How to make a grass mower

How to make a lawn mower from improvised means: The new life of an old vacuum cleaner or a washing machine

Spring is a wonderful time of year when life on the countryside begins to revive after the long winter hibernation. The first buds blossom on the trees, the first spring flowers bloom in the garden, the first young green grass breaks through, and the dacha owners start migrating to their land.

Over time, the green grass will turn into impassable thickets, in which it will even be impossible to find pets. To prevent this, you need to periodically mow it. If you do not have on site gasoline grass mower or trimmer for grass, then we suggest you make a lawn mower from a vacuum cleaner with his hands. Maybe someone will laugh now, but what can you do?? The idea is a little “drugged”, but working, original and optimal for our great hack how to make something possibly useful from unnecessary garbage.

Lawn mower is a very handy garden tool. With its help, you can maintain the desired level of grass size, and in our case, even entertain yourself and the neighbors. To make such a device you need an old Soviet vacuum cleaner and a little imagination. What you can’t do for a beautifully tended lawn. As the saying goes: “enough blah-blah, let’s go”!

The process of creation

The initial stage of the independent creation of a lawnmower is the selection of parts. The most important thing is to have an engine. It can be taken from an already unused household appliance, it can be taken from some power tool:

The minimum required motor parameter is 500 V. Better 1000 V. So it will be possible to work at low revolutions. And sharpening knives will become an obligation more seldom. The choice of motor is influenced by the diameter of the blade and the total dimensions of this equipment. The larger the working area for it, the more power the engine must have.

Working principle

It should be noted that this kind of mechanism is designed for works which are carried out on meadows and fields, namely, concerning mowing. over, it can be not only crops that are grown in the agricultural area, but also the device is quite easily and easily able to cope with weeds, which in fact also overflow our fields.

It is this kind of activity, and is the main focus of the functionality of the rotary mowers, which are a kind of trailer to the tractor, which moves them.

It is worth noting that this mower has three types of peculiar attachment to the transport, namely, mounted, trailed and semi-mounted way.

over, this cutting device has the possibility of a peculiar division, which is that the tool can be installed as from the side of the mower, in the front, as well as in the rear area of the device.

As for the start of operation of this kind of mower, it can be put into operation either by the tractor’s powertrain, or by the wheels of the vehicle. Supporting wheel is attached to the metal frame, which has the cutting element.

Actually while moving it causes, so to say, the system of cutting character to move, thanks to such a process the mowing itself is made.

over this kind of mower may have three blades. In fact, their number directly depends on the model of the device itself.

It is worth noting that this number of these elements is the most optimal and effective, as the productivity level of the tool increases. And in general, rotary mowers have quite significant performance in terms of safety and quality.

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Material for making a mower for a mini-tractor

Buying off-the-shelf parts is easier, but this way you don’t save much money. To make your own mower will need scrap metal. It can usually be found a lot in private yards in villages and villages. On abandoned farms, you can find old, rusted out frames, and they can be used for making the mower’s base. You can use old iron batteries and barrels. Even old bicycle frames can be useful. Spare parts from an old Volga or Zaporozhets also do not rush to throw away. All this in capable hands, plus knowledge of the technical part and skilled handling of welding can turn into a mower for the minitractor.

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Advantages and disadvantages of a home-made construction

To create a lawn mower yourself, you need to have minimal skills in construction, as well as understand something about the assembly of mechanisms. Homemade lawnmower has many ready-made schemes, so you definitely do not have to improvise in this case. The main advantage of the lawnmower with their own hands will be its low cost. All the necessary parts the owner takes from old and defective devices.

The quality of the mower will directly depend on the power indicator of the motor, as well as the sharpness of the blades. Do not use cheap steel for your home lawn mower, because it will ruin the whole thing. Masters advise to use high quality steel. It should be sharpened unevenly: sharp to the ends, and to the place of attachment leave blunt. This way the vegetation won’t wind up on the propeller and the engine won’t get clogged.

In terms of usability and functionality, a ready-made lawn mower from the store will be better than a mower with your own hands. The factory model has several speeds, you can adjust the height of the blades yourself, it makes less noise.

It is possible to improve the ready-made design. Experienced mechanics advise to create lawnmowers with an adjustable handle length, grass collector, insurance bumpers, the ability to watch the height of mowing, in some cases such a model is even combined with a bicycle.

Deciding to create a lawn mower with your own efforts, you need to consider all the main advantages and disadvantages of the design, because not everyone is able to create such a product on their own.

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Cutting part

The key component of the mechanism is considered to be the knife. Its quality determines the service life and efficiency of the device. It requires hard steel of the highest quality.

The knife can be made continuous up to 50 cm in length. Make a hole in its center to insert a screw. The knife will be sharpened on both sides. Its shape can be bent slightly.

Another version of the knife. composite. To the steel strip is attached by bolting or welding a pair of metal, maximally sharpened cuttings. Steel strip can be made in a trapezoidal shape. It prevents the blade from overlapping grass.

You can also make a one-piece circular blade. It also needs a quality sharpening. This shape, unlike other shapes, will withstand such attacks if struck by a rock or stick and will not get damaged.

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Motivation for making a tool from improvised materials

The first step is to determine which tool will effectively replace the conventional hand scythe when grooming a plot. Perhaps dense planting, frequent bushes and flowerbeds will not provide access to the mowed area, and then the “swirls” of grass will need to be removed by hand. Your own lawn mower should be built for mowing areas larger than 4 acres.

Choosing how to drive a cutter is the basis for assembling the necessary assemblies. Knives can be driven:

• due to manual action, pushing forward the mechanism, which requires a lot of physical strength;
• Using single-phase or three-phase electrical power;
• battery powered motor;
• Using an internal combustion engine, two or four stroke.

Having determined the energy component, it will be necessary to choose the wheels, handle, platform to collect the lawnmower with their own hands. Assemble the necessary fasteners and components of the wiring, protection, and connection diagrams.

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The device

To make a lawn mower for grass, you need a certain list of parts at hand. The main will be the engine from any appliance that is not used for some reason. Motors from small devices are unlikely to withstand the serious stress that will inevitably arise when mowing the grass. They overheat too quickly and break. And there is no point in repairing them. Often try to use motors from vacuum cleaners, but they certainly can not cope with this work.

It is best for the lawnmower to use a motor with an output of 1 kWh or more.

The next element that will be needed is the knife. It must be made of strong and very thick steel. There can be several of them. Also a disc, that can be resharpened by yourself, can do the job. This is the easiest and longest way to go.

If we talk about the handle for the lawnmower, it can be taken from an unnecessary wheelbarrow or an old wheelbarrow. In addition, we will need a metal frame, on which all the elements of the device will be attached. It is important that it has no traces of corrosion, and all parts are intact and undamaged.

If you can not find a suitable frame, you can make it yourself from metal pipes.

We’ll also need a power cord, preferably a longer one. But this is the case if we are interested in an electric makeshift mower. Also we need wheels with small diameter. Wheels with a radius of at least 10 centimetres are sufficient for the mower to move freely around the lawn.

You also need a special protective cover that fits around the cutters. It can be made of metal sheet or pick up a suitable size ready-made solution. You will also need a protective cover, which will ensure the safety of the person operating the lawnmower. In addition, it will keep the cutters from stones. Depending on the necessary design features, other parts can be added to the mower. For example, a grass catcher will not leave grass on the territory, but collect it in a special container. It can be:

Fabric solutions are very compact and lightweight, but require occasional washing. When the mesh begins to clog the cells, then a kind of air lock is created, which can be the cause of overheating of the motor.

Plastic counterparts are made with high quality materials. If a foreign object accidentally falls into them, it will not affect the operation of the device in any way. The plastic tank is easy to clean.

Combination solutions are usually delivered with more expensive lawnmower models, because of which they have the advantages of both categories of containers.

Also, the device can be completed with elements of a gasoline grass trimmer, if we are interested in a gasoline mower or it is made from a grass trimmer.

Attachment of feet and wheels

The feet for such an appliance can be strips of tool steel with a total thickness of 2-3 millimeters and a width of 20 to 50 millimeters. The smaller are the legs, the better will be the cutting. But the thicker blade is much stronger. Taking into account the bumps and other obstacles like stones and foreign objects encountered during mowing, durability is of great importance. The construction of the legs is as follows:

• Knives can be attached to the product of two kinds. The first is a knife in the form of a long strip, which is mounted on the mandrel symmetrically to the axis. The length of the knife in this case should coincide with the width of the grip. 30-50 centimeters. The sharpened stripe ends act as cutters. Mandrel and the blade can look like a solid piece to which a flange with a fitting hole is fastened or welded.
• The second type. two short blades of 50-80 millimeters in length, which are set on the edges at an angle of 180 degrees. They can be positioned straight or with a slight tilt. Blades can be fixed by two or one bolt. The first method is considered more reliable, but the fastening with one bolt lets the knife fold up and not to break when hitting a rock or a hill. The fasteners of folding knives should always be inspected, as they can over time fray the screws.
• Steel of the knives should be strong, in no case fragile, otherwise they will have to be replaced very soon. Such design can even cause harm to a person, in case one of the blades falls off to the sides. The experience of masters has shown that for this purpose the blade of wood hacksaws with a thickness of two millimeters will be suitable.
• To make a knife, two blanks are marked on the blade in the form of strips, which are cut out with an angle grinder. Holes are drilled in the workpiece for further fastening. Then you only have to sharpen the blade, install it on the frame and center it.

If it is rather difficult to drill the holes, then it is allowed to put the blade on the metal surface with a hole of larger diameter than the hole in the blade, then strike the punch. The protrusion that arose after the impact is removed with a file (if the metal is quite soft) or on a sharpening machine. If the diameter of the hole does not fit, the process is repeated again.

There are quite a lot of options for creating functioning legs, as well as materials for their creation. It is very important to sharpen them well, center them (so that there is no vibration) and fasten them firmly. When attaching the blades to the mandrel, you need to use washers and locknuts. Without this, the mounting bolts will start to unscrew due to vibration.

The cutting edges are best made with a slight downward bend, like on factory lawnmowers. This will greatly slow down the process of winding the grass on the motor shaft of the device. It is also possible to create a special disc that will cover the shaft. If the motor power is close to that of the brand-name products, you can buy a special quality blade for the lawnmower.

The diameter and location of the wheels should be chosen so that the blades are at a total distance of 5 to 6 centimeters from the surface of the ground. This mowing height is considered optimal for the lawn. If vegetation is cut at a high height, it will bend, allowing the blades to pass over it and remain uncut. Lower cutting is very difficult with this device because of the unevenness of the ground.

Specifications:

Rotary mower is equipped with a single-cylinder, air-cooled gasoline engine, rated at 6.5 liters.с. Belt variator and homemade bevel gear is made.

From the gearbox to the rotor shaft of the mower, there is a belt transmission.

The speed can be changed by lengthening the cable, the more cable is stretched, the faster the machine goes.

Home-made mower successfully passed the test and is used for mowing.

In this video, self-made rotary mower is shown in work.

Working procedure

To the frame you have to weld the brackets for the handle and the wheels. Hooks made of metal rod will act as a support. In the next step we can install the wheels. The chainsaw must be prepared, to do this, the blades and chain are removed from it, and then attached to the frame.

The design of the haymaker will include a guard plate, which is prepared to match the contour of the body. A pipe is attached to the sprocket of the tool, which will have the working part of the equipment. Now you can start fixing the lever, the handle and the cable system, the latter of which will be responsible for turning the equipment on and off.

Platform mower

Drawing of the mower-carriage This drawing shows a variant of the mower-carriage, effectively used in the summertime for mowing grass and weeds, and in the wintertime as a snowplow. For removal of snow masses, special star-shaped nozzles are mounted on the equipment, and in the summer. knives. This modification resembles a rotary mower, but it is difficult to execute. This equipment allows you to cut hard grass and remove snow and ice.

The design of this equipment, created by your own hands, is a pair of cylinders connected by hooks to the frame and conveyor belt. The chassis is made from an angle or any other metal found in the workshop. On the chassis set the wheels, which can be taken from an unnecessary stroller, and a thick sheet of plywood, although ideally it is better to use metal. The size of the frame may vary, but best would be 800x400mm.

The main assembly consists of two cylinders (5), belt (3), frame (10, 16, 17, 18, 20), brackets (19), corner hooks (4).

The working cylinders can be made from large cans, from which the bottom and lid must be cut out, and in their place put two rounds of wood. Instead of cans you can use a thin sheet of metal and make from it 4 disks with an outer diameter of 200 mm and 4 with an inner diameter of 170 mm. Use bolts to connect the small discs to the large discs in pairs. Attach four blades to each of these disc structures.

As the blades must rotate easily, a gap of 1mm must be maintained between the blades and the discs when mounting them. Nevertheless, it is necessary that all fasteners were reliable, so that when rotating or collision with random stones the blades did not vomit. The drums are mounted on the frame, and you must first install the sleeves in them.

The frame of the assembled with their own hands. The equipment consists of an upper crossbar (10) and a metal strip with corners and sleeves (16). For the crossbar you can take a metal angle of 35×35 mm. The cylinders are connected by a belt, for the installation of which a slot with a width of 13 mm is drilled in the corners. For the same purpose, the lower hub of the driving drum is movably fastened to the bar (15), and tensioning brackets (20) are installed on the upper axes of the cylinders. To the ends of the crossbar pull the corners (20) with screws M5x65 mm. Belt for the drums is easier to do from a rubber strip, the ends of which are connected with the dural plate thickness of 2 mm.

Next, connect the mower to the PTO shaft of the power tiller.

What can be made of the grass trimmer: useful do-it-yourselfers

It is easier and cheaper to make a grass trimmer into a lawnmower. Lawn trimmer is designed for mowing small vegetation, but unlike the lawnmower, you have to carry it in your hands all the time, which causes a lot of inconvenience. Having made a simple but effective device, it is possible to lighten the cumbersome burden.

So, to convert the grass trimmer into a lawn mower will be enough to use a metal frame made of steel wire and two or four wheels. If you need a fully functional lawn mower from the grass trimmer, it is best, of course, to install four wheels on a metal frame.

Also necessary elements of self-made lawnmower, is the protection, handles and control buttons. As for the knives, you can completely abandon them and use standard “trimmer” accessories for mowing the grass, which is the line for the trimmer. The grass trimmer itself, as it becomes clear, is mounted on top of the frame, at a certain height from the ground.

So, it is easy and simple to remake grass trimmer into lawnmower with minimal financial investment, seriously modifying and improving the most popular to date, hand tools for lawn care.

angle grinder

On a similar principle, you can make an electric lawn mower from an angle grinder. It is less powerful and smaller in size. Most often, it is attached not knives, but special lines for cutting the grass, as seen in the photo. The main advantage of the mower from the angle grinder is that the tool can be easily removed and used for its intended purpose.

To sum up

Almost all owners of dacha plots face the problem of taking care of their lawn. It’s hard enough to grind by hand, and special devices are expensive. But do not despair, because the mower can easily enough make yourself, using improvised tools.