How to make a straw chopper with your own hands?

The straw chopper is an irreplaceable assistant in agriculture. With the help of this equipment, not only straw is shredded, but also other crops, as well as feed products for animals. Chopped straw can be used right away, and storage problems do not arise, unlike untreated straw.

All straw choppers are similar in design, have the same set of elements, and the same principle of operation. The only difference is in the size of the equipment - there are industrial shredders needed to process a large amount of raw materials, and there are compact ones that are used in small farms. The straw chopper design includes the following elements.

• The electric motor is the main part that drives the entire apparatus. Its capacity depends on the size of the straw chopper.
• Box (hopper) for loading raw materials, the dimensions of which also depend on the size of the grinder.
• Metal frame on which the engine is located.
• Bracket that fixes the motor and absorbs its vibrations.
• Tripod supports to keep the structure stationary. The height depends on the size of the engine.
• Knives (from 2 to 4) and a shaft that carry out the grinding process itself.
• The unloading mechanism is a side structural element used for unloading the crushed raw materials.

Some models are equipped with a hammer crusher, so they not only crush bales and rolls, but also grind the finished product.

The straw chopper is an indispensable tool in agriculture. It can be used to compress raw materials into bales or rolls so that they take up less storage space.

A straw chopper is a device that is not cheap. In general, its design is rather primitive, so the device can be made independently, spending some effort on it. Plus, most people have old technology idle. You just need to find the parts necessary to create the crusher and spend some time to assemble it.

Any model of a Soviet washing machine with a cylindrical tank is suitable for the manufacture of a straw chopper. The design will be very simple and will work on the same principle as the coffee grinder. Here's what you need to make such a straw chopper:

• tank and engine from a washing machine;
• wire with a plug;
• container for waste (you can use a regular bucket);
• button to start;
• metal corners for the frame;
• an old hacksaw that will be used to make knives;
• bolts, nuts and bushings for connecting parts.

Instead of an activator, knives are installed in the washing machine, which will process crops. If necessary, cut the body to the desired height. Outside, a bunker and a raw material catcher are attached (it will be useful to fix a bag on it so that the raw material does not scatter). It is better to make them from plastic buckets, as they do not rust. Then, using a welding machine, it is necessary to build a tool frame where all other elements will be fixed. The frame is the most important structural detail. After that, it is placed on the legs.

Next, you need to run an empty straw chopper to check if the blades and the engine are working. If everything works, you can safely start using the device.

The grinder is a necessary tool that even the smallest farm has. You can also make a straw chopper from it with your own hands. In addition to the grinder, you will also need:

• bolts and nuts, steel corners;
• knives or cutting discs;
• net;
• vessel for ground raw materials;
• frame.

To make a straw chopper, the cut corners are turned into a frame with the help of a welding machine, on which the grinder is immediately fixed with the shaft up. After that, a welded casing with an outlet on the side is attached to the saw body, on which it is recommended to put on a bag so that the crushing waste does not scatter in all directions.

This option is suitable for the home to grind a small amount of raw materials.

You can make your own very popular rotary straw choppers, which have many advantages:

• the device itself throws out the processed raw materials;
• it can be used not only outdoors, but also in any room;
• easy to assemble and disassemble.

There are several of the most common ways. It is worthwhile to study all possible options in advance, and then only decide how exactly to make such a structure.

You can make a straw chopper using an electric trimmer. Any container is placed on the legs, in which the raw material will be crushed. A hole is cut at the bottom and a bar with a chopping knife is connected. The other end of the bar is attached to the trimmer.

Previously, a method of making a crusher from a hand scythe was widely used. They made a box open from above and from the sides, fastened it on the legs, and an ordinary scythe served as a knife, thanks to the curved shape of which the straw from the box could be easily grabbed and chopped. The pedal was fixed on the legs and, by pressing on it, the mechanism was set in motion.

A straw cutter can even be made from a gas cylinder. To do this, cut off its upper and lower parts. A hole is cut on the side through which the crushed raw material will come out. The entire structure is fixed on metal legs, and the engine is attached below.

If you have all the necessary tools and parts, making a straw chopper with your own hands in one day, especially if you have the skills of locksmithing and welding, will not be difficult. But even if it takes much longer to work, this will allow you not to spend a lot of money on buying a straw chopper, which is a big plus.

How to make a straw chopper with your own hands, see in the video below.