Not everyone knows how to make a miracle shovel with their own hands, but almost all summer residents and gardeners, owners of personal plots know how difficult it is to dig up a vegetable garden. This procedure will be greatly simplified if you know how to make a miracle shovel with your own hands. It is worth noting that such a device is far from the only one in the arsenal of summer residents, there are others, but it is this device that can significantly reduce the time of digging up a site and save energy when working “in the field.”
A miracle shovel is necessary for digging up a site in spring and autumn, before planting plants during gardening and dacha work.
The latter is especially important, since anyone who has encountered such work knows how difficult it is to complete it. After all, intensive digging of a vegetable garden is not only difficult and tiring, but also detrimental to health. Homemade instrument It performs the functions of a regular shovel much better and, according to the owners of this device, it can quickly and efficiently dig up the required area of land.
Brief description of the tool
Many people believe that such a tool is capable of digging any soil, but this is a misconception. With this device you can only dig up areas with black soil or sand (soft soils); getting a stone (remnants of masonry, for example) under the shovel will stop the work. Another misconception associated with this miracle item is that people consider such a device to be similar to an ordinary shovel. However, it is not. Such a device is more reminiscent of a pitchfork, a plow, a rake, and headboards (since they can be used in a structure), but not a shovel. But the functions that this unit performs are similar to the functions of a bayonet shovel, which is used to dig up a site in the spring and autumn, before planting plants during gardening and dacha work.
Despite the fact that the tasks performed by such a device are similar to those of a shovel, and the operating principles of these tools are similar, there are still differences that are very, very significant. So in the process of normal digging with standard gardening tools you need to apply significant force and have great endurance (after all, you need to not only insert the shovel onto a full bayonet, but also get it out with the soil), and when working with the miracle equipment, you only need to lightly press the handle of the device and the soil itself will loosen.
When working with ordinary tool there is a need to clean the surface from adhering earth and debris (humus, dry leaves, etc.), to break up stuck together lumps of earth (if this is not done, the dug up area will not be suitable for planting). Here rods, fittings or pipes themselves dig and loosen the area. Manufacturers of such devices also say in their advertising videos that this design significantly reduces the load on the spine.
Also, such digging removes weed roots, small debris, etc. from the soil. This also saves time on weeding, since weeds will not grow in this case.
Many summer residents often confuse such a “wonderful” tool with another non-standard product industry, which is called “Tornado”. However, this is not correct, since “Tornado” only loosens the soil and does not dig it up.
The shovel itself structurally consists of a frame with longitudinal pins, which serves as a baking powder. A shovel frame is attached to the ripper frame, and the connection must be movable. In this case, the reinforcement rods on the frames should not coincide in location and ensure free movement. In this case, the second frame has a lever handle, which is located at an angle to reduce the load and effort applied by the operator. However, this design has a number of technical difficulties that affect its operation.
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Disadvantages in work
For all its advantages, such a design has whole line shortcomings that most manufacturers hide and do not mention in advertising videos. These include the following:
To create a shovel you need to stock up water pipe with a nominal bore of about 20-25 mm.
- There is no way to dig up dry soil with such a device. This minus completely negates all the positive functions. After all, there is nothing stranger than a tool that cannot perform its functions under certain external conditions, especially if its cheap primitive “brother” performs them perfectly regardless of the condition of the ground. This minus imposes serious restrictions on operation, since the ability to operate such a device in a dry summer (and in some areas from May 1 to October 1) is impossible in principle. If you need to dig up a site during the dry season, the soil should be moistened. This requires physical costs, waste of water resources and, as a consequence, financial costs.
- It is impossible to treat areas with clay or limestone soils with such a unit. For these purposes, you need to purchase a cultivator or use an old, “proven” one. bayonet shovel.
- The disadvantages include the high cost of a purchased product or the high labor costs of making such a device on your own.
Based on the disadvantages of such devices described above, it is worth saying that such a device is not a “super” device for work. Like most other similar “miracles”, they can only work under certain conditions in areas with soft soil. Therefore, before purchasing or making this tool, you must carefully weigh the pros and cons.
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What is required to create
So, to create a frame, you need to stock up on a water pipe with a nominal bore of about 20-25 mm; the backs from old Soviet beds (those made from lightweight duralumin-aluminum pipes) are suitable. Selection depends on the choice of pipe welding equipment(for aluminum, electrodes and machines for welding non-ferrous metals are used). You also need to purchase rods that will serve as teeth.
The best fitting for these purposes is reinforcement about 0.3 m long. Next, the structure is equipped with a handle, for which an ordinary wooden handle is suitable.
Some are equipped with a carrying handle. The main cost item will be 4 bearings, which should perform the functions of movable fastening of the frames. Everything is completed by one single tool – an inverter welding unit. Why inverter? Because they can cook both non-ferrous and ferrous metals, replacing only the electrodes. And consumables for it - electrodes of one or two types. After purchasing materials, assembly begins.
First, the pipe is bent so that its shape resembles the letter “P”. If the back of the bed is used as a frame, then all excess should be cut off from it, leaving only the pipes in the letter “P”. To bend a pipe, the required bending points are heated red-hot over a fire, and then bent against a wall or pole.
In this case, the length of the symmetrical ends of the letter “P” should be about 1 meter, and the length of the short side should be from 30 to 50 cm. The most optimal length is 35-40 cm.
After preparing such a workpiece, reinforcement is attached to it by welding onto a short crossbar, which is welded parallel to the short frame crossbar (the distance from the frame crossbar to the crossbar with reinforcement is equal to 2 lengths of the reinforcement). This must be done so that the teeth face the jumper.
Next, some semblance of a pitchfork is made from the remaining pipe and fittings. In this case, the width of the forks should be 5 cm shorter than the width of the “P” frame. After which these forks are attached to the frame using bearings. At the final stage, the cutting is inserted into the device.
Work in the garden is a troublesome and responsible task that requires not only physical effort, but also the use of high-quality, durable tools and equipment with high productivity. For manual digging of soil, a bayonet shovel is usually used. But with age, such work becomes beyond our strength: our back hurts, fatigue sets in quickly, and our joints ache.
To make the work of gardeners easier, well-known manufacturers produce various modifications of tools. Among the wide range of models, there is sure to be a miracle shovel that will greatly facilitate work on the site.
Kinds
The classic version is a device in which metal panel there are “forks” attached to it using hinged joints. Translational and rotational movements are performed: pointed rods plunge into the ground, digging it up. When the “forks” are pulled out of the soil, lumps remain, which additionally have to be broken up with a rake.
Improved ripper shovels are models that provide auxiliary element in the form of a transverse crossbar, onto which the same pointed pins are welded as on the main part. The “forks” plunge into and out of the ground, passing through the gaps between the crossbar bars, crushing large lumps into small fractions. The roots of the grass cling to the pins; all that remains is to pull them to the surface.
Well-known modifications are “Plowman” and “Mole”. The first has a length of loosening bayonets reaching 10-15 cm, the second - 25 cm. The latter option is convenient because it plows the soil deeply, catching a layer of freezing soil in the off-season.
In addition to the “Mole” and “Plowman”, the “Vyatka Plowman” model is known, the drawing of which was developed by the monk Father Gennady. Due to his state of health, the clergyman had a very difficult time working at personal plot. He came up with a convenient and simple miracle shovel. Its manufacture requires a minimum of parts, and the performance of the tool exceeds all expectations. On metal pipe on the left or right (depending on whether it is made for a left- or right-handed person) an arcuate steel plate is attached (in homemade devices the main part of a bayonet shovel can be used instead).
At the end of the pipe there is a pin that immerses the plate to the depth of the soil being excavated. Then a rotational movement is made, the clod of earth is easily thrown to the side with a shovel. If you dig up an area, taking steps backwards in a straight line, a smooth furrow will remain. Potato tubers and root crop seeds are left in it. When the gardener begins to cultivate the next row, the fresh soil will lie evenly in the furrow dug earlier. The homemade shovel of Gennady’s father was taken as the basis for similar models that are now produced by well-known manufacturers. Taking into account the physical characteristics of a person and his state of health, it is easy to choose suitable option miracle shovels.
Advantages
The advantages of new designs are that working with them does not require a lot of time and physical effort.
In addition, they are convenient because:
- labor productivity increases by 3-4 times;
- no need to bend down to the ground;
- you don’t have to strain your back muscles when the shovel moves upward along with a lump of earth (when the earth is damp, this is even harder to do);
- Due to the rotational movement of the digging or loosening main element, only the hands are strained, pressing on the handles that are attached to the handle.
When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the weight of a person the miracle shovel is designed for. For example, classic options can be used by people no lighter than 80 kg, since the devices are quite bulky and difficult to move across the surface. But the “Plowman” design is suitable for gardeners weighing 60 kg or more. Gennady’s father’s shovel is much lighter than complex configurations, so it will not be difficult for a person who can freely hold it in his hands to carry out garden work regardless of your weight category.
Flaws
Gardeners did not find any significant “shortcomings” in the miracle structures for digging soil, but no one can argue with objective facts:
- The “working” grip of ripper shovels can reach 40 cm, which means that in an area where seedlings are planted close to each other, it is a useless tool;
- a loosening or digging device (the invention of Gennady’s father) will not be able to dig a deep hole;
- advanced models are difficult to repair in case of breakdowns, since they are made of large quantity details.
The fewer elements, rotating mechanisms, and bolted connections a device has, the easier it is to maintain and repair. Therefore, it is better to start making homemade shovels with a careful selection of a drawing, which involves the use of a small amount simple elements. For pointed rods on panels, handles, and handles, you need to select durable, corrosion-resistant materials. Perfect option in this case, stainless steel. A metal pipe is suitable for the handle; you can also use it to make a bar and a stop.
How to make a model of Gennady's father?
Dneprodzerzhinsk resident N.M. Mandrigel proposed his modification of the priest model. Its main difference is that used parts can be used to manufacture the structure. To make a miracle shovel at home, you will need:
- bicycle handlebars - for handles;
- pipe made from of stainless steel– for cuttings;
- steel shovel - instead of an arcuate plate;
- a movable steel pin or with a spring - for easy immersion of the main part into the ground (its height is adjusted depending on how deep the earth is dug).
It is possible to make a shovel in several stages. If desired, it can be made in 1 day.
- The steering wheel is leveled. It will be easier to apply pressure with your hands. You can stretch pieces from an old hose onto the ends.
- The pin from below is pushed into the pipe with its sharp end facing out. To give it a static position, a 2.11 M8 bolt is used.
- The steering wheel is welded to the pipe (to the opposite end from the pin).
- A shovel is attached by welding at the bottom left and right.
The person applies light pressure on the handles, the pin plunges into the ground, and behind it is the shovel. The steering wheel makes a rotational movement to the left or right, and the clod of earth rushes to the side along with the shovel.
It is important to correctly select the height of the pipe to which the handles are attached. They should be located approximately at chest level. A resident of Dneprodzerzhinsk has developed a special formula for this, which is presented along with a drawing of a shovel.
Homemade shovel-ripper
When choosing a suitable model, difficulties often arise with the selection of component elements. The way out of this situation is simple: many people have old sleds, pipes from strollers, and dusty fittings in the garage at home. To make a shovel-ripper you will need:
- drill and saw for metal processing;
- welder;
- measuring instruments (angle, tape measure);
- steel pipes or angles;
- reinforcement from which the teeth will be made;
- metal stalk.
The parts must be precisely sized and match the person’s height. Therefore, the parts are assembled by first measuring them and cutting off unnecessary parts with a saw.
- The supporting frame is made of metal pipe. It is bent in the shape of the letter “P”. If top bar is 35-40 cm, then the length of the legs is 2 times greater - 80 cm.
- A transverse auxiliary strip with teeth is made. They can be pieces of unnecessary reinforcement 20 cm long, sharpened on one side. If the bar is made of a pipe, several holes are drilled in it at a distance of 50 mm, where the teeth will be inserted and welded. If it is a corner, then the pins are welded directly onto the metal.
- An auxiliary strip with pins is welded to the bottom of the legs at such a distance from the crossbar in the support frame that the main forks move freely.
- A stop is attached to the outside of the support frame crossbar. It will bear the main load when pressure is applied to the handle. The stop is shaped like the letter “T”.
- Select a piece of pipe that is 50 mm smaller than the width of the auxiliary strip. The teeth of the main ripper are welded to it.
- Swivel joints are made from steel ears and a piece of pipe on which the main “forks” will “walk.”
- A handle is inserted into a section of pipe, to the top of which a pipe is welded, which acts as handles. For this purpose, you can use a straightened bicycle handlebar.
One of the most labor-intensive processes in home gardening is the annual digging of the soil to ensure aeration, weed control and fertilization. A classic shovel requires sufficient effort to operate and leads to increased tension in the muscles of the back, arms, and legs. Technical thought also helps summer residents. An example of this is the garden ripper, popularly called a miracle shovel.
This unit is based on the use physical strength person, but thanks to a special device it spends it much more economically, which leads to less fatigue and high performance. The average width of the processing zone of the device is 40 cm, the plowing depth is about 20 cm. The operating principle is based on the counter-operation of two forks, one of which penetrates the ground and pushes it towards the other. Loosening occurs by breaking clods of soil between the steel rods of the miracle shovel.
This assistant has a number of advantages and compares favorably with both of its predecessors - a shovel and a fork. In contrast to the first, the load on the worker is reduced several times due to the absence of the need to lift the cut-off layer and turn it over. Unlike the latter, the quality of loosening is much higher and the area processed in one pass is increased. In addition, the absence of a cutting edge makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of weed control, since the rhizomes are not cut, which prevents the proliferation of weeds.
Design and operation of the tool
The updated design of a device familiar to many is represented by several main elements. The first of them is a working body, represented by wide forks, controlled using a wooden handle of a suitable length for the worker.
The main ripper is hinged to the auxiliary one, which is represented by a support frame and several teeth arranged so that the working teeth pass through them with equal clearance. To save effort on the part of the worker, there is a stop at the back of the miracle shovel, which allows you to transfer part of the load directly to the cultivated soil.
When working, it is recommended to move backwards, as with standard digging of earth. The support platform with auxiliary forks is installed on the ground. It is better to additionally fix the back stop with your foot to avoid horizontal displacement of the entire device. The working forks are inserted into the soil at an angle of about 60-70 degrees, and pressure is applied to the working handle (handle).
As a result of the actions described above, the part of the soil limited by the teeth begins to move upward. When encountering additional teeth of the auxiliary forks, additional crushing of the soil and its retention occurs. This contributes to the absence of soil mixing and its high-quality loosening.
Making a miracle shovel with your own hands
The miracle shovels described above are already on sale in country stores. The cost of the device starts from 1000 rubles, which limits the demand for them among the average buyer. At the same time, having a minimum list of equipment and materials, it is not difficult to make it yourself.
To work you will need:
- round or profiled steel pipe with a cross-section (diameter) of 20-25 mm;
- round rod with a diameter of 8-10 mm. (you can use reinforcement) about 2 m.p.;
- piece steel pipe diameter 40 mm, length 200 mm;
- steel sheet 2 mm thick, size 20x20 cm;
- grinder with a metal disc;
- drill with a set of drills;
- welding machine.
Let's start manufacturing with the support frame. It is convenient to make it from a round or profile steel pipe with a cross-section of at least 20x20 mm.
Bend or weld from separate parts A-shape frame size in plan 460x800. Attach the cross member with a weld seam. Drill holes with a diameter of 8 mm in it every 5 cm at an angle of 20 degrees to the plane of the support. Install cut steel rods, each 200 mm long, into the holes and secure with a weld. At the top of the support, weld a T-shaped stop, located at an angle of 120 degrees to the frame.
There is another option for making a support platform for a miracle shovel. In it, the foot rest is located in the same plane as the support, and the auxiliary teeth have a small distance from the ground, provided by the bend of the front part of the frame.
Which option to choose for the device depends only on you. Next, we will make working forks from a piece of steel pipe and several rods, connecting them using welding. It is better to make the teeth not straight, but slightly bent in the front part. They can be welded into drilled holes or attach to one of the faces steel profile, having previously lightly sharpened the working parts using sandpaper. To attach the handle to the side of the pipe opposite to the teeth, weld a piece of pipe with a diameter of 40 mm, previously flattened on one side.
Triangular ears with holes attached to the working forks will help provide a hinge connection.
The same ears should be welded to the support frame, distributing them opposite the stop.
The distance and location of both pairs of fasteners must ensure the functionality of the device and an equal distance between the teeth. As a working axis, you can use a M10 threaded stud or a similar bolt with a washer and a nut.
For home craftsmen who have an engineering education or have not forgotten their school drawing course, we offer a set of drawings for making a miracle shovel with your own hands with the specified dimensions.
To better read the drawings, you can enlarge them.
Using our instructions, every gardener can easily make similar device and will be able to use it in the spring when cultivating his plot.
Dear readers, if you have any questions, please ask them using the form below. We will be glad to communicate with you;)
How to make a miracle shovel with your own hands: in this article we will familiarize ourselves with the drawings and assembly procedure for this simple and practical tool for household use.
Due to the design features, with the help of this shovel we can quickly dig up an area. In this case, when digging, the layer of earth does not turn over, but is thoroughly loosened. Thanks to this method of soil treatment, it is possible to easy way get rid of weeds.
DIY miracle shovel: drawings, video
The shovel works on the following principle: when you press the stop with your foot, the teeth penetrate the soil along their entire length; When the handle of the shovel is tilted towards itself, the earth is cut through by teeth, forming deep furrows.It looks like this:
Structurally, the tool consists of the following parts:
metal tooth;
tooth fastening profile;
stop;
handle handle;
support for the handle;
pens.
Drawings of miracle shovel parts Metal tooth
For its manufacture, a standard metal strip with a cross-sectional size of 5x50 mm GOST 4405-75 is used. A piece 270 mm long is enough for four teeth. The strip needs to be marked based on the image. Next, you should take a grinder, and according to the markings, cut off the necessary blanks, and sharpen the narrow ends into a cone.
Tooth mounting profile
Here you need to take a square metal pipe GOST 8639-82 and make 8 through cuts. Their width should be the same as the width of the tooth, and their depth should be up to the pipe wall. It is necessary to get the same spacing - as in the image.
Emphasis
The stop may have right angles, but the stop with neatly bent corners looks better. They are bent with a pipe bender for profile pipes.
1. Assembling the lower part of the shovel.
Let's take a welding machine and weld the prepared elements together.
Handle handle
We make it in a way similar to the emphasis
Handle support
Pen
We make it from two parts (from any material), which we connect to each other.
2. Assembling the upper part of the tool.
At this stage, you need to take a welding machine and fasten the lower part of the miracle shovel with the prepared parts of the upper part.
When the work is completed, we proceed to processing the welds using abrasive wheel, and then to applying a paint coating to protect against corrosion. Now you have an easy-to-use and useful tool for work on a personal plot that you made with your own hands.
