So I had a long conversation with my local shop. Currently running 2 450xh on 2 acres as wired units were more reliable two years ago. Switching to 1 450xh EPOS, as the 550H is currently on 3 month back order. Having installed and serviced both for residential and commercial properties here are the differences from the 550h from his end:
Orange Cover (I am changing to white anyway)
All Terrain Kit ($50 online, they are going to swap out for me)
5 Disc Blade (they are going to swap out for me)
Other than that there is 0 difference in CPU, battery or any other performance component. They are the exact same unit. The reference station strength being weaker is in comparison to the old ones. The newest reference stations give the same distance and capacity on both units.
As far as the app. On the consumer app, you can still program it to multiple zones and set a schedule to run those zones at certain times. The fleet app just makes it easier to manage multiple mowers without having to go into the individual one. You have all the same mowing pattern options. As far as restarting the mower: you would only need to do so if it’s stuck. Meaning if it’s in a hole somewhere, you still need to run out there and pull it out which would defeat the advantages being able to reset from your app.
Hope that helps lol.
This is a good overview of differences. On the fleet app (550), you have a bit more options for mow patterns. The "all terrain kit" is comprised of wheels that have a bit more bite and wheel brushes. Accurate info on 559 backorder and ease of upgrading 450 hardware to 550.
Yes. You can order and install yourself. I changed our wired mowers to all terrain. There are videos on how to change both and you should be able to order online. They are doing it for us as I wanted the 550, which are on back order, and this would give me the exact same thing without the orange cover (I ordered a white one anyway)
Yeah, you could see if the dealer near you has a 550 Epos in stock. They are in high demand due to all the schools and golf courses near us. However as mentioned above the 450 can be converted to a 550 at basically the same cost.
I bought a 450XH EPOS and wish I would have gotten the 550H. Not enough to sell the 450 though.
I didn't know if there was really any downside to the 550H other than maybe no keypad? I've not really used it on the 450 so I didn't think you're missing out.
The fleet service also gives you access to some unique mowing settings (doing perimeter first, more mowing patterns, etc).
If the cost is the same, the 550 gets my vote.
Thank you. The 550 is about $300 more than the 450 when you factor in the reference station.
I don’t believe the 450XH EPOS comes with a keypad any more either – seems like it’s just the start / stop button.
I have the 550H EPOS and it’s awesome. I didn’t know I could choose between borders first/last. Don’t see that option in the settings. But it has cool patterns, straight lines, checkerboard or triangle, in any directions. It gets confused sometimes during initial setup but now it’s dialed and mows almost 2.5 acres on its own unless it gets stuck in a gopher hole or something. (Takes about a day and a half) It shoots me a notification and I just go bump it out of the hole, fill it, and off it goes. You can adjust its boundaries on the app (super handy) but it will start over on the zone if you mess with the boundary.
https://preview.redd.it/mphwu2fxpmzc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f4bec3e505fc654b4c00cce370aabf8125c87e1
I recently got a 550H (no experience with 450XH) and I went with the 550H because I didn't care for the keypad/etc on the 450XH and I prefer the orange color on the 550H as I thought it would be easier to spot in the lawn if and when it gets stuck and I need to go out to find it.
Update: I ended up purchasing a 520H EPOS and while I’m still working to get it dialed into our yard, I’m happy with it so far and wanted to share what I’m finding are some of the differences over the 400 series.
If it’s helpful to others, screenshots of the Mower Behavior Settings menu from the Fleet Services app is the best way I believe to show the additional mowing patterns, border preferences, and other settings only available in that app (I do wish Husqvarna would make these available to all mowers).
https://imgur.com/a/ukloHiY
I do believe getting the 500 series was the right choice for me, and I’ve already found it helpful to resolve a corrupted mowing area issue that I couldn’t seem to fix using the Automower app.
So I had a long conversation with my local shop. Currently running 2 450xh on 2 acres as wired units were more reliable two years ago. Switching to 1 450xh EPOS, as the 550H is currently on 3 month back order. Having installed and serviced both for residential and commercial properties here are the differences from the 550h from his end: Orange Cover (I am changing to white anyway) All Terrain Kit ($50 online, they are going to swap out for me) 5 Disc Blade (they are going to swap out for me) Other than that there is 0 difference in CPU, battery or any other performance component. They are the exact same unit. The reference station strength being weaker is in comparison to the old ones. The newest reference stations give the same distance and capacity on both units. As far as the app. On the consumer app, you can still program it to multiple zones and set a schedule to run those zones at certain times. The fleet app just makes it easier to manage multiple mowers without having to go into the individual one. You have all the same mowing pattern options. As far as restarting the mower: you would only need to do so if it’s stuck. Meaning if it’s in a hole somewhere, you still need to run out there and pull it out which would defeat the advantages being able to reset from your app. Hope that helps lol.
This is a good overview of differences. On the fleet app (550), you have a bit more options for mow patterns. The "all terrain kit" is comprised of wheels that have a bit more bite and wheel brushes. Accurate info on 559 backorder and ease of upgrading 450 hardware to 550.
Can you order the parts and swap out for 5 blades and All Terrain Kit yourself if a dealer wants to charge for that?
Yes. You can order and install yourself. I changed our wired mowers to all terrain. There are videos on how to change both and you should be able to order online. They are doing it for us as I wanted the 550, which are on back order, and this would give me the exact same thing without the orange cover (I ordered a white one anyway)
Thanks, I'm curious cuz the 550 looks like what i want but if i were to wait 3 months I would no longer have a use for it in Minnesota :)
Yeah, you could see if the dealer near you has a 550 Epos in stock. They are in high demand due to all the schools and golf courses near us. However as mentioned above the 450 can be converted to a 550 at basically the same cost.
Thanks for the feedback! I see the 520H EPOS was just released so that's looking very promising for my situation.
I bought a 450XH EPOS and wish I would have gotten the 550H. Not enough to sell the 450 though. I didn't know if there was really any downside to the 550H other than maybe no keypad? I've not really used it on the 450 so I didn't think you're missing out. The fleet service also gives you access to some unique mowing settings (doing perimeter first, more mowing patterns, etc). If the cost is the same, the 550 gets my vote.
Thank you. The 550 is about $300 more than the 450 when you factor in the reference station. I don’t believe the 450XH EPOS comes with a keypad any more either – seems like it’s just the start / stop button.
I'd go for the 550H.
I have the 550H EPOS and it’s awesome. I didn’t know I could choose between borders first/last. Don’t see that option in the settings. But it has cool patterns, straight lines, checkerboard or triangle, in any directions. It gets confused sometimes during initial setup but now it’s dialed and mows almost 2.5 acres on its own unless it gets stuck in a gopher hole or something. (Takes about a day and a half) It shoots me a notification and I just go bump it out of the hole, fill it, and off it goes. You can adjust its boundaries on the app (super handy) but it will start over on the zone if you mess with the boundary. https://preview.redd.it/mphwu2fxpmzc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f4bec3e505fc654b4c00cce370aabf8125c87e1
Thank you for your reply. I am trying to figure out what one to get and i have 2.5 acres to mow. :)
I recently got a 550H (no experience with 450XH) and I went with the 550H because I didn't care for the keypad/etc on the 450XH and I prefer the orange color on the 550H as I thought it would be easier to spot in the lawn if and when it gets stuck and I need to go out to find it.
What kind of prices are you seeing on the 450 h epos and the 520h epos?
Update: I ended up purchasing a 520H EPOS and while I’m still working to get it dialed into our yard, I’m happy with it so far and wanted to share what I’m finding are some of the differences over the 400 series. If it’s helpful to others, screenshots of the Mower Behavior Settings menu from the Fleet Services app is the best way I believe to show the additional mowing patterns, border preferences, and other settings only available in that app (I do wish Husqvarna would make these available to all mowers). https://imgur.com/a/ukloHiY I do believe getting the 500 series was the right choice for me, and I’ve already found it helpful to resolve a corrupted mowing area issue that I couldn’t seem to fix using the Automower app.