In the past few years, there has been a high increase in prices for agricultural and horticultural equipment. It is this factor that forces many gardeners to take radical measures and create home-made lawn mowers, walk -behind tractors and other devices. In today's article, we will talk about one of the varieties of these devices and learn how to make a wood shredder with your own hands.
The benefits of homemade technology
Despite the fact that the design of such units is far behind the appearance of factory analogues, in terms of functionality, this technique is in no way inferior to that made on the conveyor. The whole “trick” is that when creating a homemade grinder, a person selects for her exactly those characteristics that are needed to process a specific amount of material. And if in the case of factory units it is not always possible to guess with power and other parameters, then here you yourself can choose how productive your equipment will be. If you prepare a drawing in advance and think it over carefully, you will end up with a machine that is ideally suited to your garden plot. Knowing the volumes of recyclable waste, its size and hardness, you will make the most practical and functional wood shredder with your own hands. And the performance of the device will depend on the engine power, the type of knives and the size of the chopping drum.
Preparation for work
Without which element you can not do a branch chopper with your own hands? The drawing is, of course, here is the main detail, without which it is impossible to create the correct design of the apparatus and the placement of all units in it. Therefore, the first thing you need to take a sheet of paper, a pencil and at least sketchy depict the future model of your equipment. At the same time, such parameters as the length, width and height of parts are mandatory when designing such devices. In addition, in a separate notebook, calculate the number and list of all necessary metal products and parts, as well as the total number of steel, which will serve as the basis for the design on the grinder.
What else should you pay attention to? When making a chopper diagram, also indicate the location of the holes for the mounting bolts, consider the placement of the engine and the drum. In addition, indicate where the support posts, wheels and drive belt tensioners will be mounted.
Make special emphasis on the support platform of the unit. It is on its area and dimensions that the stability of the entire equipment will depend.
Choose an engine for a grass and branch chopper
After drawing up the drawing, it is necessary to purchase all the parts required for work. It is best to start with the "heart" of the unit, that is, the engine. The chopper performance and the costs of its operation as a whole depend on what type of motor you choose. There are two options for choosing an engine: buying a gasoline or electric unit. Each of them has its pros and cons. For example, a gasoline engine can be operated over long distances, regardless of where the outlet is located (as opposed to an electric one). However, the electric version has its advantages - it is more environmentally friendly (there are no exhaust gases, which does not harm human health), it is less noisy. The gas engine will make noise all over the street, and all neighbors will know about its work.
Frame
Having decided on the type of engine, you can begin to create the basis of the grinder - the frame. All other important parts and assemblies, such as an engine, a hopper for loading recyclable waste and a chopping drum, will be mounted on it.
The frame itself is made of a metal pipe of square cross section measuring 50 x 50 millimeters. This profile is cut into 6 parts, 4 of which should have a length of 40 centimeters, and the rest 2 - 80 cm. After that, you will need a welding machine and a pack of electrodes. Using this device, short pipe sections are welded to the ends of long workpieces perpendicularly. You need to make the design of the frame so that in the end you get a rectangular frame of channels. The remaining two profiles are mounted inside this frame. The distance from the extreme crossbars for these two pipes should correspond to the installation dimensions of the internal combustion engine and the chopping drum. After that, a metal sheet 5 millimeters thick (one end of the frame) is welded to a homemade grinder. In it, elongated holes are made. Again, their dimensions correspond to the installation dimensions of the motor and drum.
Next, 4 legs with a height of 500 millimeters each are welded to the branch chopper with their own hands. To achieve structural strength, metal profiles of 20 x 20 millimeters are attached to them.
Mounting the engine and tensioning mechanism
The motor is attached to the elongated mounting holes of the plate with bolts and nuts. Along with it, a tension mechanism is installed. It consists of a corner and 2 bolts. At both ends of the corners, holes are drilled into which the bolts are inserted. They are attached to the near ICE screws. Thanks to this, the tension mechanism firmly "sits" on the frame.
About the chopping drum
At the last stage, a homemade branch shredder is equipped with a device for processing material. This unit is called a chopping drum. This part is mounted on the opposite end of the frame relative to the placement of the engine. It is made from a pipe segment of 400 x 300 centimeters. A metal plate is attached to the end of the cylinder, in which several holes are made for mounting the shaft on bearings. Bottom and top of this part also cut several rectangular windows for loading material. Entrance - 100 x 15 millimeters, output - 20 x 30 millimeters.
4 fixing legs are installed to the bottom of the drum with a welding machine. Holes are made on them and on the frame, after which the entire grinding mechanism is tightly bolted to the frame. Next, do-it-yourself knives should be installed on the branch chopper with your own hands. They are fixed on a steel shaft to two disks. Holes are also made on the latter. 3 knives are mounted on the shaft, after which it is inserted at the end of the casing. Bearings with bearing caps are mounted on its ends. The latter are bolted to the casing. At this stage, the question of how to make a homemade chopper with your own hands can be considered closed.