Caring for the site involves a number of activities. Their implementation is mandatory. Including grass mowing. Traditional methods of harvesting greens are a thing of the past. They were replaced by equipment with additional units and devices. To date, to cultivate a plot of land using a walk-behind tractor with various devices that come with it in the kit. It is not always possible to purchase ready-made mounted units. Then a home-made rotary mower for a walk -behind tractor comes to the rescue .
Features of rotary mower
Mounted rotary mower for walk-behind tractor used for mowing grass. If the grass is not high, then the mower will simply chop it. The unit will cut the higher grass. It can be dried on hay. Even with a grass height of 6-8 cm, a mower can be used. Moreover, the degree of grinding still depends on the speed of movement. At high speed, the grass is crushed more. And if you need to mow the vegetation in the hay, then you need to go slower. On average, an hour of work can remove a strip of length 8-12 km. This means that the device is able to work when the walk-behind tractor is moving at a speed of 8-12 km / h.
The rotary mower device for the walk-behind tractor is quite simple. Therefore, it is made independently. The grass is cut with knives that are installed on the working disks. Disks are collected in pairs. The lower disk rotates, and with it the knives rotate. The movement is transmitted from the walk-behind tractor via a power take-off shaft (PTO).
Home-made mowers most often allow you to capture a section with a width of 110-115 cm. The working bodies rotate at a speed of about 1500 rpm. Elements of the device that rotate must be covered with a casing. This is necessary to comply with safety regulations.
Necessary materials
As starting materials choose:
- Disks from a seeder for planting grain in the amount of 2 pieces.
- Chain from a chainsaw gear.
- Metal knives (8 pcs.).
- Shink.
- Opener.
In addition, you may need bolts, nuts, and other small parts that are usually found in any owner’s garage.
Instruments
For the manufacture of a rotary mower, a walk-behind tractor will need: a drill with drills, a screwdriver, a grinder with cutting wheels, and pliers. If the elements are connected by welding, then a welding machine will be needed. All parts can be bolted together. But it will take more time and effort. But if there is no welding or a welder familiar, then you can do the work in a similar way.
Prepare all the necessary materials and tools in advance. In this case, you will not need to be distracted by the search for the necessary details. Work will be done faster if everything you need is at hand.
Frame manufacturing
The manufacturing process of a rotary mower to a walk-behind tractor begins with the manufacture of a frame. All working elements will be mounted on it. A frame is made of a metal corner or other metal parts. The frame should be attached to the walk-behind tractor and hold the working elements.
Preparing Knife Blades
The second step in the manufacture of a rotary mower for a walk-behind tractor is the preparation of blades with knives.
From the seeder you need to take 2 discs. 4 knives are attached to each of them. Knives are made of hardened metal. In order to save time and effort, you can use the rotor from the tractor. Only in this case, you need to remember that the length of the rotor should be reduced by about 4 cm. This will improve traction.
To fix the knives on the disk, you need to prepare the holes. Each disc is drilled with a drill with a diameter of 6 mm. Knives are attached using a splint. For proper operation of the device, a gap is left between the knife and the knife, the height of which is a couple of millimeters (1-2 mm is enough) more than the thickness of the knife itself. In addition, the gap will allow you to immediately perform 2 nuances. Knives will rotate 360 degrees. Thanks to this, when you hit something solid, the knife will turn, but will not break. When the disk rotates, centrifugal force will be created. Under its influence, the knives will straighten and cut the grass.
Knives are fixed on the axis. It is made using carbon steel. And it is not recommended to make the axis too thin. The minimum axis diameter should be 0.8 cm. To avoid unnecessary free rotation of the knives, the axis is tightened to the stop.
Connection parts
When all the individual parts of the rotary mower to the walk-behind tractor are assembled, they can be connected together. Disks join the finished frame. After that, a connection is made between the power take-off shaft of the walk-behind tractor and the working elements. In this case, it is necessary to strictly observe the direction of movement of the disks. They must rotate in different directions, that is, towards each other. This is done with the aim that the mowed grass is folded in a row, and not scattered throughout the site.
In the manufacture of the mower, it is very important that the fastening of all elements is reliable. When mowing, discs rotate at high speeds. In the event of a mounting failure, the parts will fly apart. They can injure others.
Connecting the mower to the walk-behind tractor
The rotary mower to the walk-behind tractor will work efficiently only if it is correctly connected to the equipment. Therefore, you must follow a few simple rules.
To perform work, the walk-behind tractor is switched to the “reverse” mode. A coupling unit is installed in the coupling socket. Only then is the power take-off shaft connected. The connection is locked by the pivots with the spring. If there is no spring, the towing mechanism will fail.
During operation, rotating elements (knives in particular) must be covered with a protective casing. Work must be safe. When mowing, do not rush. This is especially true when cornering. Such areas need to go smoothly. You need to start mowing at low speeds.
To till the soil, loads are attached to the wheels of the walk-behind tractor. When mowing grass, they are not necessary. Therefore, they must be removed before work.
User reviews
Reviews of the rotary mower for the walk-behind tractor indicate that all efforts to manufacture the device are not in vain. She mows well, copes with most types of herbs. Of course, small bushes may not be overcome. The main thing is that the knives are well sharpened.
If we talk about devices with two rotors, which is discussed in this article, then the users are quite satisfied. But if you make a mower with only one rotor, you get too narrow a capture band.
As for mowing the lawn, of course, there are some disadvantages. It is not possible to adjust the cutting height, as in lawn mowers. And the grass is scattered around the site, and not going to the bag. But these points are far from always important.
Mowed grass is collected in a swath. Not really “pretty,” true. But if we are talking about lawn grass, then it still needs to be collected. And this is better than doing it all over the site. And if we are talking about herbs for hay, then the resulting roll needs to be scattered. Otherwise, the grass will not dry out. So it turns out that this characteristic is not so important either. Most likely, this will depend on the specific tasks that are achieved through the use of the mower. Therefore, we can say with confidence that a do-it-yourself mower rotary to a walk-behind tractor is a good alternative to factory devices. If it is performed correctly and reliably, then it will perform its functions perfectly.