How to make your own hay press
A hay and straw press is necessary not only for large farmers, but also for those who keep a small number of livestock. The presence of this apparatus greatly simplifies the preparation and storage of hay and straw. The device reduces the initial value of raw materials by more than half, and one cubic meter of hay or straw will weigh up to 250 kg. You can not only buy the device, but also make it yourself.
Press for motoblock
Neva
To work in tandem with a walk-behind tractor, roll pickers are more often produced, since less shaft power is needed to form a roll. The hay press for the Neva walk-behind tractor has an operating speed of 6 km / h and a weight of 350 kg. A pick-up for a walk-behind tractor forms rolls with a mass of about twenty kilograms. Machine dimensions: 250*160*150 cm.
One of the disadvantages of the Neva press for a walk-behind tractor is the lack of a casing, which leads to the loss of the collected raw materials.
Claes
This hay picker weighs about 400 ksh, and has dimensions of 1.2 * 1.15 * 1.2 m. In an hour of operation, a walk-behind tractor with a press is able to process a field with an area of 600 sq.m. The Klaas pick-up is affordable and is often used on small farms for harvesting bean and alfalfa hay where space is limited. The bale size is only 35*45 cm.
Hay press for walk-behind tractor
A homemade hay press can be manual, made of boards or metal, and rolled, which is attached to a walk-behind tractor or clings to a mini-tractor. Pressed hay is more convenient for storage, and pressed straw can be used to make fuel briquettes.
Straw briquettes burn well, and they can heat not only residential, but also utility rooms.
The round press baler for a walk-behind tractor has several main components:
- Loboviny, on which all parts are fastened,
- Chassis, on which the wheels are attached,
- Devices for picking up straw and hay from the ground,
- transporter,
- The working container in which the pressing mechanism is located,
- Mini gearboxes.
When making a press for a walk-behind tractor with your own hands, you need to remember that the most attention should be paid to the pressing device.
- shafts,
- Clamping grate made of durable metal,
- Steel or metal plate
- Several steel springs.
A factory hay press for a walk-behind tractor, such as prf -145 or prf -750 and other prf models, differs from homemade products in that it has a hydraulic pressing system instead of a grid with springs.
The performance of the roll pick-up will depend on the power of the walk-behind tractor or tractor.
The principle of operation and the device of the grass cutter
If we compare grass shredders with other agricultural machinery, then they are quite popular among gardeners. A wide range of products makes it possible for both professionals and amateurs to purchase equipment according to their needs and financial capabilities. The range includes compact household appliances and professional equipment designed for processing raw materials in large quantities. A simple grass cutter includes:
- Working shaft with knives for cutting.
- Capacity for raw materials.
- Protective shell.
- Electric or gasoline motor, cable and pulley with belt.
- steel frame.
The device works according to a simple principle: the raw material is placed in a container with knives, where it is ground into a crushed mass. The operation of the device is similar to a working food processor. The volume of raw materials becomes smaller, which allows you to add it to the feed mixture or use it for mulch. For small volumes, raw materials are loaded into the container manually.
Washing machine grass chopper
Adhering to the design features , you can make a grass cutter from a washing machine with your own hands. For assembly you will need:
- Tank and motor 180 watts. Such an engine is in the washing machine. In order for the device to process not only grass, but also large branches, a powerful engine is needed. The more power it has, the better.
- Disc knife.
- Electrical wire with plug.
- Start button.
- Capacity for raw materials.
- Steel corner.
- Connecting elements: bolts, bushings and washers.
A gasoline engine has more power than a washing machine engine. By installing it in the device, you will get a “three in one” device, which, together with grass and straw, will be able to process branches over 5 mm thick.
Assembly of the apparatus
First, we collect the upper container for processing raw materials. For this:
- We take and cut the body from the washing machine in height. This will create additional convenience in the operation of the equipment.
- In the lower part of the case, on the same level with the legs or slightly higher, we make a hole (20 × 7 cm) of a rectangular shape.
- To prevent the grass from flying in different directions, the hole is covered with a casing. The casing is made of a metal plate and fixed with bolts.
- Then prepare the stand. Here you will need a welding machine and a metal corner. Depending on the size of the container in which the raw material will be located, the height of the stand is calculated. A high-sized support is made for a bucket, a low stand is suitable for a pelvis.
- Two holes with a diameter of 7 mm are made on the motor shaft. They order from a turner or make a sleeve about 50 mm long on a lathe, which is put on the motor shaft. The finished part is fixed with studs on the underside of the tank.
- Cut and sharpened knives are put on the shaft so that they do not touch the walls of the container. The knives are securely fixed with water nuts (32 mm).
- The container with the engine is welded to the stand with a welding machine.
- The tester determines the starting and working winding of the motor . Less resistance indicates that this is a working winding. Having correctly determined the contacts, the motor is connected to the electrical cable.
- The connection is made as follows: on the one hand, the starting winding is connected to the wiring of the start button, and on the other hand, it is connected to the working winding and cable. The second side of the working winding is connected to the start button and cable.
After connecting, the stand for the device is additionally sheathed with a steel sheet. Do-it-yourself homemade grass chopper from the washing machine is ready to go.
Other manufacturing options
For a small amount of work, a hand tool is suitable - a cut. The main part of the tool looks like a triangle. For its manufacture, alloy steel is used. How convenient and accurate the work will be depends on the sharpness of the blade. Therefore, before starting work, the lower edge is sharpened. Cutting grass will become much easier if the tool is supplemented with a long handle, which will not allow you to constantly bend over. A thin layer of grass and branches is laid on a soft surface and chopped. To sharpen not dull, you can not cut on hard surfaces.
Grass cutter from a drill
The design of a simple two-mode electric drill is designed for a small amount of work. But, despite this, a good grass chopper will turn out from a drill. The design consists of a stool, a container for raw materials, knives, a shaft and a bearing with a housing. Assembly:
- A 12 mm hole is made in the stool.
- Under the hole, from the inside of the stool, a body with a bearing .
- A similar hole is made in the center of the bucket. The bucket is installed on a stool and fixed with self-tapping screws.
- A knife is prepared from P18 high-speed steel. A diamond-shaped knife is better at cutting fresh grass. Its cutting edge is sharpened at an angle to the edges. If the blade is rounded, then the grass will not wrap around the knife. It will slide along the cutting part of the knife right on the edge.
- A shaft is installed in the bearing and a knife is fixed on it.
- A drill is connected from the underside of the stool. It is connected to the shaft shank by means of a chuck. The device is ready, we check its operation.
Press manufacturing process
To facilitate installation work, it is better to draw up or find a drawing in advance, with a detailed indication of not only the dimensions, but also the fastening of the parts. Do-it-yourself hay baler is assembled as follows. First, the undercarriage is welded. For its manufacture, a durable metal profile or steel sheets are used. Length and width are selected based on individual needs. Pneumatic wheels are installed on the chassis, as well as a windshield. The pick-up itself is attached to the forehead: it can be made from several metal bayonets or rods. Its shape resembles an ordinary pitchfork. The conveyor is also attached to the forehead. The conveyor is made of chains or strong thick wire.
The next stage is the working capacity is welded onto the baler. It is made from sheet metal. Some farmers use a finished metal barrel as a working container. At the bottom of the container, several pressing shafts are installed, as well as a welded metal grate. Above - a heavy steel plate is fastened with several springs. The drive is assembled last, which is responsible for the operation of the entire device. To do this, the cardan must be connected to a two-speed gearbox. From it, the chain drive will spread to the shafts, as well as to the conveyor. Homemade hay baler is ready!
Making a press
In order to make a hay baler with your own hands, it is important to first prepare all the necessary materials, as well as tools, and study the drawings. Such units consist of a drum, a pressing belt, special movable rollers, as well as knitting devices.
The use of homemade models allows you to collect small rolls that are convenient for loading and transporting.
materials
To assemble a hay press yourself, you will need to prepare:
- Running element equipped with a rigid base where the press box will be installed.
- The skeleton necessary for mounting all the nodes on it.
- Pick-up equipped with a special transport belt.
- Chamber-casing, having a cylindrical shape, a press, as well as a gearbox.
The more power the walk-behind tractor used will have, the higher the chance of achieving the desired speed at which the rollers will rotate. The level of performance of a homemade device depends on this.
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Design features
By design, such a mechanism is a large box made of wood or steel. It must be rigidly attached to a frame made of metal profiles. When the box does not have a lid, a folding door is made, resembling a gate in appearance.
Gate device
In the process of processing the box with slats, it is important not to forget about creating a door. To make it, the simplest method is to mount a classic folding gate. For its installation fastening door hinges. In order for it to be tightly held during the pressing process, it is important to further strengthen it by installing metal rails. In this case, they are fixed in such a way that it is possible to install a valve between them, which extends beyond the side edges of the door for a certain distance. Outside, a lever is made that allows you to change its position, thereby fixing or opening the gate.
Homemade hand press
Main part
The body of the device itself is made of wood or metal. So, it is required to attach a bar to the back of the box, approximately 2 times the height of the box. After that, two more beams are mounted parallel to it at a distance that allows you to install a beam between them. It should be able to rotate 180 degrees around the axis. Further, at the other end of this beam, the very sole of the future press is installed, which should be able to perform similar half-turns.
The shape, as well as the area of \u200b\u200bthe future sole, is determined by the dimensions of the structure itself. In order for the piston to be able to move freely inside the box, a clearance of about 0.7 cm is left on the sides. After that, a special coil is installed on the back of the box, on which a thick fishing line or twine is wound. On the opposite side, where the door is located, several narrow holes are made, which are required to bind the finished briquettes.
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Assembly
The process of mounting all the elements of a homemade press among themselves is as follows:
- First, the undercarriage is assembled, which is a base consisting of several pneumatic wheels.
- Next, the windshield is installed, and after the pick-up, along with the transport belt.
- Now the press is mounted, as well as the box in the form of an integral and independent tool. In addition to the bottom of the box, rollers are installed. After that, the plate is fixed on the spring, which is located on top of the box. It is used to press down the hay before it is rolled up.
- Next, the drive is mounted, for which the cardan shaft is connected to the gearbox.
- At the end, large gears are installed on the pick-up. And here it is important to understand that the larger their diameter, the greater the speed of selection.
If necessary, you can use the device only as a pressing machine by turning off the assembly and transport element.
Making a hay pressing unit on your own is quite simple if you have the appropriate tools and a diagram of the entire structure. It is recommended to strictly observe the installation plan and safety rules when working with the device.
How to assemble a hand press
Externally, a do-it-yourself hay press looks like a wooden box attached to a frame. A manual hay press is made from ordinary boards, which are fastened for strength with a corner using mounting bolts. The perimeter of the box is upholstered with strips of metal. Special attention should be paid to the hinged lid. The opening for it should also be sheathed with strips of metal both from the outside and from the inside. The hinged cover is also made from boards, and the most convenient way to attach it is to ordinary door hinges.
The press itself is best made of metal, but wood can also be used. Those who have baled with a metal device note a greater density of the bale.
A piece of timber is attached to the back wall of the wooden box, one and a half times the height of the box. Two small parallel bars are attached to it. Between them there must be a distance that allows you to attach a beam that can make several half-turns around its axis. At the other end, the press itself is attached, which looks like a flat sole. The press must also freely rotate around its axis. The shape and size of the press is calculated based on the dimensions of the section of the main box.
A roll of twine is also mounted on the back of the box. It is needed to bundle an already received bale. We bale simply: put hay or straw inside, close the lid, turn the press, tie the resulting bale.
The metal version of the hand press is made in a similar way, with the only difference that the body is welded from steel sheets.
Do-it-yourself roll press pick-up for a walk-behind tractor
Commercially available balers are usually designed to work with a tractor - regular or mini. However, for small business executives who have only a walk-behind tractor in their arsenal, this is not always convenient - the walk-behind tractor system is often unable to pull a bulky device and provide it with sufficient energy for full-fledged work.
Purpose
The hay-straw roll baler is used to perform a complete assembly and packaging cycle of hay or straw, providing a sufficiently high quality of results:
- A selection of dried hay from windrows in the field;
- Pressing a selection of dry plant mass;
- Simultaneous twisting of the pressed fabric into a roll.
Photo of a homemade roll press picker
Advantages and disadvantages
The rolled hay gathering unit with a press is the most popular among other similar equipment. The choice of this particular type of pick-up for do-it-yourself manufacturing will provide:
- Initially - the convenience of setting, provided by the simplicity of the device of the machine.
- In work - careful baling without deformation and crumbling of the plant mass.
- Possibility to create small bales of hay that can be easily carried and stored by one person.
- Subsequent convenience of storage and use of the formed hay bales.
Types of presses
The main division of such devices lies in the principle of their operation. According to this parameter, they are divided into roll, as well as bale. In turn, the latter is also divided into automatic and semi-automatic. Often, farmers create their own homemade hay presses. The principle of operation of such devices is as follows:
- first, the pick-up collects dry raw materials from the ground;
- then it gets to the press, where they are pressed and densely filled with a baler;
- at the end, the raw material enters the packer.
Such bales or briquettes, based on the methods used, are tied up and then unloaded.
Hay presses are indispensable in agriculture
Round baler
This type of unit is considered the most popular today. The principle of their operation is that the spring bars of the device capture hay or straw from the ground, which is then fed into the unit. Then the raw material is twisted and pressed. The result is a mass that resembles a cylinder in shape, which is why the units got their name. The operation of automation starts after the roll of the required dimensions is reached. To begin with, it is packed with a net, and then it is unloaded by pushing it out of the press chamber.
Due to the implementation of all these stages in automatic mode, this baling method shows high efficiency rates. When connected to the walk-behind tractor of this unit, it is possible to harvest about 20 tons of hay within 20 days.
The main advantage of this technique over large full-sized products is the creation of small in weight and size of rolls, which makes it possible to optimize the loading and subsequent transportation of raw materials to places of storage and use. In addition, the cost of this process is significantly less.
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Bale aggregates
Through the use of this technique, hay bales are created that have a rectangular shape. Their principle of operation is as follows: first, the raw material enters the pressing compartment. How it gets there is determined by the type of device. So, there is a manual press, as well as automatic.
Manual
In this case, the materials enter the pressing chamber by manual feeding. Therefore, there is no need to connect to a walk-behind tractor or mini-transport. All stages of briquette formation are carried out manually.
Auto
Such units are equipped with a built-in motor. As a result, the bales are relatively small in size, and the shape they have makes it easier to transport them, as well as optimally use the storage space.
In both cases, the pressing is carried out by the translational movements of the press, compressing the hay in the chamber to the desired density. Upon reaching it, the finished bale is bundled with a twine and its subsequent unloading onto the field. These types of equipment are often used, but to achieve profitability they must be used to process medium or large areas.
Bale press
materials
The round pick-up consists of the following main parts:
- Loboviny, which is the basis for the installation of all nodes and an element of attachment to the draft unit.
- Chassis with a base for a press chamber on 2 wheels, on which the device moves across the field.
- A pick-up with a conveyor that collects a mass of hay or straw from the field.
- Cylindrical chamber-casing with a pressing mechanism.
- Driveline with speed-increasing mini-gearbox.
The video shows how to make a bale press with your own hands:
At the same time, it is desirable that the tractor itself - the basic walk-behind tractor - should still be as powerful as possible in order to provide the desired speed of rotation of the rollers and the performance of the pressing device.
Step-by-step instruction
Consistent assembly of a homemade hay baler to a walk-behind tractor will facilitate installation work and do it in the most efficient way. To independently create a convenient baler for a home walk-behind tractor, you will need to perform several stages of work:
- You need to start with the assembly of the chassis - the base on a pair of pneumatic wheels.
- A front and a pick-up with a conveyor are installed on it.
- A press chamber is mounted separately, in the lower part of which rollers and a clamping grid are installed, and in the upper part there is a plate on a spring, which will press the pressed layers for tighter winding of the roll.
- Next, we assemble the drive that gives movement to the working parts of the machine - we connect the cardan with a 2-speed gearbox, from which the chain drive will go to the rollers and the pick-up conveyor.
- We install gears of a larger diameter on the mechanism of the hay pick-up device than on the rollers in order to increase the speed of pick-up and the force of simultaneous pressing.
For the need to obtain better results when harvesting hay with a walk-behind tractor, you can use a simpler and longer-term, but effective option - dividing the work into collecting grass mass with a walk-behind rake and pressing it with a separate manual or electrical device. In the video, a homemade do-it-yourself baler press:
Popular baler models
Balers are divided according to the form of hay pressing: bale and roll, as well as by the method of connection with the tractor:
- trailed,
- mounted,
- Self-propelled.
The main technical parameters of the hay baler are:
- Depending on the power of the tractor, the hay collection area,
- Productivity in tons per hour, which depends on the volume of the working chamber and the dimensions of the pressing piston,
- The width of the captured space,
- Shaft power.
Regardless of the type or model, all balers work on the same principle.
Hay is picked up from virgin soil and fed into the working chamber by a conveyor, where it is compacted. Then it enters the pressing chamber, in which the formation of a bale or roll takes place. The process is completed by ligation with twine or whip. The finished bale / bale is taken out of the machine and fed either through the sleeve into the truck or laid out on the ground.
How is the assembly
Before you make a homemade hay baler, you need to understand how it works. The equipment is powered by a mini-tractor or walk-behind tractor, to which it is aggregated. It picks up and collects cut crops and natural crops and directs them to the bale chamber. Under the action of technological rolling pins and gratings, hay is twisted into rolls or bales and wrapped with twine.
At the end of the process, the twine is cut, the hydraulic lifts open the chamber, the roll is unloaded to the ground.
Balers are divided into 2 types:
Roll aggregates form cylindrical rolls at the exit, bale aggregates form small rectangular briquettes.
Homemade devices are made in 2 versions:
Stationary pick-ups do not pick up hay in the fields, they are mounted on racks or supports. Mobile presses are designed for the selection of straw rolls when working with a mini-tractor or walk-behind tractor. They are aggregated with a hitch-adapter and move on wheels. Most often, craftsmen make roll-up machines mobile, bale machines - stationary.
Roll type
Factory balers for walk-behind tractors have a complex design. It is almost impossible to repeat the device in a workshop. Therefore, often the binding apparatus is not installed on the press, the rolls are not so dense.
Instructions for the manufacture and assembly of a roll baler with your own hands looks like this:
- Assemble the running gear. To do this, use a frame structure, previously made of metal pipes to install the base and all machine components, attach 2 pneumatic wheels to move around the field. For stability of the frame, you can put 4 wheels:
- 2 front - small diameter, for example from a trolley;
- 2 rear ones are larger.
- A windshield is installed in front for attachment to the traction unit.
- A pick-up and a transport 2-layer tape are mounted on the frame, the top is made of rubber, the bottom side is made of a fabric gasket.
- The press chamber is manufactured separately. A dense board or a steel plate on a rigid spring for compaction is laid on the upper part, rollers and a grate pressing the hay on the lower part.
- The cardan shaft is connected to a 2-speed gearbox to drive the working bodies.
- To increase the speed of picking up the rollers and the speed of pressing, the gears on the rollers pick up a smaller diameter than the gears of the device.
When working with a walk-behind tractor, the best result will be obtained by dividing the technological process into 2 stages - the vegetation is collected separately with a walk-behind rake, then pressed manually or using an electrical device.
Bale type
The simplest bale press is a product made of box-shaped wood, rigidly mounted on a frame made of thick timber or metal profiles. Planed boards are used for manufacturing, bolted steel corners fasten them together. For structural strength, the upper and lower parts are reinforced with metal slats, upholstered around the perimeter. On one side of the box, a door is made on hinged hinges for feeding straw.
To the back of the box is attached a structure made of a large beam with 2 parallel boards and a beam that rotates half a turn with a press sole at the end. In a convenient place, a coil with twine or synthetic twine is laid. On the hinged door, 2 narrow grooves are made for the bale bundle.