Making a potato planter for a walk-behind tractor
In the process of developing farming, people all the time tried to facilitate labor and speed up the process of planting potatoes. A do-it-yourself potato planter for a walk-behind tractor is an excellent way out of the situation. Such a device not only greatly facilitates work, but also helps to plant potatoes at an equal distance, apply fertilizers.
Specificity of application
A do-it-yourself planter for a walk-behind tractor will have a rather large mass, therefore, ballast is mounted on the front of the MTZ or mini tractor. If this is not done, the device will turn over during operation. A do-it-yourself potato planter for a walk-behind tractor is equipped with devices that allow the operator to normally control the unit. It is best to equip the planter mechanism with an adapter for a walk-behind tractor.
There are several nuances in using a homemade planter that should be considered in advance.
The principles of the potato planter are simple:
- about 20 kg of potatoes are placed in a container, if there are 2 containers, fertilizer is poured into the second;
- the optimal speed of the walk-behind tractor is 1 km / h;
- the seeding mechanism alternately moves the potatoes into the pipe;
- during movement, the discs are at an angle of 40-45 °, which allows filling the holes;
- The loosening mechanism immediately cultivates the soil while driving, which prevents it from compaction due to wheel pressure.
What does it consist of
To understand how to make a potato planter with your own hands, you first need to understand its work. A home-made potato planter, in terms of the features of work and purpose, is absolutely no different from production counterparts for MTZ, a mini-tractor, L 207.
A homemade simple potato planter includes a number of components that need to be done:
- frame;
- container for planting material (if desired, you can attach a 2nd container for fertilizers);
- mechanism;
- rippers;
- wheels.
It is possible to assemble a homemade planter quickly, it all depends on the desire and skills of the farmer. It is important to remember that when additional elements are added (a second container for fertilizers, 2 devices for planting root crops), mobility and performance are reduced.
Mechanism assembly process
To make a potato planter with your own hands, you should calculate its Dimensions, depict the drawings in detail. The whole mechanism is supported by a frame. In our version, it is made of several pieces of channel and horizontal spars welded together, connected by 3 elements across. Frame dimensions - 2 mx 25 cm.
The front part of the side members is equipped with a steel arch with a fork for fastening the wheel mechanism. On the sides, lamellar mechanisms are attached to the frame for securing pipes for seeds and soil-cultivating discs. After carrying out all the above-described manipulations, the holder (frame) is strengthened by welding on it strips of steel sheet.
Drawings should reflect all aspects of the reinforcement of the structure.Not only the frame needs to be strengthened, but also the arch to which the fork with wheels is attached. The arch is reinforced with 4 mm metal strips. Bunker drawings can be sketched separately. Usually a container for seed is made for no more than 20-25 kg of potatoes. A tank from a worn out washing machine can be adapted as a hopper.
After that, supports and footrests are attached to the side members, consisting of a metal sheet with a thickness of 5 mm. The drawings may also show the seat separately. For its installation, you will need a metal corner measuring 4.5 x 4.5 x 0.4 cm. This will be a support to which you should attach a board upholstered with foam rubber. Then the wheel support is installed.
The wheel support must match the size of the main frame. Spikes are mounted on the ends of the support, fastened with steel pins. The drawings show the dimensions of each part. For example, to support the rippers, a 5 x 5 x 0.5 cm metal bar is used. At the very bottom of the structure, there is a device for cutting furrows.
Assembling the container
To make a bunker, plywood sheets with a thickness of 80 mm or more are required. After cutting, all elements are processed with a safe compound and connected using steel corners. The finished container is painted with waterproof paint.
For the manufacture of a container, you can pick up any unnecessary wooden or metal box. The container needs to be done, to which the pipe for sowing seeds will be mounted. The pipe diameter should not be less than 10 cm.
Wheels and rippers
A homemade potato planter for a walk-behind tractor can be equipped with factory wheels purchased from a store. You can also make the wheel mechanism yourself. The wheels are made in the form of wide cylinders. This allows you to correctly distribute the pressure on the ground while driving and reduce its compaction.
The hubs of the wheel mechanism are mounted to the frame by welding, put on bearings. With the help of bearings, the wheels are attached to spikes mounted on the axle (this is necessary to prevent dirt from entering the bearings). Then they begin to assemble the frame on which the rippers will be mounted. It is best to construct it from iron corners, they are much more reliable than an ordinary solid square.
On both sides of the square bar, clips are mounted for the racks of loosening parts. The distance between the clip and the stand itself should not be more than 1 mm. The pipe for planting is selected with the largest diameter. This avoids deformation of the mechanism in contact with the soil. From the outside, an opener is attached to it, cutting the furrows.
The groove cutter is made movable in order to be able to regulate its work on burying the sprouted potatoes into the ground. Most often, regulation is carried out by loosening the stirrups and moving the seeder vertically. Disc parts for embedding the soil and forming ridges are made from parts from the SO-4.2 seeder, only they will have to be slightly modified. To do this, you need to expand the holes in the hubs with a drill. The standard equipment assumes only 1 bearings marking 203, which is completely inappropriate for our purposes.
Bearings marked 160503 will fit well into the prepared bore holes. They fully meet the specified requirements.
Conclusion
Planting potatoes manually takes a lot of time and effort. Long ago, people learned how to make homemade machines for cultivating the soil and planting to make their work easier, save time, and also make the rows even. Planters for a walk-behind tractor are an excellent option.
With such a device, even a two-row planting scheme is performed in a minimum time. With the help of a planter, you can not only facilitate work, but also adjust the distance between rows and holes. To properly assemble the landing gear, you must first draw the drawings in detail and carry out the appropriate calculations.A do-it-yourself potato planter for a walk-behind tractor will cost much less than a factory counterpart.