Mechanized and manual sorting of potatoes

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

An important nuance of post-harvest processing is the sorting of potatoes into fractions. Modern agricultural enterprises that specialize in the industrial cultivation of vegetables are trying to automate this process as much as possible. Specialized equipment sorts tubers according to given sizes quickly and accurately. It is important to remember that the exact indicators of the speed and volume of sorting vegetables, of course, depend on the design model. Consider tuber sorting devices that make this process quick and as simple as possible.

Mechanized sorting

To perform mechanized calibration, a special sieve is used, through which potatoes of the desired size pass. Devices can be manual or automatic. The first type is more rational to use when the crop is small. Suitable in this situationmechanisms that you can easily build yourself. Automatic sorters are often installed with a tractor when processing a field.

Grid device

When sorting small volumes of crops, there is no need to hire large-sized special equipment or invent complex designs on your own. Sorting potatoes in small quantities is able to provide a table with a grate. A special box will serve as a countertop for it. The principle of sorting is based on the passage of tubers through a special grate.

Under the tabletop of the mini-potato sorter, there are several boxes into which the already selected root crop will fall. A tuber of the required size falls into each tray. It is important to tilt the table a little so that the vegetables themselves roll down the yards and fall into the right box.

Homemade potato sorting design will be an indispensable tool in preparing vegetables, but it has two significant drawbacks:

• Such a device does not provide selection of damaged tubers.
• A simple mechanism allows you to sort through a small amount of vegetables.

The overall dimensions of the wooden box must be at least 150 × 80 × 2.5 cm. The gaps between the beams should be approximately 35 cm at the beginning and 60 cm at the other end of the table.

Cylinder shaped potato sorter

This type of homemade potato sorting station is a little more complicated than the previous version. The design consists of the following elements:

• two bar cylinders thatconnected to each other;
• bunker;
• pitched nets;
• manual drive.

Grids with holes of different diameters are mounted inside the cylinders. During the operation of such a device, potatoes are sorted into three groups: small tubers, medium and large. The first two parts are selected sequentially in the cylinders, and large vegetables go outside. All kinds of garbage is screened out with the help of auxiliary gratings.

Sort options

Modern agricultural enterprises prefer to calibrate tubers by diameter into the following groups:

• 4-6cm;
• 6-8cm;
• over 8 cm.

Smaller potatoes are packed in 2.5 kg bags for sale in supermarkets, larger ones in 20-25 kg bags for vegetable shops and markets. The largest potatoes are used by processors and catering companies.

How to make your own potato sorter

The apparatus consists of the following main units:

• bar cylinders;
• bunker for loading vegetables;
• metal meshes for different fractions of potatoes;
• mechanism for adjustment;
• reek.

The basis of each cylinder is a wooden circle with a cross. The wooden elements are connected to each other and to the cross with special spikes and steel spacers. To prevent mechanical damage to potatoes during sorting, the crosspiece is rounded.

To hoops with innerthe sides are fastened with wooden rods with a diameter of 1.5-1.6 cm and a length of 60-70 cm. The structural elements are made of durable wood. Mount the rods to the hoops using screws or flexible metal tape. Notches are made in the hoops.

Rail spacing of potato grading cylinder:

• For a small batch of vegetables, they make about 3-3.5 cm.
• For medium-shaped tubers - 4-5 cm.
• Internal diameter must be at least 70 cm.

Cylinders are connected with pins. Depending on the size of the cylinders, a frame of the appropriate size is selected. The part is made of wooden bars with a section of 6 × 6 cm or angle steel 3.5 × 3.5 × 0.4 cm. During work, it is important to mount the cylinders at an angle of 8-10 degrees. Do-it-yourself potato sorting divides the tubers into three fractions: small, medium and large. The overall dimensions of the potato sorting are approximate in the article. Depending on the desired performance and the size of the tubers, they can be changed.

Today, a large number of options are offered to save time and effort at the stage of agricultural work such as sorting potatoes with your own hands. It is important to remember that making or buying a potato sorter with your own hands will greatly simplify and speed up the work, provide significant resource savings and increase the quality of product packaging.