Any work at the dacha cannot be completed without equipment. It is chosen depending on the purpose. How to loosen the soil and how to do it yourself, read the article.
Rake
It is very important to loosen and level the surface layers of the soil before planting. It can be done simple tool- rakes, which are made from different materials. It is not recommended to cultivate heavy soil with a wooden rake. They are very light, so you will have to put in some physical effort when working with them. It is better to loosen such soil with an iron rake.
Choosing garden tools to loosen the soil, you need to carefully inspect it, especially reverse side. It is important to know that a solid metal strip is stronger than a composite one. And wide is better than narrow. Typically, rakes have twelve teeth, but for loosening large areas you need sixteen or more.
Manual soil cultivator
For those who prefer to work without using equipment, there is a manual cultivator. It is used when there is a need to loosen surface layer compacted soil or plow up weeds. This equipment is a metal plate with three or five teeth, to which a long handle is attached. A man loosens the soil with such a cultivator, standing at his full height.
Soil ripper made from a saw
Every gardener or gardener has a broken saw on his farm. A triangular blade is easily and quickly cut out of it, to which a fifteen-centimeter long metal pipe bent at a slight angle is riveted. A round wooden stick is inserted into it. Its length varies from one to one and a half meters, depending on the height of the person who will work with this equipment. The blade is an isosceles triangle. It can be made in different shapes. The size of the blade depends on where you need to loosen the soil. If these are narrow row spacings, it is better to use garden tools for loosening the soil with a small blade.
It is also used for loosening the soil and weeding in greenhouses, between raspberry and strawberry bushes. The small plate is seven to eight centimeters wide and six and a half long. To loosen the soil under currant, gooseberry, and grape bushes, use equipment with a medium-sized blade, the width of which is fifteen centimeters and the length is ten. They can be used to loosen beds with melons, cucumbers and tomatoes.
For under fruit trees It is more convenient to use a large blade, which is equipped with garden tools for loosening the soil. A self-made ripper easily copes with labor-intensive work. The width of the blade is twenty-five centimeters, the length is fourteen. You can take any other sizes.
Soil ripper from a hoe
This type of equipment is very easy to make. You need to take an ordinary hoe and weld a curved steel plate to the central part of the blade. Drill two holes at its free end. Then a piece of pipe with a diameter of two and a half centimeters is selected. On one side, two square cheeks are welded to it, on each of which five coaxial holes are drilled. The cheeks are located symmetrically in relation to each other.
The distance between them should correspond to the thickness of the curved plate, which is inserted between the cheeks and secured. Insert into the pipe section on the opposite side wooden handle. This is how you can make garden tools for loosening the soil with your own hands. The photo clearly demonstrates how you can change the angle of inclination relative to the ground.
Homemade iron ripper
To cultivate the soil under shrubs, you definitely need gardening tools. A do-it-yourself ripper will make work easier and increase productivity. To make the tool, you will need soft iron, from which hoops are made. This will be the starting material.
A small strip is cut out with a chisel, the width of which is three and a half centimeters and the length is twenty. Teeth four centimeters long are machined at one end. Usually you get no more than three pieces. A pair of holes are drilled at the other end. The wooden handle is secured with nails. Garden tools for loosening the soil are ready.
Ripper "Mole"
This garden tool loosens the soil to a depth of twenty-five centimeters. The width of the strip dug by him can be forty-two, forty-eight or fifty-five centimeters, it depends on the model of the equipment. The soil loosener "Mole" is simple and reliable. The design consists of a frame with teeth and a pair of opposing, articulated forks.
To work with the tool you do not need to have any special skills. It is enough to press the forks with your foot, and they will go into the ground, and when you lower the handle with your hand, they will rise up. Lumps of soil will be pressed through the teeth and will fall back to the place from which they were lifted, already loosened. The layer of earth does not turn over during this treatment. The weeds will be released from the ground, but not cut off. They, along with the roots, will end up on the surface of the bed. You can collect them in a bucket and take them out of the garden, or you can leave them. They will dry out and die anyway.
Garden tools for loosening the soil "Mole" are universal tool. It can be used by people with different sides of the leg support: right or left. But this tool does not process dense virgin soil. It must first be plowed open.
Ripper Fokina
This garden tool is called the Fokin flat cutter, named after its inventor. It is designed for loosening the soil and weeding it. With the help of inventory you can make twenty types various works in the garden and vegetable garden. The main function of the flat cutter is to pull out or cut weeds at a depth of two to five centimeters. This method of tillage is gentle because the soil structure does not change, does not harm animals and insects, and does not require much physical strength and time.
Loosening is carried out without wrapping the soil layer, so there is no need to change the surface layer. Of course, it is impossible to plow the soil to great depths with a flat cutter. In traditional farming, he rather plays the role of a chopper. But, if the soil is porous and has a mulch layer, Fokina garden tools for loosening the soil can work wonders. Its design is very simple. Two plates, bent at a certain angle, resemble staples. The surfaces used to cut weeds are sharpened sharply.
Fokin flat cutters have six varieties, each of which is designed for a specific job on plot of land. For example, with a small tool, beds are weeded and dense shoots are thinned out. With the help of large equipment, the preparation, formation and hilling of beds is carried out. They also mow the grass. It is better to loosen heavy clay soils with a “Krepysh” flat cutter with a shortened blade. For hilling tall plants, the “Moguschnik” is suitable - it has a wide blade.
How to work with a flat cutter?
It is better to loosen the soil big tool. First, you need to mow down the tall-stemmed weeds. If the ground surface is heavily overgrown with grass, you need to cover it with black polyethylene. This will prevent the weeds from having the strength to grow. This work should be done half a month before loosening the soil.
So, the tip of the equipment is stuck into the ground and buried three centimeters. The blade should be installed parallel to the ground or with a slight slope. It is strictly forbidden to place it perpendicular to the surface. Then, with a smooth movement, the instrument is pulled towards itself. The blade will move and cut the roots of the grass. When working with a flat cutter, you need to carefully ensure that the soil does not move, but remains in the same place. If soil remains at your feet, something was done wrong with the tool. Perhaps the movements were too fast. With a well-sharpened tool, work progresses quickly and does not require much effort.
"Tornado" - manual cultivator
Tilling the soil is not easy. To get a rich harvest of planted crops, you need to dig up and loosen the soil, get rid of weeds and weed the plants. These jobs take a lot of time and physical effort. You can make your work easier with the help of a manual cultivator "Tornado". Its design is surprisingly simple. A handle is attached to one side of the central metal rod, and curved teeth are attached to the other. Moreover, they are rotated in relation to the rod counterclockwise. That's all the equipment for loosening the soil "Tornado" relieves gardeners and gardeners from hard, monotonous work.
To work with the cultivator, you need to place it vertically and rotate it around its axis. The teeth will gradually screw into the ground. Using this tool, the soil is loosened and weeds are destroyed. Moreover, during the work process, the entire load on the body is evenly distributed. A person gets tired less and does more work.
What's happened manual cultivator? This is a device for cultivating the land using mechanical devices and hand strength. Just as the work of caring for beds and flower beds is varied, there are also many hand tools, made by hand and industrially. It is generally considered to be cultivators for manual application soil rippers, with a grip no more than 20 cm, on a long or short handle.
Why are cultivators needed?
Even the most technology-rich area will not be well-groomed if a person’s hand with a narrow tool does not pass through it, loosening the soil next to plants and flowers, breaking the soil crust and exposing and tearing the roots of weeds. This tool is called a hand cultivator and its purpose is:
- loosen the soil, ridding it of crust and saturating it with air oxygen;
- cut furrows for sowing plants, and then sprinkle with new seedlings;
- rid cultivated plants from the proximity of weeds;
- smooth the surface, breaking up lumps - harrow.
These are not all the functions of cultivators. Tool with comfortable grip, sometimes with handles and a wheel, is used for cultivating the land on a par with electric or gasoline-powered cultivators.
Types of working bodies of cultivators
A manual cultivator for the garden, such as the one in the photo, is always in use. 
Among the many shapes and sizes of tools, they are classified into several types according to the shape and function of the working part. Thus, pitchforks with curved horns, wrapping the roots of the ubiquitous wheatgrass around themselves, were invented relatively recently, and were named for their effect in combating malicious perennial plants.
Among the new tools, one can note the flat cutters of engineer Fokin, with three-sided sharpening of a narrow strip of tool steel. They have a rectangular handle, adjustable angle for working, and can extract any weed from a narrow crack. These weeding rippers are loop-shaped and cut roots at depth and do not turn them over upper layer soil, keeping mulch on the surface. Toothed hand cultivators, on the contrary, are needed to loosen the top layer.
Rotary cultivators are used for loosening and weeding. They are efficient and require little effort to set the stargazer in motion. Miniature arrowheads on curved rods make excellent rippers and are often mounted on homemade tools with hand-pulled wheels.
So, cultivators are divided according to the shape of the working body;
- flat cutters and hinges;
- serrated, with a flat, sharp and arrow-shaped end, from one to 7 links;
- rotary, with a set of rotating sprockets;
- straight vertical rods – rake tools.
Some models combine two functions, for example a manual rotary cultivator with a loop weeder.
The well-known manufacturer of the drug EM-1 Baikal for improving soil health has created a tool for cultivating the soil. Plate flat cutters of various widths, assembled in a set. Their difference is that the strip is sharpened on both sides and the work efficiency doubles. Handles for these flat cutters are selected separately. The goal is to cut the roots of weeds, which will then destroy effective microorganisms.
Any summer resident dreams of always having the right tool at hand. Therefore, they buy them and create their own designs based on known shapes, but changing the dimensions, handle height, and grip width.
How to make a hand cultivator with your own hands
Anyone can attach the attachment to the handle. We suggest building a hand-held cultivator with your own hands from a discarded bicycle and improvised means. It is better to take a wheel from a teenage touring bike with a wide rim. Only the front wheel with fork is used. The working part on the frame can be made in any way - with teeth in 2 rows, stars or a flat loop. The main thing is that in a manual cultivator the frame must be strong with bolted stiffening ribs connected to handles made of simple or laminated wood. Instead of wood, you can use light tubes made of non-ferrous metal. A convenient and lightweight ripper is indispensable for processing wide row spacings, tree trunk circles trees. 
Others no less effective hand tools will become a manual rotary cultivator. Main components in the drawing:
- working elements sprockets or disks – 1;
- axles for fastening working sprockets – 2;
- bushings for assembling the unit - 3;
- connecting brackets, large and small – 5, 4;
- frame rod passing into a pipe and connected to a transverse handle - 6,7, 8.
Discs are spherical and are created by shaping. But with the same success you can use manual “hedgehogs” and with their help assemble the working part. Detailed drawing DIY hand cultivator to help you. 
Among the homemade designs there are full-fledged walk-behind tractors created on the basis of chainsaws and other motor equipment. The value of these homemade devices for the owner is that he used available tools and created a tool to suit his needs. On the other hand, the cost of factory models does not always allow you to buy a cultivator from a well-known, reliable manufacturer. How else can you assemble a manual cultivator with your own hands, watch the video:
Let's get acquainted with factory-made cultivators
If a farmer does not have the opportunity to create an inexpensive, effective assistant, Ukrainian engineers have done this. Without engine, with one wheel and handles, simple design facilitates work on site. One of 6 working units is attached to the socket. That’s why the device is called the 6-in-1 universal manual cultivator.
The device weighs 9.5 kg, the controllability is good, and the cultivator can be easily handled by women’s hands. The parts shown in the photo represent working tools:
- Hiller, which is the main working tool. Cutting furrows and raking potatoes is done using a hiller. But it is replaced in the kit by a disk ripper, which performs the same function as the hiller.
- Flat cutter with installed knives The “razor”, which cuts the roots of weeds, is adjusted to the width of the rows of plants.
- The inter-row cultivator is used for loosening and cutting the grass. This tool has adjustable axial tilt and depth of descent into the ground.
- There is a plow; it is used to cut furrows when sowing seeds in the ground.
- Loosen the ground when a crust forms using the stars that are included in the kit.
- The set includes a furrow former and a marker along with it. The unit is used during sowing.
The factory design does not withstand work in heavy, damp areas. Therefore, in the reviews of the masters there is advice to strengthen the wheel mounting frame and strengthen the handles with two rigid jumpers. The handles need to be lengthened somewhat and made more comfortable.
It is worth paying attention to the design of Vinnitsa craftsmen. It was called without any frills - the “Universal 5 in 1 Digger” manual cultivator. The product costs 450 hryvnia, translated into Russian money 3000 rubles.
The following tools can be mounted in turn on the supporting frame:
- interrow;
- plow with marker;
- razor;
- cultivator.
The result is a frame with dimensions of 64x30x30 cm with a hinged device. The nimble instrument will become an indispensable assistant when planting and hilling, weeding and loosening the garden.
We are used to getting a harvest through hard work. The principles of smart farming suggest otherwise. Do not dig the soil unless necessary, this will destroy its structure. Do not loosen the top layer deeper than 5 cm for the same reason. Do not weed the beds until the last weed. Mulch the soil more often and breed beneficial microorganisms in it. Labor will become easier and the harvest will be greater.
It will clear the top layer of vegetation, trim the roots and shoot furrows with an arrow. To raise the soil and saturate it with air, there is a ripper and a cultivator. They will destroy the crust after watering or rain. The included markers will help you adjust the width of the attachments. The plow and furrow holder are indispensable spring tools.
The manual cultivator contains parts made of high-quality steel. The durable keel coulter determines the depth of tillage. The handles are easy to control and durable. The set of tools is optimal, and the dimensions are such that the cultivator will fit into any nook and cranny.
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 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:
- The discs must be welded to the bushings mounted on the axles, and their ends should be tightly fixed in brackets.
- In the largest of them, you need to equip a ledge through which a pipe equipped with a crossbar must pass.
- 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 such a utility vehicle 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:
- Each of the squares should be equipped with a hole, and then connected on both sides with cutters using bolts and nuts.
- 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.
- Similar actions must be performed with all squares.
- After manufacturing the working part, you need to make a hole that will match the diameter of the steel pipe.
- 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.
In order to receive good harvest, the land not only needs to be plowed and sown. During the growth of various crops, the soil also needs to be loosened and cultivated. It is necessary to pull out all the weeds and it is especially important to hill up the soil. A cultivator is perfect for these purposes. You can make such a device at home with your own hands, you just need to have a great desire.
Options for homemade hand cultivators
This important function can be performed with a shovel.. But hard labour will not justify itself. Labor efficiency itself increases several times if you use mechanized soil tillage. Any owner of a small plot of land can make a manual plow with his own hands. Special tools may require a welding machine.
It should be noted that soil cultivation began a very long time ago. Several decades ago, at the peak of the garden and dacha lifestyle, such a tool was very popular. It was either bought from factories or made independently.
The most popular types of tools are:
The scope of application of the devices is the widest. Cultivators can perform the following tasks:
- loosen the soil, thereby saturating it with oxygen;
- cut rows for sowing crops and sprinkle them;
- rid plants from the influence of weeds, etc.;
- used together with a walk-behind tractor;
- break up lumps of soil and level the ground.
Required materials and tools
To always be able to make some kind of food at the dacha necessary products, it is necessary to prepare the most popular materials in advance.
First you need to stock up on a lot of steel. It should be in every workshop. The number of different strips, profiles and pipes determines how much the right tools you can do it yourself.
Welding will be an indispensable tool in every household. With its help you can quickly and reliably connect all parts various designs. Bolts and nuts are used as an alternative to welding, but the reliability will not be comparable.
Many people do not know where to start when assembling a hand cultivator with their own hands. Drawings are the first thing a novice owner should stock up on . You also need to have the following set of tools and materials:
Cultivator "Tornado"
Making such a cultivator is not difficult. Its base can be made from metal pipe. It is necessary to weld steel rods to the end of the lower part of the pipe, thereby forming a square shape. After this, the rods are bent in a spiral direction, and the ends are sharpened.
As an alternative, you can use a bicycle handlebar as a lever, and instead of a metal handle, install a shovel shaft. This will save you a lot of money own strength while working.
Such a device is designed for digging out various roots at great depths, for preparing holes for planting trees, etc. It can be used as an electrophoresis for cultivating the soil with your own hands.
How to make a flat cutter
Many people are looking for a cultivator for weeding. You can make such a weeding machine yourself. Used as a basis for the frame profile pipe made of metal or steel. This base must be made of 2 parts. You need to weld at an angle of 30 degrees. A wheel fork made of a steel pipe or plate 3 millimeters thick is welded to the frame. The wheel itself can either be made independently or purchased. The steering wheel must be made of 2 steel pipes, fixed to the frame.
The horizontal part of the frame is an adapter for the cutting attachment. Then you need to install a knife, which is made from steel tape 2-3 millimeters thick. Then the knives are sharpened. The sharpening angle can be changed or adjustable knives can be installed. If there is an old bicycle on the farm, then all the spare parts can be taken from it. Because of large diameter The bicycle wheels move very easily when working. The knife is made in the form of an inverted letter “P”, or T-shape. It should be noted that a T-shaped knife must be used very carefully between rows, as there is a possibility of spoiling the harvest.
A special subtype of the flat cutter is the design with forks. This device has several knives that are attached to a fork. It is made of steel rods, and they, in turn, are curved in a special way.
For such a device you also need to make knives self made with your own hands. Drawings of these devices can be found in various thematic forums and blogs.
The design has a fairly easy movement. A similar device can be used by both a fragile girl and a small child. Loosening occurs on top level, but the roots of the weeds are practically not cut off. To do this, you need to choose what is more important: high-quality loosening or removing pests from the soil.
Although such a device is called a plow, its intended purpose is contradicted. It does not have the classic properties of a plow. Even two people are not enough to work with such a tool. He is more of a classic cultivator. The device resembles a flat cutter, but an additional traction handle is installed.
Such a structure is handled by one person from the front, who acts as a traction force. And the second, the operator, controls the process of cultivating the land. It is impossible to use such a device without a co-pilot.
It is important to note that such a tool is not suitable for plowing soil for two reasons. The first is that a normal plow turns over layers of soil, but the device only loosens it. In addition, human power alone is not enough for normal plowing of the land.
Rotary or star
Making such a device is not a difficult task. To make the structure, you need 5-7 stars, which will serve as knives, strung onto the axle. These knives can be either straight or curved to the sides. After cultivating the soil with such a tool, it is recommended to walk between the rows and a flat cutter. A combination of two models is also possible, when the stars are first used in the design, and then a flat cutter is used for the final stage. This can significantly save the worker’s strength and energy. Since the stars perform the function of wheels in the design, an additional axle is not needed.
Working with such a tool is quite difficult, so only a physically trained person can handle it. In such a garden structure, you can install wheels of the same diameter instead of stars. In this case, you will get a good weeding hiller.
Cultivator "Hedgehogs"
For the base you need to prepare a powerful fork made of steel strip. In front of the tool there is a working axis with attachments. They need to be made from pieces of pipe onto which steel rods with pointed tips are welded. Actually, that's where the name comes from.
Loosening is carried out by lightly shaking the soil and piercing it, but the weeds remain in place, especially their roots. The main advantage of this subtype is the easy movement of the tool. Inter-row passage is carried out almost effortlessly.
Just like in the star model, in the “hedgehog” design you can additionally install a flat cutter for last stage cultivation of the land, with the help of which all weeds are removed. For the handle, you can use either a shovel stick or a bicycle handlebar. This steering wheel can be used in front of you or behind you.
For the first option, you need to drive the hedgehog attachment itself into the ground with its own weight. This process is quite labor intensive. For the second case, you need to make the working part heavier. Nevertheless, it is much easier for them to work, despite excess weight. In such work, you can listen to the advice of your parents. They are familiar with such tools personally. In past manual designs were used very often, since there were no mechanized means at all.
Important nuances when working
When performing any work in the workshop, it is necessary to comply with all safety measures. It is very important to protect your eyes when welding, regardless of the type of welding.
Using arc welding The danger can come not only from the light from the arc, but also from the breaking off steel at the site of the newly formed seam. Moreover, the seam can break off on its own and be thrown over a long distance.
Tapping the hot seam will also bad idea, because the hardened steel It can get not only into your eyes, but also into your collar or hair. Therefore, these places need to be closed first.
When working with electric welding, you must have gloves and a protective helmet, since the work takes place at high temperatures. You should also avoid combining oxygen and oil, since this is an explosive mixture and a spark is not needed for detonation.
Making a manual soil loosener with your own hands will cost much less than its factory-made counterparts. The cost will be higher when the design includes mechanized and additional means and “gadgets”.
By making an inter-row homemade product, you can not only save money, but also get the opportunity to design it for your personal needs. This will allow you to achieve maximum convenience when working with such a tool.
Therefore, even such simple products, like a “hedgehog” or a cultivator from a bicycle, can significantly reduce labor costs during work. This process will be unique and very convenient.
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:
- Disks are mounted and secured onto a metal pin.
- A pin with sharp disks is attached to a solid wooden or metal axle.
- 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:
- 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.
- The fork teeth are shaped using a hammer. That is, they simply twist them in a spiral.
- 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:
- 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.
- The handles of the device should be longer than the bicycle handlebars. They are constructed from pipes and attached to a frame.
- The fastenings must be stationary, each of them is tightly bolted.
- 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:
- Convex disks are welded to bushings mounted on the axle.
- You need to secure the axle in the brackets using a cotter pin.
- The pipe with handles and crossbar passes through a large bracket.
- 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:
- First, the main parts are made and fastened, then a frame is made for them. The dimensions depend on the materials you use.
- A gearbox with a transmission mechanism is welded to the engine body.
- Blades are attached to the output shaft of the gearbox. You can use sharpened and fastened car springs or any other metal.
- The engine is attached to a frame made of angles with clamps and bolts.
- There should be an axle along the central axis with wheels on the sides.
- 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.
