What is a shovel with auger and what types are there

What are

The variety of auger tools is quite large. Therefore, you need to choose a shovel-blade for your garden plot thoughtfully, weighing all the pros and cons. The auger shovels, which are used for snow removal and other land work carried out in the autumn-spring period, are of the following types:

• single-stage screw. Such models remove snow due to the fact that the auger mechanism rotates at a certain frequency;
• screw-rotor or two-stage. Here, snow is captured using an auger, and snow is thrown away thanks to a special ejection chute. In this situation, a blowout is possible due to the operation of the rotor.

In addition, the auger shovel or blade can be:

• manual. It is very easy to make such a dump shovel with your own hands. It is effective for clearing snow in a small area. But at the same time, a person needs to constantly bend over, which, of course, affects speed and efficiency;
• mechanical. It will be somewhat more difficult to make this type of tool with your own hands than a manual model. But here, working with the instrument will become as simple and comfortable as possible. Also, the unit can be used in autumn for harvesting leaves. But for this you need to use a special attachment - a brush. However, this design also has a disadvantage - the inability to remove deep snow, as well as limited maneuverability due to the length of the power cord.

In addition to the above classification, a shovel-blade can be:

• self-propelled. On the land plot, such units move with the help of a motor and a special caterpillar mechanism. They are quite easily controlled by a person with the help of handles. Such models differ in power, density and range of snow throwing;
• non-self-propelled. It is set in motion exclusively by human power.

Mechanism description

The hand-type shovel has a traditional shape and a standard auger. In this case, the working surface can be jagged or smooth. The latter are used to remove the soft snow layer, and the relief ones are used to remove frozen crusts and packed snow.

Mechanical models are a full-fledged unit, which includes a walk-behind tractor with an engine and a tracked mechanism for movement on the ground (can be replaced with wheels or skis) and a blade, which is attached to the main part of the tool with special fasteners. The control of such a unit is carried out using special handles.

The shovel bucket itself, which you can make yourself at home, can have different dimensions, so that the snow can be cleared more efficiently. But if you plan to buy such a tool, you must remember that its price will rise in proportion to the increase in the volume of the bucket.

When working with this kind of tools, avoid solid objects getting into the auger. Otherwise, you can damage not only it, but also the motor itself (if the model is self-propelled).

Video "Snow shovel: overview"

Principle of operation

The principle of operation is the same for all manual auger shovels.First, the snow is captured, and then it is removed through the chute in the other direction. This ensures that the area is cleared of snow. In mechanical models, the unit is driven by gasoline, and in manual models, of course, by human power. At the same time, in mechanical models, broken snow under the influence of a powerful fan is discharged into the chute and thrown out at a distance of up to 12 meters. The snow throwing distance depends on the fan power and the model of the unit. At the same time, it is possible to adjust the angle and distance of snow throwing.

How to do it yourself

Today, anyone can make an auger shovel with their own hands. To do this, you will need the following materials:

• old barrel or sheet metal roofing;
• metal pipes;
• plywood;
• star;
• metal rings;
• bearings;
• iron plates.

In addition, you will need a welding machine and a drill. To make a screw tool, you need:

• from an iron sheet or an old barrel it is necessary to make a body for a future shovel;
• the sidewall is cut from plywood. Although roofing can also be used here;
• all parts are best fastened together by welding. If you do not have the opportunity to use a welding machine, you can get by with fasteners in the form of bolts;
• the lower and front part of the walls can be rounded. This will avoid a sharp impact of the tool against possible obstacles;
• further, holes should be made in the sidewalls in order to fix the auger in them;
• to make a shaft, you need to take a pipe (about 5 cm in diameter) and attach U-shaped plates to its middle. They will help move snow along the gutter;
• the plates should be welded at an angle of 180⁰ in relation to each other;
• then we cut four metal rings (can be replaced with rubber ones) and stretch them to a distance from the side wall to the plates. We weld them in such a way as to get a twisting spiral;
• the resulting spiral is attached to the shaft near the sidewall and the central plate;
• the shaft itself must extend at least 6 cm beyond the box.

After that, we weld the sprockets to the shaft and attach them to the walk-behind tractor. Then we cut off the circle at the back and weld the bell to the hole. That's it, now the shovel is ready - all that remains is to attach it to the walk-behind tractor. As you can see, making an auger shovel with your own hands is not very difficult. The main thing is to clearly understand the principle of the device and the operation of the tool.

Snow Removal Tool Video

In this video, you will find out which device is most suitable for removing snow on your site. In private, we will talk about the auger or, as it is also called, the snow shovel.