✅ Tractor potato diggers, how to make them yourself, tips

General information about the mechanism

A potato digger is a special towed device for a walk-behind tractor or mini-tractor, which allows you to separate the tubers from the soil and dump them on the surface. Afterwards, all that remains is to collect the tubers in a suitable container. The potato business will develop successfully with such a device thanks to mechanization.

A factory-made mechanism is extremely expensive. There are cheap Chinese products on the market, but their quality is worse. It makes sense to start making the device yourself. To do this, it is necessary to distinguish between the types of potato diggers, which are distinguished depending on the operating principle of the devices.

Device types:

ogival;
screening or vibrating;
conveyor

The lancet potato digger has a simple design and is easily suitable for any mini-tractor.
There are no moving parts in the device, which simplifies manufacturing. The digger cuts the soil with a knife. Next, the earth falls on steel bars, from where the visa is poured. Potato fruits are retained by the twigs and fall on top of the ground in their pure form. This device is effective only on soft and dry soil. Wet soil will be cut in clumps, making it impossible to separate the potatoes from it. This will require additional effort. The simplicity of the design should not captivate farmers in the northern regions - the device simply will not work. However, a homemade potato digger for a lancet-type mini-tractor can be made quickly, even without drawings - this is a significant advantage.

The vibration-type mechanism (also called a screening mechanism) consists of a ploughshare, a barrel and a drive. This is a productive device, but difficult to manufacture. Moving parts add challenges to assembly. Operating principle:

The ploughshare undermines the earth along with the fruits.
The material falls on a table made of twigs, where the soil is loosened and spills down through the sieve.
On the opposite side, tubers are poured on top of the ground.

The vibrating table complicates the design, but allows you to work on hard and wet ground.
Thanks to vibration, lumps of earth are broken up, and the fruits become relatively clean. Installation with a conveyor allows you to work on any type of walk-behind tractor or mini-tractor. The design is similar to a rumble digger, but there is a conveyor immediately behind the plowshare. Its purpose is to support the tubers on the platform to better clean them from adhering earth. The device is more practical than a vibrating digger and is suitable for all types of soil. It is not advisable to use a digger with a conveyor on soft, loose soil.

The choice of design must be made depending on the type of soil on which to work. The rule is simple: the lighter the soil, the simpler the potato digger needed. You can also make a conveyor, but it will not be useful on dry sand. These will be extra costs. However, if you need to make a potato digger for a mini-tractor with your own hands, the drawings and dimensions should be selected so that the mechanism harmoniously fits the traction device.

Potato digger: types and characteristics

Vibration type mechanism . The main components are a ploughshare and a vibrating sieve. The principle of operation of the mechanism is quite simple. The ploughshare undermines the soil with its rapid movements, as well as due to the movement of the walk-behind tractor. Next, the tubers fall onto the transport grid, where the tubers are cleaned of soil. Peeled tubers fall to the ground from above. The model is distinguished by high operating efficiency. However, for self-production it has a complex design.
Conveyor type . Suitable for the Neva walk-behind tractor. The design is similar to the vibrating type, but instead of a sieve, a conveyor is used. There are special grooves on it that allow you to hook tubers onto the platform. This is where they undergo soil removal. The conveyor type of potato digger is distinguished by great practicality. Than vibration. However, it is not advisable to use this design for light and loose soil.
Lancet potato digger . This is a simple design that can be installed on any type of walk-behind tractor. There are no movable units in this potato digger. Operating principle:

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The knife of a potato digger cuts soil with potatoes.
The soil falls on the rods, where cleaning occurs.
Clean potato fruits are placed on top of the soil after cleaning.

However, a lancet potato digger can be used effectively only on loose soil.

Note! The final choice of design depends on the density of the soil on which to work. Where work requires a digger with mechanical moving parts, the lancet design will be useless. If the lancet type is used effectively, the use of other structures is impractical.

The first 2 types of potato digger designs are combined under the name of screening machines.

The cost of equipment of all types for a walk-behind tractor ranges from 7 to 12 thousand rubles. Moreover, during the season, closer to autumn, the cost may increase by half. There are models on the market that fit walk-behind tractors:

Drawings and dimensions for making a digger are presented below. If necessary, the trailed one can be adapted to other agricultural machinery.

Making your own lancet digger

A homemade potato digger for a lancet-type walk-behind tractor is a simple type of attachment. In some ways it is similar to a cultivator. To construct it, you do not need a lot of material and complex tools. The assembly operations are simple and, with minimal skills, can be done by any gardener.

Necessary materials:

steel channel;
plow - it can be cut from an old shovel or a circular saw, but it is better to take high-quality steel with a thickness of at least 5 mm;
metal corners 40 and 63 cm;
steel rods in the amount of 8 pieces - can be removed from used forks or broken garden tools and replaced with fittings.

The device should ultimately be small in size. It needs to be made so that it is easy to attach to the Neva walk-behind tractor. There are no moving parts in the lancet digger, so there is nothing to break. The main thing is that the structure itself can withstand and not crack.

Manufacturing procedure:

The channel is used as a base. A tow hitch is mounted on it.
A plow is placed on the base.
Rods are welded to the plow, which separate the tubers from the sand.

Disadvantages of the device:

The small width of the strip is about 25 cm, because of this, crop losses increase by about 15-20%.
There is a high risk of damage to the tubers from the knife.

The grass should not clog the bars during operation. Otherwise, the device will stop performing its function and begin to crush the potatoes. Despite its shortcomings, it can be used in a small backyard in the southern regions. The wider the plow is made, the better.

Description of the vibration structure assembly process

A simple digger may not be enough for some people, so you should consider a more complex option. This is also relevant because domestic soils are quite wet. This implies increased technical requirements for the device.

Frame

To create the base of the structure, it is advisable to use a square pipe measuring 4 by 4 cm. For the support beams, you will need a blank of 4 meters. It needs to be divided into segments of 120 and 80 cm.

They make a rectangular base with sides of 120 and 80 cm. The corners are secured by welding.

Rods and their fastenings

The jumpers are not welded to the middle of the side of the rectangular frame, but to a quarter of the length of the side.

On the back side of the base it is necessary to weld the deckhouses in a vertical position. These will be located on the outside of the axle base installation. The wheels are then placed on the axle.

The structure is secured with bolts. To do this, drill holes with a drill.

Vertical racks

The profile of the racks made of square pipes should be fixed at a distance of 5 cm from the edge of the frame. Its length is 50 cm and no more. After 15 cm, a second profile is fixed, but 40 cm long. The third profile is fixed after 40 cm. The length of the stand is 30 cm. It turns out to be a kind of paired descending ladder.

Strengthening

To strengthen the racks, additional fastening will be required in their lower part. During excavation work, the device will experience heavy loads, so reinforcement will be required.

To do this you will need a strip of metal half a millimeter thick. The racks are connected by welding. The connection angle is 45 degrees. For additional fastening, the racks should be welded together.

Plowshare or ralo

A self-made potato digger should work the same as its industrial counterpart. It should also go into the ground easily. This is required for digging potato rows.

To make a ral you will need metal 0.3 mm thick. The blades should be cut according to the drawing. A homemade plow is welded to them. To better grip the ground, the blades must have a three-dimensional shape - be concave. To do this, tap the center of the blades with a hammer. The structure must be securely fastened.

pitched board

This is a continuation of the potato digger design. For the pitched board, which will clear the potatoes from the soil, metal rods are used. You should not take them too thick - the weight of the structure will increase.

Fittings with a diameter of 1 cm and a length of no more than 120 cm are suitable. The fittings are welded in increments of 4-5 cm.

Adjustment rods

This element is optional. It is required on wet soil. The rods allow you to adjust the angle of inclination of the pitched board, also known as a reinforcement board. Ideally, the adjustable structure should be mounted on a separate frame, which will have a pitched board in its structure. The fastenings can be tightened using bolts.

Wheels

To make it more convenient to work and move with an attached homemade digger, it should be equipped with wheels. Please note that you will need a wide tire

It doesn’t matter what device you can take it from. The wide wheel will not sink into the ground

Ideally, the wheels can be removed from a garden cart. The mount is similar.

DIY vibration option

A screening (or vibrating) type digger has moving parts, which significantly complicates the design, so the mechanism requires precise manufacturing. However, a device of this type performs well on hard and wet soil, cutting it well. You need to know how to make a potato digger with your own hands without outside help in order to save money.

Manufacturing procedure:

Form a frame. Cut the pipe into 4 parts. It is advisable to use blanks with a square cross-section - these are easier to join. You need two pieces 120 cm long, and two 80 cm long. The cross-section of the pipe is 4 by 4 cm. The parts are connected by welding into a rectangle.
Install jumpers that will serve as the basis for control rods. On one side, elements are mounted a quarter of the length of the base of the frame, and on the other, two blanks for fastening the wheels. To do this, you will need two tubes with a diameter of 3 cm and a length of 15 cm.
Install the racks vertically. On the side where the jumpers are located, 2 sheets 50 cm long are fixed at a distance of 5 mm from the edge of the frame. At a distance of 20 cm from them, racks 4 cm long are installed. Then another 40 cm are retreated and racks 30 cm long are installed.
Ralo is made of metal sheet. It should be 40 by 40 cm in size and at least 3 mm thick. The workpiece is rigidly attached to the racks from below. The second workpiece, measuring 70 by 70 cm and 4 mm thick, is butt welded to the first, then the shape is bent into a cone with a sledgehammer.
The grille is made of metal rods with a diameter of 1 cm. At the bottom they are attached to the railing, and the second end extends beyond the perimeter of the frame. You will need 10 to 15 rods. For additional rigidity, two rods should be welded across the structure.
The wheels are installed in a pre-prepared place.

How to make a potato digger for a mini tractor with your own hands

Let's consider making a potato digger for a mini tractor with your own hands. The conveyor potato digger can be assembled by hand. To do this, you need to have drawings on hand on which all parts of the unit will be outlined in detail.

How much more expedient it is to make such equipment yourself is up to everyone to decide, but it should be taken into account that a homemade potato digger is suitable for plowing a small area. Large areas are best treated with industrial equipment purchased from the manufacturer. When harvesting potatoes, a digger, made by hand for a tractor, passes through the area, digs up and collects the tubers.

In order to assemble a passive type weapon, you will need materials. First of all, a sheet of iron made of durable steel, which will serve as a shovel. It is advisable that its width be at least 3-5 mm, otherwise the iron will quickly become dull. Many people use circular disks, from which two sectors are cut out and welded together. This steel is much more durable and lasts longer.

Rebar rods are suitable for sifting out soil. They are welded on the back of the shovel.

You can use a metal channel as a suspension, having previously calculated the depth of immersion in the ground.

The blade part should be shaped like a triangle for better immersion into the soil. The device is attached to the walk-behind tractor using fasteners and requires normal movement along the rows planted with potatoes.

You can make a potato grinder for a tractor with your own hands. The assembly of this design is more complicated than the previous one, so you will need a pre-thought-out diagram. To avoid rapid breakdown, a homemade potato digger must be made of high-quality materials. To create an efficient structure, it makes sense to spend a little more time on it, and it will pay off in savings on the time spent on plowing and harvesting.

A homemade potato digger for a tractor is made from the following materials:

metal profile pipe for the frame;
iron layer (3-4 mm) for the ladle;
iron fittings;
metal channel for vertical traction;
hub from the front of any car;
gearbox;
a driveshaft may come in handy;
splined connection from the gearbox;
one or two wheels (depending on the type of device);
fastening elements;
tools: drill, grinder, welding machine.

The height of the device above the ground will depend on the size of the wheel. The frame rests on two support points. The gearbox is activated either by the wheels or by the power take-off shaft of the cultivator. The spline connection is necessary for the mobility of the share and the oscillatory movements of the lattice.

The harvesting method will depend on the angle of inclination of the lattice part. If the screening part is tilted downwards too much, the potatoes will fall to the ground. When you change the angle of inclination and lift the lattice part up, the tubers will linger on the mesh, and then they can be collected directly into the bag, but for this you will need to constantly stop the machine.

A do-it-yourself potato digger can have any shape and size, it all depends on the choice of the designer

It is important to maintain the principle of operation, which involves raking the soil with potato tubers into a grid in which they will be sifted. Homemade potato diggers for mini tractors can be made from old machine parts and any available materials

The most important thing is that the potato digger meets all safety standards and does not cause injury during operation.

Conveyor for better cleaning

A vibrating digger simplifies cutting the layer of soil with potatoes.
However, cleaning the tubers from the remaining soil is not always successful, since the cut layer moves along the rods under pressure. There is no additional impact, and the rods often become clogged, which creates inconvenience during the digging process - you have to make stops for cleaning. A conveyor is a moving part in a potato digger where soil with tubers is supplied. This mechanism allows you to separate the cut layer. As a result, the tubers are clean, with virtually no adhering soil. The conveyor can be directed to the receiving bunker, which eliminates manual labor on the field.

In general, the design is similar to a vibrating digger, only instead of rods there is a conveyor. It is made of metal rods or tubes that are located parallel to each other. They are installed in a moving rim or chain. You can make a conveyor from steel mesh or rubber fabric.

The mechanism is driven from the shaft of agricultural machinery through a gearbox. The torque is then transmitted through a chain or gear train. Before making such a device, it is better to study the factory diagrams. Craftsmen presented many designs, and everyone strives to offer something original that will improve the mechanism.

Steps to create a conveyor digger:

Making the frame. For this, a steel profile with a rectangular cross-section is used.
The plowshare knife is made of sheet steel.
Rollers for the conveyor belt are attached to the frame.
Assemble the conveyor belt and install it.
Install brackets for the gearbox and chain or gear drive, after which the devices themselves are secured.
They put on the wheels.

The main task is to assemble the conveyor with high precision. The device has moving parts and will operate in extreme dust conditions. The speed of harvesting depends on the reliability of the unit.

A homemade digger for a mini-tractor when installing a receiving hopper will allow you to mechanize the entire harvesting process. The main thing is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to create such a device. The necessary material can be found at home or in a landfill. As a last resort, you can use old mechanisms.

Types of potato diggers

Potato diggers are used on loose and moderately compacted soils. Potato digging machines vary:

sizes;
design features;
width of the working strip;
requirements for clearing the field of weeds;
ways to clean tubers from soil.

Craftsmen make several types of potato diggers with their own hands. The most popular are fan and screening units. More experienced craftsmen make conveyor and drum diggers for potatoes.

Potato rows in fields cultivated with tractors and walk-behind tractors must be level. Enough space is left between the rows for the wheels of agricultural machines to move.

Fan potato digger for walk-behind tractor

The fan potato digger has several names. It is also called a lancet digger and a paw. Manufacturers of agricultural machinery call this model “Dolphin” because of the characteristic shape of the plow (ploughshare). The unit is simple in design and removes tubers from the ground well.

The digger is attached to the walk-behind tractor.
The sharp end of the ploughshare loosens the ground.
The potatoes are removed from the ground, placed on the inclined surface of the ploughshare, and pushed onto metal rods.
The soil is separated from the tubers and poured onto the arable land through the twigs.
The potatoes move up the raised rods and fall to the ground where they can be collected.

Digging with a fan digger allows the presence of rare and low weeds in the field. Potato tops are mown before harvesting.

Making a fan potato digger with your own hands

To work you will need a grinder, a welding machine, a drill and metal drills, and bolts. You will also need materials:

sheet steel 3-4 mm thick for making a knife (ploughshare);
bolts with a diameter of 10-12 mm or more;
steel profile of rectangular section or thick steel sheet for the manufacture of a rack-holder and bracket.
round steel rod or fittings (not corrugated) with a diameter of 8-10 mm.

In addition, you will need a measuring tape and a pencil for drawing on metal. The procedure for making a fan potato digger:

Two holes are drilled in the middle part of the ploughshare for fastening to the stand.
Pieces of steel rods are welded to the expanded part of the knife (to the left and right of the convex part) (so that they fan out upward and to the sides). The length of the rods is 47-50 cm. Sometimes the rods are bent in the form of a marching step.
The holder stand is bolted to the plowshare. The height of the stand depends on the design of the walk-behind tractor. The support post can be welded directly to the plow without using bolts.
A bracket with pre-drilled holes is welded to the top of the rack (to connect the potato digger to the walk-behind tractor).
For structural strength, the lower part of the ploughshare, directed towards the ground, is reinforced with a welded strip of metal.

The advantage of a fan potato digger over other units is its reliability. This unit can be used for more than one year. It has no rotating parts, which become unusable under heavy loads. Potato digging is done quickly and efficiently.

The disadvantages of the unit include the small width of the dug strip (20-25 cm), due to which crop losses reach 20%. The knife of a fan potato digger damages some of the tubers, making them unsuitable for long-term storage and sale.

What is a potato digger and its types

A potato digger is an agricultural technique used by farmers and private farmers to simplify the process of harvesting potatoes.
Main parts of a potato digger for a walk-behind tractor with your own hands:

base - the metal base of the potato digger: this is a frame made of heavy-duty thick metal;
the traction mount is responsible for fastening the mechanism's rods;
vertical stands - needed to secure the knife-ploughshare on them;
ploughshare - the main element of a potato digger, is a knife that goes deep into the ground, loosening the soil;
adjusting rods - designed to adjust the angle of attack of the ploughshare;
support wheels - necessary for moving the potato digger across the cultivated area.

Potato diggers for mini tractors are used on loose, medium-compacted soil.

Note! Regardless of the type, the operation of all devices is similar: the tool goes deep into the ground with its pointed part, moving along the beds, lifting soil layers with potato tubers. There are the following potato diggers for the walk-behind tractor:

There are the following potato diggers for the walk-behind tractor:

fan-shaped (lancet);
conveyor;
vibrodynamic (screening).

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Fan

A homemade fan potato digger for a walk-behind tractor is universal. The potato digger is structurally very simple. Its mechanism does not have rotating parts, which in other potato diggers quickly fail under heavy loads during harvesting. This species has other names: because of its characteristic appearance, they are called “paw” or pointed, and the industrial model is called Dolphin.

From experience with fan models for tractors, farmers using this type:

ability to work with low-power walk-behind tractors;
ease of connection with a walk-behind tractor;
relatively low prices for industrial models;
reliability;
good cleaning speed.

The disadvantages of working with fan potato diggers include:

the likelihood of loss of the potato crop occurs due to the small working width of the digger;
part of the crop may be damaged by a knife, making it unusable.

Conveyor

The design of the conveyor potato digger for the walk-behind tractor is simple. In the center of the mechanism there is a transport belt, with the help of which the harvested crop of root crops moves upward along the belt, being cleared of dirt and adhering soil. The conveyor belt moves in a circle using the power from the rotating element of the walk-behind tractor through chains, a variator, and gears. You can make a potato digger with your own hands, but you need to follow the technique.

Advantages of a conveyor digger:

does not damage potatoes;
ease of operation;
Compatible with high-power walk-behind tractors and small tractors.

The disadvantages of a conveyor CC include the likelihood of foreign objects getting into the conveyor, which can jam the mechanism and damage it.

Grohotnaya

The design of the vibrating CC, also called “screening”, is simple - the device consists of 3 parts:

ploughshare;
a movable grid with a vibrating mechanism that processes the harvested crop;
metal carcass.

This type of CC is used in agricultural production for harvesting potatoes from large areas, sometimes on an industrial scale. The unit works like this: collecting and sifting tubers on a vibrating table is carried out through vibrations coming from a screening mechanism.

The advantages of using this unit include:

wide coverage of the cultivated strip of soil;
large depth of immersion of the knife into the ground;
minor losses of potatoes during harvesting.

There are also disadvantages to using vibrating diggers:

vibrations from the screening mechanism enter the control part of the walk-behind tractor, the impact of the vibration mechanism tires the body;
Before working with CC, S-cleaning must be cleared of foreign plants that could clog the grate.

Potato Digger

This potato digging unit is also called a vibrating potato digger or shaking digger. A potato peeler consists of three parts: a knife, a moving grid with mechanisms that ensure its vibration, and a metal frame (frame).

A potato digger can be manufactured within a few hours; the work requires experience and skill in working with agricultural machinery. To make the unit you will need:

Bulgarian;
welding machine;
drill, metal drills;
metal profile with a square side of 2.5 cm;
steel sheet 3-5 mm thick;
steel wire with a diameter of 8 mm (or non-corrugated reinforcement of the same diameter);
wheels;
bolts, hinges, levers, eccentric, measuring tape, consumables.

You will also need a ruler and a pencil for marking. The procedure for making a potato screening machine:

measure and cut the metal profile for the frame (frame);
weld the frame;
Wheel stands are welded at the bottom of the frame;
inside the frame, holders for hinges are welded on which the screen will be suspended;
brackets are welded to the frame for installing the gearbox and mechanisms that will create reciprocating movements (vibration) in the unit;
a sifter box (screen) is welded from metal rods;
the screen is hung on hinges inside the frame;
A gearbox and other equipment for creating vibration are attached to the brackets, and they are connected to the screen. During operation, the rotation of the walk-behind tractor shaft is transmitted through mechanisms (lever and connecting rod) to the screen, vibrations create rotation of the eccentric;
a potato digger knife is cut out of a steel sheet and bent to the desired shape;
the plowshare knife is hinged and attached to the bottom of the frame and the screen;
Wheels are put on the unit and secured.

Making a fan potato digger for a mini tractor

The idea of making your own fan potato digger for a mini tractor is quite feasible even for beginners. No skills in working with special tools are required here, and for those who have never worked with electric welding, it’s worth trying to learn.

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First you need to understand the design, any information will help here. You can look on the Internet, fortunately there are plenty of home-made workers, or you can visit exhibitions or salons selling agricultural machinery. In Moscow, for example, there are permanent stands at VDNKh dedicated to small-scale mechanization of agricultural production

Here it is worth paying attention to two points - the dimensions of the elements and manufacturing options. As manufacturing options, we can recommend using separate ready-made elements, for example, a rack with a tow hitch

Materials and tools

When working you will definitely need:

Bulgarian;
Welding inverter or any other welding machine, even gas welding;
Roulette;
Kern;
Hammer;
Pliers;
File;
Metal brush.

To make a potato digger with your own hands, you will need a welding machine. You may need:

Hacksaw for metal;
Drill;
Clamps for ease of welding work;

Materials you will need:

Profile pipe 60x60 mm;
Sheet metal 4-5 mm thick;
Steel plate 4-5 mm thick;
Round rod, 8 mm in diameter or steel reinforcement of the same diameter;
If the support wheel is provided for in the design, it is better to take it on bearings with a shaft;
Channel for coupling.

Blueprints

It is not difficult to find drawings on the Internet. And when working, you can use ready-made drawings; you just need to download and print them. But before cutting the metal, it is recommended to simply draw on a sheet of paper what the individual components and parts will look like, how and where they will be attached.

For beginning DIYers, it is recommended that before starting to cut metal, transfer all dimensions onto cardboard and assemble a cardboard model. This technique will help you clearly see all the problem areas of the structure.

Manufacturing stages

It is recommended to start the assembly process with the manufacture of the plow body. The frame and tow hitch are welded from a profile pipe. In the work, it is imperative that after all the elements are cut, they should be assembled into a single structure using several welding points. It is recommended that final welding be done after all defects have been corrected.

It is better to make a plowshare from two body parts and a cutting plate. The body is assembled from sheet iron, but the cutting plate is attached with bolts or rivets.

At the final stage, fan rods are welded to the plow body with plowshares. At the welding point, seams are made on both sides. The length of the seam is at least 5 cm. A template made of a wooden wedge will help speed up this process; with its help, another rod is fixed to the fixed rod and secured with several welding points.

After assembly, it is recommended to try the potato digger in practice, not necessarily in the garden; you can simply go through one or two furrows to make sure the assembly is correct and to detect weak points in the design.

Conveyor potato digger

Conveyor potato diggers are made both large and very miniature. Potato tubers and soil are loosened with a plow knife. The cut material enters a moving belt and is separated.

The tape is a lattice of metal rods or tubes located parallel to each other. They are fixed in the moving rim of the conveyor (chain). The conveyor belt is also made of steel mesh and rubber on a fabric basis. The soil spills down through the grate or holes, and the potatoes are moved to the arable land or into a receiving hopper.

The movement of the conveyor is carried out by transmitting torque from the shaft of the walk-behind tractor (tractor) through the gearbox, chains, and gears.

A digger with a conveyor belt has a wide blade that cuts the soil by 10-18 cm. Therefore, crop losses when using it are no more than 2-5%. The knife is cut from a thick steel sheet and attached to the frame with rods and bolts.

Independent production of a conveyor potato digger is possible if you have experience in such work. The unit can be made by studying the operating diagrams of factory machines of this type.

There are many designs of conveyor potato diggers; each master introduces new elements and improvements to the product. The process of creating a conveyor digger includes the following steps.

Welding a frame (frame) made of square steel profile and corners.
Making a knife-ploughshare from sheet steel.
Installation of rollers or wheels for the conveyor belt into the frame.
Assembling a conveyor belt from chain, steel rods, and other material.
Installation of brackets and fastenings for the gearbox and gear drive.
Installation of conveyor belt and mechanisms into the frame.
Installation of a knife (ploughshare) and wheels on the frame.

Potato digger: do-it-yourself assembly

To assemble a vibrating potato digging device, the following materials are required: a thick metal corner (section 60x40) or a channel for making a frame, a thick steel sheet (6-8mm), a metal rod or fittings.

Additionally for the digger you will need:

consumable fastenings (bolts/nuts/washers);
steel pipe (diameter - 300mm);
wide steel or rubber wheels.

The steel wheels of a homemade potato digger are inferior to rubber ones in terms of efficiency and maneuverability

When choosing rubber wheels, pay attention to the thickness of the tread, the width of the chamber - the wider, the more stable and passable the model will be

The process of manufacturing and assembling the cultivator:

Weld the main frame of the device from corners or channels.
Make sections from a steel sheet to strengthen the frame.
Connect the frame with bolts or welding with reinforcing gussets.
Then weld a grid of rods/reinforcements and steel strips.
Attach a shaft to the grate, which is responsible for the vibration of the working digging unit.
Afterwards, secure the elevator to the frame by welding and bolts.

Make a plowshare knife from a piece of steel pipe, cut it out using a grinder. Sharpen the ploughshare at the bottom. Connect the knife to the elevator and frame with thick bolts (diameter - 10mm).

Now make the wheel fasteners. Craftsmen recommend fixing the shaft for the wheels on the frame racks, but you can also install the wheels independently of each other on each side of the frame on the hubs. The completion of the assembly process is the installation of the wheels onto the shaft or frame hubs.

Drum type potato digger

Potato diggers with drums have proven themselves well when harvesting large areas. This unit consists of three parts:

frames with wheels;
knife (ploughshare);
rotating drum made of steel rods.

The knife is attached to the frame on hinges. He cuts the soil, which, together with the tubers, enters the drum. When the drum rotates, the soil lumps are broken and the soil spills down through the grate. The potatoes move to the end of the drum and fall onto the arable land.

The drum is connected to the tractor shaft through gears, chains and a gearbox, from where torque is transmitted to it. The wide knife cuts deep into the soil, which reduces crop losses to a minimum, and the passage of tubers through the drum cavity does not damage them. This unit justifies the cost and time of its production due to its high productivity.

Which potato digger is better to choose for a mini tractor?

All types of units operate on the same principle. The potato digger is attached to the mini tractor using standard awnings. The ploughshare is immersed 25-30 cm into the ground, and the potatoes pass along the conveyor, clearing the soil. The peeled tubers either fall to the ground or into a box mounted on an additional mount. Advantages of a homemade potato digger:

maximum harvest;
in the process, the potatoes are cleared of soil;
high speed of bed processing;
the design is easy to make with your own hands;
The unit can be mounted on any type of mini tractor.

Attention! Do-it-yourself double-row models of potato diggers for minitractors are made for farmland. They are suitable for harvesting large areas; such a unit processes two rows at once.

Vibrating or screening potato diggers for mini tractors

The unit is also called a shaking digger. A do-it-yourself rumble potato digger for a mini tractor consists of three parts: knives, a vibrating grid, and a frame. The ploughshare is made in different shapes: bent, pointed, concave.

The principle of operation of a potato digger for a mini tractor is to deepen the knives and drive the tubers with soil along the grate so that the crop is cleaned. The root crop returns to the garden bed or falls into the box.

Strip coverage 40 cm, immersion depth 25 cm, Yield loss can be 2-10%, the value depends on the density of the soil. The vibrating potato digger is used over large areas, but it also performs well in the country garden.

The disadvantages of home-made screening units include strong vibration and the need to first clear the beds of tops.

If the tops fall on the conveyor, the grass clogs the mechanism and gets twisted onto the wheels, which greatly complicates the operation of the trailer.

Conveyor potato diggers for mini tractors

Conveyor devices are more suitable for farms. The soil is loosened with a plow, the cut layer falls onto a conveyor, where the potatoes are separated from the ground. The conveyor belt for a homemade single-row potato digger for a mini tractor is made of metal mesh and rubber.

Refinement of a potato digger for a mini tractor in the video:

The plow is immersed 10-20 cm into the soil. Yield losses are 2-5%. The potatoes fall back into the garden bed or into the installed container. The drive belt transmits rotation to the potato digger pulley. Then it enters the chain drive through the gearbox to the conveyor belt drive and to the eccentric of the plow. The knife plunges into the ground under vibration, digs up the tubers and feeds the layer to the conveyor, where the potatoes are cleared of soil and fall into the collection.

Digger leaves clean whole potatoes

Fan potato diggers

The trailer is also called a paw or lancet digger. Fan potato diggers are easy to make with your own hands. The paw is attached to the walk-behind tractor. The sharp end of the plow penetrates the soil and pulls out the potatoes. The tubers fall onto the ploughshare and fall onto the steel bars. The soil is thrown back onto the ground, and the potatoes remain clean and return to the ridge.

The fan potato digger is undemanding to clean rows and sifts the tops

Drum potato diggers

The unit copes with the harvest in large gardens. The device consists of three parts: a frame with wheels, a ploughshare, and a drum rotating along an axis.

The knife plunges into the ground and pulls out a layer of soil with potatoes, which enters a drum made of metal mesh. There, the tubers are cleared of soil, and the crop is moved to a vegetable receptacle or to a bed.

Making a drum unit with your own hands will take a lot of time, but it is highly productive

Which potato digger is better?

If you don’t want to spend money on buying a factory-made potato digger, you can make this unit yourself. For small areas, it is enough to make a simple fan digger. If potatoes are grown annually over large areas, not only for yourself, but also for sale, it is better to choose a screening or conveyor potato digger.

Mechanical devices for digging potatoes allow you to quickly harvest the crop and clear it from the ground. At the same time, with mechanized harvesting there will always be crop losses, since the steel ploughshare does not remove tubers from potato bushes that have grown to the sides. Potato diggers do not dig up tubers that are deep in the ground. This happens if the soil is too loose and fertile.

General description of potato diggers

As the name implies, a potato digger is an attachment and is needed for digging up potatoes. Thanks to the operation of the device, which is attached to a tractor or walk-behind tractor using a special hitch, the process of harvesting potatoes is greatly simplified. The principle of any potato digger is that it penetrates deep into the ground, pulls potato tubers out of it and leaves them on the surface. A person can only collect clean potatoes.

Since the cleaning time using such devices is significantly reduced, you can pay for the purchase of such a unit quite quickly.

Interesting fact. The average harvesting speed of any potato digger is 0.1-0.2 ha/h, which is much faster than manual harvesting.

Types of potato diggers and principles of their operation

Almost every person who has at least once participated in potato harvesting is familiar with the work of potato diggers. For different types of devices, the general points are the same. First, special knives grab the soil, which ends up in a separate shaking mechanism. It is this that separates the potatoes from the ground; the soil crumbles earlier, and the potatoes lie on top; you just need to collect them. Different types of technology have their own fundamental differences. If you go to any agricultural equipment store, for example, in Moscow, the variety of models will surprise you.

Lancet universal

This version of the device is designed specifically for use with walk-behind tractors. Lancet potato diggers are very simple, which causes certain disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage of such a device is low performance. Using such a device, on average, only 85% of the crop can be raised to the top.

But the lancet potato digger for a walk-behind tractor has two significant advantages that can overcome any disadvantages:

Low price, which is very important for small farms;
Before using such a digger, there is no need for a power take-off shaft in the walk-behind tractor, which allows it to be successfully used with older models of walk-behind tractors.

How to choose the right one

There are many things to consider before purchasing a potato digger. First of all, you should pay attention to the characteristics of the unit itself and compare it with the needs of the potential owner. The main qualities can be identified in three points:

work productivity;
device safety for the user;
power.

Particular attention should be paid to the technology with which the potato digger will be used. For mid-level machines, in particular walk-behind tractors, it is necessary to choose special potato harvesting devices so that it can cope with the task perfectly. If you have a good walk-behind tractor, you can purchase good heavy rotary potato diggers.

When choosing a potato digger, it is important to consider the strength of the walk-behind tractor itself. The efficiency of the digger depends on the correct choice of characteristics of the conveyor potato digger.

Important! When choosing a potato digger, it is important to consider many points. First of all, it is worth assessing the power and type of your device. The walk-behind tractor or cultivator must allow such devices to be attached to it. It is also worth considering the type of soil you will have to work with.

Which is better, a screening or conveyor potato digger, is up to the user to decide. In most cases, when choosing models, the cost of the product plays a big role.

DIY product for a cultivator

The lancet type of potato digger is a simple attachment for a cultivator on a walk-behind tractor. To make it, you don’t need to look for specialized materials, and you don’t need to draw drawings either.

You will need:

Bipod. Cut from an old shovel.
Rods. Use reinforcement or use fork teeth.

With a good owner, even old tools that are out of order get a second life.

Connect the cultivator and walk-behind tractor. There are no moving parts in the design. Breakdowns are excluded. Unless poor-quality welding can make itself felt.

Note! A homemade device may cause injury. Therefore, the nodes should be securely fastened. Pay special attention to moving parts. Take precautions when operating!

To make a homemade potato digger for a walk-behind tractor come true, you will need:

A little material that every village has.
Tools.
Skillful hands.
A little patience.

There are drawings, which means the result will not be long in coming. Digging potatoes using a mechanical device will be easier with your own digger.

The most popular types of factory devices

Today on sale you can find a huge selection of potato diggers of various types and types. Many manufacturers offer similar equipment. But from all the variety, we can single out several devices that are very popular among Russian residents:

Digger KKM-1. A small-sized potato digger, which is designed for digging up not only potatoes, but also beets, onions and garlic. Thanks to the flexible settings system, you can choose the level of soil separation. Structurally, it consists of an active knife and a sowing grid;
Digger KM2. A mounted device that allows you to remove the crop without damaging it. Most often, this version of the potato digger is used with the Belarus walk-behind tractor;

The “Poltavachanka” digger is a vibrating device with an active knife, which in its design is very similar to traditional potato diggers. It is characterized by increased productivity, which allows you to cope with large fields and harvest in a short time;
The KVMZ digger is a single-row vibrating potato digger that is well suited for use with various walk-behind tractors made in Russia, Belarus or China. The weight of the device is about 39 kg;
Digger 2KN . A single-row small-sized device designed for work on small plots of farms. In order for cleaning to go quickly and without problems, the area should be well cleared of tops and weeds. Designed for use with walk-behind tractors "Tselina", "Neva" and "Cascade". You can also use a Scout minitractor or MTZ. Productivity is approximately 100 m in 2 minutes.

Important to remember! This type is not intended for use on industrial fields; this option is best for small fields of private farms.

DIY potato digger

If you have sufficient finances, today it is easy to buy any model of device designed for harvesting potatoes. The main thing is to choose it correctly, in accordance with the soil on the site, as well as the walk-behind tractor itself.

But some craftsmen easily make tractor potato diggers with their own hands. Initially, such a task may seem quite complicated, but with the right approach you can make not only a simple digger yourself, but even a vibrating one.

To complete the work you will need:

welding machine;
drill and metal drills;
scissors;
hammer;
spanners;
metal components for the manufacture of the device.

Device assembly technology

Do-it-yourself assembly of a potato digger for a mini tractor, intended for use with a walk-behind tractor, consists of several successive steps:

making a frame that will require corners and channels;
securing other elements to the manufactured frame;
installation of transmission shafts;
strengthening special sides made of metal on the frame;
attaching a conveyor belt or vibrating grid to the general structure;
making a bolt fastening that secures the ploughshare;
combining the transport and support parts;
direct connection of the assembled equipment to a cultivator or walk-behind tractor.

To assemble a potato digger for a tractor or walk-behind tractor with your own hands, you will need to use a welding machine. It is possible to make such a device using conventional bolted connections, but the first option is more reliable. To make a potato digger of standard sizes, you will need corners of 63x40 cm.

How to make a potato planter with your own hands

Let's look at what a homemade potato planter for a mini tractor is.

With the onset of spring, potato tubers are prepared for planting in the ground. To facilitate the process, use a special planter. The potato planter for a mini tractor can be single-row or double-row. In addition, they are simple, without support wheels and with wheels. Single-row technology is adapted for planting tubers in one row. In the case of a double-row, two rows are simultaneously processed and sown. The row spacing can be adjusted.

You can make models with lugs. In such a unit, the function of wheels is performed by lugs. They, thanks to the chain mechanism, set in motion the conveyor belt for supplying tubers. To create even rows, the device has a disc hiller and a plow for forming a furrow.

The two-row potato planter for a mini tractor fits well with mini tractors and has a hydraulic drive. Unlike a single-row planter, this model has two hoppers for filling planting tubers. The size of the capacity depends on the model of the unit.

Planting potatoes with a mini tractor completely automates the work. This is a very convenient device, but unfortunately many people cannot afford it. You can make such a device yourself, maintaining the principle of conveyor work.

To make a potato planter with your own hands for a tractor you will need:

container or bunker for filling planting tubers;
frame with wheels;
device for digging ditches;
tape with attached bowls for capturing potatoes;
discs for filling planted tubers.

First, a frame with wheels is assembled, to which all other parts will be attached. After this, a mount is welded to couple the unit with the tractor and a longitudinal axis is installed on which the bunker will be supported. It can be made from wood, or you can use any suitable container, for example, a tank from an old washing machine. A metal pipe with a spacious hole can be used as a seeder.

Before you start assembling such a unit, you should definitely read the relevant literature or watch a video. It is not worth taking on the design without a preliminary drawing. For planting potatoes, a home-made digger can be designed for a tractor, or it can be combined with another device. Often, after assembly, the cost of manufacturing the unit is more expensive than expected, and the price difference with ready-made equipment is so insignificant that it is better to purchase ready-made equipment.

A homemade potato planter must be assembled without errors, otherwise the sowing process will be labor-intensive and long. The calculation should include absolutely everything: row spacing, distance between planted potatoes, planting depth, etc.