Content
A lot of equipment has been invented for gardening in the country. Nowadays, probably no one does mowing the grass, cultivating the land, or cutting down trees by hand. Equipment is purchased depending on the volume of work. To cultivate a small garden, it is enough to acquire a light walk-behind tractor. If you have more than 1 hectare of arable land plus a garden and meadow, you need to purchase a mini-tractor for your dacha, which will additionally become an assistant at a home construction site. This universal equipment will help you clear the area of snow in winter, dig a pit, and also perform many other tasks.
A variety of mini tractors
The modern market offers a wide variety of mini tractors. Each model differs in design features, technical characteristics and purpose. Conventionally, this technique is divided into three groups.
Riders are machines for a specific purpose
Essentially, a rider is an analogue of a lawn mower, only with more power and larger dimensions.The equipment is intended for mowing grass. And if compared with a general-purpose mini-tractor, the rider is inferior in power and size. The unit is needed at the dacha if, instead of a vegetable garden, you have a large recreation area among picturesque nature. The rider will carefully cut the grass without crushing the lawn, help care for the garden, etc. The equipment can work with attachments. Often it comes included, but can be purchased separately. Thanks to attachments, the functionality of the machine is significantly expanded.
Mini tractors for gardening
This type of equipment will perform all garden care work. Its main advantage is its compactness, high maneuverability and the ability to work with a large number of attachments. With a mini-garden tractor you can mow grass, clear snow in winter, arrange the landscape of your summer cottage, spray plantings and other work. Even if you have a small farm on a country plot, the unit will become a reliable assistant for farming.
General purpose mini tractors
This category includes multifunctional high-power equipment. Such mini-tractors are needed at the dacha if: you have a farm, more than 1 hectare of arable land, or construction work is planned. In fact, the unit has the capabilities of a large tractor. The equipment will cope with all the work associated with cultivating the land, helping to harvest crops, dig a trench, tighten piles, transport cargo, etc.
Types of attachments
They always buy a mini-tractor for the dacha with attachments, since without these accessories you can only ride the equipment. Each owner selects the mechanism that he needs to complete the assigned tasks.In general, there are about fifty varieties of attachments. Let's see what can be useful in the country.
Cultivator
It will not be possible to cultivate the soil without this towed device. A cultivator is used to cut the beds, loosen the soil, and even apply fertilizer if there is an additional device.
Potato planter
Already from the name it is clear that the trailed mechanism is used for planting potatoes. Of course, a potato planter is not profitable for a small garden. Firstly, it is expensive. Secondly, in a small area it is difficult to turn around with it. But on a large field you can’t do without a potato planter. They come in single-row and double-row with different tank volumes for planting tubers. While moving, the potato planter itself cuts a furrow, throws potatoes into it and then buries it.
Potato digger
If you planted potatoes, you need to harvest them in the fall. For these purposes they use potato digger. There are two main types for mini-tractors: conveyor and vibration models. However, there are other homemade types of potato diggers.
Hiller
Using this mechanism, potato plantings are hilled. You can also cut furrows in the beds.
Mounted lawn mower
If you have large lawns or meadows at your dacha, and instead of a rider you have a mini-tractor, then you need to purchase a mounted lawn mower for it.By design, it can be of a chain or rotary type. The lawn mower will cope with any thickets of grass and small bushes.
Excavation Bucket
This towed device allows you to have a full-fledged excavator at your dacha. Of course, it is wise to buy a bucket if construction or a large amount of excavation work is planned.
Blade
If your suburban area or cottage has a large area, the blade will help clear the road from snow or level the ground.
Brush
Typically this device is used in conjunction with a blade. The brush helps clear snow and debris from the road. For a dacha, such attachments are not an essential item, unless, of course, you have a large cottage with 1–2 hectares of adjacent area.
Reagent spreader
Specific-purpose attachments are used to spread anti-icing agents on roads in winter. A simple summer resident does not need it. The spreader is in demand by utility services and owners of cottages with a large adjacent area.
In the video you can see another type of attachment - a sprinkler:
Deciding for what purposes a mini-tractor is needed at the dacha
Even before purchasing a mini-tractor, you need to decide on its purpose. The choice of model will depend on this. For a small summer cottage, it is not wise to buy a powerful, expensive unit. What kind of work could there be here? First of all, this means cultivating the garden, mowing the grass, working in the garden, and clearing the surrounding area of snow. Low-power equipment can easily cope with these tasks.
Pay attention to the Husqvarna brand.Lightweight and reliable mini-tractors work with a variety of attachments. Moreover, it is produced by the tractor manufacturer itself. Equipment under the MTD brand has proven itself well for work in the country. Mini tractors have an affordable price, ranging from 100–200 thousand rubles.
If you plan to do gardening at your dacha and you have more than 1 hectare of land, then you should think about buying a more powerful mini-tractor designed for cultivating large areas. Typically, such models come at the front with a hood under which the engine is located. A special feature of this technique is the quick connection and disconnection of mounted tillage equipment. Here you can pay attention to the mini-equipment from the manufacturer Kioti. Such a tractor will cope with any agricultural work and transportation of goods. However, for universal equipment the owner will have to pay about 500 thousand rubles.
Features of choosing equipment for a summer residence
Technology, like a person, has its own vagaries. You need to take this into account and immediately think about how you will use it. If you rarely visit the dacha, naturally, the mini-tractor will remain idle for a long time. Even if it is a dry garage, there may still be a problem with the difficulty of starting the engine. When purchasing a unit, you need to try to start it yourself. The engine should start quickly without any pumping of fuel, jerking of the starter and other unpleasant moments.
It is important to pay attention to the presence of an electric starter and a built-in primer. These two parts make starting the engine very easy. An electric starter is especially in demand when starting a diesel engine in winter.
In addition to suitable technical characteristics, you need to take into account the comfort of working with the equipment. After all, you can’t plow much with an inconvenient mini-tractor. While still in the store, try sitting behind the wheel. Test the seat, reach the controls with your hands, look at the instruments. It’s good if the equipment is displayed in a large area where you can ride it. If something doesn’t suit you or is inconveniently located, then it’s better to look at another model with similar characteristics.
When buying a mini-tractor, think about who will be the driver. It is more difficult for a woman or teenager to control the steering. Here you can look at the HusqvarnaCTH173 model. Even a person with disabilities can operate the tractor with easy lever control. If the unit will be operated by a healthy man, then without a doubt you should take equipment with steering.
Dimensions and weight
A dacha is not a production facility and large equipment is not needed here. It is better if the mini-tractor is compact with a small turning radius, but not at the expense of the required power. The weight of the unit is also of great importance. If the dacha is located on loose or swampy soil, then heavy equipment with thin wheels of small diameter will be heavy. It is best to choose a light tractor for such conditions with a wide tread of wheels, and it is better if they are of large diameter.
Motor power
The performance of a mini-tractor depends on the engine power. However, the more horses, the more expensive the cost of the unit. There’s no point in saving money here, but it’s also stupid to overpay for a large supply of power. It is optimal to calculate so that the equipment copes with the assigned tasks.
Well, the last thing you can pay attention to when choosing a mini-tractor for your dacha is the noise level during operation. Engine noise will annoy not only your family members, but also your neighbors. You should pay attention to this point when you start the tractor in the store.
