OPENMOWER: TURN A CHEAP ROBOT MOWER INTO A GPS LAWN ROBOT
Gut a YardForce mower, drop in a custom brain, and get centimeter-accurate RTK-GPS mowing — no perimeter wire, fully open-source.
RoboticsOutdoor
- difficulty
- ●●●●○
- time
- several weekends
- license
- CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0
- repo
- repo ACTIVE6,600 stars
●●●●○ · several weekends · CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0 · 6,600 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 3D printer + filament — printable parts — files are in the repo
- Electronic parts — full list with part numbers in the repo BOM
- Dev board / microcontroller — runs the project firmware
- Soldering kit + basic tools — one-time buy, serves every future build
Partner
COMPAREE VERDICT
We love this one for the transplant trick: instead of building a robot from scratch, you buy a cheap consumer mower (a YardForce Classic 500 or its SUMEC cousins), rip out the dumb random-walk brain, and drop in an open GPS-guided one. The result maps your lawn and mows it in neat lines with RTK-GPS accuracy — no buried perimeter wire. It's not a beginner build: the real work is spread across submodules, you'll fab a custom mainboard yourself, and there's no shop to just buy one from. But there's an active 2000+ member Discord, solid docs, and a genuinely useful robot at the end. Budget band $$$ for the electronics on top of the donor mower.
IN THE REPO
NOT IN THE REPO
- —Main repo is a hub — real code/hardware live in submodules (open_mower_ros, hw-openmower-* KiCad, firmware repos)
- —No public store for the mainboard — you fab it from KiCad/BOM or get one via the Discord community
- —Docs are CC BY-NC-SA (non-commercial)
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Partner · KickstarterHeyGears G1: 10M+ colors and transparent parts in one print, plus UV printing on flat objects. Figures, parts and labels — no painting.
Videos
OpenMower — The affordable Open Source DIY Smart GPS Robotic Mower
The creator's official intro. Chapters not published — the docs site is the step-by-step.
Gallery
Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the docs (start here, not the repo README)
- 2.Get a compatible donor mower (YardForce Classic 500 and cousins)
- 3.Source the mainboard (fab from KiCad or ask on Discord)
- 4.Flash and configure (ROS software repo)
- 5.Join the Discord (2000+ builders, the fastest help)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- The main repo is just a hub — the actual code and hardware are in submodules; don't expect it all in one place
- There's no shop for the mainboard — you fab it yourself or coordinate via Discord
- The donor mower matters — stick to the documented YardForce/SUMEC models for compatible hardware
- Docs are CC BY-NC-SA — non-commercial only, mind that if you plan to sell anything
Do I need to bury a perimeter wire?
No — that's the whole point. OpenMower uses RTK-GPS for centimeter-level positioning and mows in planned lines instead of bouncing off a wire.
Which mower do I start with?
A YardForce Classic 500 or one of its SUMEC-built cousins (some SABO and John Deere Tango models share the hardware). The shopping list names them.
How accurate is the GPS?
Centimeter-level with an RTK base or an NTRIP correction service — far beyond a phone GPS.
What does it cost?
Band $$$ for the electronics, plus the donor mower. The shopping list has current prices.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
OpenMower only works if you gut a specific YardForce donor mower and trust RTK-GPS instead of a buried wire. Would you take a working appliance apart for centimeter-accurate mowing lines?
Clemens Elflein
Turned a cheap consumer mower into an open GPS lawn robot and built a 2000+ member community around it. Runs the project openly with a Patreon and active Discord.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM1mo ago
Sourcing reality from our dig: there is no store for the mainboard — you either fabricate it from the KiCad files or coordinate a board through the Discord community, which is how most builders get one. We also learned the donor list is wider than it looks: some SABO and John Deere Tango models share the same SUMEC-built internals as the YardForce Classic 500. Anyone running one through a full season yet?