BCS Power Potato Planter

Description

BCS Power Potato Planter

The power potato planter does in one pass what usually takes three jobs: it opens a furrow, drops seed potatoes into it at a set spacing, then covers and hills them. Made for BCS by Spedo of Italy, it is ground-driven, towed behind the tractor rather than run from the PTO, and it plants bulbs and other tubers as well as potatoes.

From Hopper to Furrow

Seed goes into a molded poly hopper that holds about 110 lbs. A vertical chain of poly cups lifts the pieces one at a time and drops each behind the shovel that cuts the furrow. Spacing in the row is set to 10, 12, 14 or 16 inches by changing the gear ratio of the drive pinions. The standard cups handle seed from 30 to 50 mm (about 1.2 to 2 inches), and a full set of reducer cups comes in the box for anything smaller.

Depth and Hilling Controls

Furrow depth changes by raising or lowering the shovel with a single bolt. At the rear, self-cleaning bedder discs throw soil back over the row and form the hill; their setting controls how deep the seed ends up buried. The planter connects to the tractor’s tow hitch with the coupler supplied with it.

Planter Dimensions and Tractors

• Size: 31.5″ wide x 43″ high x 51″ long
• Hopper: about 110 lbs of seed
• Seed spacing: 10″, 12″, 14″ or 16″
• Drive: ground-driven from its own wheels
• Tractors: 749, 750, 852, 853 and 889, no accessories required
• Not for: 710 through 739, or the 779

Preparing Seed for a Cup Planter

Cup planters work best with seed that is evenly sized. Grade seed potatoes before planting, cut larger ones a few days ahead so the cut faces can dry and toughen, and fit the reducer cups for small seed rather than relying on the standard cups to catch them. Uneven seed is the usual cause of skips and doubles. Coverage is three years residential and one year commercial.

Completing the Potato Line

BCS pairs the planter with the power potato digger for harvest, which fits the 739 and larger tractors. For a few rows, the hiller/furrower behind a tiller opens and closes furrows by hand-planting instead, at a fraction of the cost.