How to make an adapter for a walk-behind tractor with your own hands?

Small agricultural machinery such as walk-behind tractors, cultivators and mini-tractors greatly facilitate the work of people. But in the pursuit of perfection, even such units are being modernized. In particular, manufacturers or the owners themselves equip them with adapters - special seats that make the use of such equipment more comfortable and less energy-intensive. There are walk-behind tractors already equipped with such a device, but there are also models without it. But you can do it yourself with a steering or movable joint adapter. How to do this work correctly will be described in detail below.

With your own hands and even without assistance, you can make a manual adapter or a dump adapter. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to decide on the type of additional equipment. The next stage is the drawings. You can use ready-made ones, based on the instructions for walk-behind tractors of the same brand, but already implemented with adapters, or you can create it yourself. When making drawings with your own hands, careful attention should be paid to the main elements:

• steering wheel control:
• frame;
• seat;
• frame;
• adapter portal;
• suspension;
• coupling mechanism.

When the diagram is ready, you need to take care of having the following tools at hand:

• welding machine;
• drill;
• Grinder;
• two wheels with an axle;
• lathe;
• a ready-made chair of a suitable size;
• metal profile for the frame;
• steel corner and beams;
• fasteners;
• bolts, screws;
• screwdriver;
• control levers;
• circle made of steel with special holes - the basis for adhesion;
• bearings;
• means for lubricating and priming the finished structure.

All the materials and tools you need can be purchased from your local hardware store. If there is no chair that is suitable in size, you need to purchase a frame, upholstery and base for the seat, and then make it yourself. All that is needed is to tightly lay the padding or filler on the frame, fix the upholstery on top with a stapler. Alternatively, you can purchase a pre-made plastic seat at a hardware store. After the preparatory work is completed, you can proceed directly to the manufacture of the adapter itself.

Such a hitch of any kind is not just a seat, but a whole device consisting of several parts. Depending on the type of adapter, these parts are attached to each other in different quantities and in a different order. So, the rear and front units are made in almost the same way, but differ in the method of final fastening and the method of the coupling itself.

This type of adapter is the easiest and fastest do it yourself at home.

• A piece of the same steel sheet, but 60 cm in size, should be welded across a square profile 180 cm long.
• Braces are installed on the frame and wheels and fastened with bushings. To strengthen the main frame, an additional steel beam is welded onto it.
• Channel 10 is used to create an additional beam. It is made in accordance with the drawings and using a welding machine.
• The frame created in the previous step is welded to the wheel axle.A small piece of a square metal beam or steel angle is used as a connecting element.
• The first control lever is installed on the frame, on which there are 3 knees. An additional one is installed on this lever, but less than the size. All work is carried out using a welding machine.
• Both levers are securely fixed to each other with bolts.

When the main lifting mechanism of the adapter is ready, you can proceed to its direct assembly and connection of the equipment with the walk-behind tractor.

• A stand for the future seat is welded onto the central frame, which is made from a piece of steel pipe.
• On top of it, using a welding machine, two more of the same pipe sections are attached perpendicularly. This design will allow you to securely fix the seat on the walk-behind tractor and minimize vibration and shaking during its operation.
• Further, pieces of pipes are attached by welding to the frame, and the seat itself is fixed to them with self-tapping screws or bolts. For added security, the bolts can also be screwed into the seat stand, not just into the frame.
• The finished hitch is welded to the front of the resulting adapter.

This homemade adapter is even faster to manufacture than its predecessor. But it is worth knowing that this option involves the use of more different corners and pipes. And yet - such attachments are made on the basis of a frame with a ready-made fork and bushing. It is its presence that will allow the walk-behind tractor to rotate freely in the future from steering action. The sequence of actions will be as follows.

• The frame is made of steel of a selected length and thickness. Using a grinder, blanks of the required size are cut out of the sheet, and then fastened together with bolts or self-tapping screws.
• The design of the undercarriage should be based on where the motor of the unit itself is located. If it is in front, then the main criterion is the size of the main wheels. That is, the size of the track should be based on it. The wheels are only attached to the rear. They are welded to the axis. If the motor is at the rear, then the distance between the wheels should be wider. Here, the standard ones are removed from the walk-behind tractor, and in their place they are installed the same as on the adapter.
• The axis itself is created from a pipe, and bearings with bushings are pressed into its ends.

• The steering wheel is either like a car or like a motorcycle. There is no fundamental difference. Experienced craftsmen recommend removing the finished steering wheel from the vehicle and fixing it on the basis of the adapter. It is quite difficult to make a steering wheel yourself, especially for a beginner. It is worth noting that the motorcycle handlebar creates great inconvenience when reversing the walk-behind tractor. And this factor should be taken into account.
• If an all-metal frame is used, the steering will be mated to the front of the unit itself. If you make a special additional support - articulated-articulated, then the control will rotate the additional frame completely. In this case, two gears are used: one is installed on the steering column, and the second on the upper half-frame.
• The next step is to install the seat. As in the case of the manufacture of the previous type of adapter, it can be either ready-made or made with your own hands. It must be fastened with a welding machine to the rear frame of this attachment.

• In the event that, in the future, the modernized walk-behind tractor is planned to be used to install a replaceable attachment, it is necessary to attach another bracket with a welding machine. An additional hydraulic system should also be created.The easiest way is to remove it from any type of small agricultural equipment and weld it onto your own walk-behind tractor.
• The towbar must be welded to the rear of the main frame. It is necessary in cases where it is planned to use a walk-behind tractor to transport some small loads. If the use of a trailer or semi-trailer is not planned, then this stage can be skipped.
• The final stage is coupling. To do this, small holes are drilled in the steering column into which screws and brackets are inserted. It is with their help that the hitch itself is attached under the steering column.

Perhaps a step-by-step description of making such a device with your own hands may seem complicated. However, with detailed diagrams and drawings, this problem completely disappears. For the created adapter to be functional and durable in use, it is necessary to properly weld all the main elements and pay special attention to the normal operation of the brakes.

Before immediately performing any agricultural work with the help of a self-improved walk-behind tractor, it is necessary to perform several final verification works:

• make sure the seat is securely installed;
• check the quality of all welds and the reliable fastening of bolts and screws;
• start the walk-behind tractor and make sure that the engine is working normally and smoothly;
• install, if necessary, hinged gardening tools and try them in action;
• be sure to check the operation of the brakes and make sure they are working properly.

If, when performing all these simple works, no problems were found in the operation of the walk-behind tractor, it is necessary to bring it into a proper appearance. To do this, a do-it-yourself adapter is primed and painted in any color you wish. This stage allows not only to give the walk-behind tractor a beautiful appearance, but also to protect the metal from corrosion.

For information on how to make an adapter for a walk-behind tractor with your own hands, see the next video.