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Junkyard project

Thought I'd share my current project...

My nursery supplier for strawberry plants DROPPED sales of my most important strawberry variety. It is BY FAR the best tasting strawberry ever. Customers rave and come for miles to get some. So, I thought I had no choice but to get into the raise your own plants business. Not a huge deal, you just grow select plants, let them runner and then dig them up and sort for nice ones. But doing it by hand just isn't practical if you need 3000 a year.

So this is my strawberry plant digger. It is made ENTIRELY from scrap parts found around the farm. I did use new bolts and new welding rod. I almost used a new bearing and pillow block on the gear box. But then I thought it needs to be ENTIRELY SALVAGE. So, I searched out an old one. I've used an entire can of Kroil this week getting the parts off the original use. I think I deserve some sort of Junk Yard Wars challenge award.

Here's three views of the 2/3 finished project:

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Work to do:

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The large shaft needs the two rattle chain gears and the two pillow blocks installed. Then fabricate a mounting to the back of the digger. The plate in front is the cutter. it needs to be mounted to the bottom front of the digger.

After its painted, a conveyor type shaker chain is installed in the bottom of the digger.

I LOST the large drive gear for the rear shaft. Must be under the snow someplace. So, I won't finish for a while. I may need to buy a new master link for the drive chain. But I'll try hard to salvage an old one. Its a matter of pride at this point.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend
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Looks very clever, and nicely welded also.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus27054

Way to go! It's so satisfying to use what you have. Those are the best projects.

So, how is this going to work? And did you copy ... er, did you use a commercial one as inspiration?

Bob

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

never seen a commercial one. Most of the parts are off an old potato harvestor. I'll know how well it works after I use it. My guess is a fair number of plants will fall right through it and I'll have kids look through the loose soil for them. Wet soil (common in early spring) is likely to be a real problem.

karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

Heavy beast, wot? She'll look better with paint on 'er.

Oh, good. I was trying to figure out -which- 48 parts were missing from those pics, Karl.

So, does it slide the cutter under the roots, bring them up over the shaker chains, and drop them into a box on the back, or what?

Can't you just dig out the trusty old metal detector, set it to discern "large drive gears" and go pick it up from under the snow?

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Any guesses why you've never seen a commercial unit?

Reply to
Larry Jaques

...

That's the idea. I know there will be a lot of flotsam and unremoved dirt in what comes off the back. So, my plan is to drag a stone boat by two log chains so its sitting right under the end of the conveyor. then use the fork lift to haul it to the packing house for sorting.

Right. :)

Reply to
Karl Townsend

Will you be selling nursery plants to your neighbors, then?

Reply to
Tim Wescott

Please name the preferred variety. My wife want to plant it.

Reply to
nobody

Nope, this will be just one more competitive edge.

here's the variety for Nobody:

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listed as sold out

Reply to
Karl Townsend

Did a duckduckgo search and found a lot of sold out suppliers. Did you check with

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? They appear to sell plants in the quantities you require.

Reply to
nobody

Thanks for the lead. A bit more searching showed Norcal Nursery to be the parent company. I contacted them about supply of the entire MN industry.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

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