R-60 and R-52s, our facilities maintenance team is able to stay safe on the flat land while the mowers do their best work in the hazardous terrain,” Ljuba said. “Since we made this purchase, we have had zero injuries, which is the ultimate safety test.”

Editor’s note: The Field Robotics track at RoboBusiness 2024 will feature speakers from FarmWise, u-blox, Bishop-Wisecarver, Forcen, Point One Navigation, Blue River Technology, and SKA Robotics. Register now to attend the event, which will be on Oct. 16 and 17 in Santa Clara, Calif.

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