How to make a potato hilling plow yourself

Agriculture is developing at a tremendous pace, as are other areas of domestic and industrial technology. Potatoes, the king of all vegetables, are considered the most popular crop grown in gardens.

It is distinguished by its good nutritional properties, variety of cooking methods and excellent taste.

To achieve good results, proper care is required. Hilling is the process of covering the bottom of the plant with soil. Reasons for using this procedure:

• additional tubers grow from the covered part;
• more air comes in;
• weeds are destroyed.

Hilling potatoes with hoes is a thing of the past. It's a time-consuming and labor-intensive method. Today, these popular tools have been replaced by new hillers, which make the process much faster and easier.

Manual potato hiller: purpose

A potato hiller is an indispensable tool for anyone with a garden. It allows you to quickly hill a large plot of several acres. Its main advantage is that you can make it yourself.

In regions with higher temperatures and lower humidity, this procedure, on the contrary, is performed much less frequently. This removes all the moisture from the soil, which may already be insufficient.

Helpful tips for proper hilling:

• The procedure must be performed at a specific time. Ideally, twice per season. The first time, when the potatoes have grown to about 10 cm. The second time, when they have grown to about 20 cm. The flowers should not be open during this time.
• Prefer cloudy weather. If this is rare in your region, choose early morning or late evening. Ideally, after rain or watering.
• Forget about rakes and hoes. Trust a modern tool: a potato hiller.

So, without this procedure, you won't see good results. And without the right equipment, you won't be able to make it as easy and effective as possible.

Types of hillers

First, you need to decide on the type of device. The most popular are:

• plow;
• disk type.

A manual potato disc hiller is a frame on wheels to which discs are mounted. The device includes:

• leash;
• turnbuckles - regulate the mobility of the disks;
• racks;
• disc plows.

This type of tool is suitable for planting potatoes or after harvesting, as well as for hilling soil between beds. The disc design allows for variable rotation of the discs, allowing for comfortable working in small areas.

A manual potato hilling plow is a fairly convenient tool. It allows you to cultivate large areas quickly. It's used with walk-behind tractors and is fixed in the furrow during operation. It allows for quick work even in dry winters. The plowing depth and width can be adjusted.

Most gardeners prefer disc harrows for their ease of operation and even beds. However, they also come at a price. Plow harrows are more affordable, but offer equal functionality.

Other types of tools:

• Automation of the process is a feature of the tractor. This design can immediately remove all weeds from the cultivated area. Potato yields have been proven to increase after using this type of tiller.
• For a walk-behind tractor—also for automation. This isn't really a separate type, but the tool can be installed on this type of vehicle as well.

Which device is best is entirely up to you. It depends on your goals, desired operating speed, and the device's functionality.

Operating principle

The mechanism of manual hillers is very easy to understand. Two people hold the tool at the front and back. The person at the front leans on the handle and pushes the tool forward. The person at the back presses the discs into the ground using the handle.

During this time, the discs pass through the soil, hilling up nearby plants. The distance is also adjusted.

With automated devices, everything depends on the type of vehicle. Typically, you only need to operate the vehicle.

Advantages and disadvantages of homemade designs

A homemade potato hiller has the following advantages:

• Accessibility. Almost any gardener can do it. No special knowledge or skills are required. A basic understanding of the tools and how to use them is sufficient.
• Savings. Ready-made solutions always cost more. And considering that the person isn't paying for the work themselves, this is a free option.
• Performance. A homemade device is as efficient as its automated counterparts.

The only drawback is that safety and quality depend solely on you. Therefore, don't be lazy in paying due attention to every step of the process, even if it seems insignificant. To ensure a high-quality product, use the appropriate parts.

How to make a hiller yourself

How to make a potato hiller yourself? To do this, you'll need the following tools:

• hollow water pipes: length - 10 cm, diameter - 1 inch.;
• another similar pipe, but with a diameter of 3/4 inch;
• sheet steel 1-2 mm.;
• turnbuckle or steel plate;
• pipe bender or gas torch;
• welding tool;
• grinders.

This is an approximate list of tools; depending on what type of hiller you want to make, it may change.

The device can be adjusted in several ways:

1. Height adjustment. This is achieved through a telescopic mechanism in the center. A smaller tube will be mounted into the center pillar tube, which will act as the rear link. This design is very comfortable to use, as it can be adjusted to suit any height.
2. We change the angle of attack by tilting the center post relative to the ground. This is achieved by changing the angle between the front link and the vertical post. If your setup doesn't have a turnbuckle, you can change the angle by adjusting the position of the plate.

We start making a homemade manual potato hiller with vertical posts

Take a 10 cm long pipe and measure approximately 4 cm from the end. At this distance, we need to make a slight bend, approximately 15 degrees. The most convenient and easiest way to do this is with a pipe bender—a tool specifically designed for this purpose. Of course, not everyone has such a device, so we'll tell you about a more accessible way to accomplish this step.

We pack the pipe tightly with sand or earth—whatever is readily available. We insert plugs to prevent the mixture from spilling out. Using a blowtorch or other heating element, we create the desired bend. Because the pipe will be filled with sand or earth, it will not sag and will maintain its ideal shape.

Let's move on to making the rod

A rear linkage is built into the homemade manual potato hiller. It's shaped like the letter "P." In our design, it will be 5 cm wide and 2 cm long. Please note that if you change this value for one mechanism, you must do the same for the others.

We attach a 3 cm long pipe vertically to the center of the fork. We'll then insert it into the vertical rod.

Now we need to bend the 3/4" diameter pipe. This can be done using the method discussed above. If you have other options, feel free to use them. In this case, the main thing is the same result.

Let's make sure the height is adjustable. We'll make a hole in the top and vertical portion of the mechanism. Now, by adjusting the bolt, we can adjust the height. This way, a person of any height will be able to comfortably work with the tool.

We've made the rear pulley, now we need to move on to the front pulley. It's fork-shaped, just like the rear pulley, but differs in size. The handles should be long enough for a person to stand comfortably between them.

For ease of use, we'll add an elastic strap that can be worn across the shoulders and chest. This design will reduce strain on the arms and conserve the strength of the user.

Dimensions: handle - 6 cm, vertical part - 7 cm. A hole should be made at the end of the vertical part of the fork, with which it can be secured to the stand.

Let's move on to adjusting the angle of attack. The best option is a turnbuckle.

We measure 3 cm from the bottom of the vertical post and install a 25x25 cm corner piece in that location. We measure 0.3 cm from the fork's position and do the same here. We repeat the process for the vertical post above our first corner piece.

The last step is the trimming knife

It is this mechanism that takes the entire load and reduces resistance in the soil during operation.

For the knife, choose carbon steel. The arrows should be cut and sharpened at a 45-degree angle. These parameters allow our mechanism to remain sharp and fully perform its intended function.

Now we need to weld the blade to the bottom end of the vertical post. Our DIY manual potato hiller is now complete!

https://youtu.be/1WnBUHf8Ds0

Reviews

Potato hilling tools are extremely popular among gardeners, especially if they're homemade. Numerous reviews are proof of this. Here are a few:

"Our homemade potato hiller is probably the best gardening tool we have. It saves so much time and effort. We even considered giving up gardening before, as it's so demanding. A neighbor recommended a hiller. So, we were considering buying one, but my husband built it himself. We also added a special belt, which makes it really comfortable to work with. From experience: this year, we got twice as much harvest as last year, when we used a hoe and, consequently, didn't do the job properly."

"I never thought a potato hiller would bring me so much joy! We discovered this device recently, and we regret it: how much time we could have saved. Our garden is very large, and we had to ask our children and grandchildren to do all the work, as we couldn't manage it ourselves. Now we've solved at least one problem—hilling potatoes, which was very difficult when using a shovel or hoe. We looked up how to make a homemade potato hiller and tried our invention the next day. I think our mechanism is even better than store-bought ones. After all, we designed it with our specific needs in mind."

I can't imagine how we ever managed without this device. A manual potato hilling plow saves a significant amount of time and effort. Of course, there are many outstanding inventions in the world, but for gardeners and vegetable growers, this mechanism is probably the best thing invented in recent years. There are plenty of professional-grade equipment on the market, and they're priced accordingly. You can make your own potato hilling tool, which is exactly what we did. We've been using it for two seasons now. Last time, I noticed a significant increase in yield.

Remember that a manual potato hiller must be of high quality. Therefore, perform all stages of the work conscientiously and be sure to select high-quality parts and materials.