For months I have been watching video of this kind because I would like to make a tool similar. In my opinion, Your mower is the best among hundreds that I have observed on the net. It would be a dream for me to have details of Your project (material list first, assembly details etc)
Great tracks, very effective! I like the use of the recycled stock board for the sections. The alternator is excellent idea to...... Maybe stick a fpv camera on it and cut the grass in the rain sitting in your house!
Your track design is genius. I've been thinking of ways to convert my wheelchair motors to track drive for a similar project, and your idea is so simple it's brilliant. Hope you don't mind if I adapt your design to my project, I'm converting an electric chair to RC bulldozer so I can maintain my RC racetrack with RC toys. You sir, have made a guy's day.
@@brianbailey4565 It looks like they work great, thank you for the inspiration. I really like the idea of using the chain to hold everything together the way you did, time to start searching for chains now.
I have an ATV flail mover at app. double the size, and a 15hp motor running it. Just for sizing. All the flail mowers I have operated have a roller at the back to help stopping the flails going into the dirt. Perhaps an idea for you as well. I am very impressed with what you have built. I would definitely not have minded something similar myself to avoid driving on the steeper slopes. Looking very much forward to your next iteration, or project :-)
Lots of positive comments and well earned Brian. IT seems very maneuverable for a tracked system. My wife stuck her head around the corner to see what I was watching. Watching your machine mow sur ebeats me out there slugging the mower arounbd ;-) I also like the lush grass I see little of in my part of the world; it's drought or flood here in Oz lately. One small quibble I have is I reckon the motor should be either raised above the flying off cuts or otherwise protected. Over time I see a lot of rubbish finding it's way into the engine parts. I'd call that job done Brian. What's next?
Yes it was something that I did not forsee that the debris could be a problem, for now I just clear it every now and then. I wanted the engine low to keep the CG as low as possible for stability on slopes.
The quick answer is no, my background is that I was an helicopter transmission development engineer. However I also have years of experience in, test rig design, instrumentation, vibration monitoring and analysis. In addition you require specialised vibration monitoring equipment and knowledge, not something you can just teach someone.
This mower was designed to flail brambles and small thorn trees. It uses more power but a flail mower shreds everything into small pieces. It is also more compact then a rotary blade. It does cut grass but not as smooth as a rotary blade.
I associate flail blades with those huge bush trimming things/tractors that we see at the road side/the central reservation of a dual-carriageway pruning the hedges/small trees. This is the first time I have seen one configured as a lawnmower, I guess the cutting behaviour is similar to a rotary blade mower, but in the orientation/position of a cylinder mower - those need a bottom fixed blade for the spinning cutter to cut against and have a front and rear rollers to get a striped effect. The concern with that prototype is that lawn clippings were being sprayed onto the recoil starter vent - blocking the engine cooling
@@samuelfellows6923 I did a test cutting grass but what it was designed for was munching brambles and nettles on the edges of our fields. Which it shredded, yes I do have to clear the debris every so often,
Excellent design! I especially like your tracks. Is "stock board" a UK term or item? I'm in the US and have never heard of it. Is there another name for it? I tried searching and seemed to only get results about the stock market.
This a great build. Very impressing. I would like to build something similar using a 24 V alternator. I’m interested to know the characteritics of the batteries you use. I suppose those are 2 12V in series. Could you tell us what is the capacity and also if you chose to use deep cycle lead or regular batteries. Thank you.
You are correct it uses two 12v 7Ah batteries, it needs these for the control system and so I can maneuver the mower before I start the engine. Once the engine is running the alternator puts out 28.4 volts typical charging voltage so the batteries are then kept at full charge. The power for the motors then comes directly from the 55A alternator output.
Watching your mower is the most fun I've had all day. Great job! Almost looks professional... no, wait, it does look professional. Is there any mechanical link between the drive wheels and treads, or just friction?
Just friction, but where a wheel has only a small contact area with the ground here the drive wheels have 50% of its circumference in contact with the track.
The rotor consist of a box section with shafts welded at each end, lugs were welded along each side to hold the flails. A lot of machining, welding and quite heavy, this I had to balance as all fabricated rotating parts produce vibration. This was done using sensors to calculate where to add the correction mass. The rotor is supported by bearings each end and driven by a Vee belt.
Designed and built the rotor to hold a set of small flails I bought from the local agricultural stockest. Probably the most differcult bit to make requiring a lot of welding and drilling.
There are three servos one for the throttle, one for the kill switch and the third operates two micro switches for the linear actuator. One switch for up direction and one switch for down by reversing the polarity of the power to the linear actuator. The drive motors work directly off two of the RC reciever channels via the Sabre Tooth controller.
I Purchase a 24v alternator with built in regulator and Vee pulley drive, on the engine output shaft I used a double pulley one drive the alternator and one to drive the flails.
Hola Brian Bailey !. Saludos desde España , me gustaria saber si me prodrias ayudar a convertir mi robot como el tuyo hacer martillos flotantes , lo has contruido tu todo ?. Podrias ayudarme como construir el desbrozador de martillos ?. Yo tengo mi robot cortacesped con 2 motores MY1016Z3 a cadenas y controlador de Cytron MDDS30 con mi emisora FlySky lo controlo !. Pero quiero quitar el cortacesped y poner como aqui tienes tu robot con desbrozador a martillos !. Por Brian favor puedes ayudarme ?.
This is the scond Sabertooth controller I have used, both have been perfect with no problems so far. If you do overload the sabertooth controller or do not have a big enough heatsink then it automatically limits the output current until it cools down, as I found out on one of my very heavy remote mowers.
Bloody hell this is an incredible build. Are you a retired engineer? You should make an add on snow plow. You need to protect this design as it's very unique. Or sell a mass produced machines for highways embankment clearing
@@brianbailey4565 yea. I guess we're not really 'there yet' with the batteries. I bet someone out there is busy making a fully automated version of this as we speak. just like those vacuum cleaners for your house.
It looks as though you have used commercially available flail ends? Also is the speed controller the only viable option? They seem to be quite expensive and of limited availability. Thanks
It is recycled plastic that is made into 8 x 4 ft sheets at 6, 9 & 12 mm thick. it is easy to cut and machine. With hot air gun it can also be formed into shapes like the flail cover.
Yes the 2x32 Sabertooth 2 channel controller, the RC transmitter is set up to control each motor independently. Then on the RC transmitter the two servo outputs are combined, stick fwd/aft drives both motors, stick side side provides the differential motor speed required to turn.
You're required to walk around with it anyway. Why not just give it manual controls? Then you could do away with all the electrical / electronic junk and it would become much simpler & more reliable.
This was my first test, when it is in the fields chopping up brambles I keep a safe distance as bits fly everywhere . As long as I can see what it is doing I can keep well back.
"see how much it cost" only bought the bolts, pullies,belts, wheels, actuactor, bolts, metal, plastic, bearings and RC controls. Engine was free, so around £400 to £500 the real cost is the design time and knowledge required to make it, but as its a hobby so time is not important. Its the sense of achievement when its works.
Used the mower to cut a mates allotment that had grass over as a test of my machine before the ground was rotavated. Not a lawn just rough ground, which was idea to carry out a test on.
For months I have been watching video of this kind because I would like to make a tool similar. In my opinion, Your mower is the best among hundreds that I have observed on the net. It would be a dream for me to have details of Your project (material list first, assembly details etc)
Sorry no plans as I just built it up as I went. Did not do one drawing.
great job, i made a remote control snowblower years ago with lots of linear actuators. we called it blowBerta great fun ...
Great tracks, very effective! I like the use of the recycled stock board for the sections.
The alternator is excellent idea to......
Maybe stick a fpv camera on it and cut the grass in the rain sitting in your house!
muy bueno
Awesome build, and what's more - it's a very nice looking machine.
I absolutely love your builds and hope to make one of theise for my disabled kids
This is definitely how Percy Hobart would mow his lawn in 2021
Love the servos pushing switches.
Why over complicate it when it works very well, reliable and cheap.
Can't you use rc relays instead, so as to minimize moving machanisms.
Great COTS systems engineering integration. Thanks for sharing your solutions.
Your track design is genius. I've been thinking of ways to convert my wheelchair motors to track drive for a similar project, and your idea is so simple it's brilliant. Hope you don't mind if I adapt your design to my project, I'm converting an electric chair to RC bulldozer so I can maintain my RC racetrack with RC toys. You sir, have made a guy's day.
Making the tracks accurately and quickly I had to make temporary fixtures to cut the parts to size and drilling the holes.
@@brianbailey4565 It looks like they work great, thank you for the inspiration. I really like the idea of using the chain to hold everything together the way you did, time to start searching for chains now.
Very nicely engineered,a great job !! congretulation ,you are a very good builder
Awesome and beautiful build!
very cool mower great job building that thing.
Dude you are the greatest, that thing is awesome!
has we get older, our toys become ever so more complicated, more expencive unz cooler to play with :D
Looks like something from robot wars lol robot lawnmower with flails I want one lol
Outstanding engineering sir
Mouther of invention
i can just imagine poor old Betty at number 17 wondering why her electric wheel chair wont motor after Brian 'Fixed' it.... :D
Great build ! Makes mowing the lawn fun .. ENJOYED
I have an ATV flail mover at app. double the size, and a 15hp motor running it. Just for sizing.
All the flail mowers I have operated have a roller at the back to help stopping the flails going into the dirt. Perhaps an idea for you as well.
I am very impressed with what you have built. I would definitely not have minded something similar myself to avoid driving on the steeper slopes. Looking very much forward to your next iteration, or project :-)
Lots of positive comments and well earned Brian. IT seems very maneuverable for a tracked system. My wife stuck her head around the corner to see what I was watching. Watching your machine mow sur ebeats me out there slugging the mower arounbd ;-)
I also like the lush grass I see little of in my part of the world; it's drought or flood here in Oz lately. One small quibble I have is I reckon the motor should be either raised above the flying off cuts or otherwise protected. Over time I see a lot of rubbish finding it's way into the engine parts. I'd call that job done Brian. What's next?
Yes it was something that I did not forsee that the debris could be a problem, for now I just clear it every now and then. I wanted the engine low to keep the CG as low as possible for stability on slopes.
Well done Sir! I love it.
Fantastic! Do you have any building plans or photo of beggining???
Nice build👍
Well done. Would it possible if you can show us the wiring diagram please. Thank you in advance.
Good job.Thanks for a video.
very nice
Do you have a video about making the flail?
Congratulations 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏How did you make the mats? rubber?
Thank you
Can you teach us how you balanced the flail rotor shaft?
The quick answer is no, my background is that I was an helicopter transmission development engineer. However I also have years of experience in, test rig design, instrumentation, vibration monitoring and analysis. In addition you require specialised vibration monitoring equipment and knowledge, not something you can just teach someone.
The flail mower is better in rough areas but does not mow as evenly in smooth lawn grass correct ?
This mower was designed to flail brambles and small thorn trees. It uses more power but a flail mower shreds everything into small pieces. It is also more compact then a rotary blade. It does cut grass but not as smooth as a rotary blade.
I associate flail blades with those huge bush trimming things/tractors that we see at the road side/the central reservation of a dual-carriageway pruning the hedges/small trees. This is the first time I have seen one configured as a lawnmower, I guess the cutting behaviour is similar to a rotary blade mower, but in the orientation/position of a cylinder mower - those need a bottom fixed blade for the spinning cutter to cut against and have a front and rear rollers to get a striped effect. The concern with that prototype is that lawn clippings were being sprayed onto the recoil starter vent - blocking the engine cooling
@@samuelfellows6923 I did a test cutting grass but what it was designed for was munching brambles and nettles on the edges of our fields. Which it shredded, yes I do have to clear the debris every so often,
Great job!
*Good, it really inspired me*
Ola amigo so o controle e o recepitor e os servos não funciona, tem que ter essa caixa de eletronico?🇧🇷
Amazing project :) Really inspiring. Do you have building plans available somewhere?
Sorry no plans as I just built it up as I went. Did not do one drawing.
Добрый день неподскажите привод на звёздах и цепи? И моторы на 450 ватт?спасибо
awesome mate love it!!!!!!!
Love it! Autopilot next
What drives the caterpillar - electric motors?
I like this innovation, can make my inspiration
like it....wery good design....
th-cam.com/video/l7026Xm2jMI/w-d-xo.html
Brilliant Brian, thank you 👍😊
Excellent design! I especially like your tracks. Is "stock board" a UK term or item? I'm in the US and have never heard of it. Is there another name for it? I tried searching and seemed to only get results about the stock market.
Basically "Stockboard" is recycled plastic made into sheets from 3mm to 12mm thick.
@@brianbailey4565 Thanks for the reply
This a great build. Very impressing. I would like to build something similar using a 24 V alternator. I’m interested to know the characteritics of the batteries you use. I suppose those are 2 12V in series. Could you tell us what is the capacity and also if you chose to use deep cycle lead or regular batteries. Thank you.
You are correct it uses two 12v 7Ah batteries, it needs these for the control system and so I can maneuver the mower before I start the engine. Once the engine is running the alternator puts out 28.4 volts typical charging voltage so the batteries are then kept at full charge. The power for the motors then comes directly from the 55A alternator output.
Awesome work !
Watching your mower is the most fun I've had all day. Great job! Almost looks professional... no, wait, it does look professional. Is there any mechanical link between the drive wheels and treads, or just friction?
Just friction, but where a wheel has only a small contact area with the ground here the drive wheels have 50% of its circumference in contact with the track.
@@brianbailey4565 Point well made, and taken. So, you're a mechanical engineer?
great looking rc mower. how did you fabricate the front "cutter" section.
The rotor consist of a box section with shafts welded at each end, lugs were welded along each side to hold the flails. A lot of machining, welding and quite heavy, this I had to balance as all fabricated rotating parts produce vibration. This was done using sensors to calculate where to add the correction mass. The rotor is supported by bearings each end and driven by a Vee belt.
@@brianbailey4565 impressive stuff.
Quite awesome. Did you build the flail yourself?
Designed and built the rotor to hold a set of small flails I bought from the local agricultural stockest. Probably the most differcult bit to make requiring a lot of welding and drilling.
ciao i cingoli ruote dove li hai comprati?
How much do you want for it
how did you hook to actuator to the remote? You said 3 servos. Is you actuator hooked up like a servo?
There are three servos one for the throttle, one for the kill switch and the third operates two micro switches for the linear actuator. One switch for up direction and one switch for down by reversing the polarity of the power to the linear actuator. The drive motors work directly off two of the RC reciever channels via the Sabre Tooth controller.
Hello, what electric motor did you use?
Have you some idea / project from a mechanism that tills the soil?
Wow! Looks awesome. What type of modifications did you do to feed from the mower engine back into the alternator?
I Purchase a 24v alternator with built in regulator and Vee pulley drive, on the engine output shaft I used a double pulley one drive the alternator and one to drive the flails.
Hola Brian Bailey !. Saludos desde España , me gustaria saber si me prodrias ayudar a convertir mi robot como el tuyo hacer martillos flotantes , lo has contruido tu todo ?. Podrias ayudarme como construir el desbrozador de martillos ?. Yo tengo mi robot cortacesped con 2 motores MY1016Z3 a cadenas y controlador de Cytron MDDS30 con mi emisora FlySky lo controlo !. Pero quiero quitar el cortacesped
y poner como aqui tienes tu robot con desbrozador a martillos !.
Por Brian favor puedes ayudarme ?.
Great video so do you find the Sabertooth reliable
This is the scond Sabertooth controller I have used, both have been perfect with no problems so far. If you do overload the sabertooth controller or do not have a big enough heatsink then it automatically limits the output current until it cools down, as I found out on one of my very heavy remote mowers.
Wow i want one in italy ! It's possible?
Bloody hell this is an incredible build. Are you a retired engineer? You should make an add on snow plow.
You need to protect this design as it's very unique. Or sell a mass produced machines for highways embankment clearing
Half retired Aircraft Development Eng, now doing electrical/mechanical repairs.
@@brianbailey4565 keep up the great work. Enjoyed your video and talk through. Thank you
Using remotely-controlled servos to flick switches seems a little odd. Couldn't you just read the radio's output signal directly?
The motor controller reads the RC receiver output directly but for the kill switch and lift actuator I use simple micro switches, cheap and reliable.
Let the battle bots begins
Fantastic. Have you considered an all electric version? I love it.
An electric version would require expensive batteries and they would not last very long, the engine is putting out over 4.5 kW (6.5hp)
@@brianbailey4565 yea. I guess we're not really 'there yet' with the batteries. I bet someone out there is busy making a fully automated version of this as we speak. just like those vacuum cleaners for your house.
Es precioso!!
Gracias
AWESOME
What's motor and controller you are used?, I
The motors are 24 volt dc brushed wheelchair motors and the motor controller is the 2 channel Sabertooth controller.
Thanks
Very cool
It looks as though you have used commercially available flail ends?
Also is the speed controller the only viable option? They seem to be quite expensive and of limited availability.
Thanks
The flail were the smallest and cheapest I could find, being 24 volts the options for speed controllers for brushed motors are limited.
2:06 what is stock board ?
It is recycled plastic that is made into 8 x 4 ft sheets at 6, 9 & 12 mm thick. it is easy to cut and machine. With hot air gun it can also be formed into shapes like the flail cover.
never heard of it here seem nice :D thanks
which sabertooth driver did you go with? the 2x32?
Yes the 2x32 Sabertooth 2 channel controller, the RC transmitter is set up to control each motor independently. Then on the RC transmitter the two servo outputs are combined, stick fwd/aft drives both motors, stick side side provides the differential motor speed required to turn.
nice.
well done
Got to build one lol
a GPS and plotter and your in business. Id be applying for trademarks and patents :-)
Thats cool
Nice
More please
See latest test. th-cam.com/video/5_NpaMsd2HM/w-d-xo.html
Comparing two of my mowers.
You're required to walk around with it anyway. Why not just give it manual controls? Then you could do away with all the electrical / electronic junk and it would become much simpler & more reliable.
This was my first test, when it is in the fields chopping up brambles I keep a safe distance as bits fly everywhere . As long as I can see what it is doing I can keep well back.
ราคาเท่าไร
Conpro cuanto cuesta
"see how much it cost" only bought the bolts, pullies,belts, wheels, actuactor, bolts, metal, plastic, bearings and RC controls. Engine was free, so around £400 to £500 the real cost is the design time and knowledge required to make it, but as its a hobby so time is not important. Its the sense of achievement when its works.
Hi
Kind of a lowsey lawn.
Used the mower to cut a mates allotment that had grass over as a test of my machine before the ground was rotavated. Not a lawn just rough ground, which was idea to carry out a test on.
Awesome and beautiful build!