Finally, I have assembled the potatoes digger. Wow, what an experience that was.
For anybody thinking about ordering from cnplough.com (or from China in general) be prepared to have a full metal shop ready: grinders, saws, welders, joists, presses etc. You'll work overtime to make your equipment work.
I got all the equipment as spare parts bundle. Bolts and screws were missing. No manual or one page assembly instructions of any kind. I had to beg cnplough.com to send me pictures of an assembled digger.
Anyway we worked from the pictures. Assembled the unit. Got it to "work" on our driveway. When we took it to the field, the rear of the digger went up 5-6' in the air after about 2ft in the ground, PTO cross was broken as a result.
The machine was unstable. The 3 pt hitch is too low, the back is too high.
The wheels had to come off. We had to weld two 1/2"x6" plates to the top link on the machine to have the top link hook up about 6" higher and back. Also we had to change the angle of the gearbox, it was dangerously wide. The PTO shaft still has an unsafe angle even after all the modifications. But it works for now so I'll leave it as a "winter project" for now.
Some of the rollers on the shafts were not key locked with the shaft so they are wearing off the shaft. Error in manufacturing.
Here is the video of the digger "running" on our driveway.
Anyway, after replacing PTO shaft with EuroCardan with shear pin yoke AND making all of the above modifications we were able to "plow" through some 100 ft of test strip. We have to weld one of the arms as it appears to be cracking
If you think you can buy PTO cross replacement for these Chinese PTO shafts, think again. They manufacture non-standard yokes, crosses and shafts. So if something breaks, you've got to replace the whole shaft assembly.
Would I order from cnplough.com again? Not sure. When you order from them you are not getting products, you are getting parts for prototypes
BTW, they have sent me their sickle bar 9GB-2.1 model without bottom links. I sent them emails, they said I should order other stuff from them and they will add those to the new shipment. Nice.
I guess you get what you paid for.
I just hope this digger can survive 1 acre of potatoes that we still have to dig.
Be warned.
Peter