How to build a homemade lawn mower

The modern market offers a large selection of different models of lawn mowers in a fairly wide range of prices. But if you want to save money, and there is no desire to mow manually, you can independently assemble a machine for mowing grass from scrap parts and available materials based on an unused electric motor from various devices. Lawn mower do it yourself will cost much cheaper than their factory counterpart. She will allow to look after lawns, to mow a grass in a garden and at the dacha. In addition, you can be content with the creative process itself.

Necessary parts for the assembly of a homemade lawn mower

Lawn mower does not belong to a number of essential devices. But its presence allows to facilitate the work on the mowing of the grass stand, as well as to increase labor productivity. Homemade lawn mowers simply make on the basis of an electric motor. They consist of the same basic parts and assemblies as the factory devices:

• drive mechanism (electric motor), providing rotation of the cutting nozzles;
• frame designed to fix on it all the other structural elements of the mechanism;
• protective casing;
• pens that allow you to control the device while cleaning the grass;
• knives;
• two to four wheels;
• electrical control system: on / off buttons that connect the elements of the chain of wires;
• power cord with plug;
• collection box.

It is necessary to ensure the safety of mowing grass. To this end, it is recommended that the equipment be connected through a residual current device (RCD).

Everything electric lawn mowers work on the same principle. When voltage is applied to an electric motor, its rotor begins to rotate.As a result, the knife mounted on the shaft develops a high speed, while cutting off the grass stems.

Choosing the right motor

As a drive, you can use a motor previously extracted, for example, from such devices:

• from the vacuum cleaner;
• trimmer;
• from an old washing machine;
• from the grinder.

If you want to mow small sites, even an unnecessary electric drill will do. It does not need to disassemble, but only to fix in a vertical position.

A washing machine and a Soviet-style vacuum cleaner contain almost all the necessary parts to assemble the simplest lawn mower themselves.

The best option if you need grass mowing over a large area is the use of an asynchronous electric motor (there is little noise from it at work) with a power of 0.5 kW or more. The recommended number of revolutions is 3000 per minute. The higher the speed of rotation of the electric motor rotor, the faster the blades rotate, providing a more even and high-quality mowing of grass.

The longer installed knives (wider the grip of the working area), the smaller the number of revolutions the engine can use due to an increase in the linear speed of the blades.Only its power, on the contrary, should increase in order to overcome the growth of the load. Home masters have shown by practical means that a device with a power of 1 kW and a rotor speed of 1500 rev / min will be quite efficient. At the same time, the seizure of the mowed strip is 0.5 m. If you use a low-power electric motor, you should constantly monitor the sharpness of the blades by regularly sharpening them.

When available only three-phase electric motor, you will need to connect it together with the starting and phase-shifting capacitors. They must be appropriate in terms of engine capacity. Electrical connection diagrams can be easily found on the Internet or special literature.

Required materials for the manufacture of other structural elements

Knives - this is the working part of the tool, providing mowing grass. To make them yourself, you will need solid strips of solid, high-quality tool steel with a length of up to 50 cm, a width of 2 to 5 cm, a thickness of 2-3 mm. Thin working nozzles mow better, thicker ones are more durable.

Homemade knives for lawn mowers perform in different design options.

1. In the form of a single strip balanced from the center with a length of 30 ÷ 50 cm with ribs sharpened on the right side and a drilled mounting hole.
2. The combined design consisting of 2 edges 5-8 cm long which are fixed on a steel strip by one or two bolts.
3. In the form of a disk.

Drawings of knives are presented in the photo below.

Wheels with handle can be taken from an old baby carriage. In fact, it is a ready made frame for a homemade lawn mower. Pens can also be made from metal tubes.

When choosing wheels it is necessary to take into account that the optimum height of the knives from the soil surface is considered to be 5 cm. If you put 2 knives, then the maneuverability of the unit being created improves, and if there are 3-4 pieces, the stability is higher. Wheels can also be cut out of plywood and set together with bearings on the mounting shafts.

Protective cover for an electric motor, it can be made from tin, plywood or a part of a washing machine, the suitable model of which is shown in the photo below. At the same time, holes are made in it to ensure normal air cooling of the operating electric motor.

From the cover of the washing machine can also be made casing around the knives.The platform for the installation of the motor is made of plywood or sheet metal. The power cord with plug is picked up from old household appliances, taking into account the power of the installed electric motor.

Necessary tools and materials

To make a lawnmower from a grinder or washing machine at home, you will need to stock up on the following tools, accessories and additional materials:

• electric drill;
• grinder with discs for metal or electric jigsaw with files for different materials;
• a hammer;
• tape measure or ruler;
• pencil or marker;
• vice;
• pliers;
• screwdriver;
• abrasive stone or sandpaper;
• welding machine and electrodes to it (if you make metal welded joints, not bolted);
• wires;
• on / off button (taken from the grinder or washing machine);
• bolts with nuts and washers (preferably bloomers);
• metal corners or wooden bars.

Instead of the grinder or electric jigsaw, you can use a manual hacksaw for metal or a saw on wood with fine teeth. Pre-recommended also make a drawing homemade mechanism to have an idea about the end result, based on the available parts.

The algorithm for assembling mowers with a collector from a washing machine

The lawn mower is made of a washing machine, performing actions in this sequence.

1. Make a frame (a platform for the engine), cutting out a square of about 50 by 50 cm from a metal sheet.
   
2. In the center of the platform, drill a hole under the motor shaft.
3. From the bottom side of the square, metal corners are welded around the perimeter, or bolted.
4. Install self-made (for example, as in the photo below) or removed from a suitable mechanism wheels on iron scarves, or connecting them with metal axes.
   

5. Fixed on the platform of the electric motor. For flange drilled holes in the metal, and for the usual welded rack from the corners under the paws, equipped with slots.
6. Attach the control stick.
7. Under the platform put the casing of the lid of the washing machine.
   

8. Install a do-it-yourself or ready-made knife, screwing it to the motor shaft.
9. To protect the shaft from the grass, put a regular tin can under the knife.
   

The mechanical part after the done action is collected. After being harvested electrical circuit mechanism:

• install the switch, fixing it in a convenient place to the handle;
• connect the power cable with a plug;
• set the RCD.

The final construction will look something like the photo below.

If you use plywood, you get an assembly, the possible appearance of which is presented in the photo below.

Grass Collector set at the very end. It is made in the form of a box or bag. Some options are presented in the photos below.

It is necessary to cover the knives with a casing - this will increase safety of work. You can also close the cover with an electric motor to protect it from debris or water.

Lawn mower from the grinder

Make a mower of the grinder can be in different ways. The easiest option is to attach it to the platform, as in the photo below.

It is very easy to make a lawn mower from a grinder using a pram. To do this, do the following:

• disassemble the stroller, leaving the wheels with a handle;

• cut off a piece of board so that it lies on the axles of the wheels;
• fix it, for example, ties;
• also ties (clamps, wire) to the board attach grinder, removing the power button;

• set on the grinder nozzle with a fishing line or knife;

• Attach the switch to the handle.

The created mechanism can be equipped with a casing that will protect against flying grass.

Craftsmen have come up with many different models of homemade lawn mowers. They differ both externally and the complexity of the assembly. More sophisticated devices have a mechanism for adjusting the height of the knives above the soil. Collecting the mechanism with your own hands, you need to remember personal security. It is recommended to install such a power button so that after it is released the engine is turned off.