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The lawn mower has firmly entered our everyday life, replacing the scythe. It allows you to keep the lawn in perfect condition, which means it is simply necessary on the farm, where there is at least a small lawn in front of the house. The shops offer a wide selection, but the prices suggest you can make your own lawnmower using an engine from an old washing machine.
Description of construction
Lawn mowers come in different capacities with petrol and electric motors. Gasoline units are usually used on large areas, they produce a lot of noise, are able to process large volumes of grass, are not tied to power supply, that is, they are mobile. In home gardens and summer cottages, electric lawn mowers are usually used, they are very convenient for a plot of up to 12 acres in size. The only drawback of such a lawn mower is the need to limit movement by the length of the cable.
The device of a lawn mower cannot be called complicated. It consists of a body, blades, motor and control lever. An engine is installed on a platform with wheels (there can be 2, 3 or 4), knives are installed under the platform, handles and a control lever are attached to the platform. Some models of factory-made lawn mowers are equipped with a container for mowed grass, they have adjustable cutting height, they are self-propelled. Our do-it-yourself lawn mower from what was lying around in the barn from the “it’s a pity to throw away” cycle does not have such qualities. After it, you will have to remove the grass with a rake, you will have to carry it around the lawn yourself, using some effort, the mowing height will be the one that we set during assembly. But it may well keep our lawn in perfect condition, not inferior to expensive models.
What it consists of
To make a lawn mower with your own hands, you will need not so many things:
- engine from an old washing machine,
- wheels from an old baby stroller or trolley,
- metal sheet 2–4 mm thick,
- tool steel knives
- thin water pipe for the handle,
- electric cable,
- fork,
- switch.
A 180 W motor, taken with a starting relay and a capacitor from a simple washing machine, is quite suitable, you can also use the Soviet model – its severity will come in handy here. It is better if the motor is asynchronous – it makes less noise. The wheels need to be picked up (or made with your own hands from plywood and bearings) so that the knives are at a height of 5-6 cm from the ground – this will be the height of the grass mowing. The number of wheels depends on the wishes of the owner: 4 – guarantees stability and the same height of the grass, 3 (moreover, 1 wheel is installed at the rear of the frame) – the same, but more economical, 2 – ensures mobility and maneuverability, the ability to work at different angles. A two-wheeled car is easier to manage among bushes, trees or some decorative elements installed on the lawn.
The metal sheet for the frame should be approximately 30 by 50 cm, usually the width of the frame is made at least 30-50 cm, and the depth is such that the engine and the casing covering it do not crawl out of its borders. Knives are usually made by hand from mild steel 2-3 mm thick and 20-50 mm wide, the steel should not be brittle, a hacksaw blade for wood is well suited. The cutting edge should be slightly curved down, this will save the motor shaft from winding the grass. The handle can be made by bending the water pipe so that it is comfortable to hold it without bending over. The handle is welded to the frame of the lawn mower, it needs to provide a place for winding the cable.
Video “How to make a lawn mower with your own hands using a motor from a washing machine”
Video instruction on how to make a mower yourself using a motor from an old washing machine.
Manufacturing plan
Having picked up all the components, you can start making a lawn mower with your own hands, this can be done in one day off. If there is a ready-made chassis from a stroller or trolley, then a platform made of metal sheet must be installed and welded on it. If this did not turn out to be the case, then first you need to weld a frame from a metal corner (preferably 25 by 25 mm in size), weld racks for wheels (2, 3 or 4) in the corners from the same corner, weld a platform to it. From the pipes you need to make a U-shaped handle of a convenient height in accordance with growth and weld it to the platform.
After that, a hole for the motor shaft is cut out in the platform. At the front of the frame, a protective bow or mild steel grille must be welded. The grid is even more preferable, it will extinguish the energy of the knife if it suddenly breaks, protect the knife from slipping off the shaft, and fix the stems of plants for a more even mowing. The upper and lower strips of the grille can be bolted, and a preformed wire can already be welded to them. This grid must necessarily provide a clearance for the knife of at least 1 cm in front and 2 cm below and above.
The electric motor is installed on the platform, the shaft must pass into the prepared hole. A prepared knife with sharpened cutters is installed on the motor shaft, in the middle you need to drill a hole in advance. The knife must be balanced and centered. You can check this by turning the knife by hand – it should spin easily and without distortion. The engine must be covered with a special casing to protect it from grass, but we must not forget that it must be cooled during operation, which means that it is desirable to make holes in the casing.
After that, you can connect the cable to the engine, cut it off with a switch and a plug, you need to fix it on the handle. During operation, it is necessary to ensure that the electrical wire is not damaged, otherwise you can get an electric shock. To reduce the risk, it is advisable to cover the metal handle with a rubber casing.
Device advantages
A do-it-yourself lawn mower has a number of advantages over a factory one. Her creation freed the barn from an old washing machine, wheels, wire, and other things lying around that were waiting in the wings. The final cost of the lawn mower will seem ridiculous compared to those offered in stores, even with the purchased parts. Among other things, a do-it-yourself device can be repaired by the same hands if necessary. A person who has managed to assemble such a device can always improve it, refine the design, replace spare parts.
Video “Ready-made lawn mower from a washing machine”
In this video you can see how a finished lawn mower from an old machine works.
