R/C lawnmower?

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

Anyone tried this? I've been pondering it for a couple of years, but doubt I ever try it. If I got my hands on a cheap mower with the right features I'd probably give it a shot. It would be an expensive project if started new and failed. It seems to me that if you took a mower such as this and used 1/4 scale servos to steer and control the self-propel speed it could be possible(remove the handle and go straight to the source). As for the noise interference(assuming there would be any with 2.4 tech) you could mount the rx as high above the engine as necessary. It would be pretty easy to modify the front wheels to take steering linkage. Robotic mowers are available and mega expensive. This has probably been done and on youtube, but I can't access any youtube vids at work and at home my connection is way too slow. Any thoughts?

[Halgar]

Sounds like a whole lot of unnecessary work. I'd rather have a robotic mower that does it all on its own, rather than doing it RC style. What will the wife say when you mow through her prized petunia patch when it goes out of control?

Speaking of going out of control, you'd definitely want a "runaway" safety and possibly a panic button on the remote if you were to pursue this.

[fakiee]

I remember seeing an RC vacuum cleaner in an RC mag BITD, that thing looked amazing. Not sure about a lawnmower though.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

Sounds like a whole lot of unnecessary work. I'd rather have a robotic mower that does it all on its own, rather than doing it RC style. What will the wife say when you mow through her prized petunia patch when it goes out of control?

Speaking of going out of control, you'd definitely want a "runaway" safety and possibly a panic button on the remote if you were to pursue this.

Trust me, my wife would be shocked if any of my "great ideas" didn't end with something getting destroyed. I'll never pursue it anyway. It's just one of those things you think about as you mindlessly mow your lawn. I'm sure it would end badly!

[Halgar]

It's just one of those things you think about as you mindlessly mow your lawn. I'm sure it would end badly!

I mindlessly think about getting a lawn tractor, WAY more fun that mowing with an RC. Of course, with the size of my lawn, I'd burn more gas getting the tractor from the garage to the yard than mowing. That doesn't stop me from thinking about it though.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

It's just one of those things you think about as you mindlessly mow your lawn. I'm sure it would end badly!

I mindlessly think about getting a lawn tractor, WAY more fun that mowing with an RC. Of course, with the size of my lawn, I'd burn more gas getting the tractor from the garage to the yard than mowing. That doesn't stop me from thinking about it though.

I'm with you there. My wife tried to talk me into getting a rider, but there are so many trees on my lot that I would spend more time getting around them than mowing. Not to mention with a push mower you can move large sticks as you go. With a rider I'd have to climb off(I almost said get off) every pass. We have just under an acre(lands cheap here). 3 hrs to mow and trim. Luckily with all the shade my grass grows slow. A zero turn would be nice, but for $3000 I could just hire somebody to do it.

[MOmo]

Here you go!
http://www.engadget.com/2005/08/08/the-evatech-rclm2006s-rc-lawnmower/

And who could forget the memorable one from HISTK!



If all else, hire her:




MOmo

[LowClassCC]

and to think i thought this thread was about the FlyingThingZ Sky Cutter.



http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/flying-lawn-mower.html

[tizeye]

It can be done http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Wz_OXJfyg

[justinspeed79]

Here you go!
http://www.engadget.com/2005/08/08/the-evatech-rclm2006s-rc-lawnmower/

And who could forget the memorable one from HISTK!



If all else, hire her:




MOmo

HISTK was the first thing I thought of when I saw this lol... It was done before HISTK too, can't remember exactly where, but I know I saw it on TV before then.

[justinspeed79]

It's almost like they had RC in mind when they designed that mower. All the key components are there. You should do it!

[Halgar]

I'm with you there. My wife tried to talk me into getting a rider, but there are so many trees on my lot that I would spend more time getting around them than mowing. Not to mention with a push mower you can move large sticks as you go. With a rider I'd have to climb off(I almost said get off) every pass.

WHAT?!?!?! You turned down a sanctioned opportunity to buy toys?!?!?! We might have to revoke your MAN card for that! LOL And what you do while mowing the lawn is your business. Besides, unless the stick is over an inch in diameter, it's not going to hurt a riding mower, you'll just make a bunch of little sticks out of it.

A zero turn would be nice, but for $3000 I could just hire somebody to do it.

Zero-turn mowers are pretty cool, but they ONLY cut grass, whereas with a lawn tractor you can tow a trailer, get a rototiller (for what it's worth ... ) and a few other things that could come in handy with a property of that size.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

Turning down the option to buy a cool toy was initially part of a larger strategic plan to make an even larger purchase. The whole thing of course back-fired due to bad planning. I agree the lawn tractor would be sweet, but my fear is that those attachments would just lead to more manual labor in the long run. If I don't have a cool lawn tractor with lots of attachments then I have a great excuse not to start anymore laborious outdoor tasks. C'mon Halgar think ahead man!

[budhatrain]

while doing searches on ebay, I could have sworn I came across a thatcher roller that possible rode behind a clod. I didn't take a second look but that's the way it looked- it could have been a big roller that had the name clod in it too:)

[Halgar]

If I don't have a cool lawn tractor with lots of attachments then I have a great excuse not to start anymore laborious outdoor tasks. C'mon Halgar think ahead man!

I don't see running a tractor as work. And the great thing is, if wifey wants you to do something you just tell her you need a new attachment or a larger tractor and you'd be happy to do it. You'll be upgraded from that puny Cub Cadet lawn tractor to a fully loaded John Deere 9630 in no time! If it's any incentive, the 9630 comes with air conditioning.