What to make of and how to assemble a grain crusher yourself

Housekeeping is often associated with the need to prepare food for animals and poultry. The basis of the diet is grain, but whole grains are not suitable. It needs to be crushed.

Many people purchase industrial grain crushers for such tasks, but their price is sometimes steep. This forces us to look for alternative solutions and assemble them ourselves.

In practice it's not that difficult. Especially when you have the right old household appliances, a set of tools and ingenuity at your disposal.

Design Features

A grain crusher is like a coffee grinder enlarged 10-20 times.

But the difference between one and the other machine lies in some parameters.

• Unlike a coffee grinder, a grain crusher grinds grain not into a fine, powder-like powder, but into a coarse-grained substance.
• The grain crusher is capable of grinding tens of kilograms of grain in one grinding session.
• The more grain you need to grind, the longer the device works. For example, to satisfy the monthly demands of a chicken coop in which, say, 20 chickens lay eggs every day, more than one hundred kilograms of grain will be required. To grind 10 buckets of the same wheat or oats, it will take at least one and a half hours of operation of the unit.

The design of the grain crusher includes a number of components.

• Protective housing – made of metals, plastic and/or composite.
• A support that is permanently installed in a specific location or removable (portable).
• Bracket adjustable with nut and bolt.
• The second base has a softener in the form of a rubber “shoe”.
• A pair of engines and the same number of sets of pulleys with a diameter of 6 cm. They are equipped with mortise bolts and keys.
• Seals that soften vibration from motor shafts.
• Knives that chop grain and grass. Both chopped ingredients are the basis of compound feed.
• A funnel with a lid into which unground grain is poured. The second funnel allows the crushed raw materials to be poured into a previously prepared container.
• Frog type lock.
• Removable gratings that allow fractions of different sizes to pass through.
• Rubberized wheel.

Each of the above components can be easily and simply installed on an old washing machine.

A grain crusher made from an activator washing machine (or automatic machine) is a device that has the highest performance and capacity compared to similar ones made from other electrical appliances.

Components selected and/or made by hand must be compatible with the overall dimensions of the final device.

No one will install knives that are several times smaller in diameter into the tank for an activator washing machine - the operation of such a device would become extremely ineffective. A volume of grain that would normally be ground in 20 minutes would take an hour or an hour and a half with reduced knives. In other words, the homemade device is physically balanced.

Similar to the device of a coffee grinder, in a grain crusher the knives, combined with the shafts of electric motors, immediately start when the device is connected to the household lighting network. They finely chop small branches, seeds and grass. The crushed raw materials fall on a sieve, which removes husks and small debris. What has been filtered passes into the container through a funnel, collecting in it.

Types of home grain crushers - classification of units

The design of any household crusher is distinguished by its simplicity and small dimensions. However, each such model is characterized by sufficiently high productivity, allowing it to process large batches of material in a fairly short time.

Based on the operating principle, grain grinding machines are divided into several types. These include:

• Hammer machine - in its design, the grinding elements are mounted on a rotor that rotates inside the receiving hopper;
• Impact crusher - the working chambers of units of this type are made of durable metal, which guarantees high reliability of the machine. The grinding elements strike the walls of the hopper, thereby crushing the grain. In this case, the crushing elements will hit the walls until the grain turns into the smallest fractions;
• Disc machine - in a similar design, the crushing knives are fixed on the shaft by means of special disks;
• Roller crusher - it can both crush and grind grain. The main elements for this design are corrugated rollers. They effectively process only wet material. Dry grain must first be moistened in water.

Crushers used at home are also divided according to the type of drive. Based on this feature, the following machines are distinguished:

• A manual crusher is the simplest device, which requires time and effort from the owner to operate. This unit grinds the material into a coarse product, which can later be used to feed adult cattle;
• Pneumatic crusher - this machine is used for processing corn and other small products. Such a unit works quite quickly and grinds grain into small fractions, which can be mixed into food for small pets, as well as for quail and other types of poultry;
• Electric crusher - this unit is characterized by high productivity and simple design. It is not large in size and is often purchased both for home use and for farms.

Having studied in detail the types and differences of crushers, it will be much easier for a novice farmer to decide on the choice of crusher for use in the home environment.

What can it be made from?

Let's look at how to make different components for a grain crusher at home.

• The grinding tank is made of thin (0.5-0.8 mm) stainless steel. A metal frame with a valve is fixed next to the base. The outer part of the body is made of a seamless metal pipe with a diameter of 27 cm. The wall thickness of this pipe can reach 6 mm. Inside the same pipe there is a stator, for the manufacture of which a pipe of a slightly smaller diameter was used - for example, 258 mm. In both sections of the pipe, holes are drilled to secure the loading hopper, remove crushed grain, install a grid with the required mesh size, and hangers to secure the shipping hopper. Both pipes are mounted in such a way that they are held in the grooves of the auxiliary flanges located on the side. The latter are connected to each other using several pins. One of the flanges has an internal thread for studs. The second one is drilled in several places. Both flanges also have holes drilled through them to secure the journal bearing housings and are secured to the metal frame using bolts and nuts.

• The rotor is assembled on the basis of prefabricated metal pushers and is equipped with washers. If necessary, these pushers are reversed. After assembly, the rotor is checked for imbalance. If beats are still detected, the rotor is balanced immediately - parasitic vibration can shorten the service life of the entire device.
• The drive shaft contains feather keys and ball bearing sets. Protective washers for ball bearings are based on the requirements of GOST 4657-82 (size 30x62x16).
• The supporting frame with the table is manufactured in a welded version. The starting material is steel angle 35*35*5 mm. The valves are made of thin sheet steel.
• Having prepared the necessary materials and workpieces, we begin to assemble the grain crushing device.

Schemes and drawings

The grain crusher from the washing machine contains the following components:

• grain bin;
• frame;
• rotor;
• shaft;
• unloading hopper;
• pulley (the requirements of paragraph 40 of GOST 20889-88 are met);
• V-belt;
• electric motor;
• frame with table;
• loading and unloading valves (valves).

Drawings of analogues made on the basis of a motor from a vacuum cleaner, electric drive of an angle grinder, drive and mechanism of a meat grinder differ little from the device made on the basis of a (semi-) automatic washing machine. The principle of operation of the device is no different - which cannot be said about the type of chopping mechanics used.

Master class on making a grain crusher from a washing machine

If you have purchased a new automatic washing machine, do not rush to throw away the old type of device. It will definitely make a high-quality and productive grain crusher. You just need to develop a detailed drawing and purchase some elements.

What you need for work: prepare the essentials

The list of materials and tools will depend on the chosen scheme. Most often, only the motor from the washing machine is used. However, if desired, you can also use a tank.

You will also need:

• rolled metal: plates, pipe sections;
• fasteners;
• sealant.

Device diagram

In terms of its design and operating principle, a grain crusher is similar to a coffee grinder. During the manufacturing process, the main attention should be paid to the knives and the hopper for receiving the finished product.

Preparation of prefabricated elements

1. We begin work by preparing the grain bin. We increase the diameter of the drain hole to 12 - 15 cm to ensure sufficient performance of the device. From pipe sections we make pipes of the required size and configuration for discharging crushed grain.
2. We cut three knives from durable steel. These should be plates 20 cm long and 1.5 - 2 mm thick. To make the device last longer, you can use a hand saw to make these elements. We drill a mounting hole in the middle of the prepared plates. We sharpen the parallel sides.
3. We make a filtration grid that will not allow whole grains to leave the container. Its diameter should be slightly larger than the diameter of the manufactured pipe. The holes in the filtration grid must ensure the unhindered passage of crushed grain.

Attention! The diameter of the filter grid holes should be 3 – 4 mm.

We are preparing a container for crushed grain, or we are thinking about a way to secure the bag to the outlet pipe. To prevent the formation of excessive dust during operation of the device, the receiving hopper must be sealed against the outlet pipe.

Assembly of the structure

We assemble as follows:

1. We install a discharge pipe into the expanded opening of the tank, ensuring sufficient tightness of the connection.
2. We install the knives on the motor shaft. To avoid overlapping of the blades during operation, be sure to tighten the clamping nut after each plate.
3. We attach a filtration grid in front of the outlet pipe. It should be located at an angle of 15 - 200 to the horizontal. Considering that the bottom of the washing machine tank is inclined to ensure complete drainage of water, there should be a right angle between the base and the installed plate. To fasten the plate we use bolts.
4. We coat the joint with sealant to eliminate the presence of gaps and cracks through which whole grain could mix with crushed grain;
5. Let's start the device. Let's check its functionality.
6. If you don’t have a solid washing machine, but you still have a working engine, you can also use it to make a grain crusher with your own hands.

Making your own grain crusher from a vacuum cleaner

If you don't have a washing machine, look for a vacuum cleaner. It can be used in whole or in part. It all depends on which design seems more attractive to you and what skills you have. We invite you to get acquainted with a possible implementation option.

We prepare everything necessary for work

To make a grain crusher from an old vacuum cleaner, you should prepare:

• metalworking and metal-cutting tools;
• sandpaper;
• drill;
• fastening elements;
• pipe sections about 15 cm long for making an outlet pipe;
• ready-made knives or metal plates for their manufacture;
• a lattice with small cells, which is necessary for the manufacture of a sieve intended for sifting grain. If this is not available, you can use a metal sheet in which holes of the required diameter are drilled.

Attention! The above list is approximate.

Device diagram

The design of the device depends on which part is used. Most often, preference is given to options that involve the use of one engine. It is installed on the base, under which there is a container for receiving crushed grain.

Preparation of prefabricated elements

At the preparatory stage:

• we make the base using plywood, laminate or rolled metal;
• disassemble the vacuum cleaner to remove the engine;
• drill a hole in the base. Its diameter must correspond to the diameter of the motor shaft;
• If there are no ready-made knives, we make them from metal plates. With a thickness of about 1.5 mm, their length should not exceed 20 cm;
• If there is no ready-made sieve, we make it from a metal sheet.

Assembly of the structure

The process of assembling a grain crusher from a vacuum cleaner includes a number of stages, each of which deserves special attention:

1. Using a nut, fix the knife on the motor shaft;
2. install a sieve;
3. We place a container under the sieve into which the crushed grain will flow.

Attention! Installing a tin box for loading grain will simplify the crushing process.

Operating principle and structure of the crusher

The grain grinder consists of:

• hammer drum,
• Containers for filling raw materials,
• Electrical unit,
• grounds,
• Unloading compartment.

A hammer crusher operates simply: raw materials are fed into the working chamber through a loading tank. An electric gearbox drives the rotor of the cutting device. When the main unit, the rotor, rotates, the chippers begin to move, crushing the grain with numerous blows. A sieve installed at the bottom of the working chamber determines the fraction of the finished raw material. The processed product is poured through the sieve holes into a supported box or bag.

From the Bulgarian

A characteristic property of a manual electric grinder is the axis located perpendicular to the cutting disc. To make a grain crusher from an angle grinder (grinder), do the following.

1. Mark and cut a rectangular piece from thick (1 cm or more) plywood.
2. Cut a round hole in the cut piece of plywood - in the shape of the main structure in which the cutting disc rotated.
3. Secure the plywood with the bolts and metal bracket included in the kit. The axis of rotation should be directed downwards.
4. Make a cutter from a steel strip of suitable length, width and thickness. As in the previous case, the knives must be carefully sharpened and centered. Insufficient centering can eventually break the angle grinder gearbox.
5. Not far from the angle grinder mounted in the tank for crushing grain, make a hole and provide it with a funnel. Through it, uncrushed raw materials are poured into the grain crusher. The funnel with a hole is placed not under the grinder drive, but above it.
6. Below the drive, mount a sieve made from a used pan. It is drilled using a small drill (about 0.7-1 mm).

Assemble the grain crusher. Place it on a pallet or box. Under the lower funnel, where the crushed raw materials are poured, place, for example, a bucket. The funnel can be made from the cut off top of a plastic food bottle - the diameter of the neck is enough for the poured grain to easily and quickly pass into the grain crusher.

Crusher made from agricultural machinery spare parts

• In order to assemble a crusher with your own hands, you will need:
• Brake drum from a tractor for making a base,
• The coulter disc from the seeding machine,
• Several bearings and a hub,
• Fingers from a grain harvester,
• Bunker from a sowing machine.

Assembly steps

Base

The base plays an important role in a grain chopper: it determines its strength and stability. To make it, you need to cut the drum on a lathe. The walls are left 6.5 cm high. A recess with a diameter of 28 cm and a height of 3 mm is made on the inside of the part. The next step: a third of the brake drum is cut off to install the sieve. The sieve will rest on the base arcs, which are welded to the outside of the part and the flanges.

The coulter disc is ground down to the size of the hole made in the drum and inserted into the recess. For strength and reliability, it is welded to the walls of the housing. It is recommended to pre-drill several through holes for air intake, 1-2 cm in diameter. Without them, the operating cycle of the grain crusher will lose about 15% in efficiency.

A sieve is installed on the side of the cut part of the drum. It is secured with a pair of bolts and the side of the opener. To install a feed hopper with a damper, a 5.5 * 4.5 cm hole is cut in the upper part of the working chamber. Using the damper, it is easier to control the volume of grain supplied for processing.

A funnel is welded to the flange at the base of the support immediately below the sieve, through which the finished crushed material will be poured into the substituted container. The grain crusher is attached to a durable frame or table top with a metal angle. An electrical unit consisting of a motor, gearbox and chain drive is mounted on the opposite side of the frame.

Drum with hammers for crusher

Assembling the drum begins by placing the shaft inside the working chamber and welding two or three metal plates to the walls of the container for greater rigidity. A through hole is made at the end of the shaft for a bolt puller.

Hammers for crushers are made from steel pins from a grain harvester: they are strong and heavy, and their edges are already hardened. Six bumpers are hung on each axle, and the distance between them is adjusted with removable washers. If you place the bumpers in parallel planes, you get better and faster grain crushing. The grinding fraction depends on the sieve cell.

Calibration

To protect the shredder from vibrations during operation, the rotor must be balanced or calibrated. Vibrations are dangerous: they can lead to damage to the device, and can also cause the material being processed to fly out. Balancing is done in the following way: a small metal roller is pressed into a hole drilled inside the shaft, and only then the rotor is installed completely. Several cavities 2-3 mm deep are drilled into the rotor plates, which will ensure uniform stopping in any position.

From a meat grinder

To make sure that the meat grinder will grind the grain, you can use resins, for example, hazelnuts or walnuts in shelled form. There is no need to make a knife that performs the functions of a cutter “from scratch” - it is already included in the kit. For the small fraction of grain, you must use the smallest standard sieve, also included in the delivery set.

In order for the grain to be milled continuously, it is necessary to install a large funnel above the grinding mechanics, for example, from a 19-liter bottle with the bottom cut off.

A hole is made in the lid of a diameter at which the poured grain will not pass through the neck faster than it is passed in crushed form through the crusher of the meat grinder. In principle, the meat grinder does not need to be modified in any way. The grain should not be too hard - not all meat grinders can handle durum wheat equally effectively. If you cannot use a meat grinder as a grain crusher, use a coffee grinder.

How to make a crusher mill with your own hands

Making a grain crusher with your own hands is not that difficult. To do this, you need to have on hand a motor from an old household appliance, for example, a vacuum cleaner or washing machine.

In addition, you must have some locksmith skills. By the way, when assembling such equipment with your own hands, you need to remember the safety rules. Since all engines operate on electricity, it is necessary to take all measures to reduce the traumatic risk of the assembled product.

We must not forget that fast-rotating parts are used as a working body, which can cause injury to the person working on it.

Structure of a grain crusher, design features of the machine

Manufacturers put a variety of crushers on the market, with different characteristics, productivity, etc. Most of this equipment is easy to maintain and does not take up much space. As noted above, in practice crushers are used that use rotary or hammer principles in their operation.

Rotary machines have a drum with knives. In hammer mills, hammers are used as a working tool, which are loaded inside the drum.

By the way, there is equipment that uses compressed air as an energy source. The processed raw material moves inside the drum along with air. As a result of this, the quality of the resulting product increases dramatically. In addition, in this, and in many other designs, magnets are used that select metal particles that get into the mixture.

Crushers for home use

“Vikhr ZD-350K”
Among factory-made grain crushers, the following models are most suitable for private farms:

• "Whirlwind ZD-350K";
• "Zubr-2";
• "Three Little Pigs 350";
• "Farmer ISE-05";
• "Cyclone-350";
• "Bison 400";
• "NIVA IZ-250".

"Zubr-2"

Important! The average cost of a factory installation, depending on power, performance and brand, ranges from 2000-2300 to 6200 rubles. Assembling a homemade device if you have an unnecessary working washing machine, an old vacuum cleaner, or an angle grinder will cost only 500-1000 rubles.

"NIVA IZ-250"

How to choose a grain crusher: expert advice

Choosing the right model

How should you choose a crusher that will meet all consumer requirements? To do this, you need to know the answers to some questions:

• Performance. A high grinding speed ensures high productivity in obtaining finished products, and accordingly, the use of such an installation will be highly efficient. Such installations can be considered the optimal solution for large farms. For home work, an installation with a low or medium processing speed of raw materials is sufficient.
• Price. The equipment must not only ensure high quality of the resulting product, but also generate certain income to recoup the investments made in this equipment.
• Grinding degree. The device must be selected based on the type of livestock and poultry the produced feed will be intended for.
• Drive station power. The greater the power of the installed power plant, the greater the productivity of the installation. It must be taken into account that the higher the engine power, the higher the energy costs.
• The company is a manufacturer. Undoubtedly, there are world-famous companies that produce shredders, but you need to think three times about how quickly the funds invested in brands will pay off.

When choosing a model, you must be guided by the characteristics specified by the manufacturer.

Rating of grain crushers by quality

There are a wide variety of shredders on the market, many of which are popular for their reliability and performance. We have compiled the TOP 5 grain crushers that are most often used in various private farms. Our rating includes:

• 5th place – Farmer. This model differs from most market analogues in its extremely high strength and durability. Maximum simplicity of design, minimum plastic parts and increased engine power - all this allows the chopper to serve for 5 years or more;
• 4th place – Cyclone IZKB-2. This modification is capable of processing not only different types of grains, but also prepared root vegetables. The crusher equipment includes a durable 1.8 kW electric motor, a knife drum and a reliable metal body;

• 3rd place – Clever Don . This chopper differs from its analogues in its increased power, which allows it to produce up to 200 kg of flour in just an hour of operation. The crusher is equipped with 3 sieves designed to adjust the grinding amount;
• 2nd place – Zubr-2. One of the most popular grinders is designed for use in small and medium-sized animal farms. The unit is equipped with a reliable electric motor, two replaceable sieves and a durable lock;

• 1st place – Zubrenok-Mais. The productivity of this unit is 140 kg of grain per 1 hour of operation. This is much more than any Chinese crusher can grind.

Our review included only household crushers from the low and medium price segment. Despite their modest size, each of them demonstrates maximum performance and impressive efficiency.

Crusher balancing process

Most equipment that uses rotating components as a working tool undergoes a balancing procedure. This work can be done either independently or with the help of invited specialists.

When balancing, the following sets of work must be performed:

• identifying the causes of vibrations and eliminating them;
• monitoring the condition of equipment in terms of vibration;
• balancing shafts in existing bearings;

Why is balancing necessary? The answer lies on the surface. The thing is that the presence of excessive vibration leads to failure of the bearing units, and as a result, everything can end very sadly.

Grain crusher performance

The process of functioning of a rotary chopper involves the movement of the cutting knife. It is needed to crush the masses that should be fed inside the receiving hopper.

The hammer preparation can grind grain efficiently using hammers that are attached to a strong base.

• Products obtained using a hammer machine will be considered the most effective. This can be achieved with the help of a high amplitude of movement of the hammers, which are capable of crushing even individual grains of grain.
• At the same time, the impact crusher can consume much less electricity and has a high productivity factor.
• If the farm has a large number of adult livestock and poultry species, it would be best to buy an impact crusher. But in the case when a farmer breeds smaller poultry and a large number of young livestock for trade, then the optimal choice in this case will be in favor of hammer grinding of grain.
• It is imperative to test a device that you have produced yourself. It is worth remembering that the grinder engine requires regular lubrication, otherwise it will quickly break due to abrasion of the main elements in the device.

Which grain crusher is better - hammer or rotary?

To find out which type of cutting elements in household shredders is better, you need to consider the pros and cons of the two types of equipment. The advantages of an impact crusher include:

• high reliability and impressive performance;
• simplicity of factory design;
• Possibility of setting settings with grinding adjustment.

Among the disadvantages of rotary units, one can highlight only vulnerability to foreign solid objects. If a stone gets inside the camera, it may cause serious damage to the equipment.

A hammer grinder for household use has its own advantages:

• better grinding quality;
• reduced energy costs;
• ease of maintenance.

The only disadvantage of such a crusher is its insufficient productivity. This is due to the fact that hammer equipment operates much slower than rotary units.

Recommendations

To ensure that the shredder's performance is high enough, follow the advice of experts.

• Insulate the motor using an additional casing made from, for example, a large tin can. The fact is that the motor gets into a dusty environment - this dust is formed when grinding dry grain. The engine may become clogged with deposits, and its operation will slow down - a noticeable part of its useful power will be lost.
• Do not use the grain crusher at maximum speed, trying to grind tons of grain in one go. A large farm with large numbers of farm animals will require two or more grain crushers. It is better not to skimp on equipment so that it does not break down after a few days, but works for a number of years.
• Use grain collection containers with as large a capacity as possible.
• Clean and lubricate the mechanics every three months or six months. Regular maintenance - and scheduled replacement - require bearings, without which no electric motor would work.
• The listed measures will allow the user to process large volumes of grain without investing extra in repairs and without stopping urgent work.