Potato spinner?

[Monika]

What's a potato spinner? Sounds interesting.

[peter]

Monika, this was a large rotating device hung off the back of a tractor. The tractor drives along with wheels running between rows and one row coming under the midline of the tractor, the rotating spinner demolishes the porator ridge and flicks the spuds out onto the surface where a following gang of labourers would pick them up and bag them.

The local ones I remember were like an egg-whisk, that had been squashed a bit and twisted, plus being made of 1/2" steel rods.

See the harvesting machine-makers website below for a photo and some history better written than my snippet.
http://www.standen.co.uk/about/index.ph ... 3757a2c1aa

[Monika]

Many thanks, Peter. I don't think we need to invest in one of these machines for the allotment. But, in that connection, it always amazes me that every year, however thoroughly and carefully we lift the potatoes, we always leave some behind which come up the next year (and the next year!). Perhaps a potato spinner wouldn't such a bad idea after all. Only joking.

[peter]

Monika, do you know the proper name for those?

Volunteers.