Build A Remote Control Lawn Mower
Terry Creer was sick of mowing his lawn so he built a Remote Control Lawn Mower and is providing detailed instructions on how you can build one yourself.
The project cost him less than $500 and from the looks of the video its quite impressive.
Mechanically, this thing is an electric wheelchair.
My dad scored a complete old, but serviceable chair from a dealer secondhand for a measly $150AUD. It even had a charge in the batteries and I was able to ride it out to the car to load it up.
Ask around – there’s plenty of places where you could get one. I’ve heard of people getting them for free and shops throwing the motors and controllers in the bin!!!I will make a frame to replace the old one, keeping the motors and associated electronic drive circuitry, batteries and wheels.
The wheelbase is extended and a common garden variety lawnmower bolted in the middle.
The lawnmower will remain complete, with the only modifications being it having its wheels and push-handle removed. This way, the mower can be easily removed if the user desires regular “push mowing” (i.e. the user is insane…).The joystick is removed from the electronic control module and replaced with a custom interface circuit to translate the signals from the Radio Control receiver into the same signals that the joystick on the wheelchair emits, thus having complete control, as you would if you were driving the wheelchair normally. Power for this circuit is drawn from the power connector that used to supply the wheelchairs joystick.
8 Comments
brian
March 30th, 2007
at 3:02pm
hi, i have the same idea, where did you get the parts to control the joystick? everything else is no problem for me, but i dont know how to refit the joystick.
thanks
The joystick is removed from the electronic control module and replaced with a custom interface circuit to translate the signals from the Radio Control receiver into the same signals that the joystick on the wheelchair emits, thus having complete control, as you would if you were driving the wheelchair normally. Power for this circuit is drawn from the power connector that used to supply the wheelchairs joystick.
WARREN KICKER
April 24th, 2007
at 8:24pm
hi..i built a rc mower using a pwm unit. i have never gotten it to work real well, especially stirring. you mention an interface circuit to translate signals from the joy stick…etc. i purchased a wheel chair by merit and would so much like to be able to use the guidance system for my lawnmower. any help will be appreciated. will gladly pay. also, is there an email address that i can sent you a picture of my mower? thanks so much. warren kicker
Zac Webster
April 25th, 2007
at 1:05am
Info on your interface or possible sell would be great I have a completed remote control lawnmower just needing the electronics thanks zac
Mike Strand
May 18th, 2007
at 9:59am
Looks good man, I tried to email you pics of mine and see how much you charged for the PCB’s? Right now i am just using the joystick with servos controlling it. It works alright but would be a more simple design with out all the mechanical linkage. Let me know.
Mike
mjstrand@hotmail.com
joel scott
May 20th, 2007
at 6:07pm
thanks for all the help. like the others… what is this simple interface board called if i were to ask for it at the electronics store. i want to use simple servo controlled potentiometer set up like this. something i can understand. thanks
jp
April 7th, 2008
at 2:37am
same as the rest. I need to build the interface. also to the others on here. Email me at j841@hotmail.com if you want to team up to work this out. Someone here must know what we need to build to translate the receiver signal ie + – and signal wires to the input from the wheelchair joystick.
aidan Perez
November 18th, 2008
at 7:41pm
i think this website is pretty cool but how do you build a lawn mower magnet. You know a lawn mower with a magnet on the bottom of it
EvilKayak
May 29th, 2009
at 1:35pm
I was doing something similar and decided it could be done easier.
I’d take my existing self propelled mower and modify it. Basically, it runs on its own. I pull start it, push in the accelerator bar, and it runs on its own, meaning, it moves on its own. all it needs is stearing – left/right. thats should be the limit for the ‘control’ it needs. email me @ evilkayak@gmail.com if u can help. there are several RC hobby sites that show potential help.