Which planter is better with discs or tines? Potato planters, their types and features. Top best domestic potato planters of the Neva brand for a walk-behind tractor
Growing potatoes is very hard work. Its planting, hilling and cleaning require a lot of physical exertion. The problem is especially aggravated if the planting area exceeds 15 acres. To at least slightly simplify your work, you can automate this process. If the farm has a walk-behind tractor or a mini-tractor, the work can be facilitated by an automatic potato planter and potato digger. Such specific equipment is purchased together with a walk-behind tractor, but sometimes its prices exceed the cost of the walk-behind tractor itself, making it not very affordable for a wide range of users. The way out of this situation can be the manufacture of these devices with your own hands. They are quite complex, so for their production it is necessary to know the basics of mechanics, to have experience in welding and mechanical assembly work. Learn how to make a potato digger and potato planter with your own hands later in the article.
Operating principle and design of the potato planter 
The potato planter is a trailer attached to a walk-behind tractor. The principle of its operation is based on the automatic supply of planting material from the hopper to the furrow. Following the walk-behind tractor, thanks to the plow mounted on the frame, the device makes a hole of the set depth. Then, along a chain conveyor, which rotates due to the rotation of the wheels of the potato planter, the planting material is supplied from the hopper to the hole. After this, two disks installed in the rear part of the frame bury the hole with the planted potatoes.
The dimensions of the potato planter are selected individually depending on the power of the walk-behind tractor. Thanks to precise selection of the distance between the feeding bowls of the conveyor, it is possible to achieve uniform planting of tubers along the entire row. 
The main parts of a DIY potato planter for a walk-behind tractor:
Frame. All working elements of the unit are installed on it. The frame is made in the form of a welded metal structure from a profile pipe. This material has sufficient strength while being lightweight. A towing device is installed in the bow of the frame, which ensures coupling of the unit with the walk-behind tractor.
Bunker. Designed for loading planting material into the unit. Performed in the shape of an inverted pyramid. This shape is needed so that the potatoes constantly fall down. If this does not happen, then some of the conveyor bowls will be empty during movement, which will lead to uneven landing. Thin sheet metal is used to make the bunker.
Chain conveyor. It is made from a motorcycle or bicycle chain with bowls welded to its surface. The conveyor is driven by a drive sprocket mounted on the wheel shaft. At the top it is connected to the tension sprocket.
Plow. Installed in front of the planting material feeding mechanism. Its task is to produce a hole in which the potatoes will be planted.
Disc harrows. They are installed at an angle to the axis of the potato planter in the tail section. They are necessary for digging a hole with planted potatoes.
Making a potato planter with your own hands 
Making your own potato planter for a walk-behind tractor at home is quite difficult. Some operations (welding and turning) will still have to be done in production conditions. Before starting work, it is better to make drawings of a potato planter for a walk-behind tractor with your own hands. This will help calculate the amount of material and determine the most optimal sequence of work.
To produce this work you will need:
Steel sheet up to 2 mm thick for welding the bunker.
Profile pipe with a cross-section of 25x25 mm for welding the product frame.
Motorcycle or bicycle chain.
Two identical sprockets with a diameter of 80 mm.
Wheel axle (will have to be machined to fit the size of the bearings used and the internal bore diameter of the sprocket).
Wheel hubs for attaching drive wheels.
Cultivation discs.
Furrower (plough). It must be made from a piece of durable sheet metal, since high pressure will be exerted on it. 
Work order:
1.First of all, the frame of the structure is welded, on which all the working parts will be installed. It is welded from a profile pipe. Conveyor racks and side members are welded to the frame to give rigidity to the structure. A tow bar is also welded to it for coupling with the walk-behind tractor.
2. The mounting structures of the plow, discs, cage and bearing housing are welded from below.
3.Next, the shaft is assembled. The drive sprocket of the transport conveyor is mounted and secured onto the shaft using a key. The shaft itself is installed in bearings. The wheel hub is mounted at its end.
4.The next step is the manufacture of conveyor bowls. They are made from thick wire Ø 6 mm in the shape of a ring with a diameter of 60 mm (the average size of a planting tuber). A piece of wire is welded to the bottom of the ring, making a recess in the bowl.
5. The finished bowl is welded to the mount. The latter is welded to the chain links. Depending on the diameter of the drive sprocket, wheel and chain length, you can experimentally determine the installation pitch of the conveyor bowls so that the distance between planting tubers is from 25 to 30 cm.
6.After the conveyor chain is ready, proceed to the installation of the idle (tension) sprocket and the tensioning device of the potato planter, made by yourself. The principle of its operation is the same as the principle of tensioning a bicycle chain.
7.Next, the bunker is mounted. It must be mounted in such a way that the working part of the conveyor passes through it and captures the planting material. In this case, the chain should not cling to the walls of the bunker, as this can lead to its destruction.
8.After this, you need to install the chain. To pass it through the hole in the hopper, the chain must be disconnected. After that, it is connected and installed on the workplace.
9.The idle side of the conveyor is closed with a thin galvanized chute. This is done so that when the conveyor is thrown over, the potatoes do not fall in the wrong place.
11.The last step is to install the drive wheels.
Operating principle and design of potato digger 
The job of a potato digger is to lift root crops from the depths and separate them from the tops and soil. There are pros and cons to using a potato digger. The most important of them is the quality of harvesting. The main thing here is to configure the unit correctly. Otherwise, up to 20% of the root crops can be left in the ground, and such losses can negate all the efforts made.
Potato diggers come in various types, which differ both in the principle of operation and in the complexity of their design:
1. Lancet-type potato diggers. The simplest type of device, which is easy to manufacture and use. This potato digger is a steel boom that enters the soil at an angle and lifts the tubers along with the soil. At the rear of the boom there is a fan made of steel rods, through which the soil is sifted and the tubers are thrown to the sides.
2. Vibrating potato diggers. More complex designs. The principle of their work is to screen the tubers on a special vibrating table. Thanks to this, the soil is sifted down, and the potatoes themselves are laid out in a ribbon along the row. The vibrating table is driven by the moving parts of the walk-behind tractor. Independently, such structures are rarely made due to their complexity and the need for a wide range of mechanical assembly work.
3Conveyor-drum type. The most complex units. The principle of their operation is as follows:
A special device captures the soil with tubers and directs them to the conveyor.
The latter lifts the tubers with the ground and guides them to a rotating sieve drum. There they are separated from the ground and fall into a special bunker.
The advantage of such a potato digger is that the potatoes do not need to be picked from the row.
Making a lancet-type potato digger with your own hands.
The design of such a potato digger is the simplest and most often made at home. To carry out this work you need:
Cultivator's paw. It will be the most important part of the unit.
Steel circle with a diameter of 8-10 mm for making a sifting fan.
Sheet steel 4-5 mm thick for the manufacture of a hitch with a cultivator and an adjusting device. It is necessary to change the angle of attack of the arrow.
Fastening bolts.
Screw coupler.
Work order:
1. First you need to weld the steel bars to the boom of the cultivator lama. This should be done at intervals of 40-50 mm. The length of the fan should be the same, respectively, if the trailing edge of the boom is at an angle, the length of the rods will be different - the farther from the center, the shorter.
2.After this, the welded rods must be bent upward at an angle of 30°.
3. Next, two holes are made in the foot for attaching it to the bracket and the adjusting tie. The bracket and coupler are welded to the hitch plate. By shortening or lengthening the tie, the paw will move back and forth, thereby changing the angle of attack of the potato digger.
4.The last step is to prime the potato digger and paint it.
When using it, it is important to monitor the condition of the leading edge. It must be well sharpened. Otherwise, the pressure on the boom will be too high, which may damage the structure.
The parameters of the potato digger are selected depending on the type of soil being cultivated. The denser it is, the stronger the structure should be.
Do-it-yourself potato planter, dimensions: drawings, pictures, photos 
33345 10/08/2019 5 min.
Land owners have a lot of worries in the spring. It is necessary to plow the soil that has rested during the winter, apply fertilizers, plant crops, hill up, weed, harvest and plow the soil before the first frost. The appearance of the walk-behind tractor solved many problems. Labor-intensive gardening work can now be done on it. This saves time and makes planting potatoes more efficient.
Pre-planting treatment of tubers
Pre-planting preparation of root crops requires time and effort. On a standard plot of 6-7 acres, it will take all day to plant it with a shovel, but if you connect the equipment to the work, you can do it in about three hours. For small areas, the Neva, Forza, Sadko, Don, Huter, Champion, Carver walk-behind tractors are popular.
To begin with, seed material is prepared. Preference is given to regionalized varieties that produce good yields in certain regions. Sorting is done in order to select good raw materials. Potatoes are selected to be the same size.
Small tubers produce a small harvest. Large ones must be cut into pieces, and this provokes various diseases and opens direct access to pests. Germination takes about a month. To do this, the seed material is placed in a warm (+12-15 degrees), bright room.
If dark spots appear on fresh sprouts, this indicates a disease. The affected tubers are thrown away. Before planting, they are soaked in stimulating and pickling substances. It is not recommended to place tubers in the solution for a long time.
It is better to lay them on a flat surface, spray them with preparations and let them dry. Root crops can be planted when the earth warms up to +7, +8 degrees (in the planting hole).
Soil preparation
Pre-sowing work begins with the laying of mineral or organic fertilizers in the fall.
Stages of preparation for sowing in spring:
- Immediately before planting, it is necessary to plow the soil to the depth of a spade bayonet (12-15cm). To do this you will need an attachment – a milling cutter.
- When planting potatoes under the Neva walk-behind tractor, the wings are removed from the unit before work. The equipment installed on the walk-behind tractor must be adjusted correctly. This will ensure smooth running of the machine and require a minimum of effort. A well-plowed field does not require harrowing.
For more information about planting potatoes with the Neva walk-behind tractor, you can watch the video online:
- Humidify to saturate with oxygen and moisture. In a well-loosened soil layer, crops sprout more easily. At this stage, the walk-behind tractor will greatly facilitate the process of preparing the soil before planting the seed.
- Complete set of walk-behind tractor.
For plowing you will need wheels with lug elements, a set of rubber wheels, wheel extensions, a milling cutter, a universal hitch, hillers or a plow. If you are going to purchase additional attachments, you should first buy a hitch. The remaining elements are selected to match it.
Technology for planting potatoes with a walk-behind tractor
Tips for the correct landing of walk-behind tractors Profi, Viking, Crosser, Patriot, Caiman:
- The row spacing when planting potatoes with a walk-behind tractor should be from 55 to 65 centimeters.
- The furrows must be made even, this will simplify the care of the root crop.
- Before planting, you can fertilize the soil.
- The distance between tubers is 25-30 cm.
The depth of planting potatoes under a walk-behind tractor is 10-12 cm.
When planting potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, make the distance between the rows the same. Watch the track width, it should be uniform. When cutting furrows, try to make them even. If necessary, pull the ropes to navigate along them.
Consider the main methods of landing: with the help of a hiller, a hinged element - a potato planter, planting under a plow, planting in a ridge.
How to plant correctly with a hiller, at what distance and depth
For landing with the help of a hiller, wheels with lugs are placed on the cultivator. Tarpan motor cultivator works well. The furrows are being cut. Potatoes will have to be planted manually. After disembarking, replace the lugs with standard rubber wheels.
Rearranging the wheels is necessary in order not to injure the seed. The track width is left the same - 55-65 centimeters, and again walk along the furrows. The walk-behind tractor will fill the row with soil and compact the seed.
Planting with a hiller is a less expensive option. In the configuration of the unit should be only metal and rubber wheels, and the hiller itself. The inconvenience lies in manual planting of potatoes. For large sown areas, a mounted planter for a walk-behind tractor is used.
This method is considered the least labor-intensive. The unit includes:
- A conveyor is a kind of conveyor that supplies seed.
- Furrow maker, for laying furrows.
- Dispenser for feeding potatoes at certain intervals.
- Disc hiller that lays and fills furrows.
How to plant with a potato planter
By planting potatoes with a walk-behind planter, you can save three times as much time as when planting with a hiller. The process is completely mechanized. Potatoes are planted and hilled at the same time. The potato planter has its disadvantages.
Firstly, seed material should be selected more carefully. The tubers should be the same in size. Young shoots are not very long. Otherwise, the seed will be injured during planting. Secondly, this planting method is more expensive.
Together with a walk-behind planter, you can use a special device to simultaneously apply fertilizer to the hole, along with the seed.
Planting with a plow
You need to install lug wheels and a plow on the walk-behind tractor. The soil is prepared by loosening using a milling cutter. The plow for planting is inserted into the ground to the depth of the spade bayonet.
It is more efficient for two people to board. The first one controls the walk-behind tractor, and the second one places the potatoes in the furrow. The work is done promptly. During the first passage of the row, seed material is laid. And during the return journey, the sown furrow is covered with soil from the newly plowed one.
Landing on ridges
Planting potatoes in ridges with a walk-behind tractor is practiced in areas where groundwater is located very close to the surface. To do this, you should use a walk-behind tractor to form ridges 15–20 cm high. The tubers are planted in the ridge. This option is only suitable for well-moistened soils.
Potato processing
Weeding
A week after planting, it is worth loosening the soil. During this time, a dense crust formed on the ground, preventing the germination of plant stems and the access of oxygen. Weeding is carried out weekly. This helps to fight weeds that negatively affect root crops.
Trailed grain harvesting equipment is classified as agricultural equipment and is used for harvesting grain and leguminous crops. A trailed grain harvester is reliability, high quality and productivity.
Snow removal equipment is ideal for owners of suburban areas, since snow removal occurs with their own efforts. By clicking on the link, you will become familiar with the various models and characteristics of the Lynx snow blower.
Challenger tracked and wheeled tractors are used in work in difficult terrain conditions over large areas for cultivating land. The Challenger tractor is a reliable and smart work assistant.
For weeding work, a rotary or mesh harrow, paws and a weeder are used.
Hilling
Shoots appear in 3-4 weeks. Now after planting you need to hill up the potatoes. A walk-behind tractor will help with this. For hilling, one, two or three row hillers are suitable. If desired, you can apply fertilizer by installing an additional nozzle.
Potato harvest
The walk-behind tractor is used not only for planting, but also for harvesting potatoes. By autumn, the potato tops dry out and everything is ready for harvesting. You need to dig potatoes in August - September, in dry weather. For digging with a walk-behind tractor, a mounted plower or potato digger is installed.
The walk-behind tractor has now become a necessary tool for cultivating land. The unit is well worth the investment. You can see how walk-behind tractors can be used, in addition to planting potatoes, on the “Advice from an Old Plowman” website.
The choice of attachments depends on the owner’s requests. Using the example of planting, hilling, weeding and harvesting potatoes, you can see how using a walk-behind tractor makes life easier for gardeners.
Planting potatoes by hand, even in a small garden or personal plot, is a rather tedious task and requires good endurance. It is impossible to delay or extend the process for several days; the entire volume of seed potatoes must be planted as quickly as possible, before the soil loses precious moisture. If we are talking about planting potatoes on 30-40 acres or more, only a tractor with a plow or a potato planter for a walk-behind tractor can save the situation.
How to mechanize planting potatoes with a walk-behind tractor easier
To plant your own beds, it is easier and more reliable to use a device in the form of a planter for a walk-behind tractor. You can buy such a potato planter and attachments, but if you have metalworking skills and a supply of old spare parts and materials, it is easier to make a planting device for a walk-behind tractor with your own hands.
To build a potato planter on a walk-behind tractor you will need:
- Several old axles, bearings and chains from a bicycle or from a car engine gas distribution system;
- A sheet of metal, 1.5-2 mm thick and 1.5 x 1.5 m in size, several pieces of steel profile - a square or one and a half inch pipe, several meters of 6 mm wire rod;
- Welding machine, a dozen electrodes for welding ferrous metal No. 3, an angle grinder with one or two metal discs, an electric drill with a set of drills, fasteners, a nut-bolt and emery cloth.
Advice! Before you start making a potato planter for a walk-behind tractor, look at the most successful designs of homemade potato planters available on homemade pages on the Internet, this will help simplify the design or correctly adapt the device to your walk-behind tractor.
Assembling a potato planter on a walk-behind tractor
Before starting work, think about how your potato planter will look and be installed on a walk-behind tractor, its drawings and dimensions. To maintain mobility and ease of use with a walk-behind tractor, the dimensions of the seed potato bin should not be too large; most often they are chosen based on the double length of the bed. Thus, you can fill the bunker, go through two furrows with a walk-behind tractor with a filled potato planter and return to the place where you load the seeds.
Design and principle of operation of a potato planter with a walk-behind tractor
How a potato planter works on a walk-behind tractor is clear from the photo below:
- The device is made in the form of a tow hitch to a walk-behind tractor. Essentially, this is a hopper or container for seeds, an installed frame welded from an angle or tubular steel profile;
- The hopper and frame are mounted on a pair of wheels; you can use lugs, but it is better to use ordinary wheels from a gun carriage or a garden wheelbarrow. To prevent the walk-behind tractor from slipping or overheating, the rubber on the wheels must have a high, aggressive tread that gives good grip on the ground, this is very important;
- A sprocket is installed on the wheel axle for a chain elevator, which, when the axle rotates, takes potato tubers from the hopper, lifts them to a vertical pipe, and then dumps them into a cut furrow.
For your information! This design of the potato planter clings to a walk-behind tractor, which pulls the device over a pre-cut furrow. Do not try to cut a furrow with a walk-behind tractor and plant potatoes at the same time. As a rule, only mini tractors and heavy diesel walk-behind tractors can perform simultaneous cutting and planting operations with a potato planter.
Assembling the frame and chain lift for a potato planter on a walk-behind tractor
This is the easiest part of making a potato planter. To build the frame, we cut out two longitudinal parts of the frame and two shorter ones - transverse ones. The size of the base can be chosen as 60x20 cm. Carefully weld the sections of the profile and sand the seams.
Next, you need to resolve the issue with the hopper and the guide pipe through which the potatoes will be thrown into the garden bed. For the hopper, you can weld a container in the form of an inverted pyramid, as in the photo, but if you have a ready-made option in the form of a tank from an old washing machine, that can also be used. We first try on the hopper body on the welded frame and look for the optimal location of the axis so that the center of gravity of the container filled with potatoes is located 5-10 cm in front of the axis of the potato planter wheels, this will make it easier to work with a walk-behind tractor.
At the next stage, we try on and mark the places for installing the wheel axles and bearings. We attach the latter to the frame using short steel corners. Next, we turn the frame over and weld a pipe to the corners in which the wheel axle will be located. It is necessary to weld with the utmost care; you can even strengthen the seam with overlay elements. Inside the pipe, on both sides of the potato planter, we install and fasten one support bearing.
At the next stage, we cut out and weld two vertical posts to the base of the frame, on which the bearings of the upper axis of the chain elevator sprocket will rest. The bearings will be attached to the welded struts with overhead clamps on bolts. In this unit, it is more preferable to use bearings with a closed cage design to prevent soil or dust from getting inside. If possible, it is better to close the axles with rubber anthers.
Next, using a plumb line we mark the position of the upper and lower sprockets, cut the pipe previously welded at the base of the frame and install the lower drive sprocket on the axle. We put on the chain, pull it up and determine the place for installing the upper axle and driven sprocket. We install the axle, bearings of the upper assembly and fasten them to the vertical posts.
Assembling the structure of a potato planter on a walk-behind tractor
In order for the tubers to rise freely from the bunker, it is necessary to partially supplement and modernize the chain drive. Under the pulling force of the walk-behind tractor, the wheels of the potato planter will create torque on the drive sprocket. If the ground is too soft, the rubber wheels may slip, so you can add lug lugs to your tires if necessary. It’s easier than using a walk-behind tractor to roll a heavy potato planter on inconvenient, prickly steel wheels. The larger the diameter of the wheels, the easier the potato planter works.
If you have a kit from the gas distribution system of a Zhiguli or Moskvich engine, it is better to use these parts instead of the bicycle version. Firstly, the chain from the engine is double-row, and secondly, the dimensions of the chain and sprockets are ideal for the potato planter.
Wire scoops must be welded or riveted to the side surface of the chain to collect tubers from the hopper. The diameter of the bucket can vary from 3 to 5 cm, with a depth of no more than 2.5 cm. The easiest way is to make them from 6 mm steel wire rod and evenly fasten them to the chain so that they do not interfere with the movement of the driving and driven sprockets along the teeth.
The dimensions of the potato planter on the walk-behind tractor are already known, so on the front of the frame you can weld a vertical stand to attach the potato planter to the hitch of the walk-behind tractor. Most often, the rack is made with a split wall and a number of through holes; this design allows you to select the optimal height of the hitch arm with a walk-behind tractor.
After the chain elevator is assembled, it is necessary to cut a hole in the bottom of the bunker to allow the intake buckets to pass into the container. The gaps between the bucket and the edges of the hole can be made up to 1.5 cm in size. At the bottom of the bunker box we weld two vertical plates of sheet metal, with the help of which the container will be secured to the frame of the potato planter.
You will need to hang a guide pipe for tubers on the outer wall of the container. It can be made from tin or even a piece of drainage or plastic sewer pipe with a diameter of 100 mm. The pipe fence can be supplemented with a guide corner element.
In some cases, potato planting is carried out with parallel treatment of the tubers with protective chemicals against dry rot and the Colorado potato beetle. To uniformly inject a liquid or granular preparation into the bed, you can install a gear dispenser and a container made of a plastic bottle on the potato planter. To operate the dispenser, you can use an additional drive from a pair of sprocket and chain on one of the semi-axles of the potato planter. The dosed drug comes from the bottle through a short piece of polyethylene hose exactly in the center of the furrow made by the walk-behind tractor.
Conclusion
The potato planter for the walk-behind tractor only works on peeled and size-calibrated tubers. When setting up the unit, it is necessary to select the speed of the walk-behind tractor that would provide acceptable performance and not injure the tubers. Before starting construction, carefully study the given diagram of the potato planter chain drive, compare the parameters of your existing sprockets and chains and check how their dimensions match the recommendations.
To facilitate this process, a device such as a potato planter was developed.
Description and purpose of the design
A potato planter is a device that minimizes the use of heavy physical labor for planting potatoes, because it is enough to attach it to a planter, fill in the tubers, and the device itself will dig a trench, lay them and cover them with soil, and you only control the self-propelled equipment and do not forget to replenish consumables. The components are very easy to understand and make, even on your own. This is directly the container into which planting material is poured, the so-called bunker.
Its design can be either cone-shaped or rectangular, but the main condition for it is a bottom with a good slope, which will direct the flow of potatoes to the point of capture in the transport baskets.
Did you know? The first vegetable grown in space was potatoes.
They, in turn, are attached either to a chain or to a tape running from the reverse side along the gutter. We will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a conveyor mechanism later. A plow is also attached to the frame, making a furrow, a hiller and wheels, the movement of which is directly coordinated with the movement of potatoes from the bunker to the ground.
Important! Homemade potato planters are best used on soil that has already been prepared for this.
Principle of operation
The design determines the manual adjustment of the planter depth and the potato planting interval, that is, it provides for the organization of the entire process at your own discretion.
Moving is carried out using any self-propelled equipment, but the weight of the digger is concentrated on the wheels, which also have a number of mandatory features. They must guarantee high-quality adhesion to the ground so that movement in space has a direct connection with the conveyor mechanism.
A plow or 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 soil and level it on the planting site.
The result is a bed with a constant value of planting density and distance between rows. This whole structure is easy to maintain and reliable in operation.If we consider the entire cycle of heavy manual labor, which the use of this device eliminates, then the only question will be 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 a potato planter is influenced by its compatibility with yours. Some companies adhere to the policy of using this device only with their own self-propelled equipment. But some models are very universal and fit all walk-behind tractors.
In addition to compatibility, the following factors are important:
- weight and ergonomics;
- productivity;
- ability to adjust and adjust.
If your area is small, choose a single-row potato planter. 
The two-row device has greater productivity and is designed for processing large planting areas. Some options have additional containers for fertilizers applied along with the potatoes.
The benefits of the acquisition are incomparable: saving effort, time and simplifying future processing, care and harvesting.
Did you know? Does the market price of potatoes seem too high? And how do you like 500 euros per kilogram of the most expensive potato in the world! It is said that this variety, called« la bonnot» , has a great delicate taste.
Depending on the method of feeding potatoes, 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 tape does not do. 
But if there is insufficient tension, the tape can slip, and you will leave empty space instead of planted potatoes. In both cases, the potatoes are scooped up and moved in baskets, the movement of which is coordinated with the movement of special wheels.
Maintenance and use of all potato planters for walk-behind tractors is quite simple, but periodic technical inspections and, if necessary, repair work are still required. It is better to service factory units in specialized service centers.
Taking good care of this device will allow you to serve you for many years and plant more than one plot with a good harvest.
How to DIY
Some farmers equip their walk-behind tractor with a homemade potato planter made by themselves. It works out much cheaper if you use elements from old unnecessary equipment, metal corners, plates, suitable chains with sprockets.
A homemade device can be no worse than a store-bought version and will serve well for many years.
Preparation of materials and tools
You need to start preparing with yourself. Determine exactly how you want to make a potato planter, what tools you will need to do it yourself, look at ready-made drawings on the Internet, and also create your own with correctly calculated dimensions.
To make a potato planter you will need the following materials:
- a metal corner from which the frame will be welded;
- a container that acts as a hopper (most often they use a tank from old washing machines, but if you have a worthy alternative at hand with the necessary dimensions, then use it);
- sprockets that transmit torque from the support wheels to the feed mechanism;
- chain;
- fittings and wire for baskets;
- wheels;
- channel.
And also tools:
- welding machine;
- keys;
- screwdrivers;
- drill;
- Bulgarian;
- wire cutters
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 to each other by reinforcement in three places.
The towbar and coulter will be attached to the front. The frame must be reinforced with metal plates.
Tow hitch
The task of the towed device will be not only to transmit traction from self-propelled equipment, but also to provide the ability, together with the ripper, to control and adjust the depth of the trench being dug. 
Therefore, the fork, which is welded to the front of the frame, has a tow hook freely moving in the vertical axis. Its height is fixed by tightening the bolts in the fork.
Important! Due to the heavy weight of the potato planter, the structure may be unstable. In this regard, it is recommended to equip the front part of the walk-behind tractor with a counterweight.
Wheels
The origin of the wheels used to make a potato planter is not as important as the tasks they perform. It is better to make it yourself in the form of wide cylinders, with welded toe strips.
Their task is to coordinate movement across the soil with the operation of the seed-feeding mechanism, having minimal impact on the surface. 
The hubs are mounted on ball bearings, which are placed on the axle. To prevent dirt from getting into the moving parts of the mechanism, you can use wide lock nuts and attach cuffs.
For the axle we use a thick-walled steel or cast iron pipe, since it must withstand heavy loads, inserts with spikes and retaining pins. Having assembled the entire mechanism, the pins are welded, and the axle is secured using bolts and steel clamps.
Ripper
Holders for the ripper must be welded from metal corners in the form of a square. Use corners of good quality, as deformation is possible during use. 
The opener, like the towbar, has a vertical degree of freedom fixed with bolts and clamps.
To cover the furrow with soil and ensure the correct shape of the ridge, discs installed at a certain angle are used. As they rotate, they move the soil and roll down the potato tubers.
Discs for leveling trenches can be taken from seeders, but an additional bearing must be installed to prevent soil from getting into the unit.
Bunker
To make a hopper, tubs from old washing machines are most often used, but they have a serious drawback in the form of a small angle of inclination of the bottom, which causes problems when the planting material runs out and does not roll down to the catching baskets. 
Therefore, sometimes it is made independently from metal sheets or plywood about 1 cm thick.
Plywood parts are cut out with a jigsaw and treated with special liquid agents that protect against corrosion and mechanical influences. They are assembled using steel angles and lined with rubber inside so that the potatoes are not damaged.
Two rods are also welded in parallel to the frame, allowing a 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 trench 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 fixed with bolts 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 the trenches, wheel marks may still remain on the site. To avoid this, you need to attach special paws to the discs, which, penetrating 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 particularly large, so purchasing it or building it yourself will greatly facilitate your work.
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Planting potatoes with a shovel is a common task, but it is very labor-intensive and time-consuming, especially when the area of the potato plantation is impressive. If the farm has a walk-behind tractor or cultivator, you should immediately purchase a potato planter for it, and then it will be enough to attach it to the walk-behind tractor, pour the tubers into the hopper and just control the process and fill the hopper.
The potato planter is equipped with a plow that cuts a small trench, and tubers are laid there one by one from the hopper at a certain interval. Then, using a hiller, they are covered with earth. Thanks to this equipment, potato planting is carried out efficiently and in a short time.
The unit is characterized by simple design and maintenance, high performance and long-term operation. If there is a need for repairs or planned replacement of any parts, purchasing spare parts for a potato planter is not a problem.
Small weight and dimensions, as well as an affordable price, allow even summer residents with low incomes to purchase a potato planter. Loosened soil, uniform planting and uniform depth of tubers guarantee high yields and their simultaneous ripening.
Distinctive features of different models
There are many modifications of this attachment, the difference between them will be in the area being processed, and therefore in productivity. Lightweight compact models are designed for walk-behind tractors; middle-class models are equipped with mini-tractors: they can already plant 2 rows per pass. More powerful ones are installed on medium and heavy tractors; in them, the number of planted rows reaches up to four.
What parameters may differ between these devices?
First of all, weight. If a potato planter is purchased for a summer cottage or potato field, then problems may arise with the delivery of a heavy unit, while a compact model will not be difficult to transport in a passenger car.
The volume of the bunker depends on the dimensions of the attachment. It is clear that the larger this figure, the less often you will have to stop to fill it out. But if the area is small, you can limit yourself to 30 liters. The conical or rectangular shape of the bunker does not matter.
The method of attaching the plates for potato tubers is important. There are 2 options: on a chain and on a tape. In the first case, due to vibration, tubers from the plate may fall back into the bunker and not into the soil, which worsens the quality of planting. The tape does not have this drawback; it is wide and has a stable fastening. The plates themselves should not be small; it is better to choose them in the form of baskets.
Another important point is the presence of transport wheels. They allow you to turn the unit by moving the handle if you lift the drive wheels at the end of the row. At the same time, the drive is switched off.
The adaptability of equipment to different models of walk-behind tractors increases its cost. You can get by with a suitable adapter to combine your favorite potato planter with any walk-behind tractor or cultivator.
Equipment for potato planters
The design of many potato planters provides various useful functions, for example, switching speeds, adjusting the distance between planted tubers. If the furrow cutter located at the front is adjustable, potatoes can be planted at two different depths: 5 and 10 cm.
It wouldn’t hurt to adjust the disc hillers: vertically and horizontally. Models are available equipped with an additional special container for applying fertilizers to the ground along with planting potatoes.
In order for the equipment to serve for a long time, you need to use it carefully: do not run into stones and bushes, clean the equipment from dirt and debris, and do not load planting material while moving.
