Contents
Work in the garden and in the garden does not end with the advent of winter. During this period, it is necessary to remove the fallen snow, and many gardeners use a shovel-dump for this purpose. In this article we will tell you what kind of shovel auger are, as well as how you can make them yourself.
What are the
The variety of auger tools is quite large. Therefore, you need to carefully choose a shovel-dump for your garden plot, weighing all the pros and cons. Shovel auger, which are used for snow removal and other land works carried out in the autumn-spring period, are of the following types:
- screw single-stage. Such models remove snow due to the fact that the screw mechanism rotates at a certain frequency;
- screw-rotor or two-stage. Here, the capture of snow is carried out with the help of an auger, and its rejection is carried out thanks to a special ejection chute. In this situation, the ejection is possible due to the operation of the rotor.
In addition, the auger shovel or blade can be:
- manual. It is very easy to make such a shovel blade with your own hands. It is effective when clearing snow in a small area. But at the same time, a person needs to constantly bend over, which, of course, affects speed and efficiency;
- mechanical. Doing this type of tool with your own hands will be somewhat more difficult than a manual model. But here, working with the tool will become as simple and comfortable as possible. Also, the unit can be used in the fall to clean the leaves. But for this you need to use a special nozzle – a brush. However, this design also has a minus – the inability to remove deep snow, as well as limited maneuverability due to the length of the power cord.
In addition to the above classification, a shovel-dump can be:
- self-propelled. On the land plot, such units are moved using a motor and a special caterpillar mechanism. They are quite easily controlled by a person with the help of handles. Such models differ in power, density and range of snow throwing;
- non-self-propelled. Driven solely by human power.
Mechanism description
Shovel blade manual type have a traditional shape and a standard auger. In this case, the working surface can be jagged or smooth. The latter are used to remove a soft snow layer, and the relief ones are used to clean icy crusts and packed snow.
Mechanical models are a complete unit, which includes a walk-behind tractor with an engine and a caterpillar mechanism for moving on the ground (can be replaced with wheels or skis) and a blade, which is attached to the main part of the tool with special fasteners. The control of such a unit is carried out using special handles.
The shovel bucket itself, which can be made independently at home, can have different dimensions, so that snow removal can be carried out with greater efficiency. But if you plan to buy such a tool, you must remember that its price will increase in proportion to the increase in bucket volumes.
When working with this kind of tools, it is necessary to avoid getting solid objects into the auger. Otherwise, you can damage not only it, but also the motor itself (if the model is self-propelled).
Video “Snow Shovel: Overview”
Principle of operation
The principle of operation for all manual auger shovels is the same. First, the snow is captured, and then it is removed through the chute to the other side. This ensures that the area is cleared of snow. In mechanical models, the unit is driven by gasoline, and in manual models, of course, by human power. At the same time, in mechanical models, broken snow, under the influence of a powerful fan, is discharged into the chute and thrown out to a distance of up to 12 meters. The snow throw distance depends on the fan power and the unit model. At the same time, it is possible to adjust the angle and distance of snow ejection.
How to make yourself
Today, anyone can make a screw shovel with their own hands. For this you will need the following materials:
- old barrel or sheet roofing iron;
- metal pipes;
- plywood;
- star;
- metal rings;
- bearings;
- iron plates.
In addition, you will need a welding machine and a drill. To make a screw tool, you need:
- from an iron sheet or an old barrel, you need to make a case for a future shovel;
- the sidewall is cut out of plywood. Although roofing can also be used here;
- all parts are best fastened together by welding. If you do not have the opportunity to use a welding machine, you can get by with fasteners in the form of bolts;
- the lower and front part of the walls can be rounded. This will avoid a sharp impact of the tool on possible obstacles;
- further, holes should be made in the sidewalls in order to fix the auger in them;
- to make a shaft, you need to take a pipe (about 5 cm in diameter) and attach U-shaped plates to its middle. They will help move snow along the gutter;
- plates should be welded at an angle of 1800 in relation to each other;
- then we cut four metal rings (can be replaced with rubber ones) and stretch them to a distance from the side wall to the plates. We weld them in such a way as to get a twisted spiral;
- we attach the resulting spiral to the shaft near the sidewall and the central plate;
- the shaft itself must extend at least 6 cm beyond the box.
After that, we weld the sprockets to the shaft and attach them to the walk-behind tractor. Then we cut off the circle at the back and weld the socket to the hole. Everything, now the shovel is ready – it remains only to attach it to the walk-behind tractor. As you can see, making a screw shovel with your own hands is not very difficult. The main thing is to clearly understand the principle of the device and the operation of the tool.
Video “Snow removal tool”
In this video, you will learn which device is most suitable for removing snow on your site. In private, we will talk about an auger or, as it is also called, a snow shovel.
