RIDING LAWN MOWER CONVERSION

See it in action. (very short clip)

See more action.

RC Mower Project Page 2 (Steering System).

Here is the actuator that I used for the steering. 12vdc and rated at 500 lbs working load.

The pictures show the actuator mounted in place. The drawings show the details of how the system works.

Here is how the driver works:

The driver for the actuator is a simple relay setup using two 30 amp relays, a double pole on-off-on switch and a servo that sits in a sliding tray. The relays are wired to the actuator motor and left and right proportional steering works very well. The actuator mounts as shown in the drawings and the driver (the relays, switch and the servo tray are mounted in the silver box located just above the actuator. Look close and you can see the servo tray linkage that connects the servo tray to the actuator. When the wheels are straight the actuator is in the center of its stroke and the switch is in the off position. if the servo moves in either direction it will turn on the switch and as the actuator moves it will move the servo tray to turn off the switch. So to turn the mower the wheel on the transmitter is turned and as the servo moves it turns on the switch to move the actuator. As the actuator moves the wheels it also moves the servo tray to turn the switch off. This stops the actuator movement and locks the wheels in this position. If I want to turn sharper all I do is move the transmitter wheel more in the same direction or if I want to go the other way. I turn the transmitter wheel in the other direction and it will flip the switch the other way and when the front wheels catch up with the amount the transmitter wheel was turned the actuator again locks and holds the front wheels in that position. If I want to go straight I can let go of the transmitter wheel and because it is spring loaded it will return to center and when the front wheels center the movement stops.

As you can see the driver is very simple and works very well if setup right. The trick is to be sure all the linkage is tight and use a servo saver to allow override travel so the servo is not binding as the actuator catches up. The speed of the wheels is about 2 seconds from full left to full right. I have had no trouble with it. If you want more details on how it works just let me know and I will get them to you.

Project notes:
Continuos use will put a strain on what ever you use for the steering on a large mower. So I am using the best I can buy for this project. I don't want to have to use anything I will need to replace down the road. I designed the system to out last the life of the mower. I should get 15 to 20 years service from it. The system is going on four years now and so far everything is still working great. Infact I have removed the steering wheel as well as the seat from the 16 hp riding mower and it now is full time radio controlled.

Here are the links for the RC Mower Project!

About the project. (Page 1)

The Steering system. (page 2) **You are here**

The Clutch/Brake system. (page 3)

The Radio box. (page 4)

Throttle linkage. (page 5)

Safety Devices. (page 6)

First cut with the RC mower. (page 7)

A Shifting system has been added. (page 8)