Potatoes, and middlebuster..

[ChuckinNH]

I had bought the "yellow" middlebuster at TSC last spring, and have used it now, and then fo popping out rocks, etc. Today I tried it for digging my potatoes, and it sure is going to save a lot of hand digging. My top link is a bit long for it, but shortened all the way the plow goes under the potatoes, and rolls them out nicely. I only did one row today as time was getting short, but will dig the rest tomorrow. I didn't find any damage so far, less than I would get by occassionally hooking one with the potato fork. Anyway, if you've got one give it a try, and if you were curious as I was, now you know.

 

[Bird]

And the faster you drive down the row, the farther it will throw the potatoes. If you go too slow, it just turns the dirt and you still have potatoes hid in the dirt.

 

[kthompson]

I think if you run the plow deep enough to keep a layer of dirt between it and the potatoes they have less damage. Get the plow where the are rubbing each other and they will be scuff.

Bird, had never thought about driving slow and them falling back into the furrow. So how fast do you need to drove so they fly into boxes? Seriously had notice over time they would be clear of the just plowed dirt sometimes and not others, never thought about tractor speed being the difference.

 

[Bird]

I'm not sure exactly what the speed was, but I got the best results by running wide open in low range on a 3-range HST B2710, so that wouldn't be really fast.

 

[kthompson]

Bird, I have that same tractor. In low range it is as you said, slow.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Well, I've got more to dig today so I'll try going faster. Thanks for the input on that. The plow goes deep enough, but barely so I'll probably pick up a shorter top link next time I'm out, and about. It's fun to see them rolling out of the ground!