Diablo rollers on potato harvesters

[Devil's advocate]

We grow 5 acre of potatoes for farmshop & because we have heavy land or light land with stone pick by hand.

I'm sure many think why not just buy the potatoes.

The answer is that people like them, whether its the rotation, the manure, the soil but people love them.

However the 45 year old ransome is getting past its best so considering a replacement. There are still a few firms building similar machines to the ransome. They all offer Diablo rollers, I'm not sure, we dabbled with using a grimme harvester & yes great in dry weather on heavy land but in wet conditions especially lifting green top the diablo rollers would often bung up especially if a stone got stuck between the disc & the roller. I tried the grimme without the roller on, thinking the potatoes would just go up the web but that did not work.

So comments please on diablo rollers & do you ever remove them?

 

[JLLM]

You used to be able to get a wheel kit for depth control, leave the diablos on just to help the feed then.

 

[David.]

The diablo roller is the depth control mechanism on most harvesters I have used. The worst problem is when haulms get between the disc and the end of the digging trace and wedge in there, which chokes the flow of soil and causes a blockage between the lifting share and the diablo. This was largely overcome on later machines by employing a narrow rubber tyred wheel that actually runs on the digging trace, one each side of the trough, to make a pinch point that pulls these haulms in and up the harvester to prevent blocking.

 

[Devil's advocate]

The diablo roller is the depth control mechanism on most harvesters I have used. The worst problem is when haulms get between the disc and the end of the digging trace and wedge in there, which chokes the flow of soil and causes a blockage between the lifting share and the diablo. This was largely overcome on later machines by employing a narrow rubber tyred wheel that actually runs on the digging trace, one each side of the trough, to make a pinch point that pulls these haulms in and up the harvester to prevent blocking.

Thanks

I'm not seeing an advantage of having the diablo rollers on an elevator digger, the discs on the front set the depth.

I want the option to lift green top (earlies) in terrible conditions without hassle.

Just can't understand why the diablo's are offered as an option.

 

[David.]

The old Thyregod elevator digger I had employed the discs for depth control by way of a steel rim on one side if each disc that worked like a solid wheel to keep depth.
Diablo rollers do crush a bit of clod in nice conditions, by squeezing and compressing the ridge a bit as it passes underneath.

 

[Devil's advocate]

The old Thyregod elevator digger I had employed the discs for depth control by way of a steel rim on one side if each disc that worked like a solid wheel to keep depth.
Diablo rollers do crush a bit of clod in nice conditions, by squeezing and compressing the ridge a bit as it passes underneath.

I'm happy to pay for the diablo's providing I can take them off if it gets really wet.

 

[Lincs Lass]

I'm happy to pay for the diablo's providing I can take them off if it gets really wet.

You wont have to take them off if its wet ,,wind them up out the way and carry the share on the ram.

 

[Devil's advocate]

You wont have to take them off if its wet ,,wind them up out the way and carry the share on the ram.

Tried that on grimme but still used to bung up

 

[Lincs Lass]

Tried that on grimme but still used to bung up

A few ideas ,,are you running two shares or a one piece,,outer discs need to be in the ground by about 2-3inches ,no point any deeper else you could bend them if the hit a rock ,the fish tail plates back of the share should be flush flow onto the web for an even flow .
Green tops are best flailed of before lifting ,much less rubbish for the haul rollers to pull out

 

[traineefarmer]

We grow 5 acre of potatoes for farmshop & because we have heavy land or light land with stone pick by hand.

I'm sure many think why not just buy the potatoes.

The answer is that people like them, whether its the rotation, the manure, the soil but people love them.

However the 45 year old ransome is getting past its best so considering a replacement. There are still a few firms building similar machines to the ransome. They all offer Diablo rollers, I'm not sure, we dabbled with using a grimme harvester & yes great in dry weather on heavy land but in wet conditions especially lifting green top the diablo rollers would often bung up especially if a stone got stuck between the disc & the roller. I tried the grimme without the roller on, thinking the potatoes would just go up the web but that did not work.

So comments please on diablo rollers & do you ever remove them?

You grow potatoes like we do! Not many like us left now. People like your old fashioned spuds because they taste of something. Keep up the good work.

Are you referring to a Ransomes-Johnson digger to hand pick behind? If so, you will struggle to replace it with a modern machine that is as gentle and able to cope with green tops. Why not enlist an engineering company to convert it to webs, new bearings and add a 3 point linkage to modernise it? The frame and gearbox are pretty bombproof, so why not make it good for another 45 years?

 

[JLLM]

You grow potatoes like we do! Not many like us left now. People like your old fashioned spuds because they taste of something. Keep up the good work.

Are you referring to a Ransomes-Johnson digger to hand pick behind? If so, you will struggle to replace it with a modern machine that is as gentle and able to cope with green tops. Why not enlist an engineering company to convert it to webs, new bearings and add a 3 point linkage to modernise it? The frame and gearbox are pretty bombproof, so why not make it good for another 45 years?

Someone selling a pile of ransomes digger bits on ebay atm.