nitrosportsandrunner

i looked them up on youtube, and nearly all of them used parts from a powered wheel chair. the drive wheels can turn independent, and the front tires just swivel.

i got a lawn mower for free, that has the rear tires self-propelled.
i think i can use a servo to engage/disengage the self-propelled drive.
im getting a welder soon, and im sure a can fab up a steering rack for the front.

so, heres what i dont know.....how big/powerful a servo i will need.
i had a rock crawler last summer with high-torque(standard sized) servos. they could turn the crawlers large tires with ease.
i was thinking the 2 of them(i think they were 200oz) might do the job

do you guys think i will need a larger servo, like one for a 1/4 scale rc?
if i could get away with smaller it would cost alot less.
any thoughts would be helpful.

RC MANIAC119

My Feedback: (14)

It would be cheaper just to pay the kid down the street to mow your grass.........

foodstick

Look at the tower ts-80 servo, I am not sure even that will be enough, but its fairly strong 1/4 servo.

Thalass

I was just going to make a post about this!

I've been thinking about r/c lawnmowers for a while, since my house is being built and I'm going to have to actually mow the lawn soon. My wife thinks I'm lazy, of course. haha.

Anyway, I was thinking of basing it off of an r/c buggy, but with a wider wheel base and the blades in the middle powered by a brushless motor salvaged from my long-dead foam aircraft. I don't mind that it'd be smaller than a regular lawnmower, since I could just do more laps.

I'm interested to see how other people would do it.

neyou86

My Feedback: (2)

check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExXQKOGrzpo

brw_racing

I think using the wheelchair motors is the most simple and bullet proof way of building one.

I have experience with super class rock crawlers and i doubt the high torque servos would work.
The wheelchair motors are designed extremely tough and dependable.
Used wheelchair's can be found on craigs list somtimes for cheap. The first one i baught was 100 bucks and the second one i found i traided a pistol for.
The most expensive item i had to get was the speed controller It was like 3 hundred from a website called Robot Power. The Sidewinder speed controller is a beautifull piece of work.

Ron
P.S. The youtube link neyou86 posted is my first mower. Im the tall skinny guy in the video...
If you need any help get ahold of me and i can try to explain it better and maybe soon i will have another video?
Hopefully of the 2nd mower im puting togather.

brw_racing

I want to share my latest mower with you guys.
Its a 17inch 24v electric. No gasoline engine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQsTEjVtj98

I have not had any luck finding one similar on you tube yet.. may be one of the first electrics?
It just works so darned well its hard to figure why it hasnt been more common?

Ron

silverslug

The local air show gets out there flying lawn mower every summer. I know its coming and Istill laugh.

Father_Knows_Best

L.A.V.E. - Low Altitude Vegitation Eradicator.

piddlefoot

l recon ya should build a R.P.L.A.V.E instead !

Rocket Powered Low Altitude Eradicator !

hahaha

Father_Knows_Best

Just curious if anyone else is familiar with the movie "Frankenhooker"? LOL. It's about a dude who cuts his girlfriend up with his remote control mower and then has to re-assemble her using, you guessed it, hooker parts. It was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this thread.

piddlefoot

Glad your not my, father knows best '' father !

Father_Knows_Best

Me too.