Mower - Alpha 1

The initial idea for this project started with a need. Our parents own a small homestead, during the spring and summer months they can spend upwards of 6 days just mowing their small acreage.

This obviously not ideal especially as our parents get older. So the idea was to build a machine that could handle mowing and maybe some other small tasks around small homesteads and farms. We started with a small example mower test platform built out of an old 40v Kobalt mower. The initial design has gone through multiple revisions so far.

The test platform is proving to be most useful, and has gone through a few structural changes since this video. The video has the initial built in mower deck and aluminum extrusions screwed onto boards for the mounting points for the wheels and battery.

The list of parts so far on the test platform:

• LiTime 60ah 48v battery

• 2 250w 24v gear reduction motors

• RC Control through Flysky FS-i6 radio and receiver

• Various power regulators and dc to dc converters.

Out next revision borrows some genuinely fantastic ideas found on the small robotic mower market and will incorporate a tool changing system and some upgrades to allow the tool to be more autonomous.

Here is our current draft of the new frame setup.

The body and frame design is still in the works as parts arrive for the alpha build. We are striving for simplicity in both the construction and material costs. The frame example you see above is preliminary and will be revised several times before initial construction.