How to make a do-it-yourself plow for planting potatoes
Planting potatoes is a laborious process, especially if huge areas of land are allocated for planting. You can collect tubers in buckets, take a shovel and go to the garden. But, such work is very difficult and takes a lot of time. A plow for planting potatoes can help in this matter.
DIY potato plow
Such a device has many forms and variations. Some of them can be made by hand.
Plow characteristics
A plow is understood as a special device, the design of which allows plowing the land. The very process of soil cultivation is carried out by a plowshare - a wide metal pointed part of the device. That is, it is a cultivator that, under its own weight and traction created by man or agricultural machinery, digs (weeds) the beds. Some devices not only allow you to weed the soil, but also leave a ditch after it, which can be used for planting potatoes and other vegetables.
Varieties
Varieties of plows for planting potatoes are characterized not only by design features, but also by the method of traction (automated and manual). So, by design, such agricultural equipment is of 4 types. The farm uses a plow:
- Rotary. Most often it is presented in the form of a device for a walk-behind tractor or a tractor. The 4 plowshares allow not only digging the rows, but also loosen the ground thanks to their rotating part.
- Disk. By the principle of work - flat cutter. That is, the working part of the tool breaks through the soil under the action of traction, but does not throw the earth back. Such equipment can be used both for tractors and motoblocks, and manually. Hand-made disc devices can be either single-row or double-row.
- Turning. Requires mechanized traction. The soil is plowed with several plowshares, and the depth from which the device can dig a ditch is determined by adjusting the landing of the support wheel.
- Manual. It is a modernized shovel with a lever for tilting the ground.
Features of the hand plow
Planting potatoes under a plow of any of these varieties of potato planters is effective in large planting areas. But, for work in an ordinary country garden, for one person, such devices are not useful. It is most advisable to buy or make with your own hands a type of hand-drawn plow. Such a tool will not completely relieve a person of the need for manual work, but it will significantly reduce the load on the back muscles and reduce the time of working in the garden. You can make your own hand plow in just a few hours. The main thing is to have drawings and the necessary materials.
If the farm has a welding machine, as well as bicycle wheels, metal pipes, profiles and sheets, you can build an apparatus with a support wheel and control knobs (swivel).The thrust will be carried out by a person, and the device itself, thanks to its chassis, will move freely in a given direction. It is also possible to assemble a two-row or even three-row disc cultivator. But, to use it, you will need the forces of two people, or agricultural machinery - a tractor or a walk-behind tractor.
Making a hand plow
We plant potatoes without straining our back
Homemade plows of the hand type are often used for planting potatoes in small gardens and summer cottages. The design of such a tool allows you to dig a hole using only one leg and arms, without bending the back.
The most popular option is the Vyatsky Plowman plow (shovel of the monk Gennady). Such a device can be adjusted in height, which is important for the convenience of the user. It has a wide arm for grasping by hands and a regular blade like a shovel.
The advantages of the Vyatka plowman
Father Gennady's shovel has the following advantages:
- ease of work (the back always remains flat, all actions are performed by hands);
- digging speed is 4 times higher than when using a conventional shovel;
- one method with a tool "pulls out" 2 times more earth than a conventional device;
- the ground is tilted to the side with a slight twist of the lever, which is convenient for such a case.
In addition, the advantage of such a tool is that it is suitable for any type of soil. The main thing is not to make mistakes when assembling the plow, to act step by step according to the instructions and the drawing, and also to use only high-quality materials when designing.
How to make
To make such a tool, you will need a handlebar from an old bicycle, a metal pipe, fittings and a sheet of cold-rolled stainless metal, 2 mm thick. As tools, you will need a welding machine, as well as a grinder or a metal file. The process of making a plow itself is as follows:
- The pipe is cut (on the ground). This is the base of the shovel and its dimensions should be user-friendly. You can also take two pipes of different diameters and install a spring that will allow you to adjust the height of the frame for several people.
- The handlebars from the bike are welded to one end of the tube.
- A ploughshare is created. According to the known dimensions, a part of the workpiece is cut out, bent and welded to the bottom of the metal pipe so that the end of the plow base protrudes 5-10 cm.
Before using the plow, the working parts of the device must be sharpened. If there are no rubber pads on the lever, you can wrap it with duct tape.
The process of planting potatoes with a hand plow takes only 10-20 seconds. Under the pressure of the foot, the shovel is dug into the ground and when the lever is turned, the soil is tilted to the side. For convenience, it is better to throw potatoes into the holes to another person. So, the process of planting potatoes with a plow will be faster.
As a hiller, such a tool is not used. His specialization is narrow. The shovel is carried by hand. If it is necessary to plant large areas, it is better to make an apparatus with plowshares and a wheel. In addition, a double row tool can be built.
Other homemade plows
Planting potatoes with a plow, its efficiency and convenience, depend on many factors. The main ones are the size of the planted area, the type of soil and the presence of a tractor or walk-behind tractor.
Disk
The most common type of plow is the double row disc tool. It consists of a metal frame with handles that can be welded from a metal pipe or profile. Its shape can be different. It is most convenient to build a rectangular frame. Discs are welded to the lower part of the structure, which, with the created traction, plow the ground.
On wheels
Another version of the plow is on wheels, with a share or toothed forks. Structurally, such an apparatus is similar to a cart, to the bottom of which a cutting tool is attached. It is not difficult to make such a tool.If the farm has an ordinary trolley, a metal pipe is welded to the bottom of it, perpendicular to the wheel shaft. A ploughshare is screwed to the top of the pipe, which can be cut from a sheet of metal.
Conclusion
The use of a potato planter, as well as a potato digger, can significantly speed up the pace of work in the garden, with minimal expenditure of human physical strength. Hand tools, as well as those used for tractors and walk-behind tractors, are expensive. It is most advisable to make the device yourself. This is not difficult to do, with certain skills in owning a welding machine and cutting tools.