By CARL E. FEATHER - Staff Writer - cfeather@starbeacon.com
Herb Spencer is ready for snow.
The Ashtabula Township resident is anticipating the morning there’s a foot of the stuff in his treacherous, steep driveway. That’s the morning he’ll go to the garage, start his snow blower, go back into the house and watch the remote-controlled machine do all the work.
“I can hardly wait. I can sit in my living room up there, drink my coffee and clean my driveway. This thing is awesome,” says the Diane Drive resident of his new toy.
Spencer designed and built his “hybrid-powered, two-wheeled remote-controlled snow blower.” It is built around a Sears snow blower that Spencer purchased new for $800.
“I bought a new snow blower and tore it apart,” he says. “My wife about killed me.”
The former missile mechanic and maintenance department worker used his military experience and associate’s degree in electrical engineering from Kent State-Ashtabula to engineer and build his work-saving device. It uses a combination of stock mechanical and electronic parts that work in tandem with parts fabricated by Spencer.
The controller that Spencer modified to operate his snow blower was designed to operate a remote-controlled airplane. One of the controls operates the direction of the snow chute; the other is used to make the blower go forward and backward, and turn left or right.
The blower is a hybrid that uses direct current to power the drive wheels and a gasoline engine for the auger. The electrical system is powered by two marine batteries on the undercarriage of the blower. By using an electrical drive system, Spencer gains much more control over the blower’s movement. There are no gears or transmissions to deal with, either.
The entire system is built upon digital transmission, and it allows the blower to operate at distances of up to 500 feet. He can disable the auger, shut off the gasoline engine and fully maneuver the machine using the remote-controlled device and one hand. However, the moment the controller is laid down, the snow blower stops moving.
Spencer says the first rule for using the device is never let it out of your sight. Accordingly, he won’t be blowing snow for neighbors.
The machine weighs just under 400 pounds and has the ability to push up to 675 pounds on a level surface.
Spencer got his idea for the invention about 18 months ago.
“I don’t know why. It’s just this dumb brain of mine, always working,” Spencer says. “Plus, I’m retired, and you need something to keep you busy.”
In the past, those “somethings” have included building his house, restoring two motorcycles and his red ’63 1/2 Ford Falcon.
His first attempt with a remote-controlled snow blower was with a used one that he modified. The snow blower was entirely gasoline-powered, and the controller required two hands to operate. He used the machine last winter and was pleased with the results, but was limited to using it on the level portion of his drive. He feels the hybrid will give him the power he needs for clearing out the long steep approach, from his living room window.
He spent about seven months on the project and has no interest in going into the business of building them for other people. Nevertheless, he sees a market for the machine, especially among shut-ins and handicapped people who could clear their driveways from a wheelchair.
“It’s something that could be very useful to the general public,” he says.
Spencer is looking forward to using the snow blower for the first time, not just for the satisfaction of seeing it do the work, but also the response it will garner from passers-by.
“I’m going to have a ball out there this winter,” he says. “People are going to go by and say ‘They got a ghost running that.’”
