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Gardeners have come up with many different devices to make cultivating the land easier. Some inventions have already been put on the conveyor belt and are being produced en masse. Such tools include a miracle shovel, which allows you to manually dig up a garden without back pain.
The principle of operation of the miracle tool
The diagram presented shows what components the miracle shovel consists of. Now let's look at how it works:
- To start digging the garden, the handle of the tool is placed strictly vertically. Together with it, the teeth of the working forks acquire the same position. A person needs to stand with his foot on the stop or the upper bridge of the working forks and press with his body.
- When the teeth are completely pierced into the ground, the handle of the shovel is pulled back towards itself. Through a lever mechanism, working forks lift a layer of soil, pushing it through the teeth of a stationary upper stop. At this time, loosening of the soil occurs.
- Next, the miracle shovel for digging the earth is moved back to an area that has not yet been processed, and all actions are repeated.
Summer residents do not always buy such a tool, because it is easy to make it yourself. This project does not require complex drafting.Simply, guided by the diagram, you need to understand the essence of the miracle shovel, and then weld it from metal, selecting the dimensions to suit your requirements.
Varieties of miracle shovels
The design and principle of operation of different miracle shovels is almost the same. There are only some modifications to the design. Let's look at a few examples of such a tool:
- The classic soil ripper is a miracle shovel made of one segment. The tool consists of a working fork with a back stop. This shovel allows you to increase labor productivity with minimal fatigue, but it does not completely break clods of earth due to the absence of a second stationary segment with teeth. After digging, the soil will have to be further broken up with a rake. The classic tool is suitable for working on constantly cultivated black soil. In this case, it is desirable that the worker’s weight is within 80 kg.
- The classic shovel is imperfect, since when digging out solid clods of earth, they are not loosened. After some modifications, the tool now has a second segment. A striking example is the shovel called Plowman. In fact, it is a soil loosener. The length of the teeth of the working forks does not exceed 25 cm. They are usually made 10–15 cm long. The working forks lift the top layer of earth, breaking it against the teeth of the second stationary segment. The plowman is not designed to dig up virgin soil. The effectiveness of the tool is observed when the working person weighs from 60 kg.
- A shovel called the Mole has a similar device. A distinctive feature is the back stop. If the Plowman has a T-shaped one, then the Mole has an arc-shaped emphasis. The second stationary segment with teeth is different. Here the front stop is raised. The length of the mole's teeth is at least 25 cm.This allows you to dig deep. Due to the great depth of digging, it is difficult to work with a Mole, especially on clayey and grass-overgrown lands.
On sale you can find a Tornado shovel or a similar miracle tool without a name. They all have approximately the same drawings and dimensions. They can only differ in the length of the teeth and minor modifications to the body.
Making your own classic ripper
The photo shows a drawing of a miracle shovel with your own hands from one segment. The tool consists of working forks. The efficiency and ease of work depends on the extension of the stop. The longer it is, the harder it will be to dig the ground. However, the advance step depends on the length of the stop. The optimal size is considered to be a stop 15–20 cm long, but it all depends on the physical condition of the worker.
The shovel does not have a hinge mechanism or a second stationary segment. Because of this, the design is easier to manufacture. Although it is more difficult to work with a classic ripper than with a shovel consisting of two segments.
Making a classic shovel with your own hands is quite simple. The only difficult thing here is giving the teeth a special shape, as shown in the diagram. Due to these bends, the force is evenly distributed on the pins and it is easier for a person to dig. The teeth are made of hardened steel. It is optimal to use the services of a forge or, as a last resort, find fittings. The body itself is welded from a round or square pipe. The rod cannot be used for these purposes, as the tool will become too heavy to lift.
Self-production of a shovel from two segments
It is more difficult to make a miracle shovel with your own hands from two segments.But such a tool is more effective and easier to work with. The structure can be welded according to the Plowman or Mole scheme. This is the owner's personal preference. The photo below shows and numbered all the main parts of the shovel. Guided by this diagram, we will look at how to make a miracle tool at home:
- Let's start with the frame. Its width does not need to be more than 50 cm. Due to the large area of soil covered, the speed of digging will decrease due to rapid fatigue of the worker. The optimal width of the working forks is 35–40 cm. It is better to bend the frame from a square steel pipe.
- When bending the frame, you need to remember that the front stop bars are its continuation. In the diagram they are indicated by the number 1. A cross member is welded to the side elements. The teeth of the second stationary part of the fork, indicated by the number 2, will be attached to it. The result is a main frame on which all the shovel components will be assembled.
- The back stop, indicated by the number 3, is welded to the frame at an angle of approximately 100O. It is made a couple of centimeters wider from the working forks. The support must be strong, since the main load falls on it when lifting a layer of earth with a pitchfork. The shape of the stop depends on personal preference. You can make a T-shaped structure using the Mole principle, as shown in the diagram. This option is considered lightweight. If you like the shape of the Plowman’s stop, then an arc is bent from the pipe, resembling the letter P.
- To make working forks, indicated by the number 4, take a piece of square pipe. A piece of round pipe with a diameter of 50 mm for a wooden handle is welded in the center. The working forks are a movable element, therefore they are attached to the common frame with a bracket marked with the number 5. The connecting unit consists of two parts: one is welded to the frame, and the other to the socket for the handle.For the manufacture of the bracket, sheet steel with a thickness of about 5 mm is used. The two elements are connected with a regular bolt, but not tightly tightened so that the working forks can move.
- To make the pins of the working forks, marked with the number 6, rods are taken from hardened steel. One end of the teeth is sharpened at an angle of 30O, and the other edge is welded to a square pipe with a connecting movable unit. For better loosening of the soil, the pins are bent at an angle of about 150O. The teeth of the second stationary forks are made from reinforcement. There is no need to sharpen the edges. The pins are welded to the cross member of the main frame. There should be 1 more working fork teeth. The distance between the pins depends on the width of the frame, but not less than 100 mm.
- After connecting the two elements, a wooden handle is inserted into the welded section of the round pipe. Its length should be slightly below the chin of a working person. A T-shaped crossbar is attached to the top of the handle. If desired, the handle of the miracle shovel can be made U-shaped. Then two pieces of round pipe are welded to the working fork bar at the edges. Two cuttings are inserted into them, and connected on top with a jumper. In the photo, the U-shaped handle is shown as number 3.
To make it convenient for different people to work with a homemade miracle shovel, the back stop and the handle must be made with length adjustment. Here you need to show your imagination. You can cut inserts from the pipe and drill holes for the cotter pins.
Watch the video to see how to make a miracle shovel:
Reviews
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