Tater digger/rock picker

[OldMcDonald]

I like it!!!

Assuming you did remodel the stone picker to fit the scoop - not saying you should, of course, but theoretically... how would you set up the shaking arrangement? Do you think that just having the picker on wheels and fitting the shaking arrangement to the wheels might work?

I am asking partly for personal reasons as well as for general discussion. I am presently hand-picking 4 acres of dry fava beans (and I have a few white Lupins too). It will not rain again until October, so there is no urgency, but it is hard on the back and legs, and I have been trying to think of ways to fit some sort of shaker arrangement to the rear of my hay cutting mower, letting the pods (and some stalk) travel into a skid box. Before anybody suggests it, there are no combine harvesters available, other than importing new, and that is not economic. Nor do I have the cash anyway. Threshing ideas can wait until I have worked out how to collect the crop.

 

[muddstopper]

Now your making me think!!! Dangerous situation.

Right now i am thinking about a pushbar to just push the entire thing. Making the bar just long enough that the edge of the scoop just sets under the shaking tines. I dont think it would be all that hard to rig up something on a fel bucket. Build some sort of bolt on framework to mount the shaker to the sides of the bucket, make a engine mount, or if you have the hydraulics, use a hydraulic motor to make the thing shake. Probably need some sort of skid to keep the cutting edge from going to deep, adjustable wheels would do. Need the mount to be on some time of hinge so that the shaker would move out of the way when when dumping the bucket. Probably need to drink a couple of cups of coffee or other beverage, look at it some, I'm sure it can be figured out. Got an ideal might work, let me see if i can find a link to an implement I am thinking could be easily modified.

The Ventrac KR Terra Rakes - YouTube
I own one of these tractors so this rake is what I am thinking could be modified pretty easily. Have to use your imagination, but the wheels out front would be your depth adjustment. Make the shaker box to replace the current tines. Make a mount to attach to the top of your fel bucket. Use a hydraulic cylinder to lift the rake out of the way when dumping and a hydraulic motor to provide the rotation for your shaker box. Make sure the tines of the shakerbox extends to just inside the fel bucket and maybe add taller sides so things dont leak out around the edges. Anyways, i think this would work for picking rocks and maybe taters. I dont know anything about fava beans or how to pick them. Are these beans picked green or are they harvested like soybeans when they dry on the stalks.

 

[OldMcDonald]

I can see you building one of those.

I do not want to take your thread off-topic, so will probably later start one about collecting crops cut with the cutter bar. I grow a lot of legumes (relative to my semi-retirement 16 acres) specifically for animal feed, pick fresh whatever we want for the house, aiming to freeze enough for the whole year, and let the rest dry. Some crops I feed whole, others I pick the pods and store for later use. It is a good protein source to complement sudan grass hay and corn, which I also grow and hand pick. Picking corn is a lot easier than the various peas, beans and lupins.

 

[Millwood]

How is the digger/picker build going Muddstopper? Got more pics on the progress?

Had my eye on a very hard used single row potato harvester that would have meant lots of bearing and chain replacement, plus straightening some damage from a tractor hit on the sheet metal side, but it got sold and I'm not sorry.

My crop is about three weeks from harvest so I broke down and bought a new single row harvester. Figure I'll have to sell spuds for the next 100 years to recoup the investment cost.

 

[muddstopper]

Planning on restarting this project tomorrow. I work out of town during the wk so No progress to report. Did get my pullies and bearing from Surplus center in the mail. Got to see the Doc in the morning and then the honey do list, then back to "hiding" in the shop.

 

[jkis]

keen to see how this goes
cheers stuart

 

[muddstopper]

Got a little work done on the picker. To many honey do's to get it finished, but I'm close.
I used a piece of 6 x1/4 plate to make a mounting point for the digger frame. I cut it and drilled it so that it bolted on top of the transmission and runs all the way to the back of the tiller where it is also bolted in the original holes. I had to extend it beyond the end of the tiller so it would be long enough to mount the digger frame on.

The wheels are mounted on a 1x1 sq bar. This I will drill several adjustment holes so I can adjust digging depth. I am thinking about welding a piece of angle across the top of the wheel posts and using a piece of allthread rod to make height adjustment just a turn of a screw.

The swing arms have several holes 1in apart and the digger plate has 3 holes each side drilled 2in apart. this should give me plenty of adjustment. I suspect the swing arms will be longer than needed, but I will cut them off later after testing it out. I Made the frame out of 1x2 11ga tube. Its 24in wide by 18in long.

Engine is a new Predator, 6.5hp from Harbor Freight. Well one site says its 6.5hp and another calls it a 7hp, anyway it should work. So far i have about $250 in this build, but thats because I have been buying all new steel and the engine cost just over $100, machine work was another $50. I still have to source a pulley for the engine, but Its pretty close to being finished and I dont see any other major expenses.

I am done working on it for this wk, probably finish it up next wk and be ready for a test run.

 

[Baby Grand]

Lookin' good!

 

[Millwood]

Into my spud harvest with the used Spedo CPP-T, single row digger. First row the crank bearing went south and getting it out meant not only pulling the snap ring, but also heating up the carrier with rosebud to drive it out. I guess I can understand it, since it was a sealed bearing which I'm not a big fan of in dirt applications and lots of RPM's. Before I put the new one in I drilled and tapped the carrier and installed a zerk, then installed a bearing with a groove all the way around the middle of the outer race that has 4 holes into the rollers. 3 each 125 foot rows and two pumps of grease. We will see how it holds up. So far averaging 165 pounds of Burbank Russets per row. I think that's a little above the norm.

 

[muddstopper]

Had to put my project on hold for the last couple of wks. Had big problem at work and ended up putting in 87 hrs. Practically working 24/7 until track was repaired. Did piddel with it some last wk. Got the eccentrics worked out. Just need a pulley for the engine and mounting a tensioner pulley and it will be ready for a test run. Local mower shop says they have a couple of engine pullies that might work. Will find out tomorrow.