Water pipes      06/20/2020

Make a manual tornado cultivator with your own hands. How to make a cultivator with your own hands - five manufacturing options for homemade ones. Option #5: child of a bicycle and a washing machine

The hard physical labor of a farmer can be facilitated by such a gift of human genius as a cultivator. You don’t even need to buy it; any gardener can easily make a tool with his own hands. Step-by-step instruction on creating an electric cultivator, a Tornado cultivator and other options - in this article. Plus list necessary details, drawings, tips and reviews from experienced inventors.

Cultivator instead of a shovel

Hectares of dug up and loosened soil will not add either strength or health. Especially if the tedious procedure must be carried out every spring and autumn. And digging up 6 acres by hand is a labor-intensive task.

An electric cultivator can help the summer resident, facilitate and speed up the process. garden tools processes and loosens the soil, revealing its layers, and breaks up the earthen lump, saturating it with oxygen. With the help of an electric assistant, you can remove weeds and hill up plants.

Attention! The choice of the tool you need depends on the type of beds and the set of crops grown. If this is a greenhouse or a zoned area with a flower bed, vegetable garden and garden, then light options with manual control. To handle large areas, higher-end power tools are required.

The approximate cost of a cultivator created in industrial conditions varies from 5 to 30 thousand rubles. depending on the type. And if you also need a lawn mower, a lighting system for seedlings, drip irrigation in the greenhouse and much more that you want to mechanize and improve, then this amount can be saved.

To help the farmer - 5 cultivator options, collected and tested by Russian summer residents. Suitable for creating inventions ordinary tools and spare parts that are on hand.

DIY small hand cultivator

This kind homemade instrument summer residents affectionately call him “baby”.

It is suitable for small areas, including for the greenhouse. Extremely light and easy to use. It looks like a massager on a handle, only instead of small spikes there are sharp wedges.

For production you will need:

  • long handle with a diameter of 24 mm. length corresponding to the height of the farmer or purchased cuttings;
  • solid wooden axle;
  • 5 durable heavy discs with a diameter of about 150 mm. with holes in the middle and sharp spikes along the edges. You can cut them out of metal yourself.

Installation steps:

  1. Discs are mounted and secured onto a metal pin.
  2. A pin with sharp disks is attached to a solid wooden or metal axle.
  3. The structure is put on and firmly screwed to the handle or handle.

Cultivator "Kid"

Pros of the tool:

  • convenient to use on open ground and in the greenhouse;
  • If desired, it can be equipped with a motor.
  • captures a depth of about 20 cm. Considering the statement of microbiologists that deep loosening of the soil kills aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms, this minus can be considered a plus.

Making a tornado cultivator

The tornado garden tool looks like a large corkscrew with handles. Several of its blades are located at an angle to each other. When working, they are screwed into the ground, making the work of the summer resident easier, because there is no need to bend down. The Tornado is ideal for digging ripe potatoes. The bushes of the plant are simply scrolled clockwise and pulled out of the ground along with the tubers. The tool can remove weeds along with the roots and hill up the beds using rotational movements.

Attention! The length of the handle together with the pitchfork should correspond to the height of the person. Blades in a curved state should reach 25 cm.

To assemble a tornado you will need:

  • pitchfork;
  • plastic nozzle for the handle;
  • half a meter of pipe of such diameter that it fits onto a plastic handle-nozzle.

Installation steps:

  1. The pipe is cut to length and put on the handle so that it protrudes 25 cm in both directions. That is, the top of the handle becomes T-shape. Secure the pipe with electrical tape.
  2. The fork teeth are shaped using a hammer. That is, they simply twist them in a spiral.
  3. Connect the handle and forks. The tool is ready.

Cultivator from an old bicycle

One of the most common options among gardeners. It is easy to install; parts do not need to be welded. The design is considered a little more complex than a tornado.

For assembly you will need:

  • the front part of a bicycle frame with a wheel;
  • working surface of a two-handed saw;
  • tools.

Installation steps:

  1. The cutting surface of the saw is attached to the part of the frame cut off by the grinder at the bottom. Its role can be played by a plow or a surface with sharp spikes, made independently.
  2. The handles of the device should be longer than the bicycle handlebars. They are constructed from pipes and attached to a frame.
  3. The fastenings must be stationary, each of them is tightly bolted.
  4. The wheel must also be secured to the frame.

The result is a convenient homemade device for loosening. If desired, you can attach a motor to it.

Mini cultivator with wheel

Manufacturing of disc rotary cultivator

A disc-based tool is capable of harrowing the soil, breaking up lumps, and leveling the surface. Making it is much more difficult than all of the above options; it requires special skills.

For assembly you will need:

  • disks;
  • staples;
  • sleeve;
  • stock;
  • pipe, handle.

Installation steps:

  1. Convex disks are welded to bushings mounted on the axle.
  2. You need to secure the axle in the brackets using a cotter pin.
  3. The pipe with handles and crossbar passes through a large bracket.
  4. A rod protruding above the crossbar is screwed into the rod, welded to the small bracket.

Essentially, the design of a hike for a “baby”. But it is much stronger and more functional.

An electric tool can be made from scrap materials in 2 days, but you need to prepare in advance.

To assemble it you may need: an engine from washing machine, gearbox, “sprockets” and a chain from a children’s bicycle, bearings, cultivator blades welded from car springs, corners, wheels, a cable about 50 m long, a piece of tin to protect the motor from the soil. Instead of an engine washing machine you can use a powerful Soviet drill, plus a gearbox from a burnt grinder, or an electric meat grinder.

A structure assembled from one or another of the proposed elements will look something like this: metal carcass with two wheels on both sides. The motor from a washing machine, meat grinder or drill is in the center. It needs to be connected to the cultivator blades and ensure rotation using a chain and “sprockets” from a children’s bicycle.

On two handles you can attach a cable with a trigger mechanism.

Advice. The sharpened parts of the knives must be positioned on the side of rotation of the shaft. The blades should be 5 cm apart, at an angle of 120°.

Installation steps:

  1. First, the main parts are made and fastened, then a frame is made for them. The dimensions depend on the available materials you use.
  2. A gearbox with a transmission mechanism is welded to the engine housing.
  3. Blades are attached to the output shaft of the gearbox. You can use sharpened and fastened car springs or any other metal.
  4. The engine is attached to a frame made of angles with clamps and bolts.
  5. There should be an axle along the central axis with wheels on the sides.
  6. Handles and cable are welded on top.

Pros of the unit:

  • lightweight and convenient electrical design;
  • environmentally friendly, unlike gasoline-powered mechanisms. This means that it can be used in greenhouses and greenhouses.
  • welding must be used during manufacturing;
  • not suitable for processing large areas.

Mechanical improvements not only make labor easier, but also increase the efficiency and speed of tillage. Any of the considered farmer's tools is indispensable when working on the land and is easy to use.

When spring comes, summer residents and owners of personal plots begin planting work. First, the soil is prepared for this, and only then the plants are planted. The most labor-intensive process is loosening and digging the soil. Many people use a shovel for this, but there are more convenient device is a cultivator with which you can quickly and easily cultivate even large areas.

This tool can be purchased at the store, but with some skill you can make it yourself.

The most common are hand cultivators, whose weight is no more than 20 kilograms, they are compact and have high performance.

With this device you can not only loosen the soil, but also remove weeds and apply fertilizers. The tool will also come in handy during the care process after planting the plants; with their help you can perform the following actions:

  • hill up the beds;
  • thin out;
  • loosen the soil between the beds.

Of course, such a hand tool is certainly not comparable in capabilities to a walk-behind tractor, but it is quite suitable for performing the assigned tasks. It can also be used even in hard-to-reach areas.

Cultivators are equipped with cutters, thanks to which they move around the site, and they are the ones who carry out loosening. Besides, it can have the following working attachments:

  • paws for thinning and loosening the soil;
  • sock for cutting and loosening;
  • hiller for cutting furrows for subsequent sowing. Then it will help in the process of hilling the plants;
  • a needle-shaped disk, it is needed if the soil is covered with a large crust;
  • Feeding knives are equipped with dispensers so that fertilizers can be injected into the soil.

Classification of cultivators

There are several types of such devices, but in order to choose one or another option, you should know more about each of them.

For example, rotary ripper design Includes four moving discs, one rotating knife handle and staples. In addition, it is equipped with wheels and a long handle. Using this device you can perform the following actions:

  • loosen the ground;
  • enrich it with fertilizers;
  • remove weeds.

The device is set in motion by pressing on the handle and the sprocket assembly, then it turns.

Another type of device is a mini model. It is specifically designed for use in gardens or small greenhouses. With its help, the soil is cultivated around trees and shrubs, weeds are also quickly removed and holes are dug for seedlings and small garden crops.

Gasoline cultivator is equipped with a motor, which is necessary for the operation of cultivating cutters. Their working depth is 150 mm; they are often used to lay out new landscapes. They can also quickly plow heavy soils and remove weeds by the roots.

Hand cultivator-ripper it looks like a small rake and is equipped with 3-5 curved teeth with sharp ends.

If you apply a little force, they can loosen the soil and break the crust on it. When the teeth enter the soil, the device pulls towards itself to create furrows. Options for tools with long handles are used in the garden, and with short handles - on flower beds and indoor plants.

Root remover - ripper "Tornado" has pointed spiral-shaped teeth with diversified directions. First, the device is placed vertically in relation to the ground, then rotated 60 degrees and buried in the soil, and then turned clockwise again. Then the device is lifted, and the roots are removed with it.

The depth of treatment using Tornado is 20 cm; accordingly, only weeds are removed, and planted crops are not harmed.

Electrical tools They are designed for work in small areas, they are compact and have good maneuverability; accordingly, they can be used next to bushes and trees and hill them up.

Make sure in advance that the cord is long enough to freely cultivate the soil. This cultivator is environmentally friendly and can be used in greenhouses.

It is quite possible to make a manual cultivator with your own hands, and no special tools or materials are required. The work may take no more than a day, it all depends on the chosen design and configuration of the future tool.

The parts are simple and reliable, but if the tool does break, replacing the broken part will be easy. It can be made from existing materials.

Another plus in self-production The device is that it is quite simple to make it even without special education.

Assembly instructions

Build such a device can be made from various available materials, and there are both simple and more advanced options.

An old bicycle that can no longer be repaired can serve as the basis for production; you will also need an old two-handed saw or a head from a used cultivator. The tools you will need are:

  • Bulgarian;
  • drill;
  • saw;
  • keys.

From the bicycle you only need to take one wheel and frame. You will need to attach the cultivator head to the frame, and if it is not there, then half the tip of a two-handed saw, or steel rods, or sharp metal rods with sharpened ends. Attach handles based on aluminum or steel pipes. A transverse jumper is placed between them.

DIY electric cultivator

In a workshop, you can make an electrical device based on an industrial meat grinder. Moreover, the model does not play a role here. And if you approach the work competently, then in the end you will assemble a fairly powerful device. It is important to note that you will need a welding machine to work.

Manufacturing instructions:

Using such a unit under conditions of rapid movement will allow you to roughly plow the ground, and if it works slowly, you will get a fine fraction.

Do-it-yourself Tornado cultivator

Homemade device "Tornado" will allow you to perfectly loosen the ground due to its twisted teeth. The pipe serves as a lever and is attached to the handle. The pipe must be at least half a meter long. The lever fixed in the pipe should protrude 25 centimeters into both sides of the handle. To strengthen the fastening, you can use electrical tape. Spiral teeth are made on the basis of spring steel, but their diameter should be a maximum of 20 cm. This size is optimal for the convenience of weeding the space between the rows.

Also, the Tornado ripper can be made on the basis of old forks. You only need to prepare a pitchfork and a hammer. The teeth are given the desired shape with a hammer.

In this case, the lever can be a metal or plastic pipe, attached with self-tapping screws. Its length should be about 50 cm, and it will act as a handle. As a result, it will be possible to work on different, even heavy soils, and remove weeds even with persistent and branched roots.

If you decide to assemble such a tool yourself, do not forget to comply with necessary security measures. Above all, take care of your eyes, especially when welding, no matter what type of welding.

Yes, when arc welding The danger comes from intense light resulting from combustion and arcing, as well as scale that appears at the site of a frozen welding seam. When the metal cools, it can suddenly break off and fly to a great height.

If you use gas welding to heat metal for processing or cutting, do not forget about gloves and face shields, since the work is carried out at high temperature. You also need to remember that oxygen, when in contact with oil, creates an explosive mixture that does not even require a spark.

When you decide to make your own farm equipment, you can save on buying it.

And even if you don’t have experience or special skills, you can make your own cultivator from an old bicycle of the simplest type and provide yourself good help when cultivating the land.

As you know, in order to prepare the soil for sowing, it must first be well cultivated. It was for these purposes that such an irreplaceable and necessary device as a cultivator was created back in the last century. This mechanism will perfectly cope with the functions assigned to it and will greatly facilitate the work of the owners. However modern devices This type of cultivator costs a lot, so it would be a good idea to think about how to make a cultivator with your own hands. But first you need to understand what advantages this device has.

Advantages of hand cultivators

Similar mechanisms in Lately have become quite widespread. Moreover, it is much more profitable and, of course, more enjoyable to construct a cultivator with your own hands, without spending extra money on factory equipment.

These devices have a number of advantages. So, with their help you can cultivate the soil even in the most hard to reach places, where any other technique will not be able to complete its task. Using a cultivator, you can perfectly loosen the soil in the area of ​​​​fences, flower beds and alpine roller coaster. This treatment will allow the plants to receive sufficient oxygen and will certainly have a positive effect on their growth.

For a small area, a hand cultivator is perfect. It is not possible to make this mechanism with your own hands. a lot of work, and there will be many benefits from such a device, since the sharp teeth can easily cope with hardened crust where heavy equipment cannot pass. This will be a great addition to your gardening equipment and will allow you to forget about tedious work forever.

Types of cultivators

The main parameters by which these mechanisms are usually divided are weight and power. In accordance with this, there are several types of cultivators:


Cultivator selection criteria

In order to design a cultivator with your own hands, it is important to take into account factors that will affect the functionality of the equipment itself.

Thus, the main criteria when choosing these mechanisms are the following:

  • Power. The higher this indicator is, the more higher speed and the cultivator will work at greater depths. In addition, do not forget about such a factor as the swath. If it is wide, then labor productivity will increase and less processing time will be required.
  • Weight. As a rule, the weight of the equipment is directly proportional to the power of the cultivator.
  • The material from which the knives are made. This element is the main cutting part of the device, so you should not skimp on its quality. In addition, good steel significantly increases the service life of this functional part of the cultivator.
  • Equipment reliability. Depending on the type, the model may have its advantages and disadvantages, and the most reliable way to verify the practicality of a particular device is only during its use.

Making a hand cultivator

You can make a homemade cultivator with your own hands in two ways: using a fork and using a bicycle frame. Both of these methods are not particularly complicated and are quite easy to implement.

The first option involves using a fork, the teeth of which should be bent like a corkscrew and then placed on a holder made of plastic. As a handle, you can use a pipe made of the same material, fixed on the top side.

Making a cultivator with your own hands from a bicycle frame is somewhat more difficult, but absolutely doable. In order to build this mechanism, you will need to use:

  • bicycle frame;
  • wheel;
  • material intended for the head device; it could be sharp rods, part of a plow, part of an old cultivator, etc.

First, you need to secure the wheel and head, and the part responsible for controlling the mechanism can be made from the steering wheel. All parts of the device must be welded together and tightly secured with bolts. There will be no operational problems with this model, and its repair is very simple.

Making a tine cultivator

To build such a mechanism, you will need to have the following materials available:

  • 5 steel discs with a diameter of 30-35 cm;
  • a rod of the same material with a diameter of 10 mm;
  • special axle 32 cm long and 15 mm in diameter;
  • holder made of wood or plastic.

The discs must be equipped with special holes designed for sharp teeth. These cutting elements are made of steel rod. Then the disks need to be mounted on an axle, the edges of which need to be equipped with axles and bearings.

The operation of such a cultivator proceeds according to the following principle: the sharp teeth of the device, piercing into the ground, remove a layer of soil, thereby loosening it. This not only allows oxygen to penetrate deeper inside, but also helps remove small weeds. If one of the teeth of the mechanism is damaged, it can always be dismantled using welding machine install a new one in its place.

Design of a rotary-type disc cultivator

When making, for example, a cultivator, you can design a special disk apparatus that serves to remove weeds, break up clods of earth, loosen, etc. The main difficulty in the installation process may arise with the arrangement of the disks, which should have a convex rather than a flat shape. To achieve this, you can use a hammer to hit the workpiece several times to give it the desired look.

The process of creating such equipment is non-standard, it differs in some features and should proceed according to the following scheme:

  1. The disks must be welded to the bushings mounted on the axles, and their ends must be tightly fixed in brackets.
  2. In the largest of them, you need to equip a ledge through which a pipe equipped with a crossbar must pass.
  3. Next, a rod is welded to the smaller of the brackets. It is necessary to screw a rod into it, part of which must protrude above the crossbar.

Having completed all the steps correctly, creating such a cultivator with your own hands will not be difficult.

The manufacturing process of a cultivator for a walk-behind tractor

Very often this mechanism is used on a utility vehicle such as a walk-behind tractor. Thanks to this, the process of cultivating the soil will become easy and will not take much time.

In order to construct a cultivator, you must have the following construction tools available:

  • disk type complete with disks for it;
  • welding machine;
  • 2 sanding elements with different degrees of abrasiveness;
  • drill.

Materials for manufacturing should be as follows:

  • created from a plate, having a square shape and a cross-section of 15x15 cm;
  • rectangular elements with parameters 12x4 cm, made of the same material (for mechanism cutters);
  • steel pipe;
  • fasteners (bolts and nuts).

To construct a cultivator with your own hands for a smaller type tractor, you need to do the following:

  1. Each of the squares should be equipped with a hole, and then connected on both sides with cutters using bolts and nuts.
  2. The resulting structure must be fixed to the base, and welding is not recommended, since the desired strength of the joints cannot be achieved with its help.
  3. Similar actions must be performed with all squares.
  4. After making the working part, you need to make a hole that will match the diameter of the steel pipe.
  5. The part needs to be cut in half and then, using welding, fix the elements of the running mechanism with cutters on each of its sides.

At this point, the production of a cultivator for a walk-behind tractor can be considered complete. As it becomes clear, there is no particular difficulty in such work, but it is extremely important to strictly follow the procedure and acquire everything in advance necessary tools and materials.

Cultivator maintenance rules

We figured out how to make a cultivator with your own hands. However, it is important to know not only the algorithm for its manufacture, but also the operating rules. So, the main task is to maintain the performance of the driving mechanism. Before starting to work with the device, you should first check the oil level. Here we should also not forget that the quality of the fluid used to lubricate engine parts largely affects the operation of the equipment, so it is important to replace it in a timely manner to avoid clogging internal parts device.

If the equipment will not be used for more than one month, it must be provided with good conditions storage To do this, you must first use up all the gasoline, thoroughly clean the surface of the engine and all functional parts of the mechanism. To avoid damage to the electrical parts of the cultivator, it is not recommended to use strong water pressure for cleaning. To protect against corrosion, the metal elements of the device must be lubricated with a small amount of oil, and the cutters must be wiped with a rag soaked in it. Storage conditions include keeping the device in a dry and clean room.

Compliance with all the operating rules described above will allow the equipment to serve for a long time, properly and without any serious breakdowns.

Evgeniy Sedov

When your hands grow from the right place, life is more fun :)

Content

Cultivation is a method of processing a layer of land without turning it over. Such superficial work of leveling, preparing for sowing, hilling up potatoes, clearing weeds, and harvesting can be facilitated by using hand cultivators. They will become indispensable assistants in small areas, in hard-to-reach places, when working in small greenhouses. If you need to cultivate areas of more than 3 acres, it makes sense to think about purchasing or creating a motor cultivator powered by electric or gasoline traction.

Types of hand cultivators

The variety of devices for cultivating land is determined by the types of agricultural work that must be carried out from early spring to autumn. Some types of hand cultivators are used all year round for care indoor plants or greenhouse crops. Based on the type of movement, they are divided into moving and point. Moving machines include all types of rotary openers, hillers, scarifiers, and harrows. Point devices include tornado root removers, potato diggers, and indoor plant cultivators.

Rotary hand cultivator

The operating principle of a rotary cultivator is based on the rotation of 4-5 finite stars or cutters, the ends of which are bent and sharpened. They are driven into rotation either by an external mechanical drive or by manual pressure. Rotating cutters cut the roots of weeds, pull them out, and crush them upper layer land. At the same time, the surface is loosened. Such a device without a mechanical drive can only be used on improved lands. If virgin soil cultivation is required, you must purchase an electric or gasoline motor cultivator.


Ripper

To improve irrigation, quick removal weeds and fertilization on a personal dacha or personal plot you need to buy a manual cultivator. It consists of 3-4 hooks curved to the bottom, which can be attached to a long handle for cultivating an area or attached to a short handle for loosening the soil of indoor plants. It is possible to attach the ripper, as one of the replaceable devices, to the frame of a wheeled manual cultivator or with a mechanical drive.

Root remover

To get rid of weeds, it is necessary to remove the plant root from the ground. A manual plant remover along with roots will help solve this problem. It consists of three sharp rods welded to the base, the ends of which are bent in one direction for screwing into the earth crust. The base is welded to a tubular element with an extended cross handle. This device is called “Tornado” and works as follows:

  • position the tool so that the weed is in the center between the tips of the rods;
  • holding the ends of the handle, screw the root remover into the ground clockwise to the depth of the weed roots;
  • pull out the plant along with the roots;
  • shake off the soil along with the weed.

Potato digger

Traditionally, villagers use pitchforks to dig up potatoes. A small improvement in their design will turn them into a simple manual potato cultivator for people of any age. This requires a small transformation:

  • the forks are not positioned vertically, but are bent at an angle of 30-50 degrees to the ground;
  • a vertical pointed pin is welded to the tulle;
  • instead of a handle, it is inserted into the tulle metal pipe with horizontal handle;
  • Digging up potatoes is done by sticking the tool into the ground near the bush, turning it around an axis until the fork penetrates under the bush and tilting the handle until the tubers are extracted.

For indoor plants

Hand garden cultivators are used for indoor plants and include a ripper and a shovel. With the help of a ripper, the top layer of soil is loosened, making it more accessible for the penetration of moisture, oxygen, and fertilizers. The spatula is used when replanting plants to add fertilizer. They are made from of stainless steel with rubberized handle. Hand tools for caring for plantings, they can be used not only for indoor potting, but also in small greenhouses, greenhouses, when decorating dachas, garden plots, and loggias with flowers.

Flat cutter

The theoretical basis for the use in the reclamation of virgin lands, in contrast to flat-cutting plows, was laid at the beginning of the twentieth century, and was practically implemented in the 50s of the last century during the development of Kazakh virgin lands. In this case, the flat cutter cuts off the roots of weeds, loosens them, but does not turn over the top layer, which does not disturb the soil structure and increases productivity. A flat cutter consists of several sharpened flat peaks or flat knives attached to vertical rods made of reinforcement, which, when moving, go to a depth of 10-20 cm and cut the upper layer.

How to make a hand cultivator with your own hands

You can make manual cultivators for cultivating soil in the country with your own hands. For this you may need:

  • metal narrow strips or pins,
  • wooden or metal handles with the possibility of attaching horizontal handles;
  • standard set of tools - screwdriver, hammer, grinder, pliers, vice, chisel, screws.
  • Some products may require grinder and welding work.

Manufacturing a flat-cutter cultivator

The most famous hand-held cultivator is the Fokina flat cutter. A design close to it can be made independently. For this you will need:

  • steel strip 3-5 mm thick, 40-50 cm long and 4-6 cm wide;
  • wooden round or square handle;
  • 4-8 wood screws.

The manufacturing process will include several steps, for which you will need a vice, pliers, a chisel, and a sharpening machine. To make a flat cutter, perform the following operations:

  • drill 4-8 holes in the strip on one side for fastening it;
  • bend the steel strip in the form of the number “7” with its lower part straightened;
  • harden the workpiece - bring it to red color blowtorch or put it in the fire, then let it cool;
  • on one side of the square wooden handle, make a handle that is comfortable for the hand (if you have a round handle, use a chisel to make a flat surface on one edge for attaching the strip);
  • secure the strip to flat surface handles using self-tapping screws;
  • sharpen the horizontal part of the flat cutter on a grinding wheel.

Tornado

If it is not possible to purchase a Tornado fork root remover, you can make it yourself. The most in a simple way is a change in the shape of the teeth of a conventional fork - the bases of the teeth must be placed evenly around the circumference, and the sharp ends must be bent in one direction in a spiral. Instead of a handle, it is advisable to weld a vertical corrugated pipe up to the owner’s chest length with a transverse handle 80 cm in shape resembling the letter “T”. The handle should be comfortable to grip with both hands on the edges, and increasing the leverage will make it easier to cut into the ground as you turn it.

DIY star cultivator

The main tasks of the star cultivator are cutting the roots of weeds at depths of 10-20 cm and mixing the top layer of soil. Low-power manual electric and gasoline motor cultivators easily cope with this task. To simplify the creation of such a homemade unit can be used in the design of an old bicycle with transmission of wheel rotation to the star by means of chain transmission. For those who want to make a simple star cultivator, you need to stock up on:

  • sheet metal thickness 2-3 mm;
  • a smooth rod with a diameter of 5-8 mm;
  • a tube 20 cm long and an internal diameter of 7-10 mm, which should correspond to the diameter of the rod;
  • a tube 15-20 cm long and an internal diameter of 30-40 mm to create a tulle; a metal or wooden cutting with a diameter of 30-40 mm and a length according to the height of the farmer.

Creating such a device on your own involves the difficulty of solving the problem of rotating stars or cutters without friction. Using a complex mechanism with bearings for this purpose will create many additional tasks - the need for lubrication, protection from the ground, and moisture. Instructions for making a simple star cultivator include:

  1. From available steel sheets, 6-7 ray stars are cut out with a grinder with a ray length of 5-8 cm from the disk and a hole in the middle.
  2. The tube is cut into 2-3 equal parts and welded to the sprockets.
  3. The resulting rotary disk element is mounted on the rod (rotation on it must be free).
  4. The rod is bent to give it a bottle-like appearance (in this case, its ends are connected together; the arc of the bent rod should not interfere with the movement of the rotation element).
  5. The ends of the rod are inserted into the pipe and riveted or welded to the tulle.
  6. A handle is inserted into the tulle and secured with a self-tapping screw.
  7. A strip 3-5 cm wide is cut out of a sheet of metal and shaped into a U-shape.
  8. The strip is attached to the rod closer to the tulleka.
  9. After anti-corrosion painting, the tool is ready for use.

Cultivator from an old bicycle

An old bicycle can be an ideal blank for creating a cultivator. To do this, you need a frame, a steering wheel, and one of its rear wheels. A drawing of such a modification can be found on the Internet. Do the following:

  • remove the front wheel;
  • turn the steering wheel with the handles outward and fix it (can be welded);
  • remove the levers with pedals;
  • axle shafts with cutters can be attached to the front sprocket axis on both sides;
  • if you leave the chain, the rotation of the wheel will be transmitted to the sprocket and rotate the cutters; to speed up the rotation, it is advisable to swap the positions of the large sprocket and the sprocket on the wheel;
  • on the lower part of the vertical seat tube, secure a pipe with fasteners with bolts for additional attachments - rippers, plows, hillers, crevice machines, harrows;
  • control of such a unit consists of pushing the handles with the wheel forward;
  • You can adjust the depth of penetration of the cultivating tool into the ground by pressing down.

Advantages and disadvantages of hand cultivators

Agricultural work - digging and weeding - is hard physical labor. Therefore, any means of simplifying it will always be appreciated by farmers. Caring for indoor plants and flower gardens in the country will require the use of hand rippers and spatulas. Garden plots with an area of ​​more than 3 acres will be difficult to cultivate without a universal motor cultivator with a set of different attachments. For small areas, difficult areas or greenhouses, the use of hand-held cultivation tools is justified. Their advantages are.

There is a lot of work in the garden, but the most exhausting work is digging up the soil, cultivating it and removing weeds. They start digging ahead of time, in small sections, since the load is too great. The miracle shovel will help reduce the complexity significantly and at the same time speed up the process at least twice. This relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated device really works, even on difficult soils.

What is different and what can

To be precise, this is not a shovel, but a ripper, since it not only digs, but also breaks clods. The miracle shovel consists of two (sometimes one) slats with pins movably connected. Some models also have a back stop - for easier digging of dense, heavy soil. So in reality it looks more like double pitchforks (see photo below).

Miracle shovel and its components

From the picture it is clear that this tool does not have a shovel as such, but this is the difference from the classic bayonet shovel don't end. It also has a much higher handle - it should reach your shoulder. It is also convenient if there is a crossbar at the top - you can operate it with both hands.

The miracle shovel performs three operations at once:

  • loosens the soil;
  • breaks clods;
  • “extracts” the roots of weeds without tearing or cutting them (in any case, damaging them much less);
  • Digs root vegetables easily - you can dig carrots, potatoes, etc.

But its main advantage is that it greatly facilitates digging the earth, and the main load falls not on the back, as when using a conventional bayonet shovel, but on the legs (driving the working forks into the ground) and on the hands (turning the forks out of the ground). During work, the back is in a vertical position and is almost not loaded.

The only downside to this tool is the weight. It is really much larger than the bayonet one. But the super shovel can be rearranged; there is no need to lift it. Or rather, it is raised only a few times: when it is placed on the ground at the beginning of the row. Then, by pulling the handle, it is simply tightened a little.

There is another very attractive point in using a miracle shovel - it digs the garden at least twice as fast. This happens due to the wider working part - up to 50-60 cm. Provided there is little physical activity, this is very good.

How to work

Although this design is not particularly complex, working with it has its own characteristics. Firstly, you need to start with far edge beds, then move back, gradually dragging the forks back. Well, the general procedure is this:

  • Holding the handle, place a miracle shovel and rest it on the front ripper.
  • Stick the pitchfork into the ground. Drive them in until the back stop touches the ground. If the ground is heavy or dense, additional force may be needed - press your foot on the crossbar of the front forks.
  • Pull the handle towards you. With this movement, the forks will begin to move upward. As they rise, they pass through the forks of the front stop, breaking up the lumps.
  • Pull the device back a little, repeat all the steps (plug, squeeze, pull the handle).

It's actually very simple. It’s worth trying a couple of times and then everything repeats automatically.

Constructions

In addition to the option shown above (called “Tornado”, “Digger” or “Plowman”), there are several more variants of miracle shovel designs under different names.

Soil ripper without front support

This design also has working and support forks, but does not have a front stop. Because it is less bulky and weighs a little less. But the front stop gives increased stability during operation. And the weight when dragging is not so important.

The handle is attached to the working forks, the back stop is welded to the comb of the second forks. Both of these structures are movably connected to each other (even door hinges can be used).

Ripper miracle shovel for easy tillage

The photo shows one of the implementations, which is made on the basis of a corner and a round pipe. When working, the pins are driven into the ground by pressing on the crossbar, and not on the stop, as in most models.

Digger

An option called “Digger” is essentially a wide fork with a stop for easier turning and a high, powerful handle.

Miracle shovel "Digger"

The peculiarity of this design is the stop and the adjustable handle. It is fixed with two bolts and adjusted to the height of the working person.

The emphasis is not stationary, but movable. It is fixed to the frame. When plunging the pins into the ground, press on it with your foot, then, without removing your foot, turn it out by pressing the handle of the fork out of the ground.

The physical load during work is low, the work progresses quickly. But this miracle shovel will not work for hard and lumpy soils: it does not crush the soil. She collapses through the pitchfork under her own weight. But this is only possible on loose soils. On clay or black soil it is better to have a second comb with pins.

How to make a miracle digger, see the following video.

Lightcop

This miracle shovel design is slightly different from the previous one. The stops in it are rounded, the handle is arched, but the basic structure is the same. There is some drawback - there is no way to adjust the handle, but otherwise everything is the same - a movable stop and working forks.

Two options called "Lightcop". The simplest ripper for the vegetable garden, garden and cottage

It’s hard to say whether this variation is better or worse. It would be possible to evaluate only by comparing the performance of both copies on the same site.

If you watch the following video, you will see that with such a miracle shovel you can dig not only loose soils, but also heavy ones. And the second thing you can pay attention to is that for such soil it is better to have a second comb of pins, against which you can crush the inverted lumps.

What and how to make it from

The designs, as you have seen, are different, but the set of materials will be approximately the same. Their number differs, but the cross-section and characteristics remain unchanged.

You can use a round or profiled pipe, metal rods or “parts” from forks

Materials for manufacturing

They usually start with making the frame. It is often made from a profiled pipe, the optimal cross-section is 30*30 mm or so. The wall thickness is important - at least 3 mm. Some models used a corner. The shelf width is also about 30 mm, the metal thickness is at least 3 mm.

The handle can be made from the same profile pipe, you can use a round one. The thickness of the walls is also important. In principle, having made a latch, you can use a wooden shovel holder. Some purchased models provide for the installation of a wooden holder.

The main attention should be paid to the material that is used for the teeth of the working forks. It must be good structural steel. The forks are made from a rod of at least 8 mm in diameter.

What craftsmen make them from:

  • They cut it off from an ordinary fork and weld it onto a miracle shovel.
  • Straighten the suspension springs.
  • Car springs are sawn into narrow strips.

If you can find a good rod - round, square or hexagonal - it doesn't matter, it will be much easier for you. Not a bad option, by the way, with a pitchfork. But you have to buy good ones, and this is not cheap. And one more thing: calculate the dimensions of the miracle shovel so that the working forks have 8 pins. Then you will need to buy two jokes of ordinary pitchforks.

If the design is chosen with two forks - working and thrust, you can place pieces of a suitable length of metal rod on the thrust forks. The loads here are not so high, so the strength should be enough. The diameter of the rod is 10 mm; you can use ribbed reinforcement, which is used to reinforce the foundation.

Dimensions

Most companies that produce miracle shovels have whole line dimensions of this product. Our people are different in build and physical fitness. For men, you can make more massive models, and for women and older people, smaller and lighter ones. The average sizes are:


All other sizes are selected depending on the design and material used.

Blueprints

Detailing of the stop and forks