Tractor-Mounted Potato Cannon

Tractor-Mounted Potato Cannon FARM HOME Novelty Items “When Max is down here we keep the neighbors pretty excited ” says Bob Kelland about his 11-year-old grandson Max Kelland Last summer the two “partners in crime” retrofitted Bob’s Kubota tractor with a mounted rapid-fueling potato cannon     Thanks to Bob’s hobby of filming everything he invents for his YouTube site anyone in the world can quickly find out how to make the cannon Max starred in the video and helped provide all the details     Max is in a science club and previously sent up a small capsule that rose to 100 000 ft and landed in Vermont with a camera recording the flight     After researching how to build a potato cannon they decided to add their own twist and improve the fueling system Instead of opening and closing a cap each time to spray in fuel for ignition they bolted a piece of Venetian blind inside the barrel A small hole allows them to spray directly into the barrel and the blind seals the hole     The Kellands used 3-in ABS pipe to build the combustion chamber and 36-in barrel attaching it to a cradle on the Kubota’s bucket They inserted the end of a spark plug in the combustion chamber and wired it to a BBQ grill igniter mounted on a wood block held by magnets to the tractor’s hood     Max ground the end of the barrel so the sharpened plastic edge would cut potatoes to fit when hit with a wooden mallet and rammed     Between getting supplies drying time and building time the project took about five days to complete It shoots potatoes about 300 ft The process is to ram in a potato spray in the combustion chamber hole stand back aim and push the igniter button     “The physical design was good but we were disappointed in the success rate with the ignition ” Bob says He and Max experimented with WD-40 deicer fluid and hairspray – and spraying the right amount Too much spray caused flooding and no ignition Max says that WD-40 worked the best On his next visit the Kellands plan to figure out the precise amount of spray to use     Max points out that mounting it on the Kubota made the experience feel like shooting from a tank And it was safer too     “The bucket was like a blast protector and we had ear protection ” Max says     To see the cannon in action go to FARMSHOW com     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Bob Kelland 109 McNiven Place St John’s Newfoundland Canada A1A 4X1 ph 709 576-8101; bkelland@nf sympatico ca or Max Kelland 167 Panoramique Cantley Quebec Canada J8V 3B2 bkelland@gmail com

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