Anyone working on his land plot knows how difficult it is to plant potatoes. In order to facilitate this process, a device such as a potato planter was developed.
Description and purpose of the structure
A potato planter is a device that minimizes the use of heavy physical labor of a person for planting potatoes, because it is enough to attach it to the walker tractor, fill the tubers, and the device itself will break through the trench, lay them and sprinkle them with earth, and you only manage the self-propelled equipment and do not forget to replenish consumables materials. The components are very simple in understanding and manufacturing, even independently. This is the tank itself, in which the planting material, the so-called bunker, is poured.
Its execution can be both cone-shaped and rectangular, but the main condition for it is a bottom with a good slope, which will direct the flow of potatoes to the pickup location in the transport baskets.
Did you know? The first vegetable grown in space was potato.They, in turn, are attached either to the chain, or to the tape passing from the back side along the chute. We will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a conveyor mechanism later.
A plow is attached to the frame, making a furrow, hiller and wheels, the movement of which is directly coordinated with the movement of potatoes from the bunker to the ground.Important! Home-made potato planters are best used on the soil already prepared for this.
Principle of operation
The design determines the manual adjustment of the planting depth and the planting interval of potatoes, that is, it provides for the organization of the whole process at its discretion.
Moving is carried out with the help of any self-propelled machinery, but the weight of the digger is concentrated on the wheels, which also have a number of mandatory features. They must ensure quality coupling with the ground so that movement in space has a direct connection with the conveyor mechanism.
A plow or a coulter makes a furrow of a certain depth. After the potato tubers are directly in the ground, discs installed at a special angle, rake the ground and level the soil on the planting area.
Check out such varieties of potatoes as "Kiwi", "Luck", "Gala", "Rosara", "Irbitsky", "Queen Anne", "Blue", "Adretta".The result is a bed with a constant value of the density of landing and the distance between rows. All this design is easy to maintain and reliable in operation.
If we consider the entire cycle of heavy manual labor, from which the use of this apparatus eliminates, then the question will be only whether to buy it or make a potato planter directly with your own hands. 
How to choose a potato planter in the store
The choice of potato planters affects its compatibility with your walk-behind tractor. Some firms adhere to the policy of using this device only with their own self-propelled equipment. But some models are very versatile and fit all motorblock.
In addition to compatibility, the following factors are important:
- weight and ergonomics;
- productivity;
- ability to adjust and adjust.
If your site is small, choose a single row potato planter. 
The two-row device has a higher capacity and is designed for processing large landing areas. Some options have additional capacity for fertilizer applied with potatoes.
You will also be interested to learn about the Dutch technology for growing potatoes, growing potatoes under straw and in bags.Additional asterisks in the kit will help coordinate the landing frequency and the speed of movement of the unit. The more varied the device is, the more expensive it is, but still the price remains at a level acceptable for a purchase without huge costs.
The benefits of the acquisition are incommensurable: saving time, effort, and simplifying future processing, care, and harvesting.
Did you know? Does the price of potatoes on the market seem too high? And how do you 500 euros per kilogram of the most expensive potatoes in the world! It is said that this variety, called "La bonnot", has a great delicate flavor.Depending on the way potatoes are fed, potato planters are divided into chain and belt. The former provide reliable transmission of torque, but the chain of the potato planter in motion can damage the tubers, which the ribbon does not do.
But if the tension is insufficient, the tape may slip, and you will leave empty space instead of the planted potato. In both cases, the potatoes are scooped and moved in baskets, the movement of which is coordinated with the movement of special wheels.Maintenance and use of all potato planters for power tillers is quite simple, but still requires periodic inspection and repair if necessary. Factory units serve better in specialized service centers.
Careful attitude to this device will allow you to serve for many years and plant more than one plot with a good harvest.
How to do it yourself
Some farmers equip their motoblock homemade potato planter, made with their own hands. This is much cheaper if you use elements from old waste equipment, metal corners, plates, suitable chains with asterisks.
The self-made device can be no worse than the store version and serve with dignity for many years.
It will be useful for you to learn about the rules for dealing with potato diseases and the best ways to fertilize them.
Preparation of materials and tools
Preparation must begin with yourself. Determine exactly how you want to make a potato planter, what tools you need to do it yourself, look at the ready-made drawings on the Internet, and make your own with correctly calculated sizes.
For the manufacture of potato planters will need such materials:
- metal corner, from which the frame will be welded;
- a tank that acts as a bunker (most often use a tank from old washing machines, but if you have a decent alternative at hand with the necessary dimensions, then use it);
- sprockets transmitting torque from the support wheels to the feeder;
- chain;
- fittings and wire for baskets;
- wheels;
- channel.
And also tools:
- welding machine;
- keys;
- screwdrivers;
- drill;
- Bulgarian;
- cutting pliers.
Frame
The basis of any device, regardless of application, is a frame on which parts and mechanisms are fixed. Our frame will consist of two longitudinal bars connected by reinforcement in three places.
A hitch and coulter will be attached at the front. It is necessary to strengthen the frame with metal lining.
Tow hitch
The task of the hitch is not only the transfer of thrust from the self-propelled machinery, but also the realization of the possibility, together with the ripper, to control and adjust the depth of the trench being pulled out. 
Therefore, the plug, which is welded in front of the frame, has a trailed gripper that runs freely in the vertical axis. Its height is fixed by tightening the bolts in the fork.
Important! Due to the weight of the potato planter, the design may be unstable. In this regard, it is recommended to equip the front part of the tiller.
Wheels
The origin of the wheels used for making potato planters is not as important as the tasks they perform. It is better to make yourself in the form of wide cylinders, with welded hook-on strips.
Their task is to coordinate the movement of the soil with the work of the seed feeder mechanism, having a minimal effect on the surface. 
The hubs are mounted on ball bearings that are put on the axle. To prevent dirt and plants from getting into the moving parts of the mechanism, wide lock nuts can be used, as well as cuffs attached.
As an axis, we use a thick-walled steel or cast-iron pipe, since it must withstand severe loads, inserts with spikes and retaining pins. After assembling the whole mechanism, the pins are welded and the axis is fixed with the help of bolts and steel clamps.
Find out when it is best to plant potatoes and how to do it before winter.
Ripper
Holders for the ripper must be cooked from metal corners in the form of a square. Corners use good quality, as it is possible to deform during operation. 
The coulter, like the hitch, has a vertical degree of freedom, fixed with bolts and clamps.
To powder the furrow with the ground and the correct form of the comb, discs are installed at a certain angle. Rotating, they shift the ground and roll the potato tubers.
Drives for equalizing trenches can be taken from the planters, but an additional bearing must be installed to prevent the ground from getting into the knot.
Bunker
For the manufacture of the bunker, tanks from old washing machines are most often used, but they have a serious drawback in the form of a low angle of inclination of the bottom, which causes problems when the planting material ends and does not roll down to the exciting baskets. 
Therefore, sometimes it is made independently of metal sheets or plywood about 1 cm thick.
Parts made of plywood are cut out with a jigsaw, treated with special protective agents against corrosive and mechanical effects with liquid products. They are assembled with steel corners and are lined with rubber inside to prevent the potatoes from being damaged.
Two bars are also welded to the frame in parallel, allowing the gear to be mounted on top to transmit movement from the wheels to the chain with baskets.
When making a manual potato planter, a seed-conducting gutter can be made either with your own hands from a sheet of metal or from a pipe with a diameter of about 10 cm. 
The tensioner is bolted to regulate the condition and position of the chain. Baskets are made of metal rings or entirely of wire. Their evenness and appearance do not play a big role, since the shape of the potato itself is far from ideal.
Important! After planting potatoes and leveling trenches, traces of wheels may still remain on the site. To avoid this, you need to attach special paws behind the discs, which, penetrating into the soil, loosen it, eliminating traces of the potato planter.A potato planter is a very useful unit on the farm, even if your garden is not very big, so it will be much easier for you if it is acquired or built on its own.
