Chainsaw snow blower: tips and tricks for creating
A large amount of snow falls on the territory of the Russian Federation in winter. In some places the precipitation reaches a height of a meter or more. It is in such conditions that a snow blower is simply an irreplaceable thing. The market offers a large assortment of snow removal equipment of varying power, household and semi-professional types. However, not everyone will be able to allocate a sufficient amount of money to purchase expensive foreign cars. One option for getting a snowblower would be a homemade version made from a chainsaw.
How to assemble a snow blower with your own hands?
Having understood the design of snow blowers and familiarized yourself with the drawings from the Internet, you can build a snow blower with your own hands using a chainsaw. Even a beginner can easily master this homemade product. Having a number of necessary components, tools and spare parts on hand, you can construct a homemade snow blower.
The only difficulty you may encounter is finding a power unit. However, any motor of domestic or foreign chainsaws is suitable for these purposes. On forums and on many websites you can find various diagrams and drawings that show what components are needed and how to connect them together.
snow blower
The homemade product is simple and easy to do with your own hands. First, a frame is made, which is welded from pipes of 3-4 cm in diameter. Its shape is U-shaped, with 2 additional crossbars located at the rear of the frame at a distance of 20 cm from one another.
The longitudinal elements of the frame serve to move the snow blower, acting as runners. Their ends are made oblique, the holes are welded to avoid clogging with snow. Cross members are needed to accommodate the power unit.
The motor from the chainsaw is freed from the frame and rebuilt:
- remove the drive sprocket;
- install in its place a small sprocket, which is used as a drive in the Voskhod and Minsk motorcycles.
Making a homemade snow blower auger:
- For the shaft, use an 80-85 cm piece of pipe of the same diameter as for the frame. In the center, 2 plates 13 cm long and 15 cm wide are welded to the sides. They are needed to throw out snow.
- 4 circles with a diameter of 30 cm are cut out of sheet metal 2-3 mm thick. The internal parts are removed - disks with a diameter of 22-23 cm. The remaining circular elements are cut in one place and stretched, giving them the shape of springs.
- Each pair of springs is positioned symmetrically to the shaft, welded at one end to different sides of the central plates at their end sections. The other ends are connected to the shaft through metal spacers. The direction of the turns is towards the center of the shaft. The length of the screw part is 70 cm.
- A metal housing is made from sheet metal to accommodate the auger. It consists of 2 vertical sidewalls, the lower and front edges of which are straight, the back is made in a circle. The latter is covered with a sheet of metal. The dimensions of the housing must ensure free placement inside the screw. The gap size is 5-7 cm.
- The auger is inserted into the holes on the sidewalls. The ends are placed in bearings welded to the latter from the outside. A driven sprocket from the same motorcycles is attached to one side of the shaft.
To make a snow drain, use a section (10 cm) of aluminum pipe and a box, which is welded from sheet metal. The first is fixed in a hole, which is located in the center of the housing cover approximately in the middle of its width. The box is bolted to the section.
The housing in which the auger is installed is placed in the front part of the frame. The sidewalls are welded to the longitudinal pipes. The motor is mounted on the frame cross members, placing the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket mounted at the end of the auger shaft in the same plane. The sprockets are supplied with a chain, not forgetting to install a tension mechanism (an additional sprocket bolted to the side of the auger body).
To control the unit, a tubular handle is installed, and a lever is attached to it that regulates the fuel supply to the engine.
Choosing a chainsaw for a homemade snow blower
The power and performance of a snow blower directly depends on the engine you choose. This main element is removed from the chainsaw. The higher the power of the saw, the better. The engines in household models are two-stroke, power varies from 2 to 10 horsepower. For a homemade snow blower, 5 horsepower will be quite enough. Below we will look at the most popular brands of chainsaws that are often used for homemade snow blowers.
Chainsaw “Friendship”
This chainsaw was developed during the USSR, in 1950, after which it began to be produced en masse in the Soviet Union. Since then, the technical indicators and characteristics of the saw have become significantly outdated. The weight of the unit is 12 kg, in addition, the saw has large dimensions. Experienced owners say that the first saws, which were assembled in the first decade of the plant’s existence, still work properly.
However, chainsaws produced after 1990 are characterized by frequent defects, regular breakdowns, malfunctions and a short service life.
Gasoline saw “Ural”
Another representative of the domestic production of chainsaws. “Ural” tools can be called a kind of improvement on “Druzhba” saws. With the same weight, the Ural has more power from a two-stroke gasoline engine (5.5 horsepower) and smaller dimensions. In this regard, the performance of these devices is much higher.
German chainsaw “Stihl”
Imported sawing equipment is often much better in quality and performance. Foreign factories, such as the German concern Stihl, always try to produce technological innovations. Of course, this also affects the cost of the equipment. Shtil is one of the most popular companies among the Russian population because it has high power, excellent quality, long service life and a relatively low price.
Which chainsaw is suitable for a snow blower?
In order to make your own snow blower from a chainsaw, you will need, in fact, a saw. You can take any brand and model that is in stock. Craftsmen recommend using the Druzhba, Ural or Shtil saws, as they are most suitable in terms of technical characteristics and differ in the quality of their engines.
Friendship
The advantage of the Druzhba saw is its simplicity of design and therefore it is very convenient to disassemble. In addition, the tool does not have any unnecessary bells and whistles that modern saws can boast of and which only interfere with the assembly of the snow blower. But there are also disadvantages - the Soviet saw is heavy and outdated.
Chainsaw "Friendship"
Its technical characteristics are as follows:
- power – 1 kW;
- weight - up to 12 kg;
- 2-stroke engine;
- tire length – 45 cm;
- gasoline as fuel.
Ural
The excellent technical qualities of the Ural professional saw are perfectly suited for creating a homemade snow blower on its basis. The mechanism is powerful and efficient, and is also adapted for use in severe cold conditions.
Chainsaw Ural
Technical data
- engine (gasoline, two-stroke, single-cylinder);
- power – 3.68 kW;
- weight – 11.7 kg;
- parameters – 46 x 88 x 46 cm.
Calm
The Shtil chainsaw also has sufficient characteristics to be used in a homemade snow blower design. The most important thing is that the chainsaw has enough power to start the snow blower. In addition, the Shtilevsky engine is characterized by quiet operation, which will give additional comfort to movement.
What skills are needed?
You don’t need any special skills to assemble a homemade snowmobile, but it is advisable to know how to work with welding and have a welding machine. To use the diagrams and drawings provided, it is advisable to be able to understand them. There is nothing complicated in the design, so almost anyone can assemble such equipment.
What does it take to make a snow blower?
Next, using an example, we will look at assembling a snow blower with our own hands based on a Ural chainsaw. The fact is that in this particular chainsaw the inertial clutch in some cases acts as a kind of fuse, protecting the rotor from breakdowns and malfunctions. The equipment motor is equipped with a 1:2 reduction gearbox.
Our goal is to create reliable and productive snow removal equipment with our own hands on a budget.
To do this, we will try to use accessible and cheap materials:
- shaft;
- aluminum and metal pipes;
- metal sheets;
- bearings and fastenings;
- chainsaw motor;
- welding;
- improvised tools.
The assembly process itself is not particularly difficult, so every man could successfully make a snow blower with his own hands at home. You don't need any special skills to do this. If you don’t know how to properly operate some tools, you can watch a couple of video lessons on this topic.
How does a snow blower work?
The diagram of each homemade snow blower with your own hands includes a number of components and mechanisms. The components of self-propelled devices include:
- Power unit. A snow blower is made from a friendship chainsaw, a powerful trimmer, a gas mower or another device that has a gasoline or electric engine with a high torque rating.
- Chassis. Before you make your own snowplow, you need to decide on the chassis, whether it will consist of wheels or tracks.
- Casing. This part is located in the nose area of the equipment. For its manufacture, as a rule, durable plastic or metal is used. A functioning part of the snow blower, for example a special plow or auger, is placed in the inner part.
- Snow collection unit. This part is directly responsible for collecting snow; the models can use different working elements - a plow, an auger, a milling cutter.
READ MORE: Repairing LG TVs, how to fix the backlight yourself What to do if a plasma TV does not turn on Replacing the matrix and repairing CRT TVs
The device of the auger of a homemade snow blower
- Outlet chute. There is a plastic or metal type. When the device is operating, a volume of snow will circulate through it directly to the ejection area.
- Handles. Using the handles, the operator will be able to control the equipment or change modes.
- Rotor. Used only in DIY rotary snow blowers, it basically looks like a roller with many blades.
Schemes, drawings and principles of assembling a homemade snow blower
On the Internet, on forums and discussions, you can find many drawings of a snow blower made from a chainsaw with your own hands. In our example, consider the following diagrams:
The engine itself must be placed on the longitudinal axis for reliability and quality of operation. In addition to the motor, use a fuel tank from a Ural chainsaw, securing it to the steering support with two bolts. The control handles can be taken from the motorcycle. To create a bucket, you will need pipes with a square cross-section of 20x20x1.7 mm, from which a frame is designed and covered with a sheet of tin, the thickness of which is at least 0.5 mm.
Below are drawings for assembling the most important part of the snow blower - the auger rotor.
You can make an auger with your own hands from the following parts:
- shaft in the form of a ½ pipe;
- a driven sprocket mounted on the shaft;
- two bearings mounted on the housing;
- rotor wing 30x4 mm;
- rotor blades, 2 pcs;
- auger blades, 8 pcs;
- wings for blades, 4 pcs;
- support corners, 2 pcs.
The blades can be made from duralumin sheet, the thickness of which is 4 mm. Using jigsaws you cut out a kind of horseshoe. You will make the fastening process much easier if you cut them individually rather than as a single piece. Below are drawings of the rotary auger blades.
Assembling a snow blower
A homemade snow removal design includes several key components. Among them:
- engine;
- wheelbase;
- tank;
- cardan shaft;
- bearings;
- leading star.
First you need to ensure a strong fastening of the structure. The motor should be placed strictly in the center to prevent uneven snow scooping or distortions. It is supplemented with a gas tank, which for convenience is attached to the steering support using a bolted connection. You can take a throttle handle with a cable from an old motorcycle, which will allow you to easily control the engine throttle.
The bucket will require square pipes with parameters 20 by 20 by 1.7 mm. Based on them, you need to assemble a frame, then cover it with galvanized steel so that the bucket does not rust or rot in the future. The steel must have a thickness of 5 mm to avoid mechanical damage. The metal sheets are attached to the frame with aluminum rivets. To make the structure easier to use, you need to weld a metal plate to the bucket, which will allow it to move easier in the snow. The plate should have a size of up to 60 cm in width and up to 4 cm in length, respectively. It is better to cover it with polyethylene: then snow will not stick to it.
Shaft design
The shaft is one of the key elements in the design of a harvesting machine. It consists of a pipe base to which screws are welded.
For the shaft you will need to take:
- steel pipe;
- a driven star welded to it;
- bearings for mounting inside the screw pipe;
- wing rotors and two rotor blades;
- screws;
- blade wings;
- two support corners.
The cardan shaft is a rotor to which augers are welded parallel to each other and point in different directions. First you need to take a steel pipe, at the ends of which bearings will be installed. For this purpose, a trunnion is welded to the end of the pipe, and then closed-type bearings are mounted on it.
Then you need to install an additional star in the center of the shaft, which will transmit torque from the motor to the shaft. The elements will be connected by a chain; it can be taken from an old motorcycle. Such a star must have 33 teeth, observing a pitch of 12.7, and it is secured with special bolts. To ensure that the circuit and other parts of the system are not subject to negative external influences, it is recommended to provide a housing for the structure.
Once the star and bearings are installed, snow clearing blades are welded to the shaft. You will need 6 steel strips located on each side of the shaft.
The finished rotor should have two duralumin blades based on steel 2 mm thick. Instead of steel, you can use stainless steel, which will be more durable.
The blades are placed symmetrically, thanks to which they will be reliably protected from mechanical influences. After installation, the structure should look balanced and symmetrical. To connect the gearbox and transmission sprocket during engine improvements, it will be necessary to replace the gearbox drive sprocket with a 17-tooth design in a pitch of 12.7. It is placed on the cardan shaft at the end of the second bend. When working with a wheelbase, you need to take into account that it must have an axle with a pair of bearings; rollers or axles are placed on them. They are welded onto the ends of pipes.
The wheels can be equipped with built-in bearings, in which case replacing or repairing them is much easier and faster. The axle and wheels are secured using M10 bolts.
The final touch to assembling the machine is installing the snow guide. A sleeve is welded to the bucket; after assembly, the snow will come out through it. If your snow blower engine is rated at 7 horsepower or less, it may fail during heavy snowfalls.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y95lfIPMaGI
Tips and tricks
As described above, when creating blades, it is better to cut them separately, in the form of horseshoes, and attach them to the shaft. However, some users cut out rings from a metal sheet using a grinder and a jigsaw, and then stretch them into a spiral with a vice. This method is more effective, but significantly more difficult in terms of physical activity.
Another user recommends using self-locking nuts as fastenings when assembling a snow blower with your own hands. Thus, all fastenings will be more reliable and the structure will not break during operation.
Useful tips
To prevent the snowplow from crashing into the ground, the edge of the blade is sheathed with metal. This will also strengthen the strength of the manufactured product. If the dimensions of the blade are 45x25 cm, then it will have the shape of a bucket. To extend the life of the snow blower, during the first check, you need to inspect all fastenings of the elements every 20 minutes, and then continue working. You should also check the condition of the V-belt and other important elements and systems of the manufactured structure.
Regularly tighten screw connections. To avoid metal corrosion, you need to treat metal surfaces with special solutions to protect against rust. If these conditions are met, your snow blower will operate efficiently for many years. People who have made their own snow blower leave positive reviews about its performance.
If you make snow blowers with your own hands, following all the above rules, the tool will be durable and reliable. Always before starting to assemble the device, make drawings with precise indications of the dimensions of the parts and components of the future unit. If you do not have welding skills, then you need to invite a professional to join the parts.
Video reviews and lessons on how to make a snow blower
Reviews from owners of homemade snow blowers Any man who has assembled a snow blower with his own hands will name many advantages of this design. The main advantage is accessibility, low cost, and the ability to work with common materials and tools that everyone has in their garage. For inexperienced craftsmen, this activity may seem complicated, but you can quickly figure it out, thanks to the many training videos, diagrams and drawings on how to assemble a snow blower from a chainsaw with your own hands.
Valentin, 44 years old, Nikolaev
“I use a snow blower that I built a couple of years ago. I found my father’s old Druzhba chainsaw in the garage and bought some tools, sheets and pipes. On the Internet I found many diagrams on how to properly assemble snow blowers with your own hands, many videos and recommendations. I slightly corrected the drawings; I am an engineer by training. As a result, we have a working machine that efficiently and quickly removes excess snow from the yard.”
Alexander, 27 years old, Kharkov
“My regular snow blower broke and I still couldn’t buy a new one. A neighbor advised me to assemble it myself using a chainsaw. I’ve never done this before, my arms are growing out of my shoulders, but I couldn’t do it without the help of an experienced neighbor. We took the engine of an old Shtil chainsaw and bought additional fasteners, metal pipes and sheets. A couple of days of work and an excellent homemade snow blower is ready. The power is quite large, it removes snow quickly, in any case, faster than working with your hands and a shovel.
Advantages: low cost, convenience, availability of materials, performance
Disadvantages: it took a lot of work with my hands and head, but it was worth it.”
DIY chainsaw snow blower
A snowplow with a factory-made chainsaw engine is a budget option for assembling high-quality, passable and fairly maneuverable equipment. A chainsaw snow blower has much smaller dimensions than store-bought equipment, so it can cope with snow removal in the most difficult to reach places.
Before you begin, you will need to select drawings. The diagram used must accurately indicate the dimensions of all components, and must also be capable of installing them into a common device.
To assemble the homemade product, you will also need to prepare parts. Their list includes:
- pipes of different diameters made of steel and aluminum;
- forged metal shaft;
- several bearings;
- Sheet steel;
- welding machine;
- hand tools: wrenches, screwdrivers.
Assembling a homemade household snow blower from a chainsaw consists of several stages. Their list includes:
- Frame assembly and engine installation. A homemade snow blower must be equipped with a durable and impact-resistant frame. The stability of the snowplow when moving off-road, as well as the protection of its internal parts from mechanical damage, largely depends on its quality and balancing.
It is best to weld a durable frame from solid steel and aluminum pipes. The base of the frame should be assembled from pipes of the same diameter. Next, pipes of smaller thickness will be welded to them. During assembly, you need to pay attention to the 2 installed longitudinal pipes, which in the device will not only play the role of one of the parts of the frame, but also perform the function of snowplow skids. When connecting, all their holes will need to be welded so that snow does not clog in them, causing corrosion.
When assembling, it is necessary to weld transverse pipes to the rear of the longitudinal pipes - the engine for the snow blower must be installed on them. In this case, the first transverse part should be welded at the rearmost part of the longitudinal elements, and the next one - 20 cm from the previous one. The result should be a frame in the shape of the letter “P”. Next you need to install the engine. It must be secured by welding or strong bolts. Then the standard sprocket for the chainsaw chain needs to be replaced with a small sprocket, which can be taken from any old Soviet motorcycle.
2. Assembling the housing of the working auger and the drive mechanism of the snow blower. To create a working auger, a pipe of small diameter, 80–85 cm long, is best suited. On an auger of shorter length, it will be difficult to install a reliable drive located in front of the main part of the later-made bucket. One of the main roles when making an auger yourself is played by correctly selected bearings for the shaft.
You will need to cut 4 absolutely identical circles from sheet steel, approximately 300 wide and 2 mm thick. Next, you need to make holes in the circles with a diameter of 22–23 cm and cut them for further production of turns for the auger. All this must be done with all 4 circles. After this, 2 plates will need to be welded to the central part of the shaft being used. It is best for the plates to be welded parallel to each other - in this position they will more effectively throw snow away when operating the snow blower from a chainsaw. Then screw plates are welded to the shaft so that they are parallel. All together the plates should fit on a section of shaft 70 cm long. The remaining part of the pipe will be needed to install the assembled chain drive;
3. Making a snow blower bucket. To assemble the bucket yourself, you will need 2 round metal sides, the initial size of which should initially exceed the immediate dimensions of the auger by about 7 cm.
Before you finally secure the auger for the snow blower, you will need to put bearings on the shaft;
4. Assembling the ejection chute. To make this part of a snow blower from a household chainsaw, you will need an aluminum pipe, at least 10 cm long and about 15 cm in diameter. To install the aluminum pipe, you will need to make several holes in a homemade auger. Next, a solid metal pipe is inserted into them and secured with bolts.
A metal box is installed on top of the pipe. The sprocket, which was taken from a Soviet motorcycle, must be put on that section of the shaft that remained free after installing the screw plates;
5. Final assembly of a snow blower with an internal combustion engine from a chainsaw. To assemble a homemade product, first of all, you need to weld a bucket and auger to the longitudinal parts of the manufactured frame. Next, you will need to install a chain on the manufactured drive. To make this easier, you need to use a tension sprocket, which will be attached to the auger with bolts.
Next you will need to make a handle using several metal pipes. You will need to display the controls on it: the throttle position adjustment lever, the ignition on and off button, as well as other switches.
A snow blower assembled in this way from a household chainsaw will be able to clear areas ranging from 5 to 25 acres. The homemade product will be quite easy to maintain and suitable for independent repair.
Step-by-step instruction
The entire assembly process can be divided into the following steps, which are recommended to be performed in this order:
- The body of the future snow blower needs to be welded from sheet iron. This must be done so that this box is larger than the engine of the Druzhba chainsaw or another brand that you use. If you do not follow this recommendation, the unit will rumble and quickly fail.
- In the resulting box you need to cut a hole for the future outlet pipe. The optimal diameter of this hole will be 16 cm.
- Next, we proceed to making the screw. You can purchase a ready-made pipe on the market, or take a pipe from the front pillars of the car. You need to weld two blades (dimensions 140x100 mm) into the center of the pipe.
- On the sides of the center, where two blades are located, two blades are welded on each side. They can be purchased separately or made from steel sheet 3 mm thick. To do this, four circles with an outer diameter of 3 cm are cut out. Holes with a diameter of 2.2-2.3 cm are made in them.
- Next, you need to cut the disk on one side and stretch it. The end result will be something like a spring.
- We install the finished screw structure on bearings.
- It is best to use closed bearings to prevent snow from getting inside.
- The auger shaft itself is mounted in a box, and the blades are mounted in a hole in the pipe. They are connected by a bicycle sprocket.
- We proceed to the manufacture of the unit frame. It is best to make a frame from various cut pipes located longitudinally to the snow blower itself. In this case, they will also serve as runners for better movement of the unit.
- So, two longitudinally located pipes are welded with two transversely directed sections of other pipes. The chainsaw engine will subsequently be located on the transversely directed pipes. Remember that the distance between the longitudinal pipes should not exceed 70 cm.
- We make a sidewall that hides the screw mechanism. We will need plywood about 10-15 mm thick.
- For better glide of the unit, you can make skis from wooden beams.
- Next we assemble the entire structure. A housing and a screw mechanism are installed on the longitudinal pipes of the frame. They are combined by cooking. A chainsaw engine is installed on the transverse pipes of the frame. Make sure that the drive and driven sprockets are aligned relative to each other.
- Finally, a handle is installed to make it easier to operate the structure. A lever responsible for the throttle valve of the motor used is also installed there.
Options for making a snow blower from engines from different chainsaws
Different chainsaws are equipped with different motors. In this regard, when assembling a snow blower, the manufacturer will need to make certain changes to its design. Let's look at them using the example of those chainsaws, the engines from which are most often used to make homemade equipment.
Chainsaw snow blower Druzhba
In order for the assembled homemade product to be reliable and balanced, you will need to study the diagrams before assembling it. The drawings should tell the manufacturer the correct procedure and methods for installing components into the overall structure of the snow blower.
The engine from the Druzhba chainsaw is distinguished by its high power, therefore, unlike imported saws, it vibrates and makes quite a lot of noise during operation. To make the operation of the snow blower from the Druzhba chainsaw more convenient, when installing the motor, you will need to install a thick piece of rubber between the frame and the engine. It will significantly reduce vibration on the frame and operator handle.
To reduce noise during constant operation of a homemade snow blower, the engine built into it will need to be equipped with a muffler. To do this, you need to take a solid metal pipe, which must be bolted or welded to the motor. A rubber gasket, also folded in the shape of a pipe, must be installed inside the metal pipe.
It must be remembered that due to the high power, a snow blower made from a Druzhba brand saw will need to be equipped with a stronger chain. It must withstand high loads, otherwise the snow blower will quickly fail.
Chainsaw snow blower Ural
Like Druzhba saws, Ural brand garden chain tools have an increased reserve of torque and traction. Therefore, when assembling a snow blower from a Ural chainsaw, you can draw in advance a diagram of a large-sized machine with a wide volume bucket and a powerful auger mechanism.
The basis of the snow blower will be a frame consisting of three rather than two longitudinal pipes. An additional pipe is needed for higher stability of the machine in areas with rises and slopes. At the rear of the frame, you need to weld 3 transverse narrow steel plates, at least 5 mm thick. You need to install the engine on top of the pipes and secure it with 5-6 powerful bolts.
The motor must be connected to the wheels and auger via a chain drive. To install it you will need 2 large sprockets. During intensive snow blower work from the chainsaw you are using, they must be lubricated, otherwise the parts will quickly heat up and crack.
Why from Friendship
The main advantages of the Druzhba chainsaw: simplicity of design, reliability and low cost. It was developed in 1953 and was produced until the early 2000s. Throughout the production of the saw, its design remained unchanged, but some components were modified.
The technical characteristics of the Ural chainsaw are higher than those of the Druzhba saw. It has a more powerful engine (5 hp), lighter weight (11.6 kg) and high productivity. But due to high fuel consumption and an automatic chain lubrication system in the manufacture of homemade devices, such a saw is used less frequently than Druzhba.
Imported production will cost more. To operate such a device you will need high-quality oil and fuel. And if a malfunction occurs, specialized and expensive repairs will be necessary.
How to make a snow blower from a chainsaw with your own hands?
During the winter season, the issue of cleaning the territory is especially acute for land owners. A snow blower is not cheap, but its design is not very complicated. If you have accurate drawings, as well as the necessary materials and tools, it is quite possible to assemble an effective mini-snow blower with your own hands.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before you begin assembly, it is important to understand why it makes sense to choose a homemade snow blower.
First, let's look at the advantages of a homemade snow blower.
- Compared to buying a factory model, assembling a homemade snow blower will cost much less.
- All materials and tools that may be required in the process, with the exception of the gasoline engine, are readily available. Metal sheets, pipes of the required diameter and other parts, the list of which is given below, can be purchased at any spare parts market, or even simply found in your garage or workshop.
- The dimensions of a snow blower assembled on the basis of a chainsaw are smaller than those purchased in a store. Such a device is able to cope with snow removal in the most inaccessible places.
The main disadvantages of a self-assembled snow blower include its low power.
Here, however, it is worth remembering that the subject of this article is creating a snow blower for personal use (for example, on a personal plot). To achieve industrial capacity, other resources and schemes will be required.
Materials and tools
To assemble a homemade snow blower, you need the following list of parts:
- internal combustion engine from a chainsaw;
- pipes made of steel and aluminum of different sizes;
- forged shaft;
- bearings;
- Sheet steel;
- thick rubber;
- welding machine;
- improvised tools.
Structure and general operating principle
The design of a self-propelled snow blower includes the following components.
- Driving element. In this case, it is a motor from a Druzhba, Ural or Stihl chainsaw.
- Ladle. Located at the front of the machine. Made from metal sheets or durable plastics.
- Screw. Snow removal module placed in the bucket cavity. Responsible for collecting, crushing and moving snow masses along the outlet chute. Driven by a motor.
- Outlet chute. Made from the same materials as the bucket. Directs the snow flow to the snow thrower (to the outlet).
- Chassis. The vehicle of the unit. Wheels, skids or tracks - you should choose depending on the specific operating conditions, available resources and technical capabilities of the manufacturer.
- Handles. Provide the operator with the ability to control the device and change its operating modes.
How to do it yourself?
Before starting construction, it is necessary to approve the drawings in accordance with the selected parameters. The diagram must clearly indicate the dimensions of the parts and how they are connected. The process of making a household snow blower yourself can be divided into the following stages.
Frame making
The integrity of the internal structure and, as a consequence, its service life directly depend on the strength, impact resistance and balancing of the frame. It is recommended to assemble the base of the frame from metal pipes of the same thickness. Next, pipes with a smaller diameter will be attached to the supporting frame. When welding the frame, special attention should be paid to the longitudinal pipes, above which the box will subsequently be located. In addition to their load-bearing function, they play the role of runners for moving the product. All holes in them must be welded.
This will prevent metal corrosion caused by snow collecting in the cavities.
To create a platform on which the power plant will be attached, you need to attach one crossbar to the rear edges of the longitudinal pipe-runners and another one closer to their front edges, 20 centimeters from the first. Next, these crossbars are connected by a pair of longitudinal pipes of smaller diameter, onto which the drive is subsequently fixed. The factory sprocket for transmitting rotation is replaced with a small sprocket (for example, from an old motorcycle). To ensure easy sliding of the snow blower along the surface, it makes sense to weld an aluminum plate along the width of the runners to its base, to which a layer of polyethylene should first be attached with rivets.
Assembling the snow collection module
The auger is an axis on which spirally twisted knives are fixed. Their task is to crush the snow and move it to the middle of the box. There, rotating blades send the crushed snow mass into the snow removal cavity. To make a shaft, you can take a pipe of small thickness. Its length is selected in accordance with the dimensions of the bucket based on previously drawn up drawings.
When making your own snow removal mechanism, it is very important to choose the right bearings for the shaft.
Two rectangular blade plates are welded to the middle of the shaft.
To make blades, it is necessary to cut four circles of the same size from sheets of steel. A hole is cut in the center of each circle to suit the thickness of the shaft, then the resulting ring is cut along the radius and stretched to the sides. The resulting figures (spiral turns) are welded to the shaft towards the blades. Please note: the blades of the knives should be placed at the same distance on the shaft. Otherwise, the balance will be upset and the device will sway from side to side during operation.
Manufacturing of casing and snow chute
The bucket cavity is made of a metal sheet, bent so that the bending radius exceeds that of the blades by several centimeters. A cut is made in the upper part of the sheet for the snow drain pipe, and in the back there is a hole for the chain. It is also recommended to make the side walls from metal, however, plywood sheets can also be used. Hubs are located in the middle of the side walls, and a shaft with a screw is installed. Before this, it is necessary to put the temporary drive pulley on the trunnion. A sprocket is installed on the edge of the shaft, connecting it to the drive with a chain through a hole in the box.
An aluminum pipe for removing snow masses with a diameter of about 15 cm is fixed to a previously prepared hole in the bucket.
Connecting parts
To protect the metal parts from corrosion, it is recommended to paint them before final assembly. The frame platform houses the engine and a bucket with an auger. The chain is installed. The drive is connected to switches on the handle.
Auger, auger body, drive
Let's move on to the working parts of the Ural snow blower, namely the auger. It is made from a piece of pipe of small diameter. You can also use any shafts up to 80-850 mm long. An important condition is the selection of bearings for the shaft. This length of the shaft is needed to provide its drive, which will be located outside the housing.
Next, you need to cut 4 circles with an outer diameter of 300 mm from sheet metal 2-3 mm thick. Holes with a diameter of 220-230 mm are cut in these circles. Next, the existing disks are cut on one side and at the cut site the disk is stretched, forming something like a coil of a spring. This must be done with all 4 blanks.
Then you need to calculate the center of the shaft, taking into account the section that will be used for the drive. In the center of the shaft, two plates 130 mm long and 150 mm wide will need to be welded to it. They should be parallel to each other. These plates will serve as blades for throwing snow.
The prepared screw bands are welded on one side to the blades, on the other side spacers are attached to the shaft, to which the other ends of the bands are welded. The ribbons need to be positioned so that their turns move toward the center. That is, on both sides of the blades there should be two tapes installed in parallel and with their turns directed towards the center. Moreover, this entire structure should not exceed 700 mm in length; the rest of the shaft will go under the drive.
Photo of the auger mechanism of a homemade snow blower
Let's move on to the body. It is made from round sidewalls, which in diameter should exceed the auger by about 50-70 mm. Next, a sheet of metal 1-1.5 mm thick is taken. It bends along the circumference of the sidewalls and is welded to them, forming a semicircle. Holes are made in the center of the sides into which the finished auger is inserted. From the outside of the sidewalls, bearings are put on the shaft, pressed against the sidewalls and secured, while the position of the shaft is centered. To secure the bearings to the sidewalls, you can make races, or simply weld them to the sidewalls with external races, but then the structure will not be dismountable.
Next you need to make a snow drain. It can be made from a piece of aluminum pipe with a diameter of 150 mm and a length of 100 mm, as well as pieces of sheet metal from which you will need to form a box. The pipe section will be the basis of the snow guide. To install it, a hole of the required diameter is made in the auger body, located so that it is slightly behind the auger blades. A piece of pipe is inserted into the hole and secured in it with a bolted connection, and the prepared box is attached to the pipe.
The driven rear sprocket from the specified motorcycles is put on the section of the shaft allocated for the drive and secured to it by welding.
All that remains is to put the structure together. The housing together with the auger is placed on the longitudinal elements of the frame and welded into it. The power unit is attached to the crossbars, but in such a way that the driving and driven sprockets are located in the same plane. A motorcycle chain will be used for drive. Its tension can be realized in two ways: tension by moving the power plant, but for this it is necessary to ensure the possibility of longitudinal movement of the motor with the possibility of fixing it at any point. It is also possible to implement a tension sprocket bolted to the auger body.
All that remains is to attach a control handle made from pipes to the frame, and bring the engine throttle control to the handle.
Before a test run of the snow blower, you need to check all the connections and make sure that the auger rotates easily and does not cling to the body elements. Video review of a homemade snow blower from a Ural chainsaw:
Safety precautions
The following are a number of recommendations, following which will reduce the risk of injury during work.
- It is recommended to wear safety glasses and gloves while working to prevent injury.
- Using a welding machine without a protective mask is highly discouraged.
- Before installing the auger on the frame, the mechanism is turned by hand. The shaft should rotate without difficulty, and the blades of the knives should not touch the frame. Only in this case can the mechanism be secured to the frame.
For more information on how to make a snow blower from a chainsaw with your own hands, watch the video below.
Useful tips
As the experience of the craftsmen shows, the reliability and strength of all connections and fastenings is very important. Since a chainsaw snow blower is subject to certain vibrations during operation, it is most advisable to install lock nuts and make all fastenings with engraver washers. To avoid unwinding, the protruding parts of the bolts on the auger are cut off and riveted.
Some owners work without drawings, but most recommendations still state the need for preliminary calculations, compliance with certain proven dimensions and proportions, otherwise the design of a chainsaw snow blower may turn out to be inoperable after assembly.