Products grown on a garden or in a summer cottage are the most delicious and healthy. To facilitate hard work in the garden, it is enough to choose a walk-behind tractor that meets individual requirements. These multifunctional devices consist of an engine and additional elements connected in a single mechanism.
Content
Functions and capabilities of walk-behind blocks
The equipment is intended for operation in home gardens and cottages, small farms. Motoblocks differ from similar equipment in affordable cost and high functionality. Devices are suitable for various tasks:
- plowing and cultivating the soil;
- sowing crops;
- harvesting;
- feed preparation;
- transportation of small loads;
- snow cleansing;
- uprooting stumps.
Motoblocks function in tandem with a variety of attachments: milling cutter, plow, snow blade, trailer and others. One machine replaces almost all garden equipment.
Types of walk-behind blocks
The main characteristic that you should pay attention to when choosing a technique is power. The higher it is, the larger the area of the site can be processed. Based on power and mass, all walk-behind tractors are divided into 3 large categories.
Lungs
The weight of such devices reaches 80 kg. Often motoblocks cannot boast of functionality and a large number of attachments. Lightweight models are suitable for processing no more than 15 acres. They have a compact size, so they can be easily transported to the country in the car.
Among the disadvantages are high fuel consumption, rapid wear of the belt clutch. Only suitable for small areas.
Medium
This is a technique with a weight of up to 120 kg, suitable for connecting most attachments: brushes, hills, plows. High mass allows you to handle a large area - up to 100 acres, as well as transport goods in a trailer.
Among the shortcomings note noisy work, towing when plowing virgin lands.
Heavy
The devices are no longer just walk-behind tractors, but real mini-tractors, weighing from 100 to 300 kg, power reaches 12 hp. Designed to create lawns, snow removal, plowing virgin soil. Professional models process areas of up to 3 hectares, including solid soil, and carry heavy loads.
Such models are expensive, repairs will also cost a pretty penny. During operation, the walk-behind tractor makes quite a loud noise.
Criterias of choice
Choosing a good walk-behind tractor for the garden and the garden will help the information on the main characteristics of the devices correctly. With their help, you can determine which model will meet individual requirements.
Power
It can vary between 3 - 12 hp. It is from this parameter that the performance of the equipment and the suitability for operation in difficult conditions depend:
- small gardens, less than 20 acres, are plowed by devices with a power of 3-4 hp;
- an area of up to 1 ha can be treated with an aggregate of 5 to 6 hp;
- For the maintenance of large areas, complex soils, as well as long-term use, the most powerful equipment of 7 - 9 hp is suitable.
Suitable power is selected depending on the size of the fields and the type of soil.
Attachment Torque
This function is not found on all devices, and its presence increases the price of the walk-behind tractor.It consists in the fact that the equipment moves with the drawing of attachments, and additional devices are attached to a separate pulley or shaft. As a result, the torque extends to the rotating nozzles.
The function is relevant if you need small grinding of the soil. Plows lift large boulders, and disks located nearby crush them. The transmission of torque to attachments is useful in snow removal, grass mowing, and fertilizing.
If the equipment is purchased for plowing, harrowing, digging, the function will not come in handy.
Tank capacity
Devices consume about 1 liter of fuel per hour. Various types of walk-behind tractors are supplemented by a tank designed for 3 - 8 liters. Models with a small volume work for about 3 hours. For a small plot this is enough.
If the size of the field is large, it is better to choose a larger tank, so as not to carry a canister with fuel.
Clutch and gear
To transmit torque from the motor to the wheels, clutch and a gearbox are necessary. The latter reduces the speed to the desired performance. Gearboxes are gear and chain.
Belt clutch is suitable for plowing soil without clay. Repair of such equipment is inexpensive. On solid ground, the walk-behind tractor skids, and the mechanism quickly becomes unusable.
Disc clutch is durable, it allows you to smoothly start the design. The gear model is more suitable for commercial operation, processing heterogeneous soil.
Plowing depth
Depending on the model, the depth varies between 25 - 35 cm. The minimum indicator is suitable for cases when the thickness of the fertile layer does not exceed 20 cm. The crops grown on the site are also important. So, wheat is sown to a depth of not more than 15 cm.
In the presence of a thick layer of chernozem, it is good to use equipment with a plowing depth of up to 35 cm. The procedure enriches the soil with oxygen, removes excess fluid, and allows you to place seedlings at the proper depth.
engine's type
Petrol designs are less noise and vibration. They work efficiently, but do not consume fuel too economically. It is better to buy models with such an engine to care for a small area.
Diesel engines withstand high loads, characterized by excellent traction at low speeds. The consumption of diesel fuel is economical, but the equipment vibrates and makes a lot of noise. These walk-behind tractors are designed to work in spacious fields.
Plowing width
This indicator indicates the capture of the territory at a time. For domestic use, 60 - 70 cm is enough. The technique will be convenient for processing a small area, as well as narrow areas near the fence.
Width of 80 - 130 cm is useful in large gardens, as well as for commercial use.
Speeds
Modern walk-behind tractors are equipped with different speed options:
- one back and a pair of front;
- four front and two rear;
- two on each side.
A large set of speed modes is relevant for plowing dissimilar soil with soft and hard areas. Such a function is useful when cleaning snow, transporting goods. For movement in tight places, a rear transmission is needed.
Weight
Constructions up to 80 kg are intended for well-groomed summer cottages that plow every year. For processing virgin soil, a heavy aggregate of up to 110 kg is required. Heavier walk-behind tractors are suitable for connecting a trailer and transporting bulky goods.
If you plan to transport equipment by car, it is better to pick up light options from 60 to 80 kg.
Electric starter
Located next to the control levers, necessary for quick engine start. This characteristic is relevant when you often have to suspend work. So, an electric starter will be required when caring for narrow areas or when moving from one field to another.
Soil type
When choosing the right technique, it is important to consider the composition of the soil in the garden.Light models are not suitable for plowing virgin soil, because they do not plunge into the ground to the required depth. The following recommendations will help you choose the right technique:
- well-groomed soil - models no heavier than 70 kg;
- clay soil - equipment no lighter than 95 kg;
- untreated areas - self-propelled walk-behind tractors that weigh 120 - 150 kg.
Given these features, you can choose suitable designs to perform certain functions.
Additional functions
The capabilities of the devices depend on the trailed equipment, which is fixed on the housing. Nozzles are different:
- Cultivating cutters. Rotary blades are required for tillage.
- Oval plow. Plows the soil, moving it to one side.
- Reversible plow. It is a pair of metal plates that do not interconnect, is necessary for plowing.
- Potato planter. Used for planting root crops.
- Potato digger. Designed for harvesting.
- Harrow. Allows you to level the ground, break up clods.
- Rake. They will help in collecting fallen leaves or mowed grass.
- Mower. Cuts grass no more than 1 meter.
- Snow shovel and brush. Cleans surfaces.
- Trailer. Clings to a walk-behind tractor, serves to transport the owner and goods.
Which is better to choose
When choosing a model, not only the listed parameters are important. Pay attention to the type of clutch and type of fuel.
With belts or gear
Clutch technology may have a single-disk or multi-disk design. There are models with a belt drive. Species with disks are more reliable and stable, therefore they are installed on heavy powerful machines. Based on the tasks that the walk-behind tractor will perform, models with a belt or gear are selected.
The durability of the equipment depends on the gearbox. Cheaper models are equipped with a non-separable part. If it fails, you will have to change to a new one. Collapsible options made of cast iron are repairable, so more benefits.
The best are gear-chain and gear reducers. Worm elements heat up quickly. When working with complex soil will have to stop every half hour, otherwise the equipment will fail.
Diesel or gasoline
Modern motoblocks operate on two types of fuel, so you have to decide which one is more suitable: gasoline or diesel.
Gasoline have high power and performance. The devices are less noisy and lighter than diesel. In the process, emit less exhaust gases. Repairing equipment is not too expensive. Today, gas-powered appliances are the most popular.
Diesel units are more powerful, have high traffic, suitable for processing large areas. Fuel is used sparingly, cheaper. By cons include the high price of devices, noise, a lot of weight.
Motoblocks - a versatile technique that is suitable for virtually any excavation work. With them, the work of farmers and summer residents will become much easier and more efficient. When choosing a suitable model, it is necessary to take into account the technical characteristics of the products and the tasks to be solved with the help of equipment.
