Motor-cultivator Mole MK 1a: instruction manual

The production of domestic motor cultivators of the Krot brand was established in the late 80s. The first model MK-1A was equipped with a 2,6-liter two-stroke gasoline engine. With. The start was carried out from a rope manual starter. Initially, the equipment was intended for processing small gardens in the country and working inside the greenhouse. The modern motocultivator Krot represents an improved model MK-1A. Such equipment is already equipped with a powerful engine with forced air cooling.

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The approximate dimensions of the equipment are within:

• length – from 100 to 130 cm;
• width – from 35 to 81 cm;
• height – from 71 to 106 cm.

The dimensions of the mole cultivator depend on the model, and may change with the improvement of technology.

Motor cultivator MK-1A

Let’s start the review of mole cultivators with the MK-1A model. The unit is equipped with a 2,6 hp two-stroke carburetor engine. A crank on a rope is used as a starter. A gasoline engine with a gearbox has the simplest bolted connection to the frame. The fuel tank is designed for 1,8 liters. Such a small volume is due to low fuel consumption. The unit can be refueled with cheap AI-80 or A-76 gasoline. To prepare the fuel mixture, M-12TP engine oil is used. The cultivator weighs only 48 kg. Such equipment is easy to transport to the country by a car.

All control elements of the cultivator are located on the handles, namely:

• clutch lever;
• throttle control lever;
• carburetor control lever.

Model Mole MK-1A is able to work with attachments. The motor cultivator is used for watering, mowing the grass, tilling the soil and caring for plantings.

Motor cultivator Mole 2 with reverse

A design feature is that the Mole cultivator has a reverse and a powerful engine. This allows the consumer to get a real walk-behind tractor for little money. The unit is powered by a four-stroke gasoline engine Honda GX200 with a capacity of 6,5 liters. With. Mole 2 has electronic ignition, a power take-off shaft, a 3,6-liter gasoline tank. Torque from the motor to the chassis is transmitted by a belt drive.

Among other cultivators with similar characteristics, this Mole model takes the first position in terms of reliability. Such indicators were achieved thanks to a powerful single-cylinder engine and a trouble-free gearbox. The motor resource of the engine is 3500 hours. This is quite a lot compared to the old models of the Mole motor cultivator, in which the motor resource reached 400 hours.

The power of the motor cultivator with reverse gear is enough to capture a 1 m wide area with cutters. So, equipment can become a snow blower or a mower, a vehicle for transporting goods, a machine for performing many agricultural works.

In the video, we suggest watching an overview of the mole cultivator:

Moto cultivator instruction manual

So, we found out that the modern mole cultivator has almost all the functions of a walk-behind tractor. Now let’s take a look at what the instruction manual for the equipment in question says:

• The direct purpose of the motor cultivator is plowing the land. This is done with the help of cutters that are mounted on the gearbox shafts. The transport wheels are lifted when plowing. A coulter is attached to the trailing bracket at the back. It is used as a brake, as well as for adjusting the depth of soil cultivation. The cultivator moves due to the rotation of the cutters, while loosening the soil simultaneously. The unit comes with two internal and external cutters. The first type is used on rough ground and virgin soil. Light earth is loosened with both cutters, or a third set can be added. It is bought separately. As a result, three cutters are obtained on each side, and in total there are 6 of them. Eight milling cutters cannot be placed on the Mole motor cultivator due to the increased load on the motor and transmission.
• When weeding weeds, the mechanism is re-equipped. On the internal cutters, knives are removed, and weeds are put in their place. These details are recognizable by the L-shape. External cutters are replaced with discs. They are also purchased separately. Discs are needed to protect plants, preventing them from getting under the weed. If weeding is carried out on potatoes, then preliminary hilling can be performed at the same time. To do this, the rear-mounted coulter is replaced with a hiller.
• When you want to spud potatoes, cutters are not needed. They are removed from the gearbox shaft, and steel wheels with welded lugs are placed in this place. The hiller remains in its place, where the coulter used to be.
• During the harvesting of potatoes, the same metal lugs are used, and the coulter behind the cultivator is replaced with a potato digger. This type of attachment is available in various modifications, but fan models are usually bought for cultivators.
• Plowing the land can be done not only with cutters, but also with a plow. It is attached to the back of the unit in place of the coulter. Steel wheels remain in place.
• You can use the unit for haymaking. You just need to buy a mower and fix it in front of the unit. Rubber wheels are put on the gearbox shafts. The transmission of torque is provided by belts put on the pulleys of the Mole motor cultivator and mowers.
• The mole is perfectly able to replace the pump for pumping water. It is only necessary to purchase pumping equipment MNU-2, fix it on the frame and connect it with a belt drive. It is important not to forget to remove the belt from the traction gearbox.
• The cultivator copes well with the transportation of small loads weighing up to 200 kg. Here you need a trolley with a swivel hitch. You can purchase a factory-made model TM-200 or weld it yourself from metal. During the transportation of goods, rubber wheels are put on the gearbox shafts.

As you can see, thanks to additional equipment, the versatility of the Mole is significantly expanded.

Modernization of the MK-1A model

If you have an old Mole model, do not rush to throw it away. Why then overpay when buying a new cultivator for a frame, gearbox and other parts, if they already exist. You can do with a simple replacement of the motor.

The old engine can be replaced with a four-stroke LIFAN – 160F. The Chinese motor is not expensive, plus it has a capacity of 4 liters. With. According to the passport, the MK-1A motor cultivator, when processing the soil with cutters to a depth of 20 cm, needs to add speed. You don’t have to do this with a new motor. Even with an increase in engine power, the processing depth has changed, and now it reaches 30 cm. You should not count on a greater depth, as the belt will begin to slip.

Installing a new motor on an old frame is not difficult. All fasteners fit almost perfectly. The only difficulty is that it will require alteration of the native pulley. It is removed from the old motor, an inner hole is drilled to fit the diameter of the shaft of the new motor, and then it is mounted using a key.

If, when removing the pulley, it accidentally cracked, do not rush to run for a new one. You can try to restore it using cold welding. How to do this, they will tell you better on the video:

The mole is considered not a bad technique for a small area, but it is not worth demanding from him to perform super-complex tasks. For these purposes, there are heavy walk-behind tractors and mini-tractors.