Shut up and take my money…
Shoveling snow early in the morning is among my most hated tasks, which is why the idea of plowing snow from the warmth of my home with a coffee in hand sounds incredible to me. The folks from the Ambition Strikes YouTube channel figured out how to do just that, and built a remote-controlled snow plow out of an electric side-by-side UTV, using off-the-shelf hardware and some 3D printed parts. Of course, I’m about to hand them a blank check so I can buy it from them.
To make the RC snow plow, they built components to turn the steering wheel and press both pedals with what looks like an RC car controller. Some of the components, such as the linear actuators to press the pedals, were 3D printed by a friend of theirs, while others like the steering servo and wire harnesses, were bought. That was the easy part, though. The hard part was custom fabricating all of the mounts and pedal extensions to allow the actuators and servo to control the UTV.
Ambition Strikes. YouTube
Pressing the pedals was simple enough. They just needed to weld mounting brackets for the actuators to push down on the pedals. However, the steering was a bit trickier, as a chain and sprocket system were required for the steering servo to turn the UTV’s steering rack. To get the steering ratio correct, they had to 3D print sprockets with the correct tooth count to fit on the steering column and the steering servo and connect the two with a chain.
When it was all done, it was time to fit a plow to the front of the UTV and take it for a spin. And it worked! They can plow their long, winding driveway via remote control from the comfort of their home. It’s the dream of anyone who’s had to plow a long driveway at dawn. But even if you haven’t and live in an area without snowy winters, this video is tons of fun to watch and they do a great job showing every step of the process.
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