DIY Remote Controlled Tractor (Cuts Grass)

**m2rechtin** · Sep 1, 2020, 07:36 PM

**Frank S** · Sep 2, 2020, 08:30 AM

Pretty neat idea actually. Now all he has to do is build a fleet of them line them up and let all of them mow at the same time then install a global positioning system in them and have a drone to fly over for watching the field being mowed he can view the progress on his phone while out shopping for more things to build.

**m2rechtin** · Sep 2, 2020, 10:28 AM

Tractor swarm has been added to the to-do list

**IntheGroove** · Sep 3, 2020, 12:29 PM

If it can be done with snow plows it can be done with lawn mowers...

**Frank S** · Sep 3, 2020, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by IntheGroove

If it can be done with snow plows it can be done with lawn mowers...

That would never work here in the USA with our steering wheel holders they can't operate a single truck let alone 4 or 5 plus all of the other functions going on and that would be if they weren't required to drive while doing it

**Jon** · Sep 4, 2020, 04:43 PM

Congratulations m2rechtin - your Remote Control Tractor is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

We had multiple good contenders this week, but this is a clever, complex, and rare build.

Some more good builds from this week:

Scissor Lift by fawabros
Edge Finder by machining 4 all
Strap Buckle by rgsparber
Machinist's Lamp by editor@glue-it.com
Portable Folding Workbench by sams wood creations
Foam and Plastic Cutter by HandmadeCreativeChannel
Pressure Clamp by sams wood creations
Antimicrobial Hand Tool by NeiljohnUK
Benchtop Power Supply by mariost
Furnace by Retro Steam Tech
Drill Number Visibility Modification by rgsparber
Decoupling Feet by rendoman
Small Drill Press by universal scale models

m2rechtin - we've added your tool entry to our All Homemade Tool of the Week winners post. And, you'll now notice the wrench-on-pedestal award in the awards showcase in your postbit, visible beneath your username:

You've also been granted free lifetime Supporting Member status, which means you can now access all of the tool plans and tool ebooks in our Supporters Forum (thanks to mklotz for that idea). And you'll now notice the Supporters award in the awards showcase in your postbit:

You'll be receiving a $25 online gift card, in your choice of Amazon (US-only), PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and award choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

Nice work!

**jjr2001** · Sep 5, 2020, 11:57 AM

Well, I hope this was shown as something not to do. Kinda like the guy that was drawn into a lathe and was crushed.
I did not see any sensors that would stop the 10hp plus killer if it were about to run into a child or animal.
RC equipment can and does fail so the start/stop control might work if the operator sees the problem in time.
YIKES!

What is next? A remote controlled chain saw?

Cheers, JR

**m2rechtin** · Sep 5, 2020, 10:09 PM

Thanks everyone for the replies and interest!

~Michael

**m2rechtin** · Sep 5, 2020, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by jjr2001

Well, I hope this was shown as something not to do. Kinda like the guy that was drawn into a lathe and was crushed.
I did not see any sensors that would stop the 10hp plus killer if it were about to run into a child or animal.
RC equipment can and does fail so the start/stop control might work if the operator sees the problem in time.
YIKES!

What is next? A remote controlled chain saw?

Cheers, JR

JR. Thanks for the reply and the concern. Obviously, there is some element of danger any time you are operating a lawn mower no matter where you are driving it from. Loss of signal issues as well as hardware failures are taken into account in the software and the tractor with automatically shut itself down. Also, as you might notice we were using it in a wide open field just in case. Obstacle detection will for sure be added in the future especially before we let it do anything autonomous. We are doing things safely and testing the failure modes. (Just didn’t film it because that would be a pretty boring video)

Also I think you’re on to something with the RC chainsaw idea. Haha

Thanks,
Michael

**bob_3000** · Dec 3, 2023, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by m2rechtin

JR. Thanks for the reply and the concern. Obviously, there is some element of danger any time you are operating a lawn mower no matter where you are driving it from.

I feel like this is one of those "just spend the money and buy the proper tool" moments.

They're only five thousand dollars and you could avoid maiming or killing someone or something.

And there's not a chance in this world you would get that thing insured.

https://www.rcmowersusa.com/