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If you plan to transport goods with a walk-behind tractor, then you cannot do without a trailer. Manufacturers offer a huge selection of bodies from simple models to dump trucks. However, their cost is quite high. If you have the ability to perform welding work, a trailer for DIY walk-behind tractor can be done at minimal cost.
Types of trailers
The walk-behind tractor is a piece of equipment with limited traction force. You cannot thoughtlessly attach any trailer to it and load it as much as the height of the sides of the body allows. First of all, the choice of trailer for a walk-behind tractor is carried out according to size and load capacity:
- Lightweight walk-behind tractors are equipped with a motor with a power of up to 5 hp. With. For such units, the optimal trailer dimensions are: width – 1 m, length – 1.15 m. Maximum load capacity – up to 300 kg. The price of such factory-made trailers ranges from 200 USD. e.
- The middle class of walk-behind tractors is most in demand by private owners. This technique is already powered by a motor with a power of more than 5 liters. With. Trailers with a width of 1 m and a length of up to 1.5 m are suitable here. In the store, their cost ranges from 250 USD. e.
- Professional heavy-duty walk-behind tractors are equipped with motors with a power of 8 horsepower or more. The equipment is capable of supporting a trailer with a width of 1.2 m and a length of 2 to 3 m. Such dimensions require strong support, which is explained by the presence of two axles. The price of factory-made trailers starts from 500 USD. e. When transporting goods, you cannot “squeeze” everything that it can out of the walk-behind tractor. Severe overload causes engine overheating, accompanied by rapid wear of working parts.
The choice of trailers according to the type of design has a greater influence on the comfort of use:
- The cheapest to purchase and easiest to manufacture are models with a unibody body. The sides are permanently fixed to the bottom and cannot be opened during unloading.
- The best option in terms of price/ease of manufacture is a trailer with folding sides. Moreover, on the body it can open only one rear one or together with the side ones. Such models are very convenient when transporting large cargo, the main thing is that their weight does not exceed the permissible limit.
- Dump trucks are more expensive and more difficult to manufacture, but they are convenient for unloading bulk cargo.
Knowing what types of trailers there are, you can think about a more suitable option for yourself.
Design features of trailers related to their carrying capacity
Before purchasing a trailer, you need to take into account that it is attached to the walk-behind tractor with a drawbar using a special towing device. Factory-made units have a coupling mechanism. On a homemade model, you will have to make the trailer to the walk-behind tractor yourself.
When choosing a model, you need to take into account design features related to load capacity:
- Dump trucks designed for high load capacity are always manufactured with two axles, plus they are equipped with hydraulics.
- Single-axle dump trucks designed for light load capacity have a manual body tilt. To do this, it is placed on a frame with a shifted center of gravity.
- Any type of trailer designed for a load capacity of more than 350 kg is equipped with a mechanical brake. When driving with a large load, it will not be possible to stop the walk-behind tractor using its original brake alone.
After familiarizing yourself with all the nuances of the device, you can go to the store or start making your own trailer.
Self-production of a trailer for a walk-behind tractor
For craftsmen and technology enthusiasts, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the guide on how to make a trailer for a walk-behind tractor from materials available on the farm. Let's take a uniaxial model as an example.
Development of drawings
When making a trailer for a walk-behind tractor, you will definitely need drawings. They can be found ready-made. The photo shows a diagram with the dimensions of a single-axle trailer. You can take it as a standard or search the Internet for other drawings and then modify them.
The diagram should show all the structural components, as well as methods of fastening the elements. It's good when you know how to draw drawings yourself. Then you will be able to make just such a trailer that will be comfortable to work with.
Frame and body manufacturing
The frame is the basis of trailers for walk-behind tractors. The wheelset and the body itself are attached to it. Only metal is used to make it.The frame is assembled in the following order:
- The frame grill itself is welded from a profile pipe with a cross-section of 60x30 mm. To give it rigidity, at least five cross members are welded.
- At the corners of the rectangular grille, racks from pieces of pipe are welded. The sides will be attached to them.
- Below, under the grille, two racks for the wheel axle and a drawbar are welded.
- The side frames are welded from a corner with a section of 25x25 mm. Their further attachment to the posts on the grille depends on the selected body type. The frames of the opening sides are secured with hinges, and the stationary ones are simply welded to the posts and lattice elements.
As a result, you should have a frame as shown in the presented drawing.
Wheelset installation
Two racks for the wheelset were welded to the bottom of the frame. Now you need to attach the axle to them. You can remove it ready-made from a passenger car or make it yourself. The second option will require hubs, bearings, wheels with discs. It is better to make the axis itself from a steel rod with a diameter of at least 30 mm. The principle of assembling the wheelset can be seen in the photo.
Body trim
When the skeleton of the trailer is already on wheels, you can begin to sheathe the body. The choice of material for these works is small. Only two options are suitable: boards or sheet metal. As for wood, such a body will not be durable. Boards can be protected from dampness by impregnation and painting, but during loading and unloading operations the possibility of their damage cannot be ruled out.
The best option is sheet steel. To make the bottom of the body, you will need metal with a thickness of at least 3 mm. The sides can be sheathed with iron with a thickness of 1 mm. Some craftsmen have adapted corrugated sheets for these purposes.
The combined body will be quite good.Sheet steel is still used for the bottom, and the sides are sheathed with boards 15 mm thick. There is even an option for making removable stripes. With four panels of boards you can quickly build up the sides when you need to transport a light but large load in a trailer.
The video shows an example of making a dump truck trailer for a walk-behind tractor:
Making a trailer hitch
So, in our design the only thing left unfinished is the drawbar. It is necessary to organize a unit that will couple the walk-behind tractor with the trailer. Each factory-made unit has a special unit for installing a plow and other attachments. The trailer is connected here. There is no such unit on homemade products, so you will have to do the manufacturing of the towbar for the walk-behind tractor yourself.
The photo shows an example of coupling a trailer drawbar with a standard tow hitch made in the form of a bracket. The two elements are fixed with a steel finger. A similar bracket can be installed on a homemade walk-behind tractor. Then it will be possible to install a plow, harrow and other factory-made equipment.
The next coupling option is represented by a movable connection. The tee of the towing mechanism is fixed at one end inside the bushing on bearings. The structure is welded to the drawbar and connected to the walk-behind tractor with the same steel pin.
Such a rotating hitch will not work for a plow and most other implements, but the trailer will be ideal for varying on uneven roads. The drawbar will rotate due to the bearings, which will relieve the hitch from deformation.
The video demonstrates a coupling option for the MTZ walk-behind tractor:
Conclusion
At this point, almost all work on assembling the trailer is completed. All that remains is to equip the driver's seat.It is attached to the drawbar or placed in the body. It all depends on the length of the towbar, because it is necessary that the operator of the walk-behind tractor has easy access to the control handles.
