Text 9. Potato harvesting equipment

Potato diggers can be divided into two main types, the elevator digger and the spinner.

Elevator diggers may lift one or two rows at a time. They consist of broad A-shaped shares which lift the drill. The contents of the drill are raised by the forward motion and deposited on an endless rod link elevator or web. The soil fells through the links and the potatoes pass off the end of the elevator to the ground. To separate the maximum soil and trash from the potatoes, various means of controlling the degree of agitation on the web are used.

1. Oval sprockets of various sizes can be fitted under the web, between the two end sprockets, to increase agitation.

2. The elevator can be split and run in two sections, the potatoes and soil falling from the first to the second position.

3. The angle of the elevator can be altered, thus varying the speed at which the potatoes and soil pass over the web, hence the agitation they receive.

4. The drive to the elevator is by land wheel via a gearbox or by tractor p.t.o. With both, the elevator to forward speed ratio can be varied.

Tractor wheels settings must fit the row width. The depth of the share is generally controlled by two screw adjust able wheels. The share should be set as shallow as possible, to reduce the amount of soil lift and, hence, the agitation necessary.

Spinners have the advantage over elevator diggers, in that they are capable of working under quite wet soil conditions. They are liable, however, to cause more damage to the crop, due to the method of lifting and separating.

spinner - роторная швырялка

link elevator or web - вытряхивающий транспортер