Homemade mini-tractor based on the Niva car, instructions

In terms of functionality, tractors have no equal. Reliable, versatile and wear-resistant, they take on any task related to field work. They have only one drawback - the high cost, which grows from year to year. But this problem can be easily circumvented by making a tractor from scrap materials with your own hands.

A tractor is a mechanism with a wheel or track drive, characterized by the coordinated interaction of its working units. Today, “Kulibins” have learned to make homemade tractors from almost anything that runs on a powerful engine. Among them is the once popular car “Niva”, also known as “Lada” or “VAZ” 2121, which will be used in our homemade product.

The process of recreating a tractor from Niva 2121 looks like this:

Frame assembly;
Installation of motor and transmission;
Hanging the steering column, hydraulics and wheels;
Adjusting the brake system;
Refinement of comfort elements - driver's seat and body.

Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Advantages of homemade products

A homemade tractor from Niva has a number of advantages:

Possibility of manufacturing a vehicle with a 4x4 wheel arrangement. It will be mobile and passable, which will allow you to plow the soil on an uneven surface.
Simplicity of design and low cost of parts. Homemade products are mainly equipped with inexpensive elements from nearby stores. The main thing is that they must be in good working order and free of rust stains. In the future, if desired, they can be replaced with better ones.
Fuel saving. Niva-based agricultural machinery consumes 1.5 times less gasoline when compared with special machines made at the factory.
Large selection of modifications. If the unit is equipped with new hydraulics, it will be possible to install, for example, a small plow on it.

Another advantage of homemade equipment is performing repairs yourself.

The design is as simple as possible, which allows you to replace broken parts without the help of specialists.

This is interesting: Hyundai petrol and electric cultivators: device, technical characteristics, photos and videos

Advantages of making a tractor from a Niva car

Despite the ease of manufacture, quite a few owners of old Niva cars think about the possibility of converting it into a full-fledged tractor.

This kind of event has its advantages:

as a result of the conversion, the owner of the car receives a 4 x 4 tractor, that is, a unit with a drive to all 4 wheels. This allows you to use it for movement in difficult terrain, and with its help perform those agricultural work that some factory tractors cannot do;
a homemade tractor from Niva can be equipped with various spare parts. If necessary, it can always be upgraded by installing an engine and other components from more powerful cars;
the finished unit can be used to work with any attachment - a harrow, plow or cutter for a tractor is suitable for equipping it;
homemade tractors consume significantly less fuel than some factory tractors.

In addition to all the listed advantages, the tractor assembled on the Niva base is unpretentious in maintenance, which cannot be said about most modern tractors.

Making a homemade frame

The frame is the “skeleton” of any traction device, be it a passenger car or a tractor. The body, transmission, engine, suspensions, etc. will be attached to it.

The frame for a homemade tractor from Niva can be:

all-welded - classic design. Characterized by:

ease of manufacture;
low maneuverability, especially when cornering and when driving on bumpy roads with a loaded trailer;

break frame - often called a 4x4 frame, which consists of 2 parts. Is different:

labor-intensive assembly;
excellent cross-country ability, making it popular among craftsmen;
reliability under significant loads, allowing you to maintain balance on any underlying surface;
a minimum turning radius, allowing the tractor to turn around its axis literally on the spot.

Because of this, we will focus on the last group, a detailed drawing of which is presented below.

The 4x4 frame is spar.

This means that it will be composed of:

cross members - stiffeners;
longitudinal spars - externally it is a metal box;
fasteners and brackets that will keep the body from moving.

Procedure:

We weld 2 half-frames using channel No. 8 with dimensions of 90 x 36 cm (front) and 60 x 36 (rear).
We supplement the front half-frame with 2 sections of square pipes on which the engine will be supported;
We mount a stand made of thick-walled metal (1.2 cm) to the rear half-frame, which we reinforce with an equilateral corner;
We weld a rectangle at the back of the stand - it will serve as a rear hitch onto which auxiliary adapters will be hung - a harrow, a plow, a milling cutter for a tractor;
In the upper part of the front half-frame we adapt a platform for the tractor driver’s seat, for which we weld it with a metal sheet;
We weld steel forks to the center of the half-frames;
We take a trunnion and support bearings (for example, from an old KAMAZ);
Using 2 steel forks and a hinge, we connect the half-frames to each other;
We retrofit the front part of the supporting structure with a hub from the front car wheel - this will give it the ability to move in 2 planes. The displacement range can be adjusted using a gear wheel and limit stops.

Application area

Homemade mini tractors, videos of which can be found on the Internet for free, have similar technical data, as well as performance indicators, as store-bought options, such as mini tractors made in Russia, China, and Belarus.

Of course, they will differ in the power of the engine used, but the very specifics of the work they perform will be similar. In principle, the idea of assembling a home-made unit was to carry out the list of agricultural works characteristic of a mini tractor.

Probably its main purpose is direct work “in the field”. We are talking about plowing land holdings, removing weeds so that the treated soil is suitable for subsequent planting of potatoes and other vegetable and grain crops.

This is a primary task for any mini tractor Uralets, Kubota, Bulat 120, Uralets 160, Uralets 220, Yanmar, Belarus 132n, no matter whether purchased in a store or made with your own hands.

In addition, a homemade mini tractor can be used for the following purposes:

transportation of various goods;
cleaning up construction and household waste;
cleaning local areas from snow masses;
for cutting grass for the purpose of subsequent harvesting of hay for livestock.

It is clear that such work will be impossible without the use of additional mounted and trailed equipment, which is aggregated with the mini tractor. Such devices can be purchased directly from a specialized store, or you can construct them yourself.

Fortunately, there are plenty of all kinds of drawings on the Internet indicating the exact dimensions and parameters, which is quite enough for any rural craftsman.

In general, homemade products are used mainly at the household level, which is understandable, because large farms and agro-industrial complexes are able to purchase more than one mini tractor, so they do not need to resort to self-assembly of these units.

But this does not mean that homemade mini tractors will be very inferior in performance to purchased options. If this is still the case, then this lag is not critical, and at the everyday level it is not noticeable at all.

Trunk upgrade

Tuning the Niva trunk with your own hands is also necessary. Despite the fact that the factory version of the trunk is quite spacious, the quality of workmanship is not entirely good.

This unpleasant moment occurred due to the fact that the trunk structure consists of a transverse rib and a folding shelf, which divide the opening in the car in half.

To overcome such a defect, it is best to make a special box and install it in the trunk. In addition to it, it will be possible to equip the trunk with:

LED elements (bottom and top);
A powerful subwoofer and a good music system (but this is only if the owner is a music lover, since such an installation reduces trunk space).

In the future, it will be possible to think about the placement of the organizer, because the luggage compartment is quite large, so no problems are foreseen.

Power unit and transmission for tractor from Niva

The basis of the future homemade product will be the engine removed from the old VAZ.

To do this it:

We remove the engine from the car and place it on a subframe. We give it a low landing, so that the front axle is between the engine and the gearbox;
Fix with ties;
We calculate the gear ratio, which should not exceed 2 thousand rpm for operation in 2nd gear - the main one used for plowing;
To divide the torque between the axles, we limit ourselves to the transfer case from the Niva. It is needed in order to: increase the tractor’s cross-country ability on country roads; the drive wheels were subjected to greater rolling; the tractor moved confidently and stably regardless of the mode and power.
We also take the clutch and gearbox from Niva;
We connect the crankshaft to the PTO, which is best purchased ready-made;
We connect the gearbox secondary shaft hub to the gearbox, which will transfer torque forward. The revolutions to the rear half-frame will be supplied through the fracture joints and the driveshaft.

Wheelbase and steering wheel for a tractor from Niva

For a homemade tractor, 12-14 inch wheels from an old car (Niva, Oka), which are equipped with tires with a rough tread pattern, are suitable;
The steering column is taken from the VAZ and placed on a plate welded into the front half-frame. It is important to correctly determine the height of the steering wheel: its smooth movement should not be interfered with by the tractor driver’s knees;
We change the worm gear, for which we make a gap in the bearing adjusting nut and in the oil tank cap;
It is almost impossible to assemble a full-fledged hydraulic unit with your own hands. Therefore, it is easier to buy it or take it from an old tractor;
We fit the hydraulic pump and lubricant reservoir next to the engine, making a hydraulic outlet in front and rear for multi-position installation of attachments;
We install a power cylinder that will control the adapters.

DIY tractor from Niva: final stage of assembly

The final cycle of work consists of:

Attaching the brakes and clutch, which are connected to the pedals;
Installation of a gas tank with a volume of no more than 10 liters;
Adjusting the front seat from the Niva for the operator, which is suspended for greater comfort.;
Hanging markers and headlights, the operation of which will be ensured by a generator, battery, starter;
Attached to the body frame with or without trim. Even if winter operation is not planned, it is best to insulate the leading components from dust and moisture with casing.

This completes the process of assembling a homemade tractor from the Niva, and its full progress is outlined in the video.

Front and rear axles

These units are created from individual spare parts and units removed from cars or even trucks or other agricultural equipment. However, you will have to do some details, as well as the assembly itself, yourself.

To make a front axle, you will need:

cross beam;
bushings for supporting rotary axles;
axle bushings;
the axles of the wheels;
bearings (ball and roller);
bolted connections.

A piece of profiled pipe or metal corner will do the job perfectly as a cross beam. For the manufacture of axle shaft bushings, structural steel 45 is suitable. The rotating support bushings are made of profiled pipe, modified for the installation of bearings, and are closed with steel covers made of steel grade St3. The front axle assembly, consisting of a cylindrical race and roller bearings, is welded in the center of the cross member. Using large bolts, the bridge must be secured to the bushings in the cross member of the frame.

The tightening force of bolt connections is responsible for the amount of play of the front axle relative to the design of the mini tractor. Too tight, as well as too loose fastening has a negative impact on driving comfort, so the play must be optimal.

Tuning the suspension of Niva 2121

Since the Niva is an all-wheel drive SUV, when tuning it is necessary to pay attention to the suspension. The first step is the Niva lift - increasing the ground clearance. This will create an impressive reserve for overcoming various obstacles. The concept of tuning the Niva 2121 chassis, as well as a suspension lift, includes:

Installation of spacers between suspension elements. You can make them yourself or buy them in stores.
Installation of shock absorbers "Rancho"
Installation of springs VAZ 2104
Strengthening the front and rear axles using steel boxes

Converting a walk-behind tractor into a mini tractor: main points

Unlike amateur equipment, professional and semi-professional equipment has a greater service life and power. For example, from a walk-behind tractor with a 9 hp diesel engine. you can make a pretty decent mini-tractor for plowing and cultivating. Ultimately, it all depends on the goals that the owner of the modified equipment intends to achieve.

Designing and assembling a homemade mini tractor is not an easy task, but it is doable. And to solve it successfully, you need to focus on two points:

Development of a body and frame, as well as a diagram of their connection with the base of a mini-tractor - a walk-behind tractor.
Development of a kinematic scheme.

The frame and body of a homemade mini-tractor are made of metal corners or profiled pipes. When calculating the structure, it is necessary to take into account the ratio of its weight to the power of the motor, as well as the resistance that the machine will overcome when performing various types of work.

If you choose a powerful walk-behind tractor as the basis for a homemade mini tractor, this allows you to use ready-made car or motorcycle trailers. Moreover, leading manufacturers of walk-behind tractors have long provided for the design possibility of connecting such trailers to their manufactured equipment.

The kinematic diagram of a homemade mini-tractor is a set of design solutions that ensure the transmission of torque from the walk-behind tractor engine to the drive (mainly rear) wheels. When calculating, it is necessary to distribute the load on the drive axle evenly - both reliability and durability, as well as functionality, that is, the possibility of using the equipment, directly depend on this.

What to change

Do-it-yourself tuning of a Chevrolet Niva (and older models too) should begin by identifying the most important priorities. That is, it is necessary to determine what needs to be replaced first, and what can wait a little.

In general, modification of the machine may include such fundamental changes as:

Complete replacement of lighting fixtures;
Replacing conventional wheels with models with a larger diameter in order to be able to travel on domestic off-road conditions;
Complete rework of the interior trim (replacement of the dashboard, steering wheel, trim, etc.);
Improving the suspension by adding new automotive elements;
Installation of arch extensions. This function will help overcome several problems at once - the doors and fenders will not get too dirty, plus the tuning composition will become noticeably wider;
Taking engine power to a whole new level;
Adding more efficiency to the trunk.

Based on these key changes, you can build a competent strategy for pumping up your car.

Many improvements can be done yourself; some more complex ones can be left to an experienced professional. And it will not be superfluous to search for information that could be useful in this work.

Shortening a UAZ axle for a mini tractor (photo)

A short photo report: how to shorten a bridge from a UAZ vehicle to build a mini tractor.

When making homemade mini tractors, it is necessary to shorten standard axles from cars to fit the track, usually a VAZ classic, Moskvich, or UAZ. We suggest you look at a photo of shortening bridges from an UAZ, perhaps this will be useful to you when building a homemade mini tractor.

Track without brake drums.

Shortened bridges can now be used to build a homemade mini tractor.

Popular homemade products from this section

How to make a tractor

Frame upgrade

The frame requires only one addition: instead of the cut off rear part, a small (about 10 cm) piece of channel is welded, and the rear axle will be attached to it by welding. A towbar must also be welded to the rear of the frame in order to be able to pull the cart. After some minor modifications, the engine will be bolted to the front of the frame and the front axle will be attached.

Engine improvement

frame;
brake cylinder;
cardan;
steering;
rear axle

To make a tractor body:

sheet iron with a thickness of 5 mm.

Mounts:

bolts and nuts;
rubber couplings.

Tools:

welding machine;
Bulgarian;
gearbox from an electric car;
lathe;
keys and screwdrivers.

How to make a tractor from a cornfield for a summer cottage or farm?

Assembling a mini-tractor with your own hands from scrap materials and spare parts from an old car is not as difficult as it might seem. The main thing is to find competent drawings and diagrams, study them in detail and select all the components necessary for the unit. Moreover, it is not necessary to disassemble the working Niva. A homemade 4x4 can be constructed from a salvage vehicle or spare parts purchased from the car market. The assembly of the agricultural unit is carried out in several stages. First of all, you should disassemble and check all components and mechanisms removed from the car and involved in the alteration. After this the following is executed:

Preparing the frame. After a “small” modification, the body of a donor car can become the basis for the cabin and frame of the tractor. For the design, metal channels, corners, sheet iron, and Niva elements are used. Before welding, all used iron should be thoroughly cleaned of rust and treated with a primer.
Installation of rear and front axles, chassis, transmission, hydraulic system.
Installation of the original engine from a donor vehicle. Thanks to the Niva’s powerful engine, the future agricultural unit will cope with any task. The power unit will be operated under increased loads, so it is advisable to make a special protective casing for it with additional cooling.
Arrangement of steering, clutch and brake components and cab assembly. The operator's seat is conveniently located behind the rear drive axle.
Installation of PTO and hydraulics to control the hitch.
Wheelbase installation. For a homemade tractor, you can use donor Niva wheels or larger diameter wheels. In case of such a replacement, the brakes will also have to be replaced. It is necessary to find hubs of a suitable diameter.

In addition, if the rear wheels and hubs are heavier than those removed from the Niva, the rear axle itself will have to be strengthened. Although such a precaution may not be necessary, since auto designers included a significantly larger power reserve in the domestic jeep than was required by the design.

Mini tractor frame

The chassis is the basis of a mini tractor. Its main quality should be reliability, but you need to carefully monitor the total weight of the structure in order to ensure normal adhesion of the wheelbase to the soil when performing work and at the same time not to overload the engine.

To make the frame of a homemade mini tractor of medium power, a lightweight channel, profiled pipe or metal corner is suitable. The dimensions of the structure, the assembly of which is carried out by welding, must correspond to the dimensions of the machine. It is necessary to make holes along the contour of the frame for hanging and securing the structural elements of the mini tractor.

The ratio of the weight of the frame and its strength must be optimal. You should not overload the structure with additional stiffening ribs, nor should you skimp on metal, sacrificing overall reliability indicators.

Before you begin assembling the frame, you need to decide what trailers and attachments you are going to use when working with it. And in order not to lose your thoughts during the design process, before starting work you should make drawings of the future machine and its main components with the main dimensions. To do this, you can use ready-made documentation, which needs to be adapted to the specific parameters of your mini tractor.

Homemade equipment: how to make a mini tractor with your own hands

Agricultural walk-behind tractors have one serious drawback - the operator has to walk along the cultivated area with them. As a result, fatigue sets in quite quickly, and the time it takes to complete work increases, which leads to a sharp decrease in the efficiency of labor costs. Another thing is a mini-tractor, which has a full wheelbase and steering. But not everyone can afford to buy such equipment. Therefore, in the agricultural environment, you can increasingly find homemade mini tractors, which are designed on the basis of professional or semi-professional walk-behind tractors.

Parts and tools

Here are only the main parts that will be required to make a working model of the tractor; choose everything else: wheel fenders, seat, method of attaching headlights at your discretion.

To make a tractor with your own hands you will need

frame;
brake cylinder;
cardan;
steering;
rear axle

To make a tractor body:

sheet iron with a thickness of 5 mm.

Mounts:

bolts and nuts;
rubber couplings.

Tools:

welding machine;
Bulgarian;
gearbox from an electric car;
lathe;
keys and screwdrivers.

Wheelbase and kinematic diagram

The choice of wheels for a homemade mini tractor deserves special attention. It is quite possible to use wheels from a passenger car, but the dimensions must be observed here. The optimal dimensions of wheel rims for the front axle are 12-14 inches. When choosing a smaller diameter, there is a risk that the machine will bury its nose into the ground during operation. On the other hand, if the front wheels are too large, the operator will have to exert considerable effort to perform maneuvers. However, to facilitate the process of driving a car, you can always use the power steering from a passenger car or other agricultural equipment.

Mini tractor wheel tires must have developed lugs. This will increase the maneuverability of the machine, reduce the load on the chassis and facilitate the control process.

As for the kinematic scheme, it is better to use ready-made options, the search for which currently will not take much effort. The diagram must be adapted to the parameters of the components that you are going to use to create a mini tractor. It would be useful to consider the possibility of connecting attachments, which will greatly increase the functionality of a homemade machine.

Tuning a Niva with your own hands - see the coolest ideas brought to life in the review with photos and videos!

April 5, 1977 has firmly entered the history of the domestic automotive industry, since it was this date that launched the mass production of the popular Soviet SUV VAZ 2121. Reasonable price and ease of maintenance, coupled with the high cross-country ability of the vehicle (which many modern models still achieve today) and today keeps this car brand at the top of the car sales list.

Of course, it also has some technical shortcomings and some flaws. But who said they can't be improved? Moreover, tuning a VAZ Niva with your own hands will not require an injection of colossal financial resources, and will not take much time.

The most important argument in favor of improving the car is its age (after all, 40 years is a long time and a lot of water has flown under the bridge since then).

In addition, what was comfortable for a Soviet person is not entirely suitable for a person of modern times. This is especially felt during a long trip.

Not very good smoothness and clarity of steering, technical shortcomings of the engine, not very comfortable internal content - all this can be adequately improved with the help of other parts.

The updated Niva will receive new technical and aesthetic characteristics, which will immediately affect the comfort of movement in this car. It is in this direction that you should do tuning a Niva 4 x 4 with your own hands.

Brief contents of the review:

Control system and operator seat

After manufacturing and installing the chassis, you can begin to implement the kinematic diagram and install the control system. The most important thing in this matter is to place the operator's seat correctly. The front seat of a passenger car, which is easy to find at car services and in workshops that dismantle vehicles, will do an excellent job of this role.

The steering wheel should be set at the optimal height for the operator. The steering wheel should not interfere with the free placement of the knees - it must be mounted so that working with it in a sitting position does not cause discomfort.

All the necessary parts for pedal, manual and lever control of the machine and its functional units can be found in the same place as the seat and all other spare parts - in workshops or on the market.

DIY mini tractor: where to start?

In fact, there are many options for constructing a mini tractor yourself. However, the principles used are approximately the same everywhere:

The gearbox rotates towards the operator and is fixed on the frame.
Control is realized using steering rods.
A hydraulic drum brake is used.
The brake and clutch are pedal controlled.
Manual control is used for the accelerator and attachments.
The operator's seat is located above the rear drive axle.

One of the easiest ways to create a mini tractor with your own hands is to buy an adapter - a two-wheeled cart with a seat for the operator and an aggregate system (for installing attachments).

What is a breaking frame

A fracture (articulated) frame is nothing more than 2 large half-frames. They are connected using a swivel joint. The equipment has a high degree of maneuverability. Advantages of homemade breakable all-wheel drive mini-tractors:

a significant reduction in the turning radius (the unit is capable of turning a full 360 degrees while staying in one place);
the tractor has good maneuverability in heavily swampy areas with variable terrain;
the moving frame changes the balance pattern of the machine, which makes it possible to ensure reliable, good traction with the soil;
This tractor distributes the load evenly, so it produces maximum power.

In terms of its characteristics, equipment with a breaking frame is significantly superior to light gardening equipment and is in no way inferior to heavy factory tractors. Typically this device has 4 wheel drive (all wheel drive). This increases the maneuverability and stability of tractors.

Mini tractor with tipping frame

Homemade mini-tractor based on the Niva car

The regular appearance of new functional and maneuverable mini-tractors on the domestic market does not make them more affordable.
For small farms and cultivation of private land, such a purchase remains “unaffordable.” That is why self-assembly of agricultural machinery from components and spare parts of available vehicles is becoming increasingly popular among farmers.

One of these homemade products could be an all-wheel drive homemade tractor from Niva. Such an agricultural machine will help with cultivating the land, cultivating, sowing and forming beds, planting potatoes, and harvesting hay. The self-made unit will also serve as an assistant in garbage removal, harvesting, transportation of building materials and other goods. Without being inferior to factory analogues.