"Sod Sifter" Seperates Dirt From Grass

"Sod Sifter" Seperates Dirt From Grass MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 34-2-43 Richard Schattka's "sod sifter" is designed to separate dirt from dug-up sections of sod. It's powered by a 1/2-in. electric drill that rotates a large metal drum set at an angle with the closed end down. Four lengths of 2-in. aluminum angle iron riveted to the inside of the drum knock dirt away from the sod as the drum rotates. The dirt falls through 9/16-in. dia. holes drilled into the sides and bottom of the drum, then goes down a pair of metal V-shaped chutes and into a wheelbarrow. The finely screened dirt works great as garden material. The leftover sod is dumped out and hauled away. Schattka says the unit eliminates a lot of work, and the finely screened dirt works great as a seedbed in gardens and for planting flowers around trees. "I got the idea because I wanted an easier way to handle the sod," he says. "In the past I would cut out sod in a 5-ft. diameter around a tree or garden, and then get down on my hands and knees to shake the dirt off the roots. Now I just shovel the sod into the drum." The drill fits inside a metal bracket that's attached to the unit's frame. The drum sets on three small plastic wheels, which are powered by the drive unit off a self-propelled lawn mower. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard R. Schattka, Jr., 1718 W. Grandview Dr., Johnsburg, Ill. 60051 (ph 815 363-4656).

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