Hilling of potatoes plays an important role in the further development and formation of the fruit. This can be done with a hoe, hoe, or automatically using a walk-behind tractor or cultivator. How does this device work and what are the main stages of its preparation, so as not to harm the crop. Correct hilling of the bushes will increase the yield of the vegetable crop.
Types of hillers, the principle of their work
All types of cultivators have practically the same operating principle. Some gardeners make homemade tools for hilling crops. Their principle is almost the same.
On a note!
When buds are formed on potatoes, hilling should be done carefully so as not to harm the flowering process.
Varieties of walk-behind tractor
The walk-behind tractor has a simple design: a pair of wheels and two hillers, which are attached to a metal bar on the device. Hilling potatoes with a walk-behind tractor greatly simplifies the work. The design can be disc or plow.
A plow-shaped walk-behind tractor is a plow with the sides raised and wrapped in a triangle. When working, it is necessary to take into account the depth of entry into the ground to set up the inventory, and what should be the angle of attack of the plow. The immersion depth should not exceed 15 cm.
To do this, the walk-behind tractor is placed on the garden bed and the plow is immersed in the ground. If the immersion was strong, then the device is slightly raised, and if, on the contrary, the plow has risen above the ground, then it is immersed again. There is a single-row hiller, and there is a double-row one, with which you can simultaneously pass two rows of potatoes.
The disc hiller is easier to operate, it does not require adjustments and adjustments during operation. It is enough to preset the distance between the discs, which can be from 40 to 75 cm. It all depends on the variety of the vegetable crop. Also, you need to set the angle of rotation. It should be one for two drives.
Cultivator
You can sprinkle potatoes with a cultivator. There are mechanical and automatic cultivators. Some models are only able to loosen the soil, but there are those that fully perform hilling of a vegetable crop. During work, it is important to ensure that the work process is smooth, the mechanism is in the center and does not harm the bushes. In the course of work, control the depth of immersion of the equipment in the ground.
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How to prepare for work
The further crop yield depends on how the potatoes are hilled with a walk-behind tractor. Therefore, it is important to prepare the inventory for use in advance. The quality of the attachments will depend on how correctly they were installed on the device and how they were used. In operation, they are not difficult, but there are points that you should know before you start hilling potatoes with a walk-behind tractor.
On a note!
Hilling potatoes with a cultivator or walk-behind tractor should be carried out when the soil is clean and there are no weeds on it. To increase the result, after rain or watering, each bush should be dug in.
Customization rules
Each instruction manual for the device provides detailed instructions on how to use the inventory, and how to set it up correctly. However, there are minor nuances that are not spelled out in the manual. Since the process of work itself can be influenced by certain factors, individual adjustment is necessary. It depends on the quality and type of soil, weather conditions or the quality of sharpening of the hilling parts.
The very technical characteristics of the inventory play an important role. Therefore, before going out with the machine to the potato field, you should practice with it on the virgin soil.
Adjusting the device
After setting, you can start adjusting the hiller. First of all, it must have a well-adjusted directional accuracy. To set up a disc walk-behind tractor, it is necessary to install it parallel to the furrows, set the desired angle of inclination, taking into account the width of the bed.
Adjust the tilt angle using a special screw mechanism. Using this angle, the immersion depth of the attachments is also determined. At this stage, the required furrow width is still set.
Installing a hiller on a walk-behind tractor
The hiller is attached to the frame. Two bolts are used to secure the device post. The hitch is fixed (it is also necessary for the plow) and all this is fixed to the walk-behind tractor. Then, during its operation, the angle of inclination of the hitch is adjusted using the hitch screw.
Instructions for hilling vegetable crops
Hilling potatoes with a motor-cultivator is a simple process if you know and adhere to the basic rules and principles of work, as well as apply it in practice.
Cultivator
Hilling potatoes with a cultivator makes the job easier. The process of work of the inventory is as follows: a knife, going deep into the ground, raises it, and at this time two discs rake the ground under the bush. It is necessary to work with this tool together, when one person pulls the cultivator, and the other pushes it into the ground.
Before work, you need to install it between the rows, turn it on at first speed and start the process. It is important that he goes strictly in the center. At the end of the row, the device is unrolled and another row is spud.
On a note!
When hilling, the cultivator does not run over and does not damage bushes, because it has a small distance between the wheels.
Motoblock
If you plan to sprinkle potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, then everything should be prepared in advance. You should first plant the potatoes according to the correct scheme, where the distance between the bushes should be on average 75 cm.If it rained, then you need to wait a day until the earth dries out so that dirt does not stick to the wheels and does not get stuck. Hilling potatoes with a disc hiller is the simplest, since it does not require any settings. It is enough to put the device on a potato bed and start working.
Before starting the hiller, it is necessary to fill the tank with gasoline, check the oil level. On the side of the bed, check the depth of immersion in the ground and the angle of inclination, if everything is in order, you can move on to the potatoes. It is also important to check inventory for wear on parts such as cutters, hiller or plow. If there were no answers to the questions in the instructions attached to the unit, then you can watch a video on the correct hilling of potatoes with a walk-behind tractor.
Recommendations for selection
You should not save on a walk-behind tractor, since a low price can bring a headache and a problem in the form of low-quality inventory. When choosing a cultivator for hilling potatoes, certain factors should be taken into account:
- Land cover density. If the soil includes clay and sand, then the device must be of high power. It will easily deal with lumps that are in loamy soil.
- Potato garden area. You should not buy low-power units for large areas, as they will quickly fail. For 20 acres of a garden, a model with a standard capacity is suitable. For large areas, it is better to choose a powerful device with a working width of more than 60 cm and more than 5 horsepower.
- Row length. It is easier to operate the implement if you make fewer turns.
Read also!
You can also choose a mini tractor. But it is suitable for large areas (from 10 hectares). Small tractors have 12 to 40 horsepower. Hilling potatoes with a mini tractor can be seen in the video.
Technology Advantages
If you properly spud potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, you can get a high yield of vegetable crops. After all, the hillock allows you to protect the crop from temperature extremes, diseases and weeds. The advantages of using the unit include:
- saving time for processing a potato bed;
- a deep furrow loosens the soil well, thereby improving air exchange;
- maintaining the correct temperature in the soil, as a result of which the bushes grow better;
- high productivity and less energy consumption for work.
Manual hilling is a long and laborious process. Therefore, the main advantage of using a walk-behind tractor is to save time.
Reviews of summer residents
Alexey
Every year I plant 15 acres of potatoes. What I love about culture is that it doesn’t require much grooming. But since I had it planted well, hilling took me a lot of time. A year ago I bought myself a simple disc walk-behind tractor and now this process takes me two to three hours. And what is important is that my harvest has become larger and larger.
Marina
We have been using the cultivator for two years. This adaptation made our life much easier. Previously, the whole family had to take the hoes in their hands and all day, without straightening their backs, spud potatoes. And this must be done three times per season. Now the son and her husband will quickly process everything in two hours and will not get very tired. In addition to hilling, we also dig up a vegetable garden with a cultivator. A very useful device in the household.
Sergei
I grow potatoes for sale, so my beds are large and I spend a lot of time caring for the crop. I used to have a plow-shaped walk-behind tractor for one row. But I still spent a lot of time on hilling, so I decided to choose a two-row walk-behind tractor. I began to spend half the time, the unit spills well, the rows do not crumble even after rain or watering.
Hilling a vegetable crop is the process of loosening the soil with sprinkling of bushes. If you properly huddle potatoes with a walk-behind tractor, then a good harvest will not take long. After all, the unit processes the soil well, protects against diseases and stimulates the growth of the bush. Everyone will be able to manage the inventory, the main thing is to study the instructions well before work and test the inventory not on a potato garden, but on a neutral territory.
