[AT] RE: Selling things and hurricanes.....NOW: Potato diggers

[Cecil Monson]

>  So, I am really looking forward to using the PTO-driven digger where 

I can keep it going at normal speed while regulating my ground speed

according to conditions.  Another change I may or may not make, depending

on time, is that this digger is hand-lift which I may change to hydraulic

as I do not have a second person to ride along and lift the digger.


	Greg, the PTO operated potato digger compared to the old horse
drawn digger is like the difference between night and day. Where the
horse drawn machine wheels skid and stop, the PTO keeps on going and
cleans itself out. I have both kinds here but would never go back to
a horse drawn one unless for fun.

	One of the guys on the List bought the PTO digger and someone
else - also on the List - wanted all the horse drawn stuff I have here.
The PTO machine came with a complete 2nd digger for parts plus some
parts. The second machine has a non-working but I believe repairable
reverser so the machine can be reversed if it gets plugged which could
be quite handy if you have a lot of weeds.

	Weeds don't bother me - not because I don't have them.  I let
them grow too. I hill my potatoes as they grow to keep weeds down close
to the plant and keep moisture in and around the potatoes but when it
comes time to dig, I use the rotary mower and mow the weeds along with
the potato vines off the rows leaving a fairly clean row all ready to
pick that doesn't plug the old machine. The PTO machine has never
plugged up on me.

	I came up with a simple solution to the depth control. I bought
one of those Ford type drawbars that go between the arms on the 3 point
hitch and used the center bolt in the front of the old digger to bolt
to the center of the drawbar. That center bolt originally held the sulky
that kept the front end up and held the evener the harnesses hooked to.
Once hooked up to the tractor, I use the 3 point hitch to control the
depth. Easy and simple and works like a charm.

Cecil