Anyone ever do this? I have a box full of old remote control cars so the control part is taken care of. I was thinking why couldn't they be adapted to a couple of old starter motors to push my lawn mower around. The front wheels would have to be replaced with casters. The rear wheels would be a direct drive, they already have the notches in the wheels and are large. If you put a motor on each wheel you could steer it.
Sounds simple. SO would it be too hard to control with a simple on off type control for the motors? Would the starter motors run in reverse? Should I uses some other motor that I can control the speed better?
So Jake why are you so lazy that you cant push your lawn mower around. Well guys I have a hard time breathing after mowing just half the yard. The dust and grass dust is so bad here in Florida that I cant stand to mow, if I could sit in the driveway and steer the mower around or even stand a few feet away from it I could avoid most of the dust. Why not just pay someone to mow the grass? Ha let me ask you this, who works on your Fiero? If your like me you don't want anyone else touching your stuff.
This could be fun, I have only thought of this for about an hour and I already have the front wheels figured out and will be able to install them right away, even if I don't put the remote part on the mower it will make what I have now turn better as it will have turning front wheels instead of fixed wheels.
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09:14 AM
PFF
System Bot
OKflyboy Member
Posts: 6607 From: Not too far from Mexico Registered: Nov 2004
If the dust is what is causing you the problem, get a 99cent face mask? Its cheaper
I don't see why you cant make one, plenty have ( like the above pictures ) and you can buy self steering robot mowers. Just be sure you have all the bases covered for safety. Don't want ti running amok mowing down kids or pets if it gets away from you.
Yes those were my inspiration but I was going to try and make it more compact. I will have to keep my eye out for a used (Free) lawn mower. They are always getting thrown away around here when they quit working. Most of the time its just a spark plug or air cleaner issue.
My current mower already has the large back wheels, I think those will give me the best gearing for a direct drive mounted on the tires. I just need to figure out what to use for the motors. I wonder if Fiero head light motors would work? I don't think they turn fast enough to push the mower around the yard.
My current mower has a dead mans switch, I could use it with a switch on the electric motors in case it runs off on me. Just install a trip wire around the yard to kill the motors if it hits it. That will also keep the kids out of the yard at night LOL
The simplest remote-control mower I ever built was a self-propelled craftsman, 100 feet of nylon rope, and a couple of screw-in-the-ground pet leash anchors.
Tie the rope to the lawnmower and one of the anchors, stick the second one a couple feet away so the rope will wind around the 2 of them, fire it up, engage the self-ropell drive, and sit back sucking a beer while it doeas its thing and spirals inward.
Ya still have to trim up the corners and the center where the stakes were, but that only takes a couple minutes
Yes those were my inspiration but I was going to try and make it more compact. I will have to keep my eye out for a used (Free) lawn mower. They are always getting thrown away around here when they quit working. Most of the time its just a spark plug or air cleaner issue.
My current mower already has the large back wheels, I think those will give me the best gearing for a direct drive mounted on the tires. I just need to figure out what to use for the motors. I wonder if Fiero head light motors would work? I don't think they turn fast enough to push the mower around the yard.
My current mower has a dead mans switch, I could use it with a switch on the electric motors in case it runs off on me. Just install a trip wire around the yard to kill the motors if it hits it. That will also keep the kids out of the yard at night LOL
I also doubt the headlight motors would be strong enough for drive, but they might be ok for steering. If you get lucky, you might find a dead self propelled and have 1/2 the work already done done.. Just add steering up front and the radio and you are done. Or even better, a dead tractor.. Sure it would be big and huge unless you cut it down to get rid of the extras ( like seat, etc ) but it already steers
[This message has been edited by User00013170 (edited 07-11-2010).]
The simplest remote-control mower I ever built was a self-propelled craftsman, 100 feet of nylon rope, and a couple of screw-in-the-ground pet leash anchors.
Tie the rope to the lawnmower and one of the anchors, stick the second one a couple feet away so the rope will wind around the 2 of them, fire it up, engage the self-ropell drive, and sit back sucking a beer while it doeas its thing and spirals inward.
Ya still have to trim up the corners and the center where the stakes were, but that only takes a couple minutes
Or a single pole ( like for a tether ball ) and mount the rope in the center of the mower and even perhaps angle the front wheels so it wont drag across your yard. Of cousre if you are like me and have actual plants and trees in your yard, that wont work.
I ways wanted to but never did. I was going to use a Electric Wheelchair .
Thats what the other guys are doing. They just replace the rear wheels with the power chair drive and rig up a remote interface. I want to make something that I can pull the handle and attach to the existing mower.
Depending on the size of your yard, You might be able to make a remote controlled mower (as opposed to radio controlled). Have a wired controller attached from a high central location (tree, flagpole, etc) Wouldn't need batteries in this case. WOuld hafta make sure the mower couldn't run over the wire, though...
Depending on the size of your yard, You might be able to make a remote controlled mower (as opposed to radio controlled). Have a wired controller attached from a high central location (tree, flagpole, etc) Wouldn't need batteries in this case. WOuld hafta make sure the mower couldn't run over the wire, though...
I have wired electric, and ya its a lot easier said then done to not run over the cord.
This is how I want the rear steering to work. This will also allow me to turn the mower and line it up with the cut I just made.
It seems to me that the ones on line are going way to fast, one of them was popping wheelies. They would be hard to catch if something went wrong and they would be hard to control. I want something that has a lot of TQ but speed isn't what I am after. It needs to go about the same speed as me walking behind it. I think a tethered kill switch would be good, its much harder for a simple mechanical switch to fail then to depend on electronics to stop it from mowing the neighbors flowers or worse.
For controls I was thinking of something as simple as the automotive electric windows, just use relays instead of switches. Because its not moving fast a simple on off switch shouldn't be that hard to control. Plus I have a parts car with working switches and motors.
[This message has been edited by Jake_Dragon (edited 07-11-2010).]
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11:05 AM
MidEngineManiac Member
Posts: 29566 From: Some unacceptable view Registered: Feb 2007
I have never seen this before and I WANT ONE!!! I had a couple ideas right off the bat. I think you are on the right track with the tractor/tank drive. Only problem is where can you get the track from cheap? Another thought is that I had bought one of those barbie jeeps for my kids awhile back. It is pretty stout for what it is and pushed both my kids easily around the yard. They are not a little older and I bought them a gas powered quadrunner so the barbie just sits. It comes with a battery and charger unit. Perhaps it could be torn down and used for this project? I am thinking a welded frame and simple remote control unit from an RC car and some ingenuity and you would be sitting in the lawn chair sippin pina coladas mowing the lawn in no time? I have a very nice Craftsman mower here that I really like and it is very powerful but I always regretted not anteing up for a rider, only problem is that I do not have the room for one so I got the self propelled mower instead. I would love to have a Rc mower that would allow me to remove the handle which would make storing it even easier.... A tractor drive is the way to go here and I saw a video on youtube of a frame that was kinda wider with a single pivoting wheel in front. That would make turning that much easier and as long as it was wide enough should be plenty stable..... There are actually several that way on youtube. This kinda project is right up my alley man and I for one am excited about trying this..... peace
Ok I guess this will get done. I have some great ideas just need to see what happens first. There is a power chair place on the way home from work, I will stop in and see what they do with old chairs. I will also keep my eyes open for a free lawn mower to get a deck to work with so I don't have to use my existing lawn mower. The hover mower is a good idea, it would keep the total weight down but it would also not be as effective as a heavy steel blade as Florida grass is pretty thick and hard to cut.
Jake, those flymo's have a triple steel blade, which also doubles as the impeller to lift the flymo. Can I make a suggestion here? Three-wheeler Replace the two front 'steering' wheels with a single centre-mounted wheel, steerd by a 'boat tiller' set-up. MUCH easier to control, and set up, IMHO. Only need two motors then...one to drive it, and one to operate the steering tiller/arm. I'll do a little diagram in Paint Nick
For steering I think having both drive wheels turn independent of each other. The front wheels will be free to pivot like most self propelled mowers are now. To turn I just shut power off to the side I want to turn into and the other side will power the wheel around. This will pivot the mower on the wheel and line it up for the next path I want to cut. This is how most wheel chairs work and may save me some time finding a drive train if I can find a used wheel chair. I already found one on line if they still have it. If not then I have other ideas. I already have some tubing to make the frame out of.
The wife brought home an old lawn mower yesterday. I had to clean out the carburetor and it was leaking real bad. I fixed it and got it running. Now do I fix it up and gift it so I don't have to keep loaning mine or do I go all Frankenstein on it.
What do you think I will do?
I was reading up and someone suggested using old windshield wiper motors. They already have a gear box and are made to run for hours at a time in all kinds of weather. I just happen to have two different kind of motors sitting here. Oh what to do
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06:05 PM
Cheever3000 Member
Posts: 12400 From: The Man from Tallahassee Registered: Aug 2001
Jake, IZa Gona hunt ya down if you get me back into RCs,,,Got me thinking about this mower. 
