Clever inventors have figured out how to blame the strenuous mowing work on a self-propelled lawnmower. We looked over the shoulder of a resourceful hobbyist as he, with a little skill, built a remote-controlled lawnmower himself. Get inspired here to see how it works.
How do I build a remote-controlled lawn mower myself?
To build your own lawn mower, you need a gasoline lawn mower, DC geared motors, boat motor controllers, RC electronics, screws, connectors, special parts, a remote control and tools. Strip the lawn mower, connect the wheels to the geared motors and assemble all electronic components.
How to turn your lawnmower into a self-propelled machine - tips for conversion
To build a robot lawn mower yourself, you need the following materials:
- Petrol lawnmower
- DC geared motors (direct current geared motors or electric geared motors with brushes)
- Boat engine controller with suitable RC electronics (radio remote controlled electronics)
- Screws, connectors and special parts
- Remote control
- Tool
The first step is to gut the petrol lawnmower. You temporarily remove the wheels in order to connect them to the geared motors and reinstall them. To mount the engines, simply cut out appropriately sized openings in the mowing deck. Once all the wiring has been done, you can start a test run with the remote control. From now on you can do annoying lawn mowing from the comfort of your garden chair with the remote control in your hand.
The effort required for future lawn mowing is limited to starting the engine with the cable. You can read a tip on how you can save yourself this trouble here.
Homemade lawn mowers don't take care of themselves
With the conversion work explained, you have taught your lawnmower how to cut the lawn independently. The care and maintenance work remains your responsibility. To ensure that you enjoy your remote-controlled garden assistant for a long time, the following steps must not be neglected:
- Clean the device thoroughly after each mowing
- Clean the air filter and spark plugs at intervals of 25 to 30 operating hours
- Empty the gas tank before winter
- Change the oil or add fresh oil
Your home-made lawnmower spends its well-deserved winter break in a dry, frost-free room. To prevent dust from settling in the drive motors, cover the device with a cloth. Foil is unsuitable for this purpose as condensation could form, causing corrosion and rust.
Tip
In contrast to a self-made petrol lawn mower, a real lawn mower robot runs on environmentally friendly energy from the battery. Complex maintenance work is ignored here, as is the hassle of smoking exhaust fumes. The only downside is the significantly higher price.
