The specifics of life in rural areas presuppose the presence of certain means of small-scale mechanization that help the summer resident in his daily work. This especially applies to farmers who have fairly large holdings, the processing of which by hand is simply impossible.
However, not everyone has enough money to buy a ready-made mini tractor in a store, because its cost can be really impressive.
In such cases, homemade mini tractors made by rural craftsmen are becoming increasingly relevant and worthy of attention. This is quite justified, because this approach to business allows you to significantly save on the purchase of the unit itself, which is the main reason for such homemade products.
This can also be interesting because the assembly process itself can be quite exciting, especially for those people who are partial to technology.
For more information about making a homemade mini tractor, watch the video:
Application area
Homemade mini tractors, videos of which can be found on the Internet for free, have similar technical data, as well as performance indicators, as store-bought options, such as mini tractors made in Russia, China, and Belarus.
Of course, they will differ in the power of the engine used, but the very specifics of the work they perform will be similar. In principle, the idea of assembling a home-made unit was to carry out the list of agricultural works characteristic of a mini tractor.
Application area
Probably its main purpose is direct work “in the field”. We are talking about plowing land holdings, removing weeds so that the treated soil is suitable for subsequent planting of potatoes and other vegetable and grain crops.
This is a primary task for any mini tractor Uralets, Kubota, Bulat 120, Uralets 160, Uralets 220, Yanmar, Belarus 132n, no matter whether purchased in a store or made with your own hands.
In addition, a homemade mini tractor can be used for the following purposes:
- transportation of various goods;
- cleaning up construction and household waste;
- cleaning local areas from snow masses;
- for cutting grass for the purpose of subsequent harvesting of hay for livestock.
It is clear that such work will be impossible without the use of additional mounted and trailed equipment, which is aggregated with the mini tractor. Such devices can be purchased directly from a specialized store, or you can construct them yourself.
Fortunately, there are plenty of all kinds of drawings on the Internet indicating the exact dimensions and parameters, which is quite enough for any rural craftsman.
In general, homemade products are used mainly at the household level, which is understandable, because large farms and agro-industrial complexes are able to purchase more than one mini tractor, so they do not need to resort to self-assembly of these units.
But this does not mean that homemade mini tractors will be very inferior in performance to purchased options. If this is still the case, then this lag is not critical, and at the everyday level it is not noticeable at all.
High-quality capabilities for various tasks
To learn about all the capabilities of any tractor, it is best to see in practice how it functions. For this reason, many mini tractors in operation, videos of which are quite accessible on the Internet, are used not only in the fields, but also in the city, and to perform various utility tasks. Thanks to the attachments, such machines can water, mow lawns, remove construction waste, or clear roads of snow. An economical diesel engine allows you to spend a minimum of money on its operation.
Convenience and practicality are the distinctive features of mini equipment
For any farmer, such an assistant is important because it is universal in use, which is why tillage with a mini tractor has become extremely popular. Today, almost any mini tractor can be equipped with a bucket, blade, harrows, seeders, potato diggers, plows, rippers, and so on. Of course, any tractor can be equipped with a towbar, which will make it possible to transport additional cargo on a trailer. So today any farmer can use such a mini-tractor to plow, sow, harvest, mow grass, collect it into sheaves, and so on.
Device
Such home-made products in the countryside, such as a mini-tractor, are distinguished by a rather simple design structure, which provides certain advantages to the person who will carry out the assembly process. For a skilled owner, it will not be difficult to assemble a homemade tractor with your own hands at home.
Frame design
Due to the fact that homemade units are made in the image and likeness of their store-bought “brothers,” their design will be largely similar.
Conventionally, you can divide a homemade mini tractor into several working units:
- Frame design. This is perhaps the most important part of the mini tractor design, because the stability and performance of the entire unit will depend on the strength of the frame.
- Transmission. This device can be taken from old Soviet cars, which are quite suitable for these purposes.
- Gearbox.
- Wheelbase. For this purpose, you can use wheels from old equipment - the same domestic cars.
- Power unit. In a homemade mini tractor, you can use a walk-behind tractor as the main driving force. Consequently, the same engine will be used as on the walk-behind tractor, but this is not a strict recommendation (see how to make a tractor from a walk-behind tractor with your own hands).
- For these purposes, you can use another engine, preferably running on a diesel engine, with decent power (at least 9 hp).
- Steering.
- Other components. This includes the clutch, driver's seat, etc.
As we can see, most of the components will be borrowed from old, out-of-date equipment, so manufacturing costs are minimal. The only thing is that you will have to work a little with welding the frame and setting up the controls, but for a rural craftsman this is a common thing and does not cause any special problems.
How to choose the best mini tractor: main selection criteria
It is impossible to say unequivocally which minitractor is the best, because each special equipment has its own advantages and disadvantages. And in order to make a rating of mini-tractors, you need to identify the main criteria by which you can compare equipment. One of the main factors is the country of production. For example, Japanese and Korean mini tractors can be called the most reliable, while Russian or Chinese ones (for example, the Shifeng mini tractor) have an affordable price.
The country of production does not directly affect the quality of special equipment. It is important to monitor the balance between quality, available features and price. But what the country of the brand influences is the cost of equipment and the availability of spare parts.
- Cost of a mini tractor.
If you are considering the most budget mini tractors, then you should pay attention to equipment made in Russia and China. Mini tractors made in Russia usually have a simple design. In technological terms, they are often inferior to similar models and often need improvements. However, it is a good option when you need the most inexpensive mini tractor for basic agricultural or livestock work.
When looking for the cheapest mini tractor, you should also pay attention to Chinese models. They are in approximately the same price range as Russian ones, but are significantly superior in technology. Chinese manufacturers are among the first to introduce new options and functions.
- Maintenance cost.
Finding out how much the cheapest mini tractor costs is not enough to make a reasoned choice of special equipment. It is also important to take into account such factors as the cost of ownership and maintenance. According to this criterion, the most inexpensive mini tractor will be the one for which inexpensive spare parts are always available. Equipment from domestic manufacturers will be the best choice for this indicator.
But even the cheapest mini tractor for 70 thousand rubles made in Japan or Korea will be quite expensive to maintain.
- Power.
Should you always choose the most powerful mini tractor available? Not at all necessary. The more power, the higher the fuel consumption, which means the operating cost will be higher. In addition, powerful equipment is less maneuverable, so it is not suitable for small areas.
Based on power, mini-tractors are usually divided into the following categories:
- up to 16 hp - These are the simplest mini tractors that are optimally suited for a cottage or village. They are quite maneuverable and can easily turn around even in a small area;
- 16 – 20 hp – these are not the most powerful mini tractors, but they are the most popular because they have an optimal balance of performance, price and ease of use;
- 20 – 25+ hp – the most powerful mini tractors in this category are more suitable for large plots in the village, small farms; they are capable of working with a variety of attachments and performing a wide range of agricultural tasks.
- Track width.
This is a very important parameter, since the track must be a multiple of the row spacing. This is necessary in order not to damage the plantings and to effectively harvest the crop.
To work with 0.6 m row spacing, the distance between the front wheels must be 1.2 m, etc. Before buying the smallest mini tractor, measure the width of the beds on your site, or determine what it will be. And only after that, proceed to selecting a mini-tractor model, taking into account the track size.
Please note: Many models of mini-tractors in the middle and high price segments are produced with adjustable track. This means that you can adjust the wheel spacing exactly to the width of the beds on your site.
The track size is also affected by the width of the wheels themselves, since it is measured along the axes of the wheel rims. With wider wheels, the track size is larger. Using this technique, you can slightly increase the track of the smallest mini tractor, combining maneuverability with the required size of the beds.
- Hydraulic distributor design.
The simplest mini tractor has one hydraulic output, which means that you can only work with one implement. If you need to change equipment by installing a rear linkage instead of a front linkage (or vice versa), you will have to reconnect the hoses each time. If you need the cheapest mini tractor, then most likely it will have one hydraulic outlet.
If a 2-line hydraulic distributor is installed, then you can either use both implements at the same time. It also becomes possible to use complex equipment - for example, adapt the simplest mini tractor for snow removal by installing an auger snow blower, use a rotary blade, etc.
Which hydraulic distributor is installed on the best mini tractor? The same as for full-size special equipment - with three highways. This will allow you to simultaneously use complex equipment with other attachments or install a front jaw loader.
- Drive unit.
For a village, the best mini tractor would be a 4x4. Vehicles with all-wheel drive can easily drive off-road and will not get bogged down in loose and freshly plowed soil. Rear- or front-wheel drive is suitable for small mini-tractors that are used in a small area, for example, in a country house.
How to do it
Perhaps the most interesting option for self-assembly is a homemade 4x4 fracture mini tractor,
which is made on the basis of a walk-behind tractor. In general, this is a fairly common method of assembling a mini tractor, which proves its efficiency and performance during operation.
The video shows a homemade mini tractor with a walk-behind tractor engine.
Externally, this design looks rather cumbersome, but the internal contents are completely proportional, i.e. Every detail is in its place, precisely adjusted to the dimensions and parameters. Let's look at the design features in more detail:
Drawing 1
Photos of drawings of units
- The frame structure will consist of two components - spars and traverses. Spars are made of three components. The front part will be made of channel No. 10, the last part will be made of a steel pipe with parameters 8x8 cm.
- The rear traverse will be made from channel No. 16, and the front one from channel No. 12. Cross members are made in the same way. In principle, all homemade all-wheel drive mini tractors have a similar frame design, with the same technical parameters.
Engine - Almost any power unit can be used as an engine, the power of which will be sufficient to carry out agricultural work. The ideal option, in this case, would be to use a 4-stroke water-cooled diesel engine.
- The gearbox and power take-off shaft transfer case can be taken from a GAZ-53 car. The clutch will fit from a GAZ-52.
- When connecting the clutch and engine, certain problems may arise. We will have to re-make the engine flywheel, and also make a new clutch basket cover to fit it to the engine. The flywheel is ground on a lathe, cutting off the rear area, and also turning an additional span in the middle.
- In general, homemade mini tractors involve adjustments to certain parts, so you should be prepared for the fact that you will have to turn to a turner to grind some components.
- The bridge is installed into the structure with virtually no changes. It is attached to the frame using four stepladders.
- As wheels you can use similar ones taken from passenger cars.
But there is one important nuance here: the front wheels should be approximately 14 inches, which is the optimal value for the front axle wheels.
- The fact is that using a smaller diameter can cause the unit to fall into the ground, and using a larger diameter will make it impossible to perform certain maneuvers.
- The driving diagram for mini tractors and homemade mini cars, presented below, clearly shows the principle of the arrangement of wheels on the axles, as well as their attachment to the frame.
- To increase the maneuverability of the homemade product, you can install power steering on the steering wheel. You can take it from old equipment, or assemble it yourself. To do this we need an oil pump driven by the engine.
Driver's seat
- An important stage of work will be the location of the driver's seat. It must be positioned in such a way that the steering wheel does not rest on the driver’s knees, i.e. did not interfere with the free control of the device.
Homemade mini tractors have a very important advantage - they have very good maneuverability. Of course, this assembly method is a little more complicated than the alternatives, but it is definitely worth the effort.
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In general, in this assembly method, a lot of components are taken from old domestic cars. For example, the steering rack can be borrowed from an old Zhiguli, the same can be said about the drum brake - it can also be taken from a used car.
Best models
A homemade mini tractor from a walk-behind tractor is a fairly common way to make a mini tractor at home. In general, good units come from the following brands of walk-behind tractors:
- Centaur.
- Bison
- Neva.
- MTZ.
Centaur 2090D
For example, let’s take the Centaur 2090D walk-behind tractor, from which you can easily make a future mini tractor. The entire list of work boils down to the fact that you need to make a frame structure from a metal profile, as well as supplement the device with a seat and a second wheel pair.
Centaur 2090D
Specifications:
- type of engine used – 4-stroke, diesel;
- maximum power – 9 hp;
- fuel tank capacity – 5.5 l;
- rotation speed – 3 thousand revolutions per minute;
- cooling type – air;
- engine capacity – 418 cm3.
The cost will be based on the price of the walk-behind tractor itself and the cost of the materials needed for the work. Considering that the average price for such a walk-behind tractor is about 40 thousand rubles, the final assembly price will be about 45-48 thousand rubles.
Bison NT-135
You can also achieve good results by converting the Zubr NT-135 walk-behind tractor, which has similar characteristics to the previous version.
Bison NT-135
Specifications:
- type of engine used – 4-stroke, diesel;
- maximum power – 9 hp;
- fuel tank capacity – 5.5 l;
- rotation speed – 3600 rpm;
- cooling type – air;
- engine capacity – 406 cm3.
The cost of the walk-behind tractor itself will be about 54 thousand rubles. At the same time, the final price for a finished homemade mini tractor will be determined based on the cost of the necessary materials. In particular, we are talking about the following components:
- Hydraulic system. In principle, you can take it from old agricultural machinery.
- The wheelset is taken from old domestic cars.
- Steering wheel and brake system.
I add up all the costs, the total cost of a homemade mini tractor will reach 60 thousand rubles.
