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He Rests In Lawn Chair While Mowing Grass
When a doctor told Wayne Ledbetter that he couldn't ride his 1982 Snapper mower any more because of a back injury, the 70-year-old inventor didn't sit around feeling sorry for himself. He decided to modify the mower so he could still run it from the comfort of a lawn chair in the shade.
He got the idea for h
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He Rests In Lawn Chair While Mowing Grass FARM HOME Lawn Mowers 31h 38 When a doctor told Wayne Ledbetter that he couldn t ride his 1982 Snapper mower any more because of a back injury the 70-year-old inventor didn t sit around feeling sorry for himself He decided to modify the mower so he could still run it from the comfort of a lawn chair in the shade He got the idea for his remote-controlled mower while watching his grandson fly a remote-controlled airplane A machinist friend Mike Pointer helped modify some of the parts needed Ledbetter used parts from dishwashers a microwave and off old cars The mower is powered by a DC electric motor driving a Sears washing machine pulley Ledbetter ordered a robotic electronic steering system that has its own air compressor and tank to control the blade He can do everything with his modified airplane remote û engage the blade go forward and backward push in the clutch accelerate and of course turn it off It s complicated Ledbetter admits I altered all of it I did it one step at a time He s made many modifications since he started using the mower For example there was the time a power company truck went by when Ledbetter was mowing and the radio in the truck was on the same frequency as Ledbetter s system The mower went crazy he recalls The two-way radio caused everything to turn on He remedied the problem with a little used frequency which passed the test at a Christmas parade that included fire trucks ambulances and other radio-equipped vehicles Many passersby have taken photos of the riderless riding mower and it s worked fine to mow his lawn every week But Ledbetter isn t quite through with it Someday I want to put a camera on it so I can watch and control it via the TV inside Ledbetter says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Wayne Ledbetter 20033 Alabama Hwy 9 S Piedmont Ala 36272 ph 256 447-7898
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