How to make a potato planter for a mini tractor with your own hands
Planting potatoes at home is one of the most time consuming operations. But it is not enough to have a mini tractor to optimize this process. One more person is needed for every 25-35 m with a bucket or basket, who will plant potatoes at regular intervals in the base of the furrow. Automation of this process is a great help for those who grow potatoes on their site.
The content of the article
What is a potato planter
A potato planter for a tractor is a mounted or trailed implement for a mini tractor or walk-behind tractor to automate the process of planting potatoes.
Description and characteristics of the device
The potato seeder consists of the following main units:
- the frame on which everything else is attached;
- wheels with grousers;
- containers for seed potatoes;
- ripper for creating holes;
- tuber feed mechanism;
- well burying devices.
Many craftsmen, when making a potato planter, use, whenever possible, various parts from other agricultural mechanisms. For example, a ripper is a cultivator's opener with small wings (plowshares) with which the ground moves apart to form a groove for planting. Another example is discs from a disc cultivator, which bury the potatoes and create a furrow.
A container for tubers is made of plywood or welded from 2-3 mm of iron.
The frame is made by welding from a profile (rectangular, corners or pipes). Its rigidity must ensure reliable burial of the tool into the ground.
What is it for
A potato planter for a tractor, for example, MTZ 82, provides a fast, uniform planting of potatoes in area and depth. This will allow for better cultivation of the soil and a larger yield.
Features of the use of a potato planter for a mini tractor and a tractor
All landing equipment is divided into:
- light models - small, single-row, oriented to work with the MTZ walk-behind tractor;
- average - suitable for working with a mini tractor, plant one or two rows at once;
- heavy - work on tractors of average traction class, capture 3-4 rows at a time.
The number of rows to be captured depends on the power of the tractor. The walk-behind tractor cannot provide the depth and quality of planting of the multi-row planter. It is irrational to attach a single-row planter to a heavy tractor.
Benefits
Having the skills, tools and appropriate materials, you can make a potato planter for a motor-tractor with hydraulics with your own hands, which is not inferior in quality to industrial ones:
- It will have the parameters that are optimal for your mini tractor.
- Convenient elements can be accommodated that are not available in standard designs, such as an operator seat and sun canopy.
- It is possible to install a fertilizer application mechanism.
Types of potato planters
Distinguish between automatic, semi-automatic (without a tuber feed mechanism) and manual potato planters.
By the type of attachment to the tractor:
- hinged;
- trailed.
By the number of rows:
- single row for minitractor;
- 2-row;
- 3-row;
- 4-row;
- 6-row.
By production:
- spoonful;
- belt;
- pricking.
By the type of technological process:
- for planting sprouted potatoes;
- for planting unsprouted potatoes;
- mixed type.
Review and comparison of the best potato planters for tractors
Of the industrial (made at the factory) potato seeders, the ones presented in the table are the most famous.
| Brand | KS-1 | KS-1A | KSM |
|---|---|---|---|
| A type | Single row, trailed | Single row, trailed | Single row, trailed |
| Weight | 25 | 33 | 44 |
| Performance | 0.15 ha / hour | 0.2 ha / hour | 0.25 ha / hour |
| Tractor power | From 6 y.p. from. | From 6 y.p. from. | From 6 y.p. from. |
| Price | 12,000-14,400 rubles. | RUB 14,000-15,000 | RUB 15,000-16,000 |
How to make a potato planter for a mini tractor yourself
It is enough to draw a drawing of a planter or find a ready-made one and select the necessary materials and tools.
Materials and tools
To make a potato planter, tools are required:
- welding machine;
- Bulgarian;
- hammer and chisel;
- spanners;
- drill;
- spray gun with compressor;
- measuring tool, square, clamps.
Materials needed:
- corner or channel for the frame;
- support metal wheels;
- bearings for wheels and disks;
- sheet steel for the rear wall of the bunker with a thickness of 1.5-2.0 mm;
- galvanized sheet;
- two sprockets for 19-21 teeth;
- chain from the gas distribution mechanism (timing);
- axle for drive wheels;
- steel wire 3-4 mm thick.
Drawings and dimensions
This is a drawing of the most common potato planter.
Approximate dimensions:
- frame - 580 x 300 mm;
- drive wheel diameter - 300 mm;
- distance between wheels (track) - 580-600 mm;
- distance between sprocket axes - 570 mm;
- top sprocket - 19 teeth, bottom - 21;
- bearings - standard 205 sizes;
- bunker - 370 x 400 x 400 mm.
Step-by-step instruction
Work order:
- We start by making the frame. It must provide rigidity during processing.
- We attach the first sprocket in the center on the axle of the support wheels.
- On both sides of the sprocket, we attach bearings in cages and support wheels on the axle.
- First, we weld lugs on the wheels in the form of metal plates.
- We weld the bearing races to the frame.
- We wind the wire onto a pipe with a diameter of 50-60 mm, cut it and get rings.
- Having welded another half-ring, we get a cup for feeding the tuber.
- Weld the resulting cups to the timing chain at a distance of 8-10 cm.
- To supply potatoes to the planting zone, we use a pipe with a diameter of 100-110 mm so that the tuber does not get stuck.
- We weld the U-shaped arch with the subsequent fastening of the hopper and the upper axle with the upper sprocket.
- From the corners, sheet metal in the lower part and sheet metal in the upper and side parts, we will weld the hopper.
- The edges of the sheet must be rolled up so that there are no sharp corners.
- We attach the hopper, the upper axle with an asterisk (on two bearings) and the upper part of the elevator pipe to the frame.
- Having unfastened the lock, we put the chain on the sprockets.
- We attach reflectors in front of the elevator pipe so that the potatoes do not fall by.
- In the front part, we install the opener - ripper to create a groove.
- At the rear of the frame we attach two discs with adjustable tilt and angles of attack, with which the seeds are buried in the ground and a furrow is formed.
Tips & Tricks
To assemble the unit faster, we recommend using nodes of other mechanisms. For example, an opener is a part of a cultivator without wings. You can not cook the hopper, but use a stainless steel container from an old washing machine.
If it is not possible to assemble the elevator (there are no sprockets and a chain), make a seat, a support for the box and plant a relative who will manually evenly throw the tubers into the pipe. Or use a spoon wheel that will transport the potatoes to the elevator pipe. Add mechanisms for planting depth and furrow height.
The wheels should be wide so as not to trample the ground too much. Pay particular attention to the rigidity of the frame, arch, ripper and discs. If the traction force of the mini tractor is large, and the soil is heavy, the structure will collapse.
It is interesting:
Features of the correct storage of potatoes: from A to Z.
Conclusion
Planting potatoes is a laborious and tedious process. A homemade potato planter will greatly facilitate the work of the gardener. Made by a craftsman, it will not be inferior in productivity and quality of work performed to an industrial one. Manufacturing costs are minimal and do not require complex machine tools. A welding machine and a drill are enough.