Potato harvest was one time my father would hire labor (often migrant.) The harvester would pull the potatoes out of the ground, and then send them down a chute which was made by a series of rods which would go around.
These rods would carry the potatoes, while letting the dirt fall. There was a place for several people to stand, and the would pick out the things that were not potatoes, rocks and clods. One time someone was injured on this machine; I think it grabbed his finger. There was also a time a rock was thrown that struck my father in the back. I am not sure if it was the same machine. Here is a description of a potato harvester from Wikipedia:
Potato harvesters are machines that harvest potatoes. They work by lifting the potatoes from the bed using a share. Soil and crop are transferred onto a series of webs where the loose soil is sieved out. The potatoes are moved towards the back of the harvester on to a separation unit and then (on manned machines) to a picking table where a people pick out by hand the stones, clods, haulm and reject clod. The potatoes then go on to a side elevator and into a trailer or a potato box. (Wikipedia)
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