Many residents of rural areas, as well as happy owners of summer cottages, are engaged in the cultivation of land for planting and growing various vegetable crops. Sometimes this work is accompanied by enormous physical costs. Each zealous owner tries to facilitate his work and increase the productivity of operations, which forces him to purchase a walk-behind tractor for processing the site.
You can buy a ready-made factory device, the benefit is that modern industry offers a large number of models, but this will require a large amount of money. An economical owner who has some knowledge of technology and metalwork will try to learn how to make a walk-behind tractor with his own hands and put his plans into practice.
Appointment of the unit
First of all, a do-it-yourself walk-behind tractor is a makeshift design, which is designed to simplify the processing of soil in areas not very large in size. And secondly, such a unit is an excellent device for the delivery of small loads during various operations.
Using a do-it-yourself walk-behind tractor you can successfully carry out the following operations:
- Plowing and harrowing the soil using various attachments, which can be either purchased at the store or made independently.
- To carry out the transportation of various goods weighing up to 300 kg. A trailer for these purposes can be developed independently or you can buy a finished device.
- Engage in crop planting.
- To make an earthing up of landings.
- To deliver fertilizers to the site.
- Carry out the harvest.
Some owners of a do-it-yourself walk-behind tractor use it to clear snow, sweep the site and even drill.
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 components for assembling a walk-behind tractor at home are:
- An engine that can be used from an old motorcycle, chainsaws (it is better to use the powerful Ural motor).
- Transmission device and gearbox.
- The carrier frame of the mechanism is assembled independently, while the process of creating a trailing device has a significant impact on the parameters of the base of the unit.
- The additional equipment for the walk-behind tractor with its own hands (plow, hiller) is made in accordance with the requirements of the owner and based on the availability of materials.
- A wheel system that can be equipped with lugs to improve the efficiency of the entire mechanism.
Walk-behind engine
Do-it-yourself motor for the manufacture of a walk-behind tractor is most often used from an existing old unit. Here the range of models is quite large. The main requirement of this unit is the presence in its design of air forced cooling, which contributes to the optimal operation of the mechanism at low speed.
A motor from a scooter is often used, which is suitable in all respects for the equipment of a motor block. With your own hands it is quite possible to assemble it. The power of this unit reaches 13 horsepower, which is acceptable for the planned device.
To facilitate the start of the motor from such an aggregate, it will be necessary to slightly increase traction, which is achieved by replacing the installed valve with a flap type. This will significantly save fuel during operation of the walk-behind tractor.
Motorcycle engines are too powerful, therefore, for the optimal operation of a do-it-yourself motoblock, a travel 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 motoblocks are equipped with a stroke reduction system, so its presence on a makeshift device will also be very relevant. In its absence, the use of a home assistant will be possible only for the transport of goods.
It is worth noting that it is difficult to make such a device on its own, so it is easier to buy it in a specialized store or remove it from old equipment.
Chain gear
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 gearbox consists of the following elements:
- The first step has two sprockets with a pitch of 12.75 mm. The drive, which is mounted on the output shaft of the engine, has 17 teeth, and the drive, located on the outer flange of the input shaft of the second stage, already has 57 teeth.
- The second stage of this device is assembled from sprockets with a pitch of 19.05 mm. The follower has 25 teeth, and the lead - 11.
- So, the second stage is located in close proximity to the soil, so you will have to install a crankcase from clogging.
- The sump is a container with a rubber cap.
- A brace is welded between the crankcase and the cross member.
- Special bearings are made for bearings in the walls of the manifold.
- The second stage chain is adjusted by turning the bearing housing with an eccentric around its axis.
- The shaft of the second stage is clamped between the walls of the crankcase on the bearings.
- Lubrication occurs by immersing the bottom of the gear teeth.
- To prevent oil leakage, it is necessary to install oil seals in the bearing housing.
Unit carrier 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.
A support device is manufactured taking into account the number of wheelsets. The simplest frame is a slide. It can be made from a steel pipe with a diameter of 42 mm. Staples with drilled holes are welded in the center and edges of the supporting structure. Then the frame is turned with the central bracket down and welded to the transverse beam. To increase the area of the joined surface, the cross-members must be slightly bent.
Closer to the bend between the pipes, a metal pad is welded, which is a place for the battery and at the same time strengthens the structure.
The gear housing is a connection between the engine and its chassis and is also an integral part of the carrier frame. In the lower part of it, a mount for a cargo trolley or subframe of the cultivator is formed.
Wheels for a homemade walk-behind tractor
Like any other mechanical device, the walk-behind tractor is driven by wheels. For these purposes, pneumatic wheels from a motorcycle stroller are quite suitable. But even large wheels are not always able to effectively carry out the movement of the walk-behind tractor, especially on complex soil and surface with a complex ground topography.
The use of rubber wheels is most effective when transporting goods or working on hard soils. To improve traction with the soil, a steel bandage is attached over the tires. Such devices are called lugs.
Lug Features
There are three main types of reinforced wheels, which are most often found on walk-behind tractors:
- Tire lining made of steel sheet with a thickness of approximately 5 mm. Corners are welded on them. The attachment of such a device is carried out over the tire using a bolted connection.
- Steel grousers are most often installed on makeshift walk-behind tractors, as they have a very simple design. They are metal discs with welded blades.
- Wheels made from rims on which metal corners are simply welded.
Sometimes craftsmen install caterpillars on a walk-behind tractor with their own hands. Such devices are used only on units with four wheels.
Many owners of large sections of Neva motor-blocks make mini-tractors with their own hands, which are much more comfortable and efficient in work.
DIY plow making
Attachments for a homemade walk-behind tractor is an integral part of it. Most often used plows. Such a device can be made of steel sheet with a thickness of about 5 mm.
The first step is to create a ploughshare for the plow. It is better to make it from a standard circular saw blade. An important condition for high-quality plowing of the earth with a homemade ploughshare is its correct sharpening after the working surfaces are beaten off on the anvil.
After creating the share, you need to make a dump. For these purposes, a metal pipe with a diameter of 0.58 m is used. Having cut and bent all the necessary details, the plow is assembled according to the template, which is preferably prefabricated.
After the manufacture of all the necessary nodes (ploughshare, blade, stand, shield) they are connected 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 analogues.
Remember that when creating motor-blocks 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 desires and requirements of the owner himself.