Content
The production of domestic motor cultivators of the “Mole” brand was established in the late 80s. The first model MK-1A was equipped with a 2.6 liter two-stroke gasoline engine. With. The launch was carried out from a rope manual starter. Initially, the equipment was intended for processing small gardens in the country and working inside a greenhouse. The modern motor cultivator Mole represents an improved model MK-1A. This equipment is already equipped with a powerful engine with forced air cooling.
Review of popular models
The approximate dimensions of the equipment are within:
- length – from 100 to 130 cm;
- width – from 35 to 81 cm;
- height – from 71 to 106 cm.
The dimensions of the Mole motor-cultivator depend on the model, and may change with improvements in technology.
Motor cultivator MK-1A
Let's start our review of Mole motor cultivators with the MK-1A model. The unit is equipped with a two-stroke carburetor engine with a power of 2.6 hp. A crank on a rope is used as a starter. A gasoline engine with a gearbox has a simple bolted connection to the frame. The fuel tank is designed for 1.8 liters. Such a small volume is due to low fuel consumption. The unit can be refueled with cheap AI-80 or A-76 gasoline.To prepare the fuel mixture, M-12TP engine oil is used. The motor cultivator weighs only 48 kg. Such equipment can be easily transported to the dacha by car.
All control elements of the motor cultivator are located on the handles, namely:
- clutch lever;
- throttle control lever;
- carburetor throttle control lever.
The Mole MK-1A model is capable of working with attachments. The motorized cultivator is used for watering, mowing grass, cultivating the soil and caring for plantings.
Motor-cultivator Mole 2 with reverse
A special feature of the design is that the Mole motor-cultivator has reverse and a powerful engine. This allows the consumer to get a real walk-behind tractor for little money. The unit is powered by a Honda GX200 four-stroke gasoline engine with a power of 6.5 liters. With. Mole 2 has electronic ignition, a power take-off shaft, and a 3.6-liter gasoline tank. Torque from the engine to the chassis is transmitted by a belt drive.
Among other motor cultivators with similar characteristics, this Mole model ranks first in reliability. Such indicators were achieved thanks to a powerful single-cylinder engine and a trouble-free gearbox. The motor life of the engine is 3500 hours. This is quite a lot compared to the old models of the Mole motor-cultivator, whose service life reached up to 400 hours.
The power of a motorized cultivator with reverse gear is enough to cover an area 1 m wide with cutters.The operating instructions from the manufacturer's plant state that the Krot 2 motor-cultivator is capable of expanding its functionality through the use of attachments. Thus, equipment can become a snow blower or mower, a vehicle for transporting cargo, or a machine for performing many agricultural jobs.
In the video we offer you to watch a review of the Mole motor cultivator:
Operating manual for motor cultivator Mole
So, we found out that the modern Mole motor-cultivator has almost all the functions of a walk-behind tractor. Now let's take a look at what the operating manual for the equipment in question says:
- The direct purpose of a motor cultivator is to plow the land. This is done using cutters that are mounted on the gearbox shafts. Transport wheels are raised when plowing. A coulter is attached to the rear of the trailing bracket. It is used as a brake and also to adjust the depth of tillage. The motor cultivator moves due to the rotation of the cutters, while simultaneously loosening the soil occurs. The unit comes with two internal and external cutters. The first type is used on rough soil and virgin soil. Light soil is loosened with both cutters, and you can add a third set. It is purchased separately. As a result, you get three cutters on each side, and there are 6 of them in total. Eight cutters cannot be installed on the Mole motor cultivator due to the increased load on the motor and transmission.
- When weeding weed carry out re-equipment of the mechanism.On internal cutters, the knives are removed and weeders are installed instead. These parts are recognized by their L-shape. External cutters are replaced with discs. They are also sold separately. The discs are needed to protect plants, preventing them from falling under the weed. If weeding is carried out on potatoes, then preliminary hilling can be done at the same time. To do this, the rear-mounted coulter is replaced with a hiller.
- When you need to hill up potatoes, cutters are not needed. They are removed from the gearbox shaft, and steel wheels with welded lugs are installed in this place. The hiller remains in its place where the coulter used to be.
- When harvesting potatoes, the same metal lugs are used, and at the back of the motor-cultivator, the coulter is replaced with a potato digger. This type of attachment is available in different modifications, but fan models are usually purchased for cultivators.
- Plowing the land can be done not only with cutters, but also with a plow. It is attached to the back of the unit in place of the coulter. The steel wheels stay in place.
- The unit can be used for haymaking. You just need to buy a mower and attach it to the front of the unit. Rubber wheels are put on the gearbox shafts. Torque transmission is provided by belts placed on the pulleys of the Mole motor-cultivator and mowers.
- The mole is perfectly capable of replacing a pump for pumping water. You just need to purchase MNU-2 pumping equipment, fix it on the frame and connect it with a belt drive. It is important not to forget to remove the belt from the traction gearbox.
- The motor-cultivator copes well with transporting small-sized loads weighing up to 200 kg. Here you will need a trolley with a rotary coupling mechanism.You can purchase a factory-made model TM-200 or weld it yourself from metal. When transporting goods, rubber wheels are put on the gearbox shafts.
As you can see, thanks to additional equipment, the versatility of the Mole is significantly expanded.
Modernization of the MK-1A model
If you have an old Mole model, do not rush to throw it away. Why then overpay when buying a new cultivator for the frame, gearbox and other parts if you already have them. You can get by by simply replacing the motor.
The old engine can be replaced with a four-stroke LIFAN - 160F. The Chinese engine is not expensive, plus it has a power of 4 hp. With. According to the passport of the MK-1A motor-cultivator, when cultivating the soil with cutters to a depth of 20 cm, you need to add speed. There is no need to do this with a new engine. Even with the increase in engine power, the processing depth has changed, and now it reaches 30 cm. You should not count on a greater depth, as the belt will begin to slip.
Installing a new motor on an old frame is not difficult. All fastenings are practically suitable. The only difficulty is that the original pulley will need to be altered. It is removed from the old motor, an internal hole is drilled to match the diameter of the shaft of the new engine, and then installed using a key.
If, when removing the pulley, it accidentally cracks, do not rush to run for a new one. You can try to restore it using cold welding. How to do this is best explained in the video:
The mole is considered not a bad technique for a small area, but you shouldn’t require it to perform extremely complex tasks. For these purposes, there are heavy walk-behind tractors and mini-tractors.
