Do-it-yourself grass cutter: how to make it at home from a grain crusher, grinder or washing machine?

With the onset of spring, owners of dachas and household plots have a very extensive list of tasks, including mowing grass, which, when neglected, grows unevenly and looks sloppy.

This solves not only the issue of aesthetics, but also prevents the spread of pollen from allergenic plants.

In addition, in hot weather, the grass dries out, which creates an additional risk of fire.

Cut or torn grass can be used as:

• pet food;
• food for humus worms;
• garden or vegetable mulch;
• starting material for producing quick compost.

However, due to their size, the plants are not always suitable for this application, so they are chopped using devices called grass cutters.

Principle of operation

In terms of their operating principle, these devices are closest to lawn mowers.
The rotating blade creates an air current that draws in vegetation and prevents it from flying away.

When the grass reaches the knife, it cuts it into pieces of various lengths, after which the vortex flow carries the cuttings with it and removes it from the body of the device.

The difference between both types of devices is that lawn mowers move above the grass, so the body of the device presses the vegetation to the ground, and the air flow lifts it to the level of the knife, while the grass cutter stands still, and the material is poured into it from above.

Why is a shredder needed?

Hay becomes the main feed for livestock during the winter months. It is also used for flooring in barns, mulching the soil, making fuel briquettes, and so on. Therefore, hay has to be harvested in large quantities. For ease of use and storage, it is processed. The easiest way to do this is with a hay and straw chopper for private farmsteads.

These crushers are manufactured in various capacities and sizes. The operating principle of the device is based on the operation of rotating knives. The hay is fed into a special bunker. Passing through a drum with knives, it is ground and enters the recoil hopper.

Application in subsidiary farming

This device can grind:

• hay;
• straw;
• waste of vegetables and fruits;
• fallen leaves;
• sunflower cake.

A grass cutter is indispensable in a subsidiary farm, because with its help you can prepare food for birds or animals, as well as prepare materials for subsequent processing.

By changing the distance from the knife to the outlet, as well as the size of the latter, you can even turn this device into a grain crusher , that is, a device for grinding dry cereals.

Types of equipment for chopping hay and straw

Depending on power, performance, dimensions and, of course, price, such equipment is divided into 2 large groups:

• industrial - these are large installations designed to work with large volumes of raw materials, they are used on large livestock and farm enterprises, special choppers are also produced that are installed directly on combines, in this case, the cut hay immediately turns into chopped mass;
• household - these are, as a rule, small devices, the productivity of which is sufficient to cover individual needs for chopped hay or straw; it is precisely these grinders that can be made by hand.

At the same time, regardless of the size and power of the shredders, the principle of their operation remains the same:

• the raw materials are loaded into a special bunker; a special conveyor can be adapted for this, or you can throw in the hay and break it manually. It is important to remember that the raw materials should not contain any foreign objects or solid debris;
• from the bunker, the raw materials enter a special drum, where they are chopped into small fragments;
• Then the chopped product is fed into the crusher, where it is crushed to the end.

Differences from straw cutter

A grass cutter and a straw cutter are similar in many ways and work on the same principle .
The difference between them is that the first is a small household device optimized for chopping freshly cut grass, while the second is a powerful unit that works most efficiently with straw.

The most effective modifications of straw cutters are mounted and trailed units, because they can take a whole roll (bale) of compressed straw at a time.

The most effective grass cutters are small devices with interchangeable blades of various shapes, because by installing one or another cutting tool, they can be optimized for a wide variety of materials.

Design features

The design of the straw and hay chopper includes the following main elements:

1. Electric motor. The processing speed will depend on its power.
2. A container into which unprocessed hay or straw is fed. It can have different dimensions, depending on the amount of raw materials that you plan to grind.
3. The shaft on which the knives and counterknives are mounted. They must be made of durable steel and well sharpened.
4. Bunker for waste materials. For convenience, it is mounted on a tilted floor.
5. Supports. Most often they are made from pipes with a diameter of at least 25 mm. Their height is selected based on the dimensions of the electric motor.

Popular models

We have collected in one table the most popular grass cutters that can be found in regular or online stores:

Bulgarian

Another example of a homemade straw chopper, which is assembled from a grinder. It's also an angle grinder.

Basically, this kind of DIY hay cutting, which doesn’t even require the use of drawings, is used for processing fresh grass. The resulting blanks are used for mulch and compost. You can also grind roots and grains to prepare food for animals and poultry.

Step by step, do-it-yourself grinder-based hay crushers for home are assembled as follows:

• In order for the knives to perform their functions properly, the power of the power tool must be at least 1.5 kW. It is based on a standard saw blade. Excess elements are cut off from it, leaving only the cross-shaped part. The opposite cutting elements are bent. Bend the first pair of knives up and the second pair down.
• Install a welded casing on the grinder. There will be an outlet on the side. Then a bucket or other durable container is placed on the casing. It is better to take containers made of polypropylene.
• To grind the mass, fill a bucket with it, then close the lid. Attach the bag to the outlet hole. Recycled particles will be poured into it.
• Now turn on the grinder. In order for the equipment to operate continuously, you can make several holes in the lid and gradually load fresh workpieces through them.

As a result, the crushed raw materials are poured into a bag.

The design is simple to manufacture and also demonstrates a decent level of efficiency and performance.

Making at home

Such a device can be made in three ways :

• remake a feed cutter or grain crusher;
• make from a grinder;
• made from an electric motor (for example, a washing machine).

How to convert a grain crusher?

The difference between a grain crusher is that it does not cut, but crushes the material fed into it using small hammer plates. How to remake a grain crusher?

The essence of the process is to replace the chopping hammer tool with a two or four bladed knife with sharp cutting edges. Moreover, the shape of the knife for devices in which grass is fed perpendicular to the knife and along it is very different.

In the first case, these are smooth plates with sharpened sides, and in the second, blunt plates, to which sharpened blades are welded across.

We covered making knives of various shapes with our own hands in more detail in this article.

Conversion of feed cutter

A grass cutter can only be made from a feed cutter that is equipped with an electric drive, and the rotation speed of the cutting tool is at least a thousand revolutions per minute; other types of this equipment are not suitable for such alterations.

To turn them into a grass cutter, it is necessary to replace the knives, because the knife for cutting root vegetables and vegetables does not cope well with green mass . The knives are made the same as for the grain crushers described above.

Making from a grinder

To make a grass grinder from a grinder, you will need a saucepan, bucket or any other similar metal container that will serve as the body.

In addition, you will need:

• a knife 1–2 cm long is less than the inner diameter of the container;
• Bulgarian;
• adapter for attaching the knife to the angle grinder (the standard clamp is suitable only if its diameter matches the diameter of the knife hole);
• a steel ring, the outer diameter of which is equal to the inner diameter of the container, and the inner diameter is equal to half the internal diameter of the container;
• any suitable material for making legs or stands;
• a rigid and durable plate for fixing the grinder.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Secure the grinder to a rigid plate made of metal or strong plywood, because neither the pan nor the bucket is strong enough, which means they can be deformed, which will damage the knife.
2. Make a hole in the bottom of the container to let the crushed mass out. It can be covered with a mesh, and the smaller the cell size, the less coarse the crushed material fraction will be. If you leave the hole without a mesh, large (several cm) pieces will fly out of it.
3. Drill a hole for the shaft in the bottom of the body and attach a plate to it to fix the angle grinder.
4. Secure the grinder to the plate, then install the pre-balanced blade on it and make sure that it does not touch the walls or bottom of the container anywhere.
5. Make a stand or feet for this unit so that the power tool does not lie on the ground.
6. Secure the ring on top, it will prevent the grass from flying out caused by the vortex rotation of the air.
7. Connect the angle grinder to a power outlet and check how the device works.

More details about assembling this structure for a farmstead from a grinder with your own hands are shown in the video clip at the end of the article.

Assembly from an electric motor from a washing machine

The method for making such a device from a washing machine engine is similar to how it is made from an angle grinder, the only difference is that the knife will have to be attached using a special adapter , and any semi-skilled turner can make it.

In addition, you will have to independently install the entire electrical part, including the selection and installation of a starting capacitor, which is necessary for some electric motors from old washing machines.

The only problem with such a grass cutter is the insufficient power of the electric motor, so high productivity and uniform, high-quality chopping cannot be achieved from it . However, it shreds the grass, which means it does its job.

You will find more detailed information about the manufacture and use of such homemade hand-held devices in the video at the end of the article.

You can find drawings and also get useful tips on online forums, where users discuss the manufacture and use of such devices.

Therefore, we have prepared links to the most interesting forums where such discussions take place:

1. www.forumhouse.ru.
2. www.chipmaker.ru.
3. dv0r.ru.
4. forum.pticevod.com.

Hay cutter from a washing machine

A simpler and less powerful hay chopper can be made with your own hands from a regular washing machine. In addition to the machine, you also need:

• Knives or cutting disc,
• Electric wire,
• Bucket,
• Metal corner,
• Fasteners,
• Locksmith kit.

A little advice: if you plan to chop not only hay and straw, but also tree branches, then it is better to use an additional gasoline engine.

How to assemble the device

A small rectangular cutout measuring approximately 20 by 7 cm is cut out at the bottom of the body. Its perimeter is sheathed with metal plates for greater strength. A stand is made from the corner. The height of the stand depends on what is planned to be used as a receiver of crushed raw materials. For buckets, the stand is made higher than for boxes.

To attach the motor, two small holes are made on the shaft, after which a threaded bushing is installed on it. The engine is mounted on a shaft, and the entire structure is attached to the bottom of the tank with metal pins. After this, cutting discs or knives are put on the shaft. It is very important to choose the size of the disks so that they do not come into contact with the walls of the working chamber.

Before connecting the motor to the cable, you need to decide on the working and starting windings of the electric motor itself. This is easy to do with the help of a special tester: the working winding has less resistance than the starting winding. The engine is connected like this:

1. One of the ends of the starting winding is connected to the start toggle switch,
2. The other end is connected to the main wire and the working winding,
3. The free end of the working winding is connected to the main wire and the wiring from the start toggle switch.
4. The hay chopper is ready.