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Do-It-All Potato Planter
If you plant too many potatoes to do it by hand, but not enough to invest in a line of planters, hillers and diggers, you'll like this "hiller with extras" from Willsie Equipment.
"We specialize in meeting the needs of smaller growers who can't justify the big equipment," says Gary Willsie. "This hiller system fi
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Do-It-All Potato Planter PLANTERS Planters 34-2-4 If you plant too many potatoes to do it by hand, but not enough to invest in a line of planters, hillers and diggers, you'll like this "hiller with extras" from Willsie Equipment.
"We specialize in meeting the needs of smaller growers who can't justify the big equipment," says Gary Willsie. "This hiller system fits that niche. The same toolbar can be used for planting, hilling and digging potatoes."
The basic unit, which sells for $800, comes equipped for hilling potatoes. The 3-pt. hitch mounted 4-ft. toolbar has two 32-in. vertical shafts with sweeps. Two U-bolts hold them in place, making it easy to preset for maximum depth and width. Sweeps on the shaft are available in multiple widths from 9 to 18 in. Extra or replacement sweeps run about $40.
For another $400, the same unit can be set up for planting. A planting kit consists of a planting tube, closing arms, seat, and box holder for seed potatoes.
With the tractor straddling the row, one shaft and sweep are moved to the center of the toolbar and the second is removed from the toolbar.
The planting tube is positioned to bottom out just behind the sweep. As the driver heads down the row, the rider drops potatoes down the tube.
Once the potatoes are in the ground and ready to be hilled, the unit is returned to the field with both sweeps in place to either side of the row. "Others have built similar multi-purpose planting and hilling units, but with only a single sweep," says Willsie. "That simply isn't as effective for hilling."
At the end of the season, the same toolbar is returned to the field. Again a single shaft is positioned to the center, but with a special $75 sweep.
"Our digging sweep has steel rods on it that stick out to either side," says Willsie. "Simply set the depth below the potatoes and straddle the row. The rods allow dirt to fall through while potatoes are kicked out to the side."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Willsie Equipment Sales, R.R. 1, 9516 Northville Road, Thedford, Ont., Canada N0M 2N0 (ph 519 243-2616; toll free 800 561-3025; info@willsie.com; www.willsie.com).
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