Types of cutters for walk-behind tractors, proper assembly and installation

A walk-behind tractor is a truly universal machine, which is an excellent assistant for a farmer whose farm has not yet reached the size that makes it necessary to purchase a tractor. In addition, the walk-behind tractor is much more compact. Depending on the installed attachments, it can replace many individual units, saving the owner a lot of money. The milling cutter is one of the most important types of “hitch”. Therefore, many owners are puzzling over how to assemble cutters on a walk-behind tractor and how difficult it is to do it themselves.

What is a cultivator and why is it needed?

First you need to understand what a cultivator is, how it works and what it is needed for.
So, this is a type of compact agricultural equipment designed for pre-planting soil preparation. It allows you to plow, loosen and hill up the soil, as well as make furrows and perform harrowing. This unit makes it possible to significantly facilitate agricultural work on a summer cottage or personal plot. Cultivators are divided into groups according to the type of mechanism:

• mechanical manual. They are used as additional equipment for more serious equipment. Loosen the soil to a depth of no more than 5 cm and remove only weak weeds located on the very surface;
• electric. Lightweight, maneuverable equipment that is used on limited areas of land. The disadvantage is that it runs on an electrical cord;
• battery-powered This type of agricultural equipment combines all the advantages of electric analogues with autonomy. They are heavier, but at the same time, mobile and safe;
• gasoline. This technique is distinguished by power, performance and heavy weight. A good option for cultivating large plots of land.

Cultivators of any type consist of such basic elements as a frame, control levers, engine, rotor, wheels and cultivation devices (mills).

Do I need to sharpen it?

The answer to this question is yes when using crow's feet. There it is necessary to carry out regular inspection and sharpening of cutting edges. The welded design of such cutters does not imply the use of hardened metal, and therefore bends, bursts and becomes dull.

When working with saber cutters, sharpening is not only impractical, but also harmful. In addition, the product passport clearly states: “Do not sharpen edges.” In their work, rotation speed and soil composition are important. Cultivation is the process of controlling weeds, breaking up the crust and mixing fertilizer with the soil.

Deep tillage

When developing new areas, it is necessary to develop virgin soil. Usually it is abundantly overgrown with turf, perennial grasses and weeds. It is quite difficult to cope with such areas with conventional tools. More often they resort to cultivation using deep processing with formation turnover.

With reverse plowing, part of the layer is cut, lifted and turned around its own axis. As a result, the soil from the lower layer ends up on top. Weeds cannot grow for a certain period of time. Cultivated plants have a head start for advanced development.

Similar work is done in the fall. The rhizomes of nettle, wheatgrass, dandelion and other weeds freeze in November-December, when the air temperature drops below -15...-17 ⁰С (there is no stable snow cover yet). Subsequently, they lose the ability to grow.

In the future, a similar technique is resorted to every autumn. After 2...4 years of autumn fall plowing, the number of weeds on the site is reduced many times over.

Proponents of organic farming disagree with this approach. But the experience of several centuries proves that only such agrotechnical measures can clear the area of ​​weeds. Otherwise, you will have to use chemicals to control weeds.

Deep plowing allows:

• wrap a layer of soil and allow plants to use for nutrition substances that gradually shift to lower horizons during the season. This operation makes it possible to reduce soil salinization using mineral fertilizers, as well as reduce the amount of fertilizer applied;
• aeration of the lower layers of soil contributes to the occurrence of aerobic processes of decay of plant residues. Usually in the lower layers the access to air oxygen is limited. Therefore, conditions are created when the rotting of taproots lasts for several years. Anaerobic processes (without air access) occur with the slow accumulation of humus;
• When the formation is turned over, weed seeds end up in the lower layers of the soil, and they cannot germinate. The roots remaining on the surface freeze. As a result, soil contamination sharply decreases;
• Freezing lumps of earth in winter crumble more easily in spring. A light, loose surface layer is formed in which cultivated plants can receive more abundant nutrition;
• adding organic matter before plowing allows for active rotting of manure or green manure if they were sown after harvesting the main cultivated crops.

Advantages

Milling today is the most important agricultural technique.

Deep cultivation of the land is carried out in two ways - plowing and milling. The first method was the only one for thousands of years, since there were simply no cutters before.

The advantage of milling: high-quality and complete loosening of the soil, aeration and mixing of layers. The plow simply makes a half or full revolution of the formation. At the same time, soils with a dense structure may not crumble and remain in large clods. This requires additional processing with harrows, disc cultivators or small coulters, and in small areas with rakes.

An additional operation greatly increases labor and energy costs and reduces overall labor productivity. After cultivation with a milling cutter, no large lumps remain on most soils, and the soil is immediately completely ready for sowing.

Instructions for assembling cutters for a walk-behind tractor

Walk-behind tractors and motor-cultivators from Aurora, and in principle like many other manufacturers, are supplied with cutters disassembled. Often, for owners of new equipment, the process of assembling cutters becomes a bit of a problem. In this article we will describe how to assemble working cutters from the parts of this “constructor set”. For Aurora equipment, depending on the model, cutters are available on axes of two sizes. The axle diameter for light equipment is 23 mm, and for heavy equipment 32 mm.

Milling cutters for light walk-behind tractors and cultivators are quite easy to assemble. To do this, you need to install the blades in special mounting sockets and screw them with bolts. It is necessary to pay attention to the direction of the cutting edge of the blade. It should look in the direction of movement of the walk-behind tractor. In addition, each blade is marked. If the letter quotRquot is indicated, it means it is turned to the right side, respectively, quotLquot is turned to the left.

Each subsequent section is fixed with the previous one by means of a pin, and is locked with a pin. The cutting disc must be secured with a bolt. Depending on the power of the equipment, the number of cutters will be different. Their number can be 24, 32 or 40.

The number of blades may also vary and may be three or four per section. This is due to the number of mounting plates on the axle. If the cutter axis is straight, without displacement relative to each other, then the number of blades will be three. For offset models - four.

Four-blade cutters are assembled sequentially, one left, one right. It will be easier to assemble the cutters if at the very beginning you divide the left and right blades into two parts, for the left and right cutters.

Three-bladed ones are assembled differently. The first blade is installed on the axis and secured with a bolt. In the future, this bolt will have to be removed to fix the other blade. If the first one was installed from the outside of the plate, then the remaining two must be mounted from the inside of the mounting plate. For three-bladed cutters, the quotLquot and quotRquot markings are installed separately for each side.

Installation

To install the cutters, it is enough to perform a number of simple operations:

1. Tilt the walk-behind tractor on its side.
2. Remove the wheel and install a cutter in its place. Pay attention to the rotation, the cutter must be installed with the blade forward so that it cuts the ground.
3. After installation, secure the cutter on the gearbox shaft with a special cotter pin.
4. Tilt the walk-behind tractor on the other side and do the same.

Installation is carried out the same way for all types of cutters and on all walk-behind tractors. It is recommended that two people perform this operation: one holds the cultivator, the other puts on the cutter.

How to properly assemble knives on a walk-behind tractor with 3 cutting blades?

The main mistake when assembling the cutting tools of a motor cultivator is installing left-sided blades on the left section, and right-sided blades on the right. This knife mounting scheme is functional, but has a number of shortcomings:

• the increased distance between the right and left mounted parts (from 20 to 25 cm) reduces the quality of tillage - after the passage of the equipment, a wide strip of uncultivated land remains;
• the cutting blades do not overlap each other, which reduces the quality of soil loosening;
• wear of cutting parts increases;
• the comfort of using special equipment is reduced - the motorized cultivator will bounce when passing the strip due to the asymmetrical entry of the cutting tools into the ground.

Correct assembly diagram for a 2-section cutter
To correctly assemble the knives on a walk-behind tractor, you must adhere to the principle of diagonals and carry out all installation steps symmetrically. Some models of special equipment are equipped with a left and right cutter with a removable last section. Their number does not affect the installation principle of knives.

Installation of the first knife 2 sections

If the diagonal (offset) assembly is observed, the blades of the sections will cut the soil sequentially one after another. The rotation of the left and right cutter will be symmetrical. With correct installation of prefabricated elements, uniform operation and load distribution are guaranteed.

Rotary mower for motor tractor

This is the most common type of mower, which not only enjoys great success in the market, but is also actively manufactured independently by many craftsmen. The success of such equipment lies in its reliability and simplicity of design, as well as high performance.

The operating principle of such a device is very simple: several disks are mounted on a metal beam (frame). Several knives (2 – 8) made of hardened steel are mounted on disk hinges. When the discs rotate, the blades unfold and cut the grass. Thanks to such a simple mechanism, if a rotary mower breaks down, you can fix it yourself.

Today, such mowers are sold together with a grass catcher. This brings additional convenience when working with such equipment. You can also make a rotary mower with your own hands, but we will talk about this a little later.

Rotary mowers come in single-rotor and double-rotor types. The former align the cut grass relative to the equipment in one direction, and the latter – in the center between the rotors.

Such mowers are designed for motor tractors with a power of 10 - 25 hp. Models of such equipment are distinguished according to mobility, functionality, durability and performance. Among semi-mounted rotary mowers, the AgroService SB-1200 is popular. Among the budget mounted mowers for mini tractors and at the same time high quality is the DM 135.

Trailed rotary mowers are distinguished by their safety and require less power from a mini tractor. Basically all the work comes from the traction of the wheels. Such equipment can be mounted either from the rear or from the front using a PTO.

1. Bolt M8-6gх16.58.016
2. Washer 8 65G 016
3. Right ski
4. Transmission housing
5. Bolt M8-6gх20.58.016
6. Transmission side
7. Belt A-950-II
8. Cotter pin 2.5x25.005
9. Nut M10-7N.5.019
10. Pulley
11. Stretching device
12. Upper transmission
13. Pad
14. Angular gear housing
15. Main transmission
16. Washer
17. Disc with knives
18. Protective washer
19. Transmission left
20. Left ski
21. Gear housing
22. Transmission average
23. casing

How to properly assemble a cutter on a walk-behind tractor.

How to work

After the cutters are installed, start the walk-behind tractor. At first speed, right on the cutters, we approach the beginning of the section. If there is only one speed for moving forward, then we do it at the lowest engine speeds. To operate a motor cultivator with a cutter, select the speed as high as possible. We turn on the second speed and, having set the engine speed to maximum, engage the clutch.

Use the coulter to set the desired cultivation depth. First, put it on the second division from the top. The shorter the part of the opener facing the surface, the finer the processing. With its help, we create a load and slow down the forward movement of the equipment.

If the area is large, then it is more convenient to move in a circle. If it is possible to turn the steering wheel to the side, it is advisable to turn it. Then the operator will walk on solid ground and not trample the already cultivated soil.

A properly adjusted walk-behind tractor will not jump or twitch.

It happens that the soil is heavy and the cultivator is light. Then you need to hang additional weight in the area of ​​the cutters. Select the load in separate “pancakes”, 6-7 kg each.

Cultivation is carried out with a slight overlap of the treated area. We make the second pass so that one of the cutters goes along half of the processed strip. We focus on the depression that the opener leaves behind. Thus, all the soil will be processed twice. This way we will achieve uniform soil treatment throughout the entire area.

When cultivating row spacing, we install protective guide discs on the edges of the assembly. They will not allow the plant roots to be cut and will not allow the unit to deviate from the specified trajectory.

How to make it yourself

It is difficult to assemble a mower onto a walk-behind tractor without experience in metalworking. You should not do this work when you do not have the necessary tools and components at hand. But if you understand the design well, prepare the necessary drawings and work strictly according to them, you can save money and make equipment that will not be inferior to the factory one.

Rotary mower

A difficult option, since you need to find a drive that will make the structure work. You can buy it in the same place where they sell finished products; they usually sell spare parts there as well. It is necessary to collect in the following sequence:

1. Find a ready-made one or make a new one. Consider the dimensions, features of fastening to the walk-behind tractor, and the power transmission system from the equipment to the mower.
2. Buy a disk drive. It must ensure that the axes move towards each other.
3. Select metal disks by size. Any options will do, as long as they are made of steel and have the same diameter.
4. Weld the frame. Think about how to attach the mechanism to it. Attach the disks; for this you can make axles from a thick-walled pipe or metal rod.
5. Attach 3-4 knives at equal distances along the edges of the disks. They are placed on small axles so that when they rotate, they move outward.
6. Secure the drive pulley and tension roller. Here you need to take into account the length of the belt, you need to tension it well.

Advice! Secure a frame made of pipe or angle in front of the discs; if there is a stone in the grass, it will prevent damage to the working parts.

Secure all parts firmly. Use high-quality fasteners, tighten the connections with self-locking nuts; they do not unscrew during vibration. Paint to prevent the metal from rusting due to high humidity and plant debris.

Segment mower

It is much easier to assemble it. But at the same time, you need to find an eccentric mechanism that will ensure the movement of the working part; it is difficult to do it yourself. You will need a welding machine, several rectangular pipes and bolts at least 8 mm thick. Do this:

1. Find a drawing or make one from a ready-made sample. Apply dimensions accurately.
2. Weld the supporting frame. Both the working part and the unit with which the mower will be fixed to the walk-behind tractor will be attached to it.
3. Make guides on the frame in which the bar with knives will move. The easiest way is to make them U-shaped.
4. Assemble the element with knives and secure them to the bar. Check how it moves in the guides.
5. Install two rods that will ensure the movement of the working part. Attach them to the eccentric mechanism. Install a drive through which power will be transmitted.

After assembly, check how the mower is placed on the walk-behind tractor. Install the belt and make sure the roller provides good tension. Carry out a test run at low speed. If the movement is not linear, or there is some kind of play, figure it out and make changes to the design.

Mower wagon

This option is the easiest to do, since there are no complex components in the design. An adapter can be used as a cart, which is used for plowing and other agricultural work. But it is not difficult to assemble, following simple recommendations:

1. Make a drawing. Consider factors such as processing width and cart length. If it is ready, then adapt the parameters to it.
2. Place the wheels on the axle, weld the drawbar to connect it to the walk-behind tractor. Place a seat and footrest on top.
3. Make the mower body. Weld it from sheet steel with a thickness of 1 mm or more. The size of the box should be 10 cm larger than the diameter of the knife.
4. Install an angular gearbox on top to rotate the axle through the pulley. Make the knife out of steel, secure it at the bottom.
5. Bolt the housing to the trolley. Provide a height adjustment system.

Tip: Make the mower removable so you can use the cart for other purposes.

Ensure ease of control of the walk-behind tractor. The important part is the belt drive, firstly, the tension must be good, and secondly, it is better to place the casing on top so that the moving part is closed. You don't have to make a seat, but put the wheels in the back for support and work as usual.

Assembling a mower for a walk-behind tractor with your own hands is only possible if you prepare a detailed drawing and have all the necessary parts. It is easier to buy a rotation mechanism ready-made, since it is difficult to manufacture. It is necessary to precisely fit all the elements to each other and connect them with strong fasteners that prevent loosening of the connections due to vibration.

How to assemble crow's feet

The main element of the soil device is the drive sleeve, the parameters of which must be at least five mm of the wall length, and the optimal indicator is considered to be approximately seven mm. Next, you need to machine the inside so that it fits easily onto the shaft, and make a special hole for the axial pipe, thirty or forty mm deep.

As for the axial pipe itself, it is usually made on the basis of the standard model AE25-32, but other similar parts can also be used. There are two types of finished pipe: collapsible and non-dismountable, it all depends on your expectations.

But if you believe the reviews of farmers, the collapsible option is still considered the most effective, since it is always possible to add or remove knife installations.

It is impossible to predict how the walk-behind tractor will behave in a certain area, and for this reason it is better to have a backup modification option just in case.

Be sure to read:

Motor cultivator Mole

Having chosen the appropriate type of axial pipe, it is necessary to install a special flange on it for further fastening of the knife units. The total length of such a device will depend on the width of the knives and their distance from each other.

The optimal width of triangular knives is approximately 60-80 mm, since larger sizes significantly increase the resistance of the unit to the ground and impair its performance. The knife inserts themselves should be made of dense steel and have a thickness of 3-5 mm.

Next, you should assemble the cutting element stand, which consists of a curved strip and a sharpened edge.

By connecting the blade unit and the axial tubes, you get the overall design of a modular element. Actually, this is the final stage of creating “crow’s feet” and you can carry out the first “run-in” of a homemade installation.

Also, before starting the cutter manufacturing procedure, you should first make a small drawing to reduce the risk of damage to parts.

The necessary drawing can be found in many automotive publications or on the Internet; if you have a technical education and understand the design of the cutter, you can make a rough plan yourself.

Functions

The milling cutter is the main working element that directly performs the work of cultivating the land. Therefore, so much depends on quality.

The sharp part makes a cut in the ground, making a revolution and rising up. The shovel picks up and lifts part of the earth. Thus, the earth is loosened, mixed and aerated (saturated with air), which all together is the main task in cultivating (cultivating) the land.

Along the way, the blade either cuts the roots of the weeds, or catches them and pulls them out. In any case, the growth of perennial root-propagating weeds is temporarily disrupted.

What types of cutters are installed on walk-behind tractors?

With a walk-behind tractor, you can cultivate any type of soil and perform different types of work - aeration, loosening the soil or crushing it into a lump, removing the roots of perennial weeds, mixing soil layers or fertilizers. The functions and capabilities of garden equipment directly depend on the type of installed cutters - spring, hook, flat ripper, etc. Three types of attachments are considered the most versatile, popular and functional:

1. Saber-shaped. An active type of cutter for a walk-behind tractor that requires assembly. They are installed on most models of garden equipment. The cutter can consist of 2-5 sections with knives that determine the width of the cultivation. Made of steel, it provides optimal depth of loosening of soft and untrodden soil. Plant roots do not get wrapped up.

Saber-shaped cutter options with 3 and 4 knives

1. Crow's feet. Inactive type of cutters with a non-separable design. Designed for processing hard, rocky and trampled soils. The cutting blades are good at breaking up plants remaining in the soil, removing the roots of perennial weeds, and promoting aeration. The blade of the knife can be shaped like a spatula, triangle or trapezoid.

Popular modifications of crow's feet cutters

1. Spiral, or “Virgin” Inactive type of all-welded cutter. It is designed for deep soil plowing, virgin soil cultivation, and loosening. The design is reliable, but the processing speed is reduced. Consists of 2-4 sections.

Two sections of a spiral-shaped cutting element
The owner of a new garden equipment will need detailed instructions to assemble the cutters on a saber-type motor cultivator, since 9 out of 10 models are supplied with disassembled attachments. The other two types of cutters only need to be hung.

Walk-behind tractor design

Before assembling the cutter begins, you need to understand what a motor cultivator is and what is included in it. The upper part of the frame is usually welded. The fuel tank and engine are installed here. Fastening is carried out on brackets. The engine itself, or power unit, is equipped with a clutch and gearbox. Its power can be different, it all depends on the type and purpose of the motor cultivator.

The cutters are a pattern of 2 blocks, each containing 12 separate cutters. For each block, 3 separate units with 4 knives are used, which are mounted at an angle of 90°. The position of the nodes is offset by 30°. To make one knife, a steel sheet is used, the thickness of which is 5 mm. The stand is made from a metal corner 63*40 mm. The knives are attached to the rack, their other end is welded to the flange to combine 4 knives into one structure. The entire cutter is connected with bolts, washers, and flanges. The design is reliable and can withstand significant loads. If you plan to constantly use this equipment, then you should prefer only factory options.

The need and rules for sharpening during operation

When operating a walk-behind tractor, the working surface of the knife will inevitably wear out. To restore the cutting ability of the tool, it must be sharpened periodically. The timing of the procedure is purely individual. The rate of knife wear depends on the following points:

• intensity of use of the walk-behind tractor;
• hardness of the cultivated soil;
• the presence of plant roots or stones in the ground;
• strength of knife material.

Manufacturers of agricultural equipment supply cutters with sharp blades. Therefore, when buying a walk-behind tractor, it makes no sense to sharpen knives. However, the procedure cannot be avoided during intensive use of the unit. To restore the sharpness of the knife, you will need an angle grinder (angle grinder or grinder), a sharpening wheel or a diamond wheel with a diameter of 12.5 cm.

The working edges should be sharpened at an angle of 45°. Remove the metal layer from the factory pointed side. At the same time, you shouldn’t get too carried away: just grind off 1-2 mm. Over the course of a season, it may be necessary to restore the cutting ability of the cutter several times, and excessive metal removal reduces the strength of the knife.

When using a cutter in wet soil, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the surface of the blades. When rubbed against the ground, the metal surface is cleared of the oxide film and becomes chemically active. This process is accompanied by increased corrosion, which entails the formation of pockmarks, chips, and microcracks. To prevent such phenomena, the blades should be treated with special inhibitors or automotive oil.

A few words about installing attachments

After assembling the knives, all that remains is to install the assembled cutters on the walk-behind tractor using stoppers. For convenience, it is better to lift the special equipment and fix it in this position. Next you need to remove the wheels. Carefully place the boot on the support shaft, secure the structure on the left and right with a stopper. Check the connection is secure.

The final result of the build

If the cutter design is completely prefabricated, then installation can be performed sequentially section by section.

Installation sequence

It is recommended to put the motor cultivator into operation only after the correct assembly and installation has been checked. There should be no play caused by weak tightening of nuts or distortions when hanging equipment. High-quality work guarantees a long service life of machinery and equipment.

Safety precautions

The main thing a master should worry about when assembling homemade equipment for minitratcore is not how well it will work, but, first of all, how safe it will be. Before you start working with a self-assembled mower, check the tightness of all connections. Take care of the safety of not only the tractor driver, but also the animals. When launching, there should be no one within 50 m.

When working with a homemade mower, make sure that there are no people in front. If the grass to be cut is tall, such as reeds. Don't be lazy to go and have a look. Remember safety first.

Assembling a mower for a mini tractor with your own hands is easy only for a person with the skills of a welder, technician, or mathematician. In addition, perseverance and hard work must be present. If you don’t have all these qualities, then just spare your nerves and buy a ready-made model of a rotary mower.

Recommendations for assembling knives

Manufacturers of cultivators try to simplify the assembly of attachments as much as possible. Therefore, two central technical holes are provided on the flanges on opposite sides of the square. They allow you to accurately place cutting elements on the plate.

Location of technical holes on the plate

The Two Hole Rule is as follows. When placing the very first knife on the plate, it should cover one of the technical holes and be parallel to the edges of the flange. Next, the installation of the following elements is carried out at an angle to the first. It is extremely difficult to make a mistake in this case and get confused.

Solid shafts with mounting plates can have a special design. The flanges on them may already be offset - rotated relative to the adjacent one by several degrees.

Mounting plate locations

To make it easier to install the blades according to the instructions above, it is not recommended to fully tighten the nuts. This procedure should be performed at the final stage after the master is convinced that the cutter is assembled strictly according to the diagram.

Assembling the first outer section

To assemble the left-hand cutter correctly, do not deviate from the instructions:

1. Place the shaft with plates for fastening knives vertically.

External view of the shaft with three flanges

1. Place the left blade parallel to the flange so that their edges and mounting holes line up.
2. Place the second left knife at an angle from above.
3. Secure both blades with a bolt from the outer edge, but do not tighten.
4. Place the right knife on top of the first two blades at an angle.
5. Secure with bolts and tighten.

Principle of installation of cutting blades
In the figure above, the cutting elements of one group are installed. To correct the error, you need to replace the upper knife with the left one.

There are several types of cutters. Depending on the form, the following are available for sale:

• Devices with saber-shaped knives - they are in greatest demand among buyers and allow you to perform a wide range of work. The main advantage lies in the shape of the blades and the material - the cutters are made of steel and can be removed at any time. There is practically no vegetation wrapped around them, which allows you to plow the soil many times faster;
• Crawler-foot cutters for cultivators are a new solution on the equipment market. This type of equipment is often used for plowing hard soils. It cannot be disassembled, making it more durable than the first type of cutter. Among the disadvantages is the frequent wrapping of weeds around the blades. Because of this, most farmers use these cutters to work on “clean” soil. Often, “crow's feet” are used for plowing before planting potatoes, as well as for treating the soil to prevent the appearance of Colorado potato beetles and other pests.

Today you can purchase additional cutters of the required width at any gardening equipment store. However, at a reasonable price it is most often possible to buy Chinese products that are not particularly durable. In this regard, it would be quite reasonable to try to make cutters yourself.

Milling cutters for motor cultivators do not have a complex design. Before you start creating elements yourself, you need to carefully study the store options. This will make it possible to take into account all the design features of the equipment and produce effective equipment.

Before work, you need to make a drawing or use a ready-made diagram. It will need to indicate the material of each of the parts, the sequence and method of fastening.

After this, you need to prepare all the materials. If the design will use figured elements, then it is better to immediately order them from the master.

When creating a cutter, special attention must be paid to correct assembly. Try to avoid any deviations related to the design, because any mistake can significantly reduce the efficiency of the cutters

Moreover, incorrectly assembled equipment will pull the cultivator to the right or left.

An important factor is the location of the teeth. They must be installed in exactly the same position as in the design of store products.

Experts do not recommend making cutters with a diameter of more than 50 cm. Equipment of this size can sink into the ground 26 cm, covering a strip 1 meter wide. This is more than enough for high-quality plowing.

Saber-shaped cutters are considered safer and are not capable of harming the operator if he falls on the structure. The knives on them have a transverse arrangement and consistently sink into the soil, without jerking.

To extend the life of homemade cutters, you must adhere to the rules for using equipment. When starting the cultivator engine, all blades must be positioned above the soil surface. After switching the engine from idle, the blades should be slowly lowered and plowing begins.

Not knowing whether homemade cutters need to be sharpened, many beginners make a lot of mistakes. It must be remembered that the more often sharpening is performed, the better the result of the soil treatment will be, and the longer the knives will not succumb to corrosion.

Factory cutters with saber knives

Those who start using walk-behind tractors ask the question: what knives are best to take? Types of motor cultivators can be roughly divided into 2 large groups:

Saber cutters are most suitable for all types of work.

• knives called "crow's feet";
• saber type cutters.

The saber shape of cutters is the most popular; it is these patterns that are called standard. They are effective; the effectiveness of using this particular type has been proven for decades. Often the motor cultivators that come with the cutters are saber-shaped. It is most suitable for any type of work. The advantages that saber cutters have are obvious. The shape of the knives is optimal. They are suitable for performing various types of work. For the manufacture of knives, only high-quality carbon steel is used, the strength of which is high.

Saber cutters have a collapsible design, which makes their installation and maintenance simple and effective. The steel from which the knives are made is completely impervious to welding. To improve the mechanical properties of the product, so-called thermal hardening is used during production. Steel is treated with high-frequency currents for strength.

Types of cutters

The active tool can perform rotational movement in different planes:

1. Perpendicular to the direction of movement of the mobile unit, the axis is parallel to the ground. In this case, translational movement occurs due to the capture of a new section of soil.
2. The axis is located along the axis of movement. The rotors rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. Such tools have not become widespread, since their operation results in the formation of stall or camber furrows. It is necessary to carry out leveling after grinding the soil layer.
3. The axis is perpendicular to the ground. Increased soil resistance has to be overcome, so this type of treatment is used for local loosening.

Types of milling cutters for soil cultivation: a – spring; b – flat ripper; c – hook; g – straight foot; d – saber-shaped; e – screw hiller

When developing cutters, the designers proceeded from the need not only to crush the soil, but the second task was to comb the layer in order to separate the long subsoil roots that form in perennial weeds. Various patterns of movement of cutting and combing edges inside the soil are proposed.

Designers are faced with the question of which cutters are better.

Before 1990, many manufacturers offered the use of spring tools. It is effective in cultivated areas. The main task is to remove rhizomes. Despite all the advantages of such developments, manufacturers have failed to provide high performance. The unit moved at a speed of less than 0.2...0.3 m/s, which did not suit most users.

The flat ripper shows high working speed, but there are untreated areas between the plates. It is necessary to carry out several repeated loosening, which reduces the efficiency of work.

Spring hooks are useful when using passive tools. They are equipped with harrows. Combing is possible at a depth of 15...20 cm.

Straight profile legs turned out to be quite effective, but the saber type turned out to be more technologically advanced in production. Therefore, most manufacturers of equipment for walk-behind tractors focus on the production of this particular type of tool.

Screw cutters are used not for deep processing, but for active hilling of beds. Some crops require powdering of the root part, so such devices are in demand only for such an operation.

Another interesting design is the drum cutter. Usually two of them are installed at once. The main advantage of this installation is the simplicity of the device. As users note, similar working parts can be installed on walk-behind tractors “Oka”, “Salyut”, “Patriot”, MTZ or “Hoper”.

Unfortunately, this development has certain disadvantages:

1. The rigidity of the drum's constituents is low. It is necessary to install intermediate supports in the internal space.
2. For normal operation, it is necessary to load the walk-behind tractor with additional weight, otherwise it is quite difficult to keep it at a certain depth.
3. The increased weight makes the unit difficult to operate. The operator has to expend great effort when turning.

Not so long ago, milling cutters began to be used for walk-behind tractors, which were called “crow’s feet”. They have proven themselves well and are most often used for processing hard and complex soils. These are the cutters that are used when cultivation needs to be carried out in difficult conditions, on rocky soils. The design of the “crow’s feet” is made solid, which ensures the highest levels of equipment strength. The cutters are available in standard sizes:

Crow's feet cutter.

• the width of the knives is 41 cm;
• the length of the knives is 38 cm;
• structure height - 38 cm;
• the weight of the cutter is 16 kg;
• The permissible operating speed of a motor cultivator with such blades is 2-5 km/h.

What are the advantages of a crow's foot cutter? Is it possible to install it yourself? It is convenient for cultivating soil and controlling weeds. Other models will not be able to do the job better. For rocky and hard soils, a crow's foot cutter is simply irreplaceable. Among the advantages, it should be noted that the steel of the cutter in this case can be welded. If necessary, you can carry out repairs at home rather than buying new knives, as this is expensive.

Read also: Which side is stapled on?

This type of cutter also has its disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that ordinary carbon steel is used for manufacturing. The strength of the structure itself is at a high level, but the material is slightly inferior to other varieties. Such a cutter should be regularly inspected when work is carried out on clay soils or when cultivating virgin soil . The cutter blades may be bent or simply broken. However, the repair is not too complicated; a welding machine is usually used for a broken knife, after which the fracture site is carefully polished.

When assembling the circuit, two people should work together, since the weight of the structure is significant. It is important not to confuse the direction of installation of the knives on the axis. When assembling, the sharpening point should face the direction of the cultivated soil. To strengthen the cutter, a stopper is used; it is placed on the output axis.

Crow's feet cutters

The “Crow's Feet” design was first proposed in 1986 at the Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ). The designers justified the need for such a rotor by the fact that when cultivating virgin soil, conventional cutters break.

You can purchase ready-made tools of this type. You can also make them yourself.

Kinds

Classification of mowers for mini-tractors is made according to several criteria, the fundamental of which is the type of design. According to this criterion, two categories of devices are distinguished: rotary (disc), segmental (finger) and flail.

Rotary models are the most popular type of equipment and are designed for mini-tractors with power from 12 to 25 hp. With. The unit consists of a steel frame, discs welded to it and a support wheel. Each disc is equipped with several knives secured using hinge joints. Disc mowers easily cope with areas up to 2 hectares, do not require special care and are easy to repair. The principle of operation of the equipment is as follows: the power take-off shaft of a mini-tractor transmits torque to the pulley through an angular gearbox, after which it transmits rotation to the disks through the support wheel. At the same time, the knives begin to rotate, mow the grass and place it in neat windrows.

Rotary models can be single-row or double-row. In the first case, the mown grass is placed to one side of the unit, and in the second - in the middle, between the rotors. Mounting the disc mower can be done both at the front and at the rear, and can be done in three ways: mounted, semi-mounted and trailed. The first two methods are the most common; such models are easy to configure and aggregate. The rotation of the rotors in them occurs due to the power take-off shaft. Trailed mowers are driven by wheel traction and are used with low-power tractors.

The advantage of rotary mowers is their high maneuverability, which allows you to mow grass in close proximity to trees and bushes. Another advantage is the ability to adjust the angle of the discs, which makes it possible to work on hills with a slope of up to 20 degrees and areas with difficult terrain. And also among the advantages they note the high performance of disk equipment, reasonable cost and long service life. The disadvantages include the rapid failure of the knives when stones and solid debris get under them, the impossibility of using them in fields overgrown with thick-trunked bushes, and low operating efficiency at low speeds.

Segment models are designed for mowing lawns and making hay. They are a structure made in the form of a frame with 2 bars fixed on it and sharpened plates located between them. The principle of operation of segmented mowers is fundamentally different from the principle of operation of rotary mowers and consists of the following: the torque of the power take-off shaft is converted into a linear translational motion of the working knives, which begin to move according to the principle of scissors. In this case, one cutter moves from side to side, while the second remains stationary. When the tractor moves, the grass falls between the two blades and is evenly cut off.

The segment mower can be either rear-mounted or located in front of the mini-tractor. Working knives are easily dismantled and in case of breakdown can be easily replaced with new ones. There are special slides installed on the sides of the segment models that allow you to adjust the cutting height of the grass stand.

This is due to the ability of the knives to completely follow the terrain of the site, moving in close proximity to the ground. Another advantage of segment models is the absence of vibration during operation. This greatly facilitates the use of equipment and allows the mini-tractor operator to work in more comfortable conditions. The disadvantage of the models is their inability to fold the mown grass into neat windrows, and, in comparison with rotary devices, rather low functionality.

The flail mower is a front-mounted structure mounted on the rear three-point hitch of a mini-tractor, and is designed for tractors with a power of over 15 hp. With. The model is highly productive and can process up to 6 thousand square meters per hour. m of area. Thanks to the ability to install different types of knives, as well as a floating hinged system, it is possible to mow grass in uneven areas. The cutting height of the grass stand is adjusted by raising or lowering the three-point linkage, through which the mower is attached to the mini-tractor.

Special cases

Mills for a motor cultivator with 2-3 sections usually have a solid shaft. But often there are models with collapsible or additional bushings, hung in sections. The diagonal principle of assembling knives in all of these cases will be identical to that described above. The process is complicated only by the need to perform additional steps - to assemble the entire cutter together.

Stoppers for mounting a group of knives

The structure is installed using steel stoppers. They reliably fix all elements of attachments and prevent loosening of connections under dynamic loads.

Hanging an additional section