remote control adaptation

[oldjohnnybrown]

I would like to get some advice from this forum about a project I thought up last winter when I was feeding livestock. I feed alone and need to open gates with livestock, particularly horses, standing on the other side waiting for John to open the gate so they can charge through when I get on my four wheeler to drive through. I thought if I had an electric vehicle that I could tell (remote control) to go through the gate while I kept the stock back, my life would be much happier. My grandkids have electric vehicles, small vehicles, that they can tell to go forward or backward, left or right, and how fast to do it. (BTW… I’m a farmer and enjoy building and designing stuff.) It might be a good idea to experiment on an older, less expensive vehicle because sometimes my ideas don’t work out. I want it to go slow, like less than 10 MPH. I expect an electric vehicle with limited range would not be a problem for me. (I’m going to the barn, not to town. Maybe an hour a day, stop and go.) The thing might end up as a platform on wheels (haul hay and feed less than 200 pounds.) with a remote control I can use even when riding on a little seat on the back. If it works then I can get a high quality 4WD and mag wheels. What older golf cart would you suggest for this project? (brand, model) Any brand or model I should avoid for this project?

[Volt_Ampere]

All I can say is "Be Careful" and make sure you have multiple ways to kill the thing if something goes wrong with the RC. Actuators will be the hardest part of the design. I don't think it matters much what cart you pick for the project. Keep us up to date on your progress!

[scottyb]

I would pick a steel cart because it is easier to weld on for most. You need to actuate 3 functions.
Throttle.
Steering.
Brakes.
It's quite feasible actually

You need a wireless remote controller and actuators of the proper size and throw for the tasks at hand. I have seen remote control mowers for steep banks, look into their controls. And of course there are plenty of robotic controls out there. You are opening a big subject - you have a lot of studying to do. Good luck

[SouthCo]

Why not build a second gate parallel to the existing gate? You then pass through the first gate and close it behind you before going through the second gate holding the animals back. And you can make the outer gate back however far you need to get your vehicle into the holding area between the two gates. I’ve seen this setup on farms.

This would definitely work and be more practical than you trying to hold back animals and control a cart via RC.




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[scottyb]

Originally Posted by SouthCo

Why not build a second gate parallel to the existing gate? You then pass through the first gate and close it behind you before going through the second gate holding the animals back. And you can make the outer gate back however far you need to get your vehicle into the holding area between the two gates. I’ve seen this setup on farms.

This would definitely work and be more practical than you trying to hold back animals and control a cart via RC.




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That's too practical. Not enough gadgets !

[kgsc]

My friend also has the same situation and she just has a hot wire about 4 feet off the ground. She just ducks and goes under. Horses won’t mess with that wire..

[SouthCo]

Originally Posted by scottyb

That's too practical. Not enough gadgets !

LOL I figured it was too! Could always build a second gate and still build an RC cart. My cousin actually converted a Barbie power wheel jeep into RC control. He used to drive his young daughter around. It was really cool but I have no idea how he set it up….


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[Volt_Ampere]

I have built plenty of RC planes and quads but they all have simple actuators. The trick to RC a vehicle is the steering and brake actuators. Throttle is easy on an electric cart. You can hook a pot to an RC servo to run the throttle. In RC, we have what we call "Failsafe" which gives you a way to shut things down if you lose the RC link. You really need that on a large vehicle that can do serious damage if it runs away on you.