Work in the field is not the easiest job. And the owners of their own sites are well aware of this. Therefore, they strive to make this work as easy as possible by using technology. A process such as digging potatoes is very difficult to perform manually. A potato digger of a screen type, assembled with your own hands, comes to the rescue. It will help ease the task as much as possible by separating the tubers from the soil.
What is a
Digging up potato tubers and separating them from the ground will help a potato digger of a thundering type, assembled or purchased in a store with your own hands. The first option is preferable for many gardeners. This is primarily due to the savings in financial resources for its construction.
This device is distinguished by high performance. The main elements are the drive, the share and the trunk. The principle of operation is simple. Knives cut the soil, which, together with root crops, rises on a vibrating table. Due to vibration, the soil wakes up through the cracks. The potato is large, so it does not pass through the gap. Root crops fall from the back to the surface of the earth. They can only be collected in a basket.
The size of a potato digger of a screen type allows you to dig tubers from one row. In length, the device is about 70 cm, in width - a little more than 40 cm, the exact dimensions can be seen in the drawing presented in the picture below.
Device features
A self-made made potato digger can work together with a large number of the most common walk-behind tractors, such as the Neva. It is important to choose and make the coupling unit correctly.
The difference between this type of digger is that almost all tubers are removed from the ground. The amount remaining in the soil is minimal. In this case, the tubers are not damaged (not cut), since all parts are round.
A potato digger is suitable for use on light and medium soils. It can be not only a personal plot, but also a field.
Potato digger device
A homemade potato digger of a screen type consists of the following basic elements:
- Frame. It is the element on which all other parts are installed.
- Lattice made of metal rods. It vibrates during operation, throwing back the soil.
- The shaft that creates the vibration of the grill.
- The transport node, thanks to which the device is able to move. It includes disks, sprockets, chains, rods and other elements.
These are essential elements that may require other small parts to function properly.
Necessary materials and tools
For the manufacture of diggers, in addition to theoretical knowledge, it is necessary to prepare the materials from which the device will be assembled. This may include:
- Metal channel (enough 8-10 mm).
- Metal corners 30 or 40 mm in size.
- Fittings (metal rods 10 mm).
- A sheet of iron 3-5 mm thick.
A self-made potato digger can not be assembled without special tools and devices. Of the tools you will need a grinder, a drill, a welding machine and some other little things (wrenches, a hammer, a tape measure, and so on).
Assembly assembly
A do-it-yourself potato harvester is going in a certain sequence with its own hands. To do this, you need to perform several steps.
The first is the manufacture of a frame. To do this, the metal corner is sawn into 4 parts. Two of them should be 120 cm long, and the other two should be 80 cm long. Using a welding machine, a base in the shape of a rectangle is prepared from pieces.
Next, jumpers are mounted on which vertical rods will be installed to control the equipment. Jumpers should be attached to a quarter of the length of the base of the frame. The wheel shaft is mounted on the other side of the frame. Fasteners are two tubes 15 cm long and 3 mm wide.
After that, vertical racks are installed. For this, two squares are made. They are mounted at a distance of about half a centimeter from the edge of the frame on the side of the jumpers. The next rack 4 cm long is installed at a distance of 20 cm. Having retreated another 40 cm, racks with a length of 30 cm are attached, the racks are connected to each other by a metal plate.
The second stage is the manufacture of the wound. For this, a 40x40 cm metal rectangle is cut, holes are made for fastening to the posts. The same sheet of iron is attached on the reverse side. After that, a sheet with a size of 70x70 cm is welded to the first element. With the help of a sledgehammer, it bends into a cone shape.
The next step involves the manufacture of gratings. To this end, rods are attached to the finished rails. Their length should be slightly larger than the length of the frame.
At the last stage, wheels and adjusting rods are attached. On this screen, a potato digger is ready. It can be brought to work. Thanks to this device, the hard work of digging up root crops will become as easy as possible.