Anyone build a radio-controlled lawn mower?

[MowManWV]

I have two customers with steep hills. One is a pain but the other is a bit dangerous to try and mow.

I have outfitted a pushmower with a rope pulley and two eyebolts so I can roll the thing downhill then pull it back up.

BUT I think a tracked or 4WD radio controlled mower is the way.

I've watched a bunch of videos and I think I can do this, although I will have to outsource the radio control bits.

I already have a couple of mowers I could use.

Thoughts?

 

[mechanic mark]

https://www.google.com/search?q=unmanned+lawn+mowers&oq=unmanned+lawn+mowers&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390l2.57649j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[bertsmobile1]

I have two customers with steep hills. One is a pain but the other is a bit dangerous to try and mow.

I have outfitted a pushmower with a rope pulley and two eyebolts so I can roll the thing downhill then pull it back up.

BUT I think a tracked or 4WD radio controlled mower is the way.

I've watched a bunch of videos and I think I can do this, although I will have to outsource the radio control bits.

I already have a couple of mowers I could use.

Thoughts?

Ventrack make them for large areas
There are some rough cut mowers for farm use as well
Don't know about push mowers
In reality slopes that are too steep to mow with a walk behind probably should not be lawn.

 

[rtrsam]

Amazon.com

I bought a variation of this thing from an auction a few months ago. Finally had some time to get it started and goof around with it a little. Amazing machine! With the adjustable deck height and track drive, it really works on some steep slopes (probably 70% or steeper, hard to walk on with a string trimmer).

Auctions out here they usually go for well under $1,000.

It would be nice if you could engage/disengage the blade, and perhaps kill the engine with the remote.

 

[bitdemon]

Amazon.com

I bought a variation of this thing from an auction a few months ago. Finally had some time to get it started and goof around with it a little. Amazing machine! With the adjustable deck height and track drive, it really works on some steep slopes (probably 70% or steeper, hard to walk on with a string trimmer).

Auctions out here they usually go for well under $1,000.

It would be nice if you could engage/disengage the blade, and perhaps kill the engine with the remote.

I bought a similar unit, importing it direct from the factory in China. Writing this to vent. Works great on the 25-30 degree slopes around the house. Good motor (Loncin, I think), but poor engineering overall. Uses a model radio control transmitter and receiver (that's ok), but the electronic speed controllers (ESC, one for each track drive motor) were hideously underrated and I ended burning out both of them when using it even though I was mainly running along the length of the slopes - all good once replaced with ESC that have double the original capacity. I added a small computer fan to provide cooling air through the control box as it only had a few louvres that wouldn't have done much. It also used a car alternator to charge the batteries - that failed too but haven't had any problems with the replacement. I cut away some of the belt guard underneath to allow air flow through the alternator - before, the bottom of the alternator was pretty much sealed off preventing cooling airflow. The engine was a pig to start initially. I found the choke wasn't closing at the start position but it starts ok with a squirt of ether spray. Ok, and the blade disk nut came loose a few times, even with threadlocker, so I added two bolts to go through the disk into existing holes in the crankshaft pulley flange to take the torque. I also added a proper on/off kill switch instead of a crazy cable operated cut-off arrangement - don't know why they did that as it would have cost more. Dealing with the Chinese salespeople was interesting - I think they might have been using their variant of Google translate!

 

[rtrsam]

Mine came with a little cooling fan as you describe. I did blow a 50 amp fuse on one of the drive motors but I was being a goof and using it to try to push my pickup. This thing has amazing power and traction. I mainly bought it to mow underneath my ground mount solar panels. It works great under low branches, shrubs and brush, all the stuff that you had a hard time getting into with a rider, pusher, or brush cutter. Just stand outside and watch it work.

Overall, so far I'm unequivocally impressed with it. I'm even considering buying another to either flip or use as an augmentation to my other business enterprises...

 

[bitdemon]

Mine came with a little cooling fan as you describe. I did blow a 50 amp fuse on one of the drive motors but I was being a goof and using it to try to push my pickup. This thing has amazing power and traction. I mainly bought it to mow underneath my ground mount solar panels. It works great under low branches, shrubs and brush, all the stuff that you had a hard time getting into with a rider, pusher, or brush cutter. Just stand outside and watch it work.

Overall, so far I'm unequivocally impressed with it. I'm even considering buying another to either flip or use as an augmentation to my other business enterprises...

Good luck you got a good one. I don't think I'd be using one to tow a car - although it has solid tracks on it, it only has wheelchair-type DC motors and reduction gearboxes.