Love to see old farm equipment still being used today ! I'm 59 an remember my dad owning a cub tractor on my grandmother's small farm ! But we didn't have a potato digging machine just a matic an our backs digging them up ! Good video thanks for sharing ! 👍👍
I really enjoyed making the video. A big bonus, that i never even thought of when i posted it, was all the comments. We all need some good memories these days. Theres nothing better than remembering some long forgotten person, or event. Glad the video brought a smile to your day!!
There's always a learning curve when using a 'new to you' tool, whether the tool is brand new or a hundred years old. For the first try, I'd say two thumbs up. When saving old equipment from the junk yards, the point is not necessarily to be efficient, the point is to preserve these examples in the stages in agricultural technology so we can appreciate how hard life was for those that came before us. All things evolve and all the stages of evolution in machinery are equally important.
True enough! You really have a lot more appreciation and understanding how hard people worked back then, when this equipment was new. Couple that with thinking about how hard the work was before this "new" tool came along….and you really appreciate todays equipment.
@@buzzgunn59 seems like nowadays they tend to over complicate things. Also new equipment is so overpriced and ultra expensive to fix that small part time farmers like myself can't afford it, so I try to make my own when I can. I built my own combination hilling and potato digging attachment. The hiller works like a charm, but the digger needs some tweeking done on it. 😁
I have one that is almost identical. You need to hill the potatoes so they are in raised rows. Hilling keeps the weeds away from the row and gives a nice clean edge to the row. Also these diggers require a certain speed to bounce the dirt on the chains for separation. These work very well if you get things right.
My grandfather had a digger that worked good. We hilled the potatoes. He pulled it with a Super A. Wish I had those two items. I'd put the to good use.
It is incredible isn't it! And the sound of that engine putting along sounds so relaxing. Almost like a stress therapy. I started that tractor last month for the first time in a little over a year. Started on the second crank!! Hope i still work that good at that age!!! Thank you for the view... and the comment!
@@buzzgunn59 i grew up with a 38 international I believe was 12hp and two 1945 case which I believe one was 18hp with a front loader and the other was 24hp. Incredible tractors never something they couldn’t do!
We had the exact same potato digger when we were kids growing up. When we bought it, I think the front wheels were already gone. We adapted it, so it would hook on to a drawbar from the old Ford 3 point hitch. This way the depth was controlled by the hydraulics on the tractor. Two things we learned. Before digging the potatoes, we would run over the rows with a lawn mower raised all the way up. This got rid of all the plants that would otherwise tangle up in the track. The second thing was to have a rider on the back to push all the weeds and dirt down in the track. This kept it from building up in the front and clogging up. It actually worked pretty well once we got the hang of it. We had enough potatoes to feed a big eating family of 7 - 5 kids. Potatoes would last year round with enough to plant for the following year.
Ya, I'm starting to realize that the potato tops are one of the biggest problems. Having someone on the seat would also help a lot. Have a look at the video I posted of the following years harvest. I had learned about the tops by then. Thank's for the comment !
Thanks for watching, and the comment Andrew. I often wondered if those spinner type potato diggers chewed the heck out of a lot of potatoes as they were flung out of the ground.
My grandfather farmed in Bridgehampton, NY. He would chemically burn off the vine then dig (he died at 52 because of the chemicals!. The migrant workers would put the potatoes in a burlap bag then they would throw the bag to my gf on his flatbed Dodge to stack up. I was driving, or at least I thought I was, it was following the tractor furous. He would move me over to turn it around I was 10! Fond fond memories of a by gone era, glad I was there!
I am 70 now and when I was just a boy I was able to watch my Grandfather use this same potato picker both with his big Belgian work horses and with his Farmall M but if I remember correctly he also used an old shortened hay cutter to cut the potato tops off at dirt level and all the kids would follow behind and pull them off the potato row. This same picker sits undisturbed in the equipment barn covered by a 50 year old Army tarp at my Grandfathers Farm. He farmed from age 7 to the age of 81 and lived to be 90 and was married at 15 to my Grandmother for just over 75 years.
That's a nice story! 75 years....wow! I'm sure they weren't all easy but there was definitely somthing there. Not sure if you watched it, but i posted another video the next year. In that one, i did remove the tops and it all worked much better. Hats off to you for looking after your grandads digger. Hopefully some younger people will use it once again, and not only appreciate it, but appreciate the work people did back then. Thanks again for your comment!!
Several summers I helped my grandfather combine and bail hay. A few times I helped bring in potatoes, our digger was two rows, no paint, but that is the same piece of equipment!
@@buzzgunn59 Dad was in the Marine Corp so the family traveled. Growing up I was able to do a lot of different things, but what I remember is helping my grandfather on the farm. Yes, they are fond memories. We still have the hand cranked potato grader it was sold during the auction then never picked up, but I do not remember the make of the potato digger, it worked but all I remember it was completely covered in rust.
My Grandfather had one of these and pulled it with a C Farmall. After he sold out in 1965, I lost track of the digger although I'm sure one of my Uncle's (estates that is) has it. At our farm, our garden was in an odd shaped piece of land located in a tight spot. The potato patch was the oddest and tightest part of the odd and tight. We used a lister behind a B Farmall to turn the potatoes after using a lawn mower to clip the vines. Later we used a first generation John Deere garden tractor. Lotsa memories of lotsa good food. One last thing, the digger manages the potato vines better if you plant your potatoes on Saint Patrick's day. I don't know why but it works.
We did about an acre of "spuds" a year and dug them all with that very same digger. We would hill the rows and would be sure the moldboard was clean, otherwise the dirt/refuse, would tend to bunch up. We pulled it with a little Ford tractor and went slow. It worked perfectly to the point where the potatoes were laid on top of the "tops" directly behind the digger. Sure nice to see one in operation again, thanks for the post.
Yes yes, I grew up with a similar digger. The person in the set of the digger is very essential for smooth operation. We had several acres of potatoes to dig every fall. Very important to keep the weeds out of the rows. We let the vines frost and dry. The machine was better than the alternative; a potato fork. We picked up the potatoes by had and put them in five gallon buckets.
Live and learn, but what a great set up. Love these tractors.. I think Farmall built the best small tractors from the late 40's thru the 60's even by today's standards. Hard to believe at less or around 15 HP that tractor pull how it does. Congrats on having that wonderful set up.
Mowing the tops are a must . But more importantly is the blade needed polishing so the soil would slide . If you don't learn the proper way to use a crank you will wish you did !
That tractor looks just like the first one I had, except your’s has a muffler. And one of the things I inherited and still have is a five-tine potato rake! It’s like a heavy-duty ground rake but with all surfaces rounded and smoothed to minimize damage to the potatoes.
Very interesting! Quite the clever contraption, and it's good to see old machinery like that being used, instead of rusting away behind a barn somewhere. The Farmall sounds good, too.
I grew up on potato-farm in northern Maine ... When I was very young , we still had the 2 row tractor -drawn potato -diggers drawn by our 2 mid 50's Farmall 400's into even the early 70's as we slowly acquired a potato combine or two .. { plus more powerful tractors to handle the horsepower / hydraulic needs for them } ... and began gearing up for the eventual change-over of this newer equipment . Ya , looks like you'd want to pull the weeds and potato -tops first seeing as how the conveyors are dependent on that axle rotating for their movement , to keep all that from bunching up and giving the dirt and whatever , time to sift through and not impede the potatoes ..... Normally , this would require an operator in that digger's - seat to raise/lower the blade ....and possibly control engagement of the digger conveyor -lags (?) { I'd have to see it up close and personal to figure it } At some point in their conversion , I believe the digger controls were lengthened and possibly otherwise modified to be reached by the tractor operator ....
I agree. I wish these things could all be saved. It would do wonders educating the young on how theyr dad's and grand dads put food on America's tables
Potato digger looks great, back in the day, the children sent out to remove the top greens first and then they also would be the ones to pickup the taters and crate them too.
It is a lot of fun finding, fixing and using this old equipment. I like to think about the guy who put out the big bucks years ago to purchase this machine, when it was new. Just imagine what a time and labor saver it was over the old way he had been harvesting potatoes. It is a good thought that maybe he's looking down and happy seeing his pride and joy still performing !
With all the vines and grass this was guaranteed to clog up the machine. Ideally the potato rows are hilled, vines removed and tractor pulling the digger at a slow pace. The machines still work if you follow the right methods.
My Dad had one , and I road on the seat to raise and lower the plow when we've went up the rows. . Todd used one too. .I think we dug Onions too. Garlic was kust a plow.
Use a lower gear on the tractor to help you stay in control, and prevent tearing the clutch out. You may be able to find a tool called a roto-beater to remove the tops, then let them set and dry for a few days. The roto-beater is driven by the PTO.
We used to chop our tops about 2 wks prior to harvest and also spray them with a top-killer liquid product with our 200 gal . wooden -tank sprayer .... I think I remember being told a few gallons { maybe more } of diesel were mixed in .... Farmers in our area seem to have dropped the spraying part these last few decades ... Somehow it's just not Fall without the smell of that .... I miss it ..
I've never even heard of a roto beater. Probably seen one at a farm auction and didn't even know what I was looking at!! Does sound like a good tool to have .
it is missing some parts I believe. Tilling the ground should not be neessary, nor should it need the tops cut off but that does help.. however sometimes the irish comes out.. There should be a section that graps the roots and tops and shunts them to one side, and this should be adjustable with a throw arm so you always put these to the side you have already worked.. the Irish should be shunted to a box or row for easy handling.. I remember the old timers telling me they would run through one pass to bring the irish up, and to pull all the roots and tops, then go through that evening with the depth set to just grab the irish and box it after it had gotten some sun time for the skin to harden..
Appreciate the comment! I would like to see a machine with the apparatus you've mentioned. There are arms on the back that would seem to direct the tops to one side. Don't see any empty holes or broken pieces on the ol girl, but thats not to say that there isn't somthing missing. Irish.....another word for potato?? Thanks again for the comment!!
I've got a l00 Year old horse-drawn Mechanical 🥔 Potato Harvester like this at the Family 👪 Farm...[(O.S.R. Enterprises) (Boni-Pak Corp. LLC)] in My Hometown of Santa Maria, Calif. I've never ran it, but I've used the In-Farm Welding and Blacksmithing/Machine Shop in Re-Manufacturing the Shaker- Parts & Digger Chains for the Machine... P.S. I've been Growing and Harvesting Potatoes 🥔 for over 50 Years, in Southern California., And in Monte Vista, Colo.
You'll have to give it a test drive next season!! It never ceases to amaze me of the ingenuity from years gone by. Simple, efficient made to do a job.....and made to last!
I already posted a video from last fall. Click on "videos" under Buzzgunn". I did try a few different things and the whole system worked better. Too bad the potatoes don't grow faster, so that I could use the old girl more! Thank's for the comment, and check out my other videos.
As an Idaho potato farmer, and one who experimented with different types of “points” (the shovel part that digs into the ground) the large shovel shaped points caused excessive clumping of dirt and vines, especially in moist conditions. Our harvesters had points that were only about 4 inches wide. They were sharpened on the leading edge and bowed down in the middle. With this configuration, we were able to dig in all conditions except for very wet conditions. Having full vines attached didn’t make much difference.
The seat on the digger was for the person driving horses. I still have the digger and planter both. We raised several acres of gladiolus and it was mighty handy in the fall.
Harvested mine last week one more to go in a couple more. My next bucket will be ready in a couple of weeks. Superior potatoes. I am using planters instead of grow bags.. Nice harvest!.. I wish I had your setup!
My neighbor had an identical one on the farm, he harvested several acres of potatoes every year with it. I agree with others that you may be digging too deep. Also, the seat is there for a reason. Have a helper sit on the seat and use his/her legs to walk the tops right up the conveyor (chain). The conveyor will do most of the work, just push down (step) on the tops to force them into the tighter contact with the conveyor. The tractor driver needs to go slow until the helper gets the hang of it. By the time we harvested the tops were dead but the weeds weren't! My legs have pushed many weeds through a digger like that. I see yours are weed free - nice! They are rigged machines - we never had a breakdown.
Thank's for the comment and advice John. I can see where the extra weight of someone on the seat would help. I never even considered that person also helping control the machine from plugging up. Now I just have to find a recruit to drive or ride !! Advice like you just offered, is something that can so easily be lost to time if it isn't shared. The knowledge to use the machine is as valuable as preserving the machine. Thank's again John. Check out my other videos for last years harvest.
I had one of these. They can work if not too dense a weed bank (harvest asap) and small rocks jambed up the web at the front (shaley soil here) ..I ended up with two PTO driven ones very similar to this. One is steel wheeled , one is on rubber. Otherwise twins
Always check she ain't in gear first before hand Cranking it. I made that mistake just once and my Allis ran me right through the chicken coup. I was sore a few days after that.
Thank you for the video. We had a John Deer potato digger. Very similar but had a wide single front wheel and no walker v in the back. Worked very well. Pulled ours with a VAC Case. Appears to me you are digging b too deep. Cheers
I used the digger again this year, and set the shovel way too high on the first pass. I basically just cut all the tops off. On the second pass, with no tops to plug everything up, it worked way better. Thank's for the comment Norm, and check out my newer video.
No doubt about that. Still something special about doing things the old ways.... getting your hands dirty …. just imagining what it was like back then when this machine WAS the leading edge of technology.
di Fiumicino, Roma 1 Oggi Orario 10 giorni Radar Previsioni meteo per 10 giorni-Fiumicino, Roma as of 12:48 CEST mar 01 | Giorno 25° 0% O 16 km/h Quasi sereno. Max: 25º C. Venti da O, da 10 a 15 km/h. Umidità54% Indice UV7 di 10 Alba6:36 Tramonto19:44 mar 01 | Notte 16° 10% NNE 14 km/h Poco nuvoloso. Min: 16º C. Venti da NNE, da 10 a 15 km/h. Umidità78% Indice UV0 di 10 Sorgere della luna19:50 Tramonto della luna5:27 mer 02 26°/16° 20% Advertisement gio 03 27°/17° 10% ven 04 28°/17° 10% sab 05 28°/16° 0% dom 06 28°/17° 10% lun 07 28°/17° 20% mar 08 28°/18° 20% mer 09 28°/18° 20% gio 10 28°/18° 20% Advertisement ven 11 | Giorno 27° 30% SSO 17 km/h Acquazzoni in mattinata. Max: 27º C. Venti da ESE in rotazione a SO da 15 a 25 km/h. Prob. pioggia: 30%. Umidità67% Indice UV7 di 10 Alba6:47 Tramonto19:27 ven 11 | 18° 50% SSE 13 km/h Temporali sparsi. Min: 18º C. Venti da SSE, da 10 a 15 km/h. Prob. pioggia: 50%. Umidità84% Indice UV0 di 10 Sorgere della luna-- Tramonto della luna15:32 sab 12 27°/19° 40%
It has it's days! That was one of the good ones!!! It usually starts good when the temp is not bad, but when it gets close to freezing...... You know your going to get a workout. Thank's for the comment! Checkout my other videos.
absolutely fascinating, thank you (my Dad had one of those - both Farmall ánd potatoe lifter, but i did’nt see the exact one in operation! So thank you again...
What, you didn't have someone ride it and adjust the depth? I remember when I was about 14, my dad had me ride the potato digger just like the one you have, I was scared to death I would get knocked off into the tines. Thanks for the video
Just an FYI for you from Spud country (i.e. Idaho! 😁😁😁) You needed top "top" the plants (i.e. remove above ground vegetation) 1st. 2nd, your hill was too high/tall. Wider, not taller. The more passes you make, the more times the spuds can be damaged.
Thank's Guy for the advice! I had already figured out the top growth part, and removed them the next year, prior to harvesting. Never thought about widening out the hills though. I guess that spreads out the dirt on the chain a little more making the process more efficient.
@@buzzgunn59 : Hi , I'm from the other potato - state , Maine .... Ya , a bit more spread out but not totally gone ... It helps cushion the spuds a bit . The skins are rather thin and delicate when freshly dug and easily bruised { translates to rot later , in winter storage } Even just digging them up and letting them dry a little helps the skin toughen up before more handling { hand to basket to barrel to potato-house conveyors /sorting tables to bins ..etc...
Those old Farmall A's were used a lot for hilling potatoes too. We have a couple of A's that used to work the garden a lot. Now there are mostly for fun. 😀
Had similar results with a similar digger. Had WAY better luck with a single bottom side buster. Typically plant ~1000 feet of rows. Takes an hour or so to hand drop and cover with a double disk. Then a couple hours to bust out and hand pick. Good video tho.
Thanks for the comment ! If you check out my other videos, you'll see that's exactly what I did the next year. And, your right, it worked a lot better! Thank's again for the comment, and check out that other video.
I used to have a potato digger that looked almost like this one. It was a Hoover made in Avery ,Ohio. I didn't have the front truck for it. Someone had added a drawbar hitch to pull with a tractor and I had to have an operator working the depth all the time. You GOTTA get rid of ALL green material on the surface, before using one of these.
Thanks for the comment Charles. I figured out the hard way that, like you said, ALL the greens have to go. Makes me a little sad when you find an old piece of equipment that has had the truck removed and been modified for the tractor. I guess at the time, it was simply the natural progression from horse to tractor power, and still needing to use the same piece of equipment. Check out my other video. It was taken the next year and I had removed the greens........and mother nature then put snow on everything !! Enjoy.
Soil seem a little wet ? Also the type of ground makes a difference . Good to see old iron working , 5 acres of digging ,dad sure was glad to see this coming over .
first off, mow the tops off before you dig and rake them out of the field idle tractor up good but go in low 1 and set your blade down early we dug taters with one of those for years, it still sets in the field
I believe it is a 1947 Farmall A. That would make it 69 years old this year!! Hope I run that good when I'm that age. It is a lot of fun to drive, and a lot of fun to start with the crank also
Your problem is you planted your potatoes too deep, They are supposed to be laid on top of the ground then hilled over top of them, then the digger is to go at ground level to just lift the hill. A potato will not grow any deeper than it is planted.You just build the dirt around the seed piece
Love to see old farm equipment still being used today ! I'm 59 an remember my dad owning a cub tractor on my grandmother's small farm ! But we didn't have a potato digging machine just a matic an our backs digging them up ! Good video thanks for sharing ! 👍👍
I really enjoyed making the video. A big bonus, that i never even thought of when i posted it, was all the comments. We all need some good memories these days. Theres nothing better than remembering some long forgotten person, or event. Glad the video brought a smile to your day!!
@@buzzgunn59 😃
I learned much more from your difficulties than I would have from video from a manufacturer doing it with perfect conditions.
There's always a learning curve when using a 'new to you' tool, whether the tool is brand new or a hundred years old. For the first try, I'd say two thumbs up. When saving old equipment from the junk yards, the point is not necessarily to be efficient, the point is to preserve these examples in the stages in agricultural technology so we can appreciate how hard life was for those that came before us. All things evolve and all the stages of evolution in machinery are equally important.
True enough! You really have a lot more appreciation and understanding how hard people worked back then, when this equipment was new. Couple that with thinking about how hard the work was before this "new" tool came along….and you really appreciate todays equipment.
@@buzzgunn59 seems like nowadays they tend to over complicate things. Also new equipment is so overpriced and ultra expensive to fix that small part time farmers like myself can't afford it, so I try to make my own when I can.
I built my own combination hilling and potato digging attachment. The hiller works like a charm, but the digger needs some tweeking done on it. 😁
Man that’s to cool. The engineering that’s in that old tool. Thanks again
Very impressive! I've seen much larger tractors hooked to potato diggers. That little Farmall did a good job!
I have one that is almost identical.
You need to hill the potatoes so they are in raised rows. Hilling keeps the weeds away from the row and gives a nice clean edge to the row.
Also these diggers require a certain speed to bounce the dirt on the chains for separation.
These work very well if you get things right.
My grandfather had a digger that worked good. We hilled the potatoes. He pulled it with a Super A. Wish I had those two items. I'd put the to good use.
Love the pulling power of these antique little tractors. Even having less hp than the average lawn mower!
It is incredible isn't it! And the sound of that engine putting along sounds so relaxing. Almost like a stress therapy. I started that tractor last month for the first time in a little over a year. Started on the second crank!! Hope i still work that good at that age!!! Thank you for the view... and the comment!
@@buzzgunn59 i grew up with a 38 international I believe was 12hp and two 1945 case which I believe one was 18hp with a front loader and the other was 24hp. Incredible tractors never something they couldn’t do!
We had the exact same potato digger when we were kids growing up. When we bought it, I think the front wheels were already gone. We adapted it, so it would hook on to a drawbar from the old Ford 3 point hitch. This way the depth was controlled by the hydraulics on the tractor. Two things we learned. Before digging the potatoes, we would run over the rows with a lawn mower raised all the way up. This got rid of all the plants that would otherwise tangle up in the track. The second thing was to have a rider on the back to push all the weeds and dirt down in the track. This kept it from building up in the front and clogging up. It actually worked pretty well once we got the hang of it. We had enough potatoes to feed a big eating family of 7 - 5 kids. Potatoes would last year round with enough to plant for the following year.
Ya, I'm starting to realize that the potato tops are one of the biggest problems. Having someone on the seat would also help a lot. Have a look at the video I posted of the following years harvest. I had learned about the tops by then. Thank's for the comment !
Daveinet lo
This reminds me of potato picking as a child in 1960s. We used a spinner to dig the potatoes out, but the problems were same! Great video!
Thanks for watching, and the comment Andrew. I often wondered if those spinner type potato diggers chewed the heck out of a lot of potatoes as they were flung out of the ground.
My grandfather farmed in Bridgehampton, NY. He would chemically burn off the vine then dig (he died at 52 because of the chemicals!. The migrant workers would put the potatoes in a burlap bag then they would throw the bag to my gf on his flatbed Dodge to stack up. I was driving, or at least I thought I was, it was following the tractor furous. He would move me over to turn it around I was 10! Fond fond memories of a by gone era, glad I was there!
I am 70 now and when I was just a boy I was able to watch my Grandfather use this same potato picker both with his big Belgian work horses and with his Farmall M but if I remember correctly he also used an old shortened hay cutter to cut the potato tops off at dirt level and all the kids would follow behind and pull them off the potato row. This same picker sits undisturbed in the equipment barn covered by a 50 year old Army tarp at my Grandfathers Farm. He farmed from age 7 to the age of 81 and lived to be 90 and was married at 15 to my Grandmother for just over 75 years.
That's a nice story! 75 years....wow! I'm sure they weren't all easy but there was definitely somthing there. Not sure if you watched it, but i posted another video the next year. In that one, i did remove the tops and it all worked much better.
Hats off to you for looking after your grandads digger. Hopefully some younger people will use it once again, and not only appreciate it, but appreciate the work people did back then. Thanks again for your comment!!
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Traktory
@@adifierka1356 Not quite sure what that means. (TRACTORY?)
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Several summers I helped my grandfather combine and bail hay. A few times I helped bring in potatoes, our digger was two rows, no paint, but that is the same piece of equipment!
Thanks for watching the video, Ed. Hope those were good memories!! Do you recall what make it was?
@@buzzgunn59 Dad was in the Marine Corp so the family traveled. Growing up I was able to do a lot of different things, but what I remember is helping my grandfather on the farm. Yes, they are fond memories.
We still have the hand cranked potato grader it was sold during the auction then never picked up, but I do not remember the make of the potato digger, it worked but all I remember it was completely covered in rust.
My Grandfather had one of these and pulled it with a C Farmall. After he sold out in 1965, I lost track of the digger although I'm sure one of my Uncle's (estates that is) has it. At our farm, our garden was in an odd shaped piece of land located in a tight spot. The potato patch was the oddest and tightest part of the odd and tight. We used a lister behind a B Farmall to turn the potatoes after using a lawn mower to clip the vines. Later we used a first generation John Deere garden tractor. Lotsa memories of lotsa good food.
One last thing, the digger manages the potato vines better if you plant your potatoes on Saint Patrick's day. I don't know why but it works.
buzz gun that was awesome Antique Horse drawn potato Digger you got the potatos
We did about an acre of "spuds" a year and dug them all with that very same digger. We would hill the rows and would be sure the moldboard was clean, otherwise the dirt/refuse, would tend to bunch up. We pulled it with a little Ford tractor and went slow. It worked perfectly to the point where the potatoes were laid on top of the "tops" directly behind the digger.
Sure nice to see one in operation again, thanks for the post.
Yes yes, I grew up with a similar digger. The person in the set of the digger is very essential for smooth operation. We had several acres of potatoes to dig every fall. Very important to keep the weeds out of the rows. We let the vines frost and dry. The machine was better than the alternative; a potato fork. We picked up the potatoes by had and put them in five gallon buckets.
Live and learn, but what a great set up. Love these tractors.. I think Farmall built the best small tractors from the late 40's thru the 60's even by today's standards. Hard to believe at less or around 15 HP that tractor pull how it does. Congrats on having that wonderful set up.
Mowing the tops are a must . But more importantly is the blade needed polishing so the soil would slide . If you don't learn the proper way to use a crank you will wish you did !
Good job!!👍👍👍👍👍
That tractor looks just like the first one I had, except your’s has a muffler. And one of the things I inherited and still have is a five-tine potato rake! It’s like a heavy-duty ground rake but with all surfaces rounded and smoothed to minimize damage to the potatoes.
Very interesting! Quite the clever contraption, and it's good to see old machinery like that being used, instead of rusting away behind a barn somewhere. The Farmall sounds good, too.
Pretty hard to beat the sound of old iron doing it's job. Thank's for the comment, and hope you enjoy my other videos.
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I grew up on potato-farm in northern Maine ... When I was very young , we still had the 2 row tractor -drawn potato -diggers drawn by our 2 mid 50's Farmall 400's into even the early 70's as we slowly acquired a potato combine or two .. { plus more powerful tractors to handle the horsepower / hydraulic needs for them } ... and began gearing up for the eventual change-over of this newer equipment . Ya , looks like you'd want to pull the weeds and potato -tops first seeing as how the conveyors are dependent on that axle rotating for their movement , to keep all that from bunching up and giving the dirt and whatever , time to sift through and not impede the potatoes ..... Normally , this would require an operator in that digger's - seat to raise/lower the blade ....and possibly control engagement of the digger conveyor -lags (?) { I'd have to see it up close and personal to figure it } At some point in their conversion , I believe the digger controls were lengthened and possibly otherwise modified to be reached by the tractor operator ....
Thank you for your time making this video I was not sure how to use it,now I have a better idea of how they worked.
Did you pick up a potato digger Rob ?
@@buzzgunn59 not yet buzz I'm looking at one.
Good luck on the search. It took me a while to find one that hadn't been converted to 3 pt hitch. They're out there though !!
@@buzzgunn59 not yet buzz but I'm looking at one.
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farming is always a learning experience no matter how old you are
I've always looked at it like this. If you didn't learn something new on the farm that day, you probably didn't bother to get out of bed that morning.
Sad how many classic farm machinery ends up in scrap yards. Enjoy watching this still being used!
#buntyspotless
I agree. I wish these things could all be saved. It would do wonders educating the young on how theyr dad's and grand dads put food on America's tables
Терпенье и труд всё перетрут.
Potato digger looks great, back in the day, the children sent out to remove the top greens first and then they also would be the ones to pickup the taters and crate them too.
Great to see you trying to make old iron work. Makes you appreciate the guy who figured it all out and made it work. Besides it is fun!!
It is a lot of fun finding, fixing and using this old equipment. I like to think about the guy who put out the big bucks years ago to purchase this machine, when it was new. Just imagine what a time and labor saver it was over the old way he had been harvesting potatoes. It is a good thought that maybe he's looking down and happy seeing his pride and joy still performing !
william davidson ıııokbh
Sometimes a video is more educational when things do go wrong.
With all the vines and grass this was guaranteed to clog up the machine. Ideally the potato rows are hilled, vines removed and tractor pulling the digger at a slow pace. The machines still work if you follow the right methods.
Bellissimo video 🌈 🌞 📹
Thank you Nazareno......I think
My Dad had one , and I road on the seat to raise and lower the plow when we've went up the rows. . Todd used one too. .I think we dug Onions too. Garlic was kust a plow.
Never thought about using it to dig onions, but I guess that would work pretty good too!! Thanks for watching the video, and the idea!!
GOD BLES, AMÉRICA DIOS BENDIGA A AMÉRICA!!👍👍👍👍👍.
Use a lower gear on the tractor to help you stay in control, and prevent tearing the clutch out. You may be able to find a tool called a roto-beater to remove the tops, then let them set and dry for a few days. The roto-beater is driven by the PTO.
We used to chop our tops about 2 wks prior to harvest and also spray them with a top-killer liquid product with our 200 gal . wooden -tank sprayer .... I think I remember being told a few gallons { maybe more } of diesel were mixed in .... Farmers in our area seem to have dropped the spraying part these last few decades ... Somehow it's just not Fall without the smell of that .... I miss it ..
I've never even heard of a roto beater. Probably seen one at a farm auction and didn't even know what I was looking at!! Does sound like a good tool to have .
Remember my father had one and digging potatoes.not much about operating it tho. U will get it.learning curve
Still looks like a workin machine and if your havin fun more power to ya!!!!!
Millennial Farmer would be like "What's that crank on the front for?"
Ever weed your garden with it before planting ?
I guess thats a thought........I think....
it is missing some parts I believe. Tilling the ground should not be neessary, nor should it need the tops cut off but that does help.. however sometimes the irish comes out..
There should be a section that graps the roots and tops and shunts them to one side, and this should be adjustable with a throw arm so you always put these to the side you have already worked.. the Irish should be shunted to a box or row for easy handling.. I remember the old timers telling me they would run through one pass to bring the irish up, and to pull all the roots and tops, then go through that evening with the depth set to just grab the irish and box it after it had gotten some sun time for the skin to harden..
Appreciate the comment! I would like to see a machine with the apparatus you've mentioned. There are arms on the back that would seem to direct the tops to one side. Don't see any empty holes or broken pieces on the ol girl, but thats not to say that there isn't somthing missing.
Irish.....another word for potato??
Thanks again for the comment!!
I've got a l00 Year old horse-drawn Mechanical 🥔 Potato Harvester like this at the Family 👪 Farm...[(O.S.R. Enterprises)
(Boni-Pak Corp. LLC)] in My Hometown of Santa Maria, Calif.
I've never ran it, but I've used the In-Farm Welding and Blacksmithing/Machine Shop in Re-Manufacturing the Shaker- Parts & Digger Chains for the Machine...
P.S. I've been Growing and Harvesting Potatoes 🥔 for over 50 Years, in Southern California., And in Monte Vista, Colo.
You'll have to give it a test drive next season!! It never ceases to amaze me of the ingenuity from years gone by. Simple, efficient made to do a job.....and made to last!
Awesome video ... I also think you are digging to deep .Can't wait to see what you do this year :)
I already posted a video from last fall. Click on "videos" under Buzzgunn". I did try a few different things and the whole system worked better. Too bad the potatoes don't grow faster, so that I could use the old girl more! Thank's for the comment, and check out my other videos.
9
As an Idaho potato farmer, and one who experimented with different types of “points” (the shovel part that digs into the ground) the large shovel shaped points caused excessive clumping of dirt and vines, especially in moist conditions. Our harvesters had points that were only about 4 inches wide. They were sharpened on the leading edge and bowed down in the middle. With this configuration, we were able to dig in all conditions except for very wet conditions. Having full vines attached didn’t make much difference.
The seat on the digger was for the person driving horses. I still have the digger and planter both. We raised several acres of gladiolus and it was mighty handy in the fall.
Chuck, if you decide to sell yours or know of one for sale let me know please. I need one in the worst way.
hello brother, do you have any information about the full name and brand of this machine?
If this machine is for sale, can you share it with me?
Harvested mine last week one more to go in a couple more. My next bucket will be ready in a couple of weeks. Superior potatoes. I am using planters instead of grow bags.. Nice harvest!.. I wish I had your setup!
camion vol evo
Μεγάλε μας έχεις τρελάνει με αυτό το εργαλείο την αντίκα
Seems pretty accurate on how things go. This is more real life and what you'd expect... especially your first year. Good job!
H vc i 4s0pl ,
XO
My neighbor had an identical one on the farm, he harvested several acres of potatoes every year with it. I agree with others that you may be digging too deep. Also, the seat is there for a reason. Have a helper sit on the seat and use his/her legs to walk the tops right up the conveyor (chain). The conveyor will do most of the work, just push down (step) on the tops to force them into the tighter contact with the conveyor. The tractor driver needs to go slow until the helper gets the hang of it. By the time we harvested the tops were dead but the weeds weren't! My legs have pushed many weeds through a digger like that. I see yours are weed free - nice! They are rigged machines - we never had a breakdown.
Thank's for the comment and advice John. I can see where the extra weight of someone on the seat would help. I never even considered that person also helping control the machine from plugging up. Now I just have to find a recruit to drive or ride !! Advice like you just offered, is something that can so easily be lost to time if it isn't shared. The knowledge to use the machine is as valuable as preserving the machine. Thank's again John. Check out my other videos for last years harvest.
manele
John
Sheets
John Sheetsodnndddlraytor
@@vasilebos9828 m
Looks like my old Hoover Potato digger. Right?
I had one of these. They can work if not too dense a weed bank (harvest asap) and small rocks jambed up the web at the front (shaley soil here) ..I ended up with two PTO driven ones very similar to this. One is steel wheeled , one is on rubber. Otherwise twins
Always check she ain't in gear first before hand Cranking it. I made that mistake just once and my Allis ran me right through the chicken coup. I was sore a few days after that.
There is always a learning curve. I am sure that by now he has become proficient at its use or given it up.
Good video
Thank you for the video. We had a John Deer potato digger. Very similar but had a wide single front wheel and no walker v in the back. Worked very well. Pulled ours with a VAC Case. Appears to me you are digging b too deep. Cheers
I used the digger again this year, and set the shovel way too high on the first pass. I basically just cut all the tops off. On the second pass, with no tops to plug everything up, it worked way better. Thank's for the comment Norm, and check out my newer video.
Potatoes are nice !
Now a days technology improved.
No doubt about that. Still something special about doing things the old ways.... getting your hands dirty …. just imagining what it was like back then when this machine WAS the leading edge of technology.
looks like a rock rake
Ground seems wet and the top growth should have been mowed off. The machine appeared to work well, mechanically. Good Luck.
Oo
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mar 01 | Giorno
25°
0%
O 16 km/h
Quasi sereno. Max: 25º C. Venti da O, da 10 a 15 km/h.
Umidità54%
Indice UV7 di 10
Alba6:36
Tramonto19:44
mar 01 | Notte
16°
10%
NNE 14 km/h
Poco nuvoloso. Min: 16º C. Venti da NNE, da 10 a 15 km/h.
Umidità78%
Indice UV0 di 10
Sorgere della luna19:50
Tramonto della luna5:27
mer 02
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gio 03
27°/17°
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28°/17°
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sab 05
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ven 11 | Giorno
27°
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SSO 17 km/h
Acquazzoni in mattinata. Max: 27º C. Venti da ESE in rotazione a SO da 15 a 25 km/h. Prob. pioggia: 30%.
Umidità67%
Indice UV7 di 10
Alba6:47
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ven 11 |
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SSE 13 km/h
Temporali sparsi. Min: 18º C. Venti da SSE, da 10 a 15 km/h. Prob. pioggia: 50%.
Umidità84%
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Sorgere della luna--
Tramonto della luna15:32
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Tuuujvcccllbzj
I have never seen a a farmall started on the first crank ever in my life.
It has it's days! That was one of the good ones!!! It usually starts good when the temp is not bad, but when it gets close to freezing...... You know your going to get a workout. Thank's for the comment! Checkout my other videos.
Very cool
This brings me back
absolutely fascinating, thank you (my Dad had one of those - both Farmall ánd potatoe lifter, but i did’nt see the exact one in operation! So thank you again...
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What, you didn't have someone ride it and adjust the depth? I remember when I was about 14, my dad had me ride the potato digger just like the one you have, I was scared to death I would get knocked off into the tines. Thanks for the video
Just an FYI for you from Spud country (i.e. Idaho! 😁😁😁) You needed top "top" the plants (i.e. remove above ground vegetation) 1st. 2nd, your hill was too high/tall. Wider, not taller. The more passes you make, the more times the spuds can be damaged.
Thank's Guy for the advice! I had already figured out the top growth part, and removed them the next year, prior to harvesting. Never thought about widening out the hills though. I guess that spreads out the dirt on the chain a little more making the process more efficient.
@@buzzgunn59 : Hi , I'm from the other potato - state , Maine .... Ya , a bit more spread out but not totally gone ... It helps cushion the spuds a bit . The skins are rather thin and delicate when freshly dug and easily bruised { translates to rot later , in winter storage } Even just digging them up and letting them dry a little helps the skin toughen up before more handling { hand to basket to barrel to potato-house conveyors /sorting tables to bins ..etc...
The gloves and that wave. Reminds me of Casey Jones.
Sew zee
Thank you for the video.
Those old Farmall A's were used a lot for hilling potatoes too. We have a couple of A's that used to work the garden a lot. Now there are mostly for fun. 😀
Country Family k
Now you need one that makes French fries..
Tater - Tots !!!!!!
You also forgot to remove the crank from the crankshaft. I hope that you find it!
Good eye!!! I still got the crank.
Had similar results with a similar digger. Had WAY better luck with a single bottom side buster. Typically plant ~1000 feet of rows. Takes an hour or so to hand drop and cover with a double disk. Then a couple hours to bust out and hand pick. Good video tho.
Anyone know what make of digger is this?
the digger blade is rusty so the dirt does not move smoothly and keeps piling up,
Very nice
To pull out potatoes and garlic by hand are easier than machine.
my grandfather had a similar one , he had a lot of rocks , so it was welds on top of welds !
You have got to remove the tops for it to work
Once they cut fuel you'll be using this in your garden .2023 is the year you will need it .
Seems like it would prefer a slower drawbar speed. Does the tractor have a slower speed?
The tractor has a 4 speed transmission. Although it is geared pretty low, sometimes it would be nice if it was geared even lower.
Yes it looks like it's trying to go too fast
You have to mow the bed first and rake it all away for the digger can do his job!
Thanks for the comment ! If you check out my other videos, you'll see that's exactly what I did the next year. And, your right, it worked a lot better! Thank's again for the comment, and check out that other video.
I used to have a potato digger that looked almost like this one. It was a Hoover made in Avery ,Ohio. I didn't have the front truck for it. Someone had added a drawbar hitch to pull with a tractor and I had to have an operator working the depth all the time.
You GOTTA get rid of ALL green material on the surface, before using one of these.
Thanks for the comment Charles. I figured out the hard way that, like you said, ALL the greens have to go. Makes me a little sad when you find an old piece of equipment that has had the truck removed and been modified for the tractor. I guess at the time, it was simply the natural progression from horse to tractor power, and still needing to use the same piece of equipment. Check out my other video. It was taken the next year and I had removed the greens........and mother nature then put snow on everything !! Enjoy.
Soil seem a little wet ? Also the type of ground makes a difference . Good to see old iron working , 5 acres of digging ,dad sure was glad to see this coming over .
first off, mow the tops off before you dig and rake them out of the field
idle tractor up good but go in low 1 and set your blade down early
we dug taters with one of those for years, it still sets in the field
beast brown jmohMkjjj
That is really neat !!!
I hope the modern ones are better.
Если придумать привод не от колес а от трактора, то получится годная вещь.
это плуг какойто
эта картофелекопалка вековой давности, тянула лошадь.
Old classic.
I wonder why not remove the tops before digging. Brush hog then dig. No plugging.
Very cool! What year is the tractor? It seems to be in great shape. Two very neat machines of a bygone era working together.
I believe it is a 1947 Farmall A. That would make it 69 years old this year!! Hope I run that good when I'm that age. It is a lot of fun to drive, and a lot of fun to start with the crank also
+buzz gunn awesome!
I just bought this exact digger you you know anything about what make or year it is?
1947 Farmall A
Very good
Я так понял что картофелекопалка б ыла изготовлена по чертежам Леонарда Давинче
да! . Походу самим Архимедом
Well it was a good idea on paper.
Believe me... the taste of a fresh potato makes it all worthwhile!!
Ótimo vídeo! Qual a potência deste trator?
Από ποια χώρα είσαι
its all about having fun! Thanks
Try mowing the bed before starting. I love seeing the early A being worked! Thanks
What ya gonna do with that there pollywagger?
Muito bom estes vídeos 👍
ک
a lot easier than doing that patch by hand, thats for sure.
Mydad had one of these old harvesters try mowing the potato tops and weeds first with bush hog.that works very well
Still easier than using a shovel. I'd like to have that digger.It would have a nice leisurely home ♫
Your problem is you planted your potatoes too deep, They are supposed to be laid on top of the ground then hilled over top of them, then the digger is to go at ground level to just lift the hill. A potato will not grow any deeper than it is planted.You just build the dirt around the seed piece
Hermosisimo tractor buen trabajo
Que geringonça!!!!
Watch the other video I posted. It[s the next year and I am digging potatoes in the snow. That should be worth a few more exclamation marks!!