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 try to automate this process as much as possible. Specialized equipment sorts the tubers according to the given sizes quickly and accurately. It is important to remember that accurate indicators of the speed and volume of sorting vegetables, of course, depend on the model of construction. Consider tuber graders that make this process quick and easy.
Mechanized sorting
To perform mechanized calibration, a special sieve is used, through which passes the potato of the desired size. Devices can be manual and automatic. The first type is more rational to apply when the crop is small. In this situation, mechanisms that can easily be built by yourself can be used. Automatic sorters are often installed with the tractor when processing the field.
Grating device
When sorting small volumes of the crop, there is no need to hire large-sized special equipment or independently invent complex structures. Sorting potatoes in small quantities is able to provide a table with wire rack. A tabletop for him will serve as a special box. The principle of sorting is based on the passage of tubers through a special lattice.
Under the countertop of the potato mini-sorting apparatus, several boxes are placed in which the already selected root crop will fall. A tuber of the desired size falls into each tray. It is important to tilt the table a little, so that the vegetables themselves slide down the yards and fall into the desired box.
A home-made design for sorting potatoes will be an indispensable assistant in the preparation of vegetables, however, it has two significant drawbacks:
- Such an apparatus does not provide for the selection of damaged tubers.
- A simple mechanism allows you to sort through a small amount of vegetables.
The overall dimensions of the wooden box should 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 sorting
This type of homemade potato sorting point is a bit more complicated than the previous option. The design consists of the following elements:
- two rod cylinders that are connected to each other;
- hopper;
- pitched nets;
- manual drive.
Mesh 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 cylinders, and large vegetables go outside. All kinds of garbage is screened out with the help of auxiliary grates.
Sort Options
Modern agricultural enterprises prefer to calibrate tubers by diameter into the following groups:
Smaller potatoes are packed in 2.5 kg bags for sale in supermarkets, and larger ones are packed in 20-25 kg bags for vegetable shops and markets. The largest potatoes are used by processing companies and catering facilities.
How to make a potato sorter yourself
The device consists of the following main components:
- rod cylinders;
- hopper for loading vegetables;
- metal grids for various fractions of potatoes;
- mechanism for adjustment;
- racks.
The basis of each cylinder are wooden circles with a cross. Wooden elements are connected to each other and to the cross with special spikes and steel gaskets. To prevent mechanical damage to the potatoes, the crosses are rounded in sorting.
To the hoops, from the inside, fasten rods of wood with a diameter of 1.5-1.6 cm and a length of 60-70 cm. The structural elements are made of solid wood. Mount the rods to the hoops due to screws or a flexible metal tape. In the hoops make a notch.
The distance between the shafts of the cylinder for sorting potatoes:
- For a small batch of vegetables, approximately 3-3.5 cm are made.
- For medium-sized tubers - 4-5 cm.
- The inner diameter must be at least 70 cm.
The 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 cross 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 given in the article approximate. Depending on the desired performance and the size of the tubers, they can be changed.
Today, a large number of options are proposed to save time and effort at the stage of carrying out such agricultural work as sorting potatoes with your own hands. It is important to remember that making or buying potato sorts by yourself will greatly simplify and speed up the work, provide significant savings in resources and increase the quality of the product packaging.