Many residents of rural areas, as well as happy owners of summer cottages, are cultivating land for planting and growing various vegetable crops. Sometimes this work is accompanied by huge physical costs. Each zealous owner tries to make his work easier and increase the productivity of the operations performed, which makes him purchase a walk-behind tractor to process the site.
You can buy a ready-made factory device, since modern industry offers a large number of models, but this will require a large amount of cash investment. An economical owner who has certain knowledge of technology and plumbing work will try to learn how to make a walk-behind tractor with his own hands and put his plans into practice.
Purpose of the unit
First of all, a do-it-yourself walk-behind tractor is a home-made design that is designed to simplify tillage in not very large areas. And secondly, such a unit is an excellent device for the delivery of small-sized cargo during various works.
With the help of a do-it-yourself walk-behind tractor, you can successfully carry out the following operations:
- Plowing and harrowing the soil using a variety of attachments, which can be either purchased at the store or made by yourself.
- Carry out the transportation of various goods weighing up to 300 kg. You can develop a trailer for these purposes yourself or buy a ready-made device.
- Planting crops.
- Perform hilling plantings.
- Bring fertilizer to the site.
- To harvest the finished crop.
Some owners of a DIY walk-behind tractor use it for snow removal, sweeping the site and even for drilling.
The main elements of the walk-behind tractor
Before proceeding with the assembly of the structure, it is necessary to determine the nature of future work, the rated power of the mechanism will depend on this.
The main nodes for assembling a walk-behind tractor with your own hands at home are:
- An engine that can be used from an old motorcycle, a chainsaw (it is better to use a powerful Ural engine).
- Device transmission and gearbox.
- The supporting frame of the mechanism is self-assembled, while the process of creating a towing device has a significant impact on the parameters of the base of the unit.
- Additional equipment for a walk-behind tractor, do-it-yourself (plow, hiller) is made in accordance with the requirements of the owner and based on availabilitymaterials.
- A wheel system that can be equipped with lugs to improve the efficiency of the entire mechanism.
Motoblock engine
The motor for making a walk-behind tractor with your own hands is most often used from an existing old unit. Here the range of models is quite large. The main requirement of this assembly is the presence of forced air cooling in its design, which contributes to the optimal operation of the mechanism at a low speed of movement.
The engine from a scooter is often used, which is suitable in all respects for the equipment of a walk-behind tractor. It is quite possible to assemble it with your own hands. The power of this unit reaches 13 horsepower, which is acceptable for the planned device.
To facilitate the start of the motor from such a unit, you will need to slightly increase the thrust, which is achieved by replacing the installed valve with a petal type. This will significantly save fuel consumption during the operation of the walk-behind tractor.
Motorcycle engines are too powerful, so for optimal operation of a do-it-yourself walk-behind tractor, a speed reducer is installed.
Stroke reducer
Such a device, which is an integral part of the gearbox, allows the engine to operate normally at low speeds, which is necessary when cutting furrows and digging potatoes.
All industrial models of walk-behind tractors are equipped with a stroke reduction system, so its presence onhomemade device will also be very relevant. In its absence, the use of a home assistant will only be possible for transporting goods.
It is worth noting that it is difficult to make such a device on your own, so it is easier to buy it in a specialized store or remove it from old equipment.
Chain reducer
This device allows you to reduce the number of revolutions of the motor shaft and increase the torque that is transmitted from the engine to the working equipment.
The chain reducer consists of the following elements:
- The first stage has two sprockets with a pitch of 12.75 mm. The drive, which is mounted on the engine output shaft, has 17 teeth, and the driven, located on the outer flange of the second stage input shaft, already has 57 teeth.
- The second stage of this device is assembled from sprockets with a pitch of 19.05 mm. The driven has 25 teeth, and the leading has 11.
- So, the second stage is located in close proximity to the soil, so you will have to install a crankcase to prevent clogging.
- The crankcase is a container with a rubber lid.
- A strut is welded between the crankcase and the cross member.
- Special sockets are made for bearings in the collector walls.
- The second stage chain is adjusted by turning the eccentric bearing housing around its axis.
- The second stage shaft is clamped between the crankcase walls on bearings.
- Lubrication occurs by immersing the bottom of the gear teeth.
- To prevent oil from leaking, you need to installoil seals in the bearing housing.
Machine base frame
Before you make a walk-behind tractor with your own hands, you need to carefully consider the location and installation location of all the main elements of the device. To do this, you need to make a supporting frame.
The carrier is manufactured taking into account the number of wheelsets. The simplest frame is a sled. It can be made from a steel pipe with a diameter of 42 mm. Brackets with drilled holes are welded in the center and edges of the supporting structure. Then the frame is turned over by the central bracket downwards and is attached to the cross beam by welding. To increase the mating surface area, the cross members need to be bent slightly.
Closer to the bend between the pipes, a metal platform is welded, which is a place for the battery and at the same time strengthens the structure.
The gearbox housing is the connection between the engine and its undercarriage and is also an integral part of the carrier frame. At the bottom of it, a mount for a cargo trolley or a cultivator subframe is formed.
Wheels for homemade walk-behind tractor
Like any other mechanical device, the walk-behind tractor is driven by wheels. For these purposes, pneumatic wheels from a motorized carriage are quite suitable. But even large wheels are not always able to effectively move the walk-behind tractor, especially on difficult soil and surfaces with difficult ground topography.
The use of rubber wheels is most effective when transporting goods or working on hard ground. To improve traction with the soil, a band of steel tape is attached over the tires. Such devices are called grouser.
Features of lugs
There are three main types of reinforced wheels that are most often found on walk-behind tractors:
- Metal tire covers that are made from steel sheet about 5mm thick. Corners are welded on them. The fastening of such a device is carried out on top of the tire using a bolted connection.
- Steel lugs are most often installed on homemade walk-behind tractors, as they have a very simple design. They are metal discs with welded blades.
- Wheels made from car rims that simply have metal corners welded on.
Sometimes craftsmen install caterpillars on a walk-behind tractor with their own hands. These attachments are used only on units with four wheels.
Many owners of large plots of Neva walk-behind tractors make mini-tractors with their own hands, which are much more comfortable and efficient in work.
Making a plow with your own hands
Attachments for a homemade walk-behind tractor is an integral part of it. The most commonly used plows. Such a device can be made from a steel sheet with a thicknessabout 5mm.
First of all, a share for the plow is created. It is better to make it from a standard disk from a circular saw. An important condition for high-quality plowing of the land with a homemade plowshare is its correct sharpening after the working surfaces are beaten off on the anvil.
After creating a plowshare, it is necessary to make a blade. For these purposes, a metal pipe with a diameter of 0.58 m is used. Having cut and bent all the necessary parts, the plow is assembled according to a template that it is desirable to make in advance.
After manufacturing all the necessary nodes (ploughshare, blade, rack, shield), they are interconnected by spot welding. If you carefully and carefully carry out all operations, you can create a plow that is not inferior in functional characteristics to factory counterparts.
Remember that when creating walk-behind tractors with your own hands, photos of which can be seen in this article, a zealous owner saves money. At the same time, the design of the unit will fully comply with the wishes and requirements of the owner himself.
