How to choose a hand tractor and cultivator for dacha in 2022
The dacha season is not far off: gardeners and vegetable growers will soon go to work to prepare their plots for harvesting. In this case, a motor cultivator – an indispensable tool that will help in the shortest possible time to cultivate the dacha plot and cut furrows. But how to choose it correctly? We have made for you a detailed guide that has everything you need to know before buying a power tiller.
What is better: a cultivator or a hand tractor?
Although at first glance these tools seem almost the same, in fact they have a number of important differences. While power tillers are mainly designed for tilling the soil, power tillers equipped with a hoe can take on many other tasks. They can be fitted with mowers, snow plow decks, brushes, special attachments for soil preparation and other attachments. You can even buy wheels and a trailer to build a small tractor.
As a result, the price of power tillers is usually much higher than that of power tillers; additional tools, such as those listed above, also cost a lot of money. However, if you do not plan to use the additional features of a hand-held tractor, there is no point in overpaying. For uncomplicated works at the dacha is quite suitable and motorcycle, which, of course, many times cheaper.
What wheels to choose
In brief, all motobrushes can be divided into three main categories regardless of technical details: light, medium and heavy. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
The lightest option – light. They are well suited for processing small plots (up to 15 acres). Due to their relatively small size, they are easy to transport: Some models can easily fit in the trunk of a car. In addition, their compact size allows you to work in hard-to-reach places where large devices can not turn – for example, between beds or near trees. At the same time, basic models, as a rule, cannot boast of high productivity: Tu p-turn machines (1.5 hp), most likely, will not be able to loosen dense soil. However, there are more powerful (up to 3.5 hp) variants on the market, devoid of this disadvantage. The main thing is that the width of the blades rarely exceeds 35 cm with a small engine height, so it may take longer to process the area.
Medium breeders are already more serious. They are designed for quite extensive gardens or vegetable gardens that require regular (at least several times a year) treatment. A typical machine in this category offers three speeds and a working depth of up to 35 cm with a pass width of up to 85 cm. Medium cultivators are much heavier than light ones, but the additional weight makes the device more stable and more productive. Such a machine no longer hops around the garden, but confidently passes the entire plot. After all, many of them have enough capacity to install additional devices, such as a rising plow.
After all, next to power tillers there are cultivators of high power (more than 5.5 hp). Such machines are used for plowing large plots of one or two hectares. The working depth of heavy cultivators is 20 cm; the width of the tiller is more than 60 cm. Due to the high performance, they also support a variety of devices for a small machine. Of course, they must assume such impressive features.
What else you need to pay attention to when buying a power tiller
First of all, pay attention to the engine. They come in two types: electric and internal motors. The first mostly work from the mains and do not pollute the air with exhaust gases, but their capabilities are, for obvious reasons, limited by the length of the wire. In addition, the wire can be accidentally damaged during operation. Of course, there are also models with a built-in battery, but they do not differ in power – it is quite low everywhere. An electric motor is optimal for treating flower beds, front gardens and working in enclosed areas, where exhaust fumes can cause problems.
Basic internal combustion engines have high performance, but require careful maintenance. At a minimum, they must be regularly cleaned of accumulated dust, otherwise there is a risk of malfunction. There is an opinion among dachshunds that gasoline engines are cooled from time to time, so that the system does not overheat, but this is a myth.
Such engines are divided into two types: two-stroke and four-stroke. Two-stroke ones have better performance, but consume more fuel and have less reliability. They are cheaper, but without careful maintenance can quickly fall into disrepair, after which they quickly end up in scrap because of the high cost of repair. Four-strokes are less powerful, but not as noisy. They are more durable, pollute the air less, and tend to last longer than their two counterparts.
Next, it’s worth considering the type of gearbox: This component directly affects the longevity of the machine. To avoid going into too much detail, we’ve put together a brief cheat sheet.
- Chain gears. The most common option. Very high service life, reasonable cost. It is best to find a car with a folding chain transmission: so you can eliminate the most likely breakdowns yourself, without turning to the repair center.
- Snail gear. Light and compact, but does not withstand heavy loads. Often found on passenger cars. It wears out rather quickly.
- Gearbox. A reliable option for long-term work, which is most often found on heavy cultivators. The only disadvantage is the high price.
- Bicycle gearbox. A hybrid mechanism that combines the best of both worlds.
If we talk about the clutch, the most convenient option is a clutch, designed for long-term use. Mid-priced cultivators most often have a squeeze clutch, and most budget models have a centrifugal clutch (like an ordinary chainsaw).
As for the speed and the number of gears, then everything is simple. We recommend that you find a cultivator that can be reversed and have at least two gears. This way the tool will be more convenient.
Motocultivators: The choice of model for cultivating and recultivating the earth
Probably, having worked a lot with a shovel IR rake, many gardeners have thought about the problem of mechanizing this process. No matter how much they talk about the benefits of physical labor, everything is good in moderation: a few small flowerbeds or cultivated area of a huge garden – not the same at all
And here to help comes a power tiller, which can successfully replace the above-mentioned garden tools and solve a number of garden problems.
varieties
For a number of reasons, the model ranges of numerous manufacturers are dominated by motocultivators on gasoline units. In turn, they can be divided into light (amateur), medium (for more complex tasks) and heavy (professional).
Small machines (9-12 kg) and power (1-1,5 l) are designed for simple operations on loosening the top layer of soil to a depth of about 10 cm and the removal of weeds. They are compact, maneuverable, allow loosening the soil in hard-to-reach corners of the garden and take up little space during storage and transportation. The cost of such devices is 3000-6000 rubles. However, this is more of a mechanical rake than a full-fledged cultivator.
You should not confuse motor blocks, which are versatile devices, equipped with many different attachments and capable of performing many actions not related to gardening.
Also to the simple amateur class include motocultivators weighing 20-30 kg and a volume of 2-3.5 liters. С. Already can be considered a good assistant to the gardener plowing the land “on the bayonet” (25-30 cm). The working width of the tiller Mahls in lightweight units is 20-30 cm, that is, both the cultivator and its owner has to work hard to plow more than a small patch of land.
The middle class motocultivators include units weighing from 40 to 65 kg. with an engine capacity of 3.5 to 5.5 hp, and plow as deep (up to 30 cm) and wider (the selection is 50-80 cm). The number of gears is 1-2 front plus one rear. With more weight of the device you can better and more thoroughly cultivate the soil. The middle class is the middle, and the price here ranges from 10-12 to 25-30 thousand rubles. Depending on the current, equipment and brand.
Heavy professional cultivators weigh more than 70 kg. The first gear in them has low or high power and is designed to work with trailed devices like a plug bucket. Such units are less in demand among gardeners and are more suitable for farms. The price tag in this category ranges from 30 to 60-70 thousand rubles.
Medium-class motocultivators – the optimal solution for most gardeners, who are considering light implements according to their needs
power units
The gasoline engines used come in two types: two-stroke and four-stroke. The first, which are cheaper and less powerful, are installed only on lightweight cultivators. The resource of such engines is relatively short, and they are very sensitive to the quality of gasoline and engine oil. Although units have a certain reliability margin, they can be called affordable: they last until the first serious breakdown, after which they are sent to scrap.
For light equipment, much more reliable four-stroke engines are somewhat more expensive: they are also installed on all cultivators of the medium and professional class. At the same time, numerous manufacturers of garden equipment use engines of four main brands in their products: Japanese Honda and Robin-Subaru, as well as American Tecumseh and Briggs & Stratton.
There is an opinion that higher power of the power unit will help to increase the service life of the whole power tiller. The explanation is quite simple: it is human nature to operate the technique as he considers necessary. At the same time no one thinks that long work on the border will lead to accelerated wear and tear of all parts of the device. In this case, the greater the power source, which divides the actual load on the motor and the tip, the easier it is to cope with the task and the less wear and tear on the mechanisms.
Do you need breaks in the work?
The opinion that the cultivator needs to be unplugged from time to time to cool the gasoline engine is not entirely true. The construction of the unit provides long enough work and the smart air cooling system effectively prevents the power unit from overheating: there is no need to interrupt cultivation on purpose. However, the small volume of the gas tank does not allow the power tiller to stop working for several hours: the engine is turned off for a short time to refuel, so that the machine “rests”.
Attachments and devices
Initially, each motocultivator is equipped only with a set of attachments for chopping the soil. The following attachments are available as options for light- and medium-duty units: -Border cutter, which allows you not only to form beds, but also to cut entire sides of the lawn for extraction and transfer to another place. -Videoscraper, which provides aeration of the lawn or flower bed; -motor cutters, which free the lawn from old grass without damaging the fresh shoots. Other devices with a narrower focus are also possible, only the most popular are listed here. There are two main types of attachments: bolt and nut and stud and punch. The first undoubtedly connects the parts more reliably, and the second allows for the fastest possible assembly and disassembly.
Selection of grinding mode
According to experts, the rotational speed of the cutter is optimal: – from 100 to 130 rpm. – for deep ploughing; – from 160 to 180 rpm – for high loosening of the upper layer with the thickness of 5-10 cm and surface leveling; – from 180 to 200 rpm. – for final seedbed preparation; – 200 to 220 rpm. – Elimination of weeds and soil crust after sowing and before emergence of seedlings. The higher the rotational speed of the cutter, the more thoroughly the weeds are removed. It is not recommended to loosen between beds and seedbeds in first gear (100-130 rpm).
service
Requirements for the gasoline engine are standard: Öler, installed in the crank mechanism (for four-lift models) every 100 motor-hours, cleaning and, if necessary, changing the air filter. Manufacturers recommend using mineral or semi-synthetic oil with a viscosity factor of 10W-40 (10 W-30 in summer). If the unit runs erratically, especially at idle, it is necessary to check and replace the spark plug in the ignition system. As for the electric models, your engines do not need any maintenance at all: it is enough to regularly clean the vents from outside dust. In addition, you should pay attention to the gearbox: the worm gear housing is filled with grease such as Lithol 24 or similar imported grease. Insufficient lubrication can lead to failure of the gearbox.
Selecting a power tiller for best performance<напряжения>Gasoline engine maintenance requirements are standard: Öler crankcase oiling (for four-pump models) every 100 hours and, if necessary, replacement of the air filter. Manufacturers recommend using mineral or semi-synthetic oil with a viscosity factor of 10W-40 (10 W-30 in summer). If the unit runs erratically, especially at idle, it is necessary to check and replace the spark plug in the ignition system. As for the electric models, your engines do not need any maintenance at all: it is enough to regularly clean the vents from outside dust. In addition, you should pay attention to the gearbox: the worm gear housing is filled with grease such as Lithol 24 or similar imported grease. Insufficient lubrication may lead to gearbox failure.
