Kress announces two new autonomous mowing robots

Glenn HansenApril 8, 2025

OPE+ attended the Kress Next Summit 2025 in Colorado Springs, Co., on April 3. The manufacturer invited a couple dozen landscape company executives, from enterprise-level companies such as Yellowstone and Mariani, to area-specific service providers such as Teles Landscaping covering Martha’s Vineyard and The Langton Group serving northern Illinois. We report on the entire event in a story we will publish next week. In the meantime, here is a look at the manufacturer’s just-announced robotic mower.

“Kress has transformed from a product company to a technology company,” said DJ Johnson, executive V.P. of Kress, as he began a day of presentations and discussions about the current and future states of landscaping services and power equipment. Like power equipment products themselves, the discussions about these products are evolving. While Johnson and others from Kress did mention blower CFM and mower cut-per-acre, the day’s discussion was more about landscaper’s quality of life, business operating expenses and cost-per-acre.

Don Gao, founder and CEO of Positec Tool Corporation, the parent of Kress and other tool brands including Worx, opened the meeting by pointing to two major trends he sees impacting the power equipment and landscaping industries: Electrification and Robotization.

Kress KR800 “Cut and Go” robotic mower

40-inch cutting deck
Autonomous trailer loading and unloading
Battery supports all day operation
5000-hour operational life
Integrated with Kress Fleet Management System
360-degree obstacle avoidance
Ride-on for perimeter mapping and commuting
Level 5 autonomous driving capability (the SAE defines 6 levels of autonomous vehicles, from 0 up to 5, with 5 being highest, and meaning “full driving automation that requires no human intervention”)
Available early 2026