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The issue of demand for a lawn mower arises in the summer among summer residents and owners of private yards with a large surrounding area. Nowadays, buying a tool for trimming green vegetation is not particularly difficult. But craftsmen always try to get out of the situation themselves. In a short time, a lawn mower can be assembled with your own hands from an old electric motor and other improvised means.
Construction of homemade lawn mowers
To mow your small yard, you don’t need to buy expensive equipment. There are two solutions here:
- purchase a mechanical lawn mower;
- make your own electric or gasoline unit.
The first option is simpler, but requires a lot of effort. After all, a mechanical mower constantly needs to be pushed by hand.
A self-made unit with an electric or gasoline engine also needs to be pushed by hand, but the process of mowing grass is easier and faster. However, here you also need to find the optimal solution for yourself. An electric motor is easier to find. It can be removed from old household appliances: vacuum cleaner, washing machine, fan.However, a lawnmower with an electric motor is constantly tied to the outlet and the cord will drag behind it all the time.
The gasoline engine can be removed from the chainsaw. Such a mower will be mobile and powerful. The disadvantage is the constant preparation of the fuel mixture for a two-stroke engine, strong noise and exhaust gases.
The basis of a homemade lawn mower is a steel sheet with a thickness of at least 3 mm, welded to a frame made of metal corners. A motor is mounted on top of this platform, and a knife is installed below. A U-shaped handle is welded to the mower frame. Four wheels are mounted under the platform.
If the choice for homemade equipment falls on an electric motor, then you need to know the design features of this equipment. Electric motors come in flange-mounted and foot-mounted types. The first option is the most successful for a lawn mower. The flange is located at the end of the engine. That is, it is placed vertically on the frame. The working shaft protrudes perpendicular to the ground. All that remains is to simply put a knife on it.
When using a foot-mounted electric motor, it will have to be mounted horizontally. Then, to transmit torque to the knife, you will have to design a pulley system. This motor can also be installed vertically. In this case, you need to weld two stands to the steel platform of the mower and bolt the engine feet to them.
Mechanical lawn mowers
A mechanical lawn mower has the simplest device. The basis of the technique is the body. There is a knife system installed inside. Two wheels and a working handle are attached to the body. There is no engine in a mechanical mower. The movement occurs due to the pushing efforts of the operator. As the mower moves, the blades begin to rotate, cutting the grass.
Now let's take a closer look at all the components of a mechanical mower:
- The mower blades are assembled into a block. It consists of one fixed and a set of moving elements. The fixed blade must lie close to the lawn, so it is attached to the lower part of the body. The movable blades are twisted in a spiral and fixed to the drum. This entire mechanism rotates on an axis. Mechanical mowers are often called spindle or cylinder mowers. There is not much difference here. It's just that the name comes from the drum. The fixed blade is made of harder steel than the moving parts. During rotation, the knives come into contact and they sharpen themselves. However, this option is only suitable for contact-type lawn mower units. For a mower with a contactless unit, the gap between the fixed and moving blades is about 0.05 mm. The blades themselves are not sharpened, but the mechanism moves through the grass easier and makes less noise.
- The wheel diameter is calculated by the manufacturer based on the size of the mechanical lawn mower. This takes into account the width, as well as the tread pattern, which prevents slipping on the grass. The rotation speed of the knife block depends on the wheels.
- The handle is usually made foldable to make the mower easier to transport.
- The body of a mechanical mower covers the blades. It can be made of plastic or steel.
The tool works very simply. A man pushes the mower in front of him with the handle. The rotation of the wheels sets the blade block in motion. Here it is worth noting another important detail. The knives rotate several times faster than the wheels. This happens due to the boost gearbox. Its gears transmit torque from the wheels to the drum.
Rotating blades grab green vegetation, press it against a stationary element, resulting in a cut.
All mechanical lawn mowers are designed almost the same. Depending on the model, the cutting width can range from 30–40 cm. The cutting height varies from 12 to 55 mm. The adjustment occurs smoothly or in steps, which usually range from 3 to 7 pieces. 4 or 5 movable blades are installed on the drum. The weight of the instrument is in the range of 6–10 kg.
Self-assembly of a mower from an old washing machine
When making a lawn mower from a washing machine with your own hands, it means using only an electric motor along with a starting relay and a capacitor. It is desirable that the motor power be at least 180 W.
Wheels for the mower will fit from a cart or baby stroller. As a last resort, you can cut them out yourself from thick textolite, and cut a seat for bearings in the center. The diameter of the wheels is selected so that the height of the knife from the ground is about 5 cm. Although, this distance can be maintained by securing the chassis to racks. It is advisable to install 4 wheels. You can get by with three, but it will be more difficult to control such a mower. You can get a maneuverable lawn mower on two wheels, but you will need to get used to such a unit.
For the platform, the best option is a steel sheet measuring 30x50 cm. Sometimes craftsmen, in the absence of this material, assemble a wooden shield from boards.
To make a knife, select steel that is hard but not brittle. If you have a used wood saw on the farm, it will make a good cutting element.
Now let's look at how to make a lawn mower with your own hands from selected materials:
- We start making a lawn mower with the frame. It is welded from a corner with a section of 40x40 mm. The axles for the wheels are fixed at the bottom. A ready-made chassis from a baby stroller or trolley will greatly simplify the task. It can be used as a frame to attach a steel sheet platform.
- The handle is bent into a “P” shape from a round steel pipe with a diameter of 15–20 mm. For hand comfort, you can stretch a rubber hose over the top of the tube. The handle is welded to the frame. To prevent it from breaking off, the joints are reinforced with gussets made from pieces of steel sheet.
- A hole is drilled in the center of the platform from a steel sheet. Its diameter is made arbitrarily several millimeters larger than the thickness of the electric motor shaft.
- A protective grille is bolted to the bottom of the platform. It is needed for safety in case the knife spontaneously flies off the shaft. The gap between the grille and the cutting element is maintained at about 1 cm. A gap of at least 2 cm must be maintained to the ground.
- The electric motor is placed vertically on the platform, inserting the shaft into the prepared hole. The motor is secured with a bolt connection. A sharpened knife is put on the shaft and firmly clamped with a nut. A long electrical cable is connected to the motor. To wind it on the frame you will have to weld a couple of pins. Alternatively, the wire from the motor can be brought out short with a plug, and the connection to the electrical network can be made through a long carrier.
The blade of a homemade lawn mower must first be turned by hand.If it doesn’t cling anywhere, you can try plugging it in and start mowing the grass.
