HowTo Build Remote Control Lawnmover
I grew up spending much of my summer cutting the grass. We had a very large lawn (about 2 acres!) and a push mower. I would typically start cutting Saturday morning and finish sometime Sunday afternoon. I also had a couple of other lawns that I cut for family friends.
But, being the techno geek that I was, I dreamed of ways to make the whole task easier. I even attempted a few such as harnessing our dog to the mower (that ended badly when a gopher ran across the lawn and into the flower bed) and pulling the mower behind our three-wheeled ATV (Do you know how performing tight turns on those things can rip up your grass?).
The remote controlled lawn mower was, in my mind, the Holy Grail. I could sit on the porch with a drink and get my work done. What could be better? Unfortunately, I did not have the means (i.e. no cash) or understanding (i.e. I didn’t even know where to start a project like this!) so this dream was never realized.
Fortunately, Terry Creer was able to overcome these limitations. He has put together a website with all of the plans for his remote controlled lawn mower.
Essentially, Terry took an old electric wheelchair, stripped out the guts, built a frame to support it and the push mower, and then attached a remote control hobby radio to the unit. He figures that the entire project cost him AUD$480 (about US$370).
So, for those of you whose lawns are presently under a blanket of snow, you still have a few months to get this done for the 2007 mowing season!
If you’re interested, here is Terry’s mower in action:
