---
type: article-hidden
identifier: rc-snow-plow
title: Engineering a Remote-Controlled Snow Plow
description: Designing, building, and programming a remote-controlled snow plow to push snow and salt pavement. Long-overdue writeup on a project that's been in the works since late 2018.
datestring: 2024-09-15
banner_image: /static/images/rc-plow.jpg
links:
  Source Code: https://github.com/JoshuaS3/auto-plow
---

During my freshman year of high school (January 2019), I had to undergo
surgery to correct [severe scoliosis](/static/images/scoliosis.png). I like to
joke that, according to
my parents, the absolute *worst* thing about that was that it put me out of
commission for snow-shoveling for the season. Inspired by a
[YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPg1ZMiC9pA) my dad had
shown me, and wanting to learn more about robotics and microcontroller
programming, I asked my dad for help building our own remote-controlled (RC)
snow plow to do the work for us. Here's what it looks like now:

<iframe style="max-width:720px;max-height:405px;display:block;margin:0 auto 1em auto" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/NOkGwRdGm9s" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Over the past several years, this project has occupied a significant portion
of my focus. Working on this has been invaluable to my self-education in
mechanical, computer/firmware, electrical, and power engineering. Here I break
down the design iterations the project has undergone, as well as plans for the
future.

# VERSION

WANTS:

MECHANICAL DESIGN (COMPONENTS, CONSIDERATIONS):

ELECTRICAL DESIGN (COMPONENTS, CONSIDERATIONS):

FIRMWARE DESIGN:

# Plow Mk1 (Winter 2018-2019)

The snow plow shown in the video actually isn't the first revision of the
snow plow. The first snow plow served more as a proof of concept, or prototype.
We just wanted something that would solve the problem statement of "I want a
robot that pushes snow for me" as cheaply and quickly as possible, just to prove
we could do it. Over the course of a couple of months, we gathered spare
materials and built something comprising:

* a wooden frame and aluminum plow blade
* two 12V car batteries
* two 300W @ 24V electric wheelchair motors
* all-wheel chain drive
* two linear plow blade actuators (one pitch, one yaw)
* an Arduino Uno
* a dual-channel RoboClaw motor controller

and a bit more infrastructure tying everything together.

## Mechanical Subsystem

I'm not a very mechanically-inclined person so this was largely my dad's
responsibility.

- asdf

## Electrical Subsystem

- Solid state relay for motor brakes
- Relay board for actuators, H-bridge, controlled by Arduino logic-level
- 12V inverter provides 5V output for USB to power Arduino (efficiency?)

<div class="gallery">
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/rc-plow.jpg">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/plow-chain.jpg">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/esp32.jpg">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/devilslake_josh.png">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/kakabika.jpg">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/fractal/mandelbrot.png">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/sylvania.jpg">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/fractal/tricorn.png">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/fractal/burning_ship1.png">
        <figcaption>Snow plow parked outside. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/images/river.jpg">
        <figcaption>Kankakee River.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <img src="/static/videos/igw-1.gif">
        <figcaption>Kankakee River.</figcaption>
    </figure>
    <figure>
        <video src="/static/videos/rc_plow.mp4" controls></video>
        <figcaption>Kankakee River.</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>

# Plow Mk2 (Winter 2019-2020 and beyond)

Wants:

- Steel frame
- Steel plow blade
- Better wheels/tires, simpler chain drive
- Headlights
- Rear-mounted salt spreader
- Variable-speed plow actuation

## Mechanical Subsystem

## Electrical Subsystem

## Plow Mk2.5 (Scrapped)

Wants:

- On-board battery charging
- Properly enclosed electrical system to prevent moisture ingress (water damage, corrosion)
  - Infrastructure for firmware flashing, so physical access to microcontroller not needed
- Framework for upgrading to 48V BDC motors in the future
- Modularity
  - Plow attachment (swap blade out for blower or something else)
  - Future-proofing, connections for multiple firmware-controlled relays for other future stuff

48V capable, enclosed electric box, onboard battery charging

# Plow Mk3 (WIP)

Completely overhauled design. Still in the works. Efforts to push the entire
electrical design into a single PCBA.