potato digger

[stieger]

To start, im young, dumb, and bored so i have taken it upon myself to build a one row potato digger. My only problem that i can think of is how to dig the potatoes without stoping. if anyone has any suggestions or picture they could show me of an old one row potato digger it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[landlord7012]

Stieger, I commend you for wanting to do someting constructive with your time (aside from gardening?!). You don't say how young you are but regardless of age I'm sure we all have worse things we could be doing with our time! Also, since you have already encountered a potential problem in your scheme - I would say you are far from dumb. That being said, how fancy do you want it to be? Will it dig and load the potatoes or are you just trying to dig them to pick them up later? If that is the case you could build yourself a pretty simple "middle-buster" which would be something like two moldboard plow of opposite hand facing away from each other. It could be lowered from a beam (like an old time grader) stablized by a set of wheels wide enough to straddle the furrow. Or you could mount it to a 3 point hitch like a mounted plow but, depending on how close the the 3 pt hitch you keep the digger, you would still need a trailing wheel to control depth.

If you are considering loading from an automatic digger you would need to use a power take-off or your machine will need a small engine to power it. Some of the old units were self propelled and I'm sure they worked but you probably had to make sure you had good ground speed before and during each row.

I'm considering doing the same because I plant 8 to 10 - 100 foot rows of potatoes each year and even in my sandy loamy soil I manage to stick the fork in a bunch, not to mention the backaches! Either way post your progress if possible.

Good diggin',
Bill

 

[JDemaris]

I've got several one-row diggers and planters. Mostly IH and Iron Age.

Here's a photo of one.

Basically, all they consist of is a plow, and a chain-conveyor to pick the potatoes up. Some are ground-driven and some are PTO driven.

<a href="http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m162/jdemaris/?action=view&current=potatodigger.jpg" target="_blank">

</a>

 

[Mathias NY]

You didn't mention what your goal was, but there are more modern diggers to model after. If you can go with a PTO drive, you will be much better off. The PTO will let you clear most pile-ups without getting your hands dirty.

The picture and the link are my first stab at finding a 3pt hitch model to show you. If you are going to build one, a 3pt model will be simpler and handier than a tow model.

Good luck.

modern 1row digger

 

[bill mart]

where did you find the one in the photo? that has got to be the simplest,bare bones digger I"ve ever seen!.Bill M.

 

[Jim in Ma.]

I wish you were closer,
I have been looking for a digger like that for a long time.

 

[El Toro]

You need one of these. I always grew 5 rows 100 feet long of potatoes. Four rows of Kennebec and one row of Red Bliss. A dealer had this for sale and sold it later. I used my garden tractor for making the furrows when planting and used it when it came time to raised them. Hal

 

[stieger]

Just for the record im 16 and live on a small farm. I don't plan on making it fancy, just practical. Ive got some time to think because i cant start untill the beans are in the bin. My idea was if i could make it dig, the potatoes would travel up a conveyer to a box or basket. I thought the conveyer would help to shake any loose dirt on the potatoe. Kinda like jdemaris' picture. I like the plow, it would work good but what if i use one that would flip everything onto the conveyer. Using a plow would also require me to use my fergusen which is not a problem. i thought to make mine work by axle drive. Put a sprocket around the axle of the picker so when it turned, a chain would turn everything else. I only plant 2 20ft rows. I can only imagine the back aches you get. Thanks for the pictue and the ideas, it will get me thinking more. i will try and post some pictures when it begins to look like something. Probaly not till winter though. Thanks Colby

 

[stieger]

It definatley looks like a simple design but i like everything old syle. Cars, tractors, etc. Plus i don't mind getin dirty and plan to build this out of an old corn picker in the woods. I never knew they made small potato diggers today. I haven't decided weather to make it pull or 3 point. Thanks for the pic.

 

[Mathias NY]

Here's the link. I'm sure there's more out there, it was just one of the first few search results from Google. I've seen ones at farm shows without any moving parts, they might not work as well.

We have an old Challenger horse drawn digger. I don't know how old it is, but its probably approaching 100. It gets the job done, but it's a bit of a pain to use.

stieger - good luck, it sounds like a fun project. Post back if you are looking for more ideas or suggestions.
more simple diggers

 

[landlord7012]

I grow all Kennebecs nad have the best luck with them. Reds don't do well by me for some reason. I would like to find a one bottom plow for my landlord but haven't had much luck yet. That and it's a hydro which I believe is better suited for teh rotary tiller I have.

Bill

 

[Anonymous-0]

photo is best modern simple design , PTO a must !, however , Should Have a Vcut share like the Old timers put on their Plows , the modern cutting edge is poor and will likely plug or, may ride out of the ground , slicing your well earned crop in half , depending on soils and tractor , Optional Gage wheels would be nice ....the old horse drawn ones really did a good job ,,.SAVE that ONE !!!

 

[Anonymous-0]

A middle buster will dig potatoes and cost less.

 

[stieger]

i'm not familiar with a middle buster is. Could you explain it please? Thanks

 

[El Toro]

I adapted a plow from a Viking walk behind garden tractor to fit my Wards tractor with hydrostatic drive. I had to make the frame the same as the Viking to get it to plow right.
The Viking was made in 1936 and I guess the plow was too. I've had it since 1960. Hal
PS: I have a spare plow share too.

 

[Mathias NY]

Potato plow.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I used to plant 1500 feet of potato row .2 20 foot rows can be hand dug.