The massive amount of intertwined vine material produced by sweet potatoes must be destroyed before harvesting. Vine-potato detachment increases harvesting efficiency and decreases damage to the potato skin by reducing the amount of handling. A two-row machine was designed and built to shred the vines as they were mechanically detached from the potatoes beneath the soil. Formal plot trials were conducted to determine vine-potato detachment efficiency for various machine settings and field tests on commercial farms for wear and strength determinations. Power data were collected in both laboratory and field settings. The puller/chopper destroyed virtually all aboveground material while achieving detachment efficiencies from 50 to 90% in on-farm use. Total power take-off (pto) power requirements ranged from 10 to 17 kW (14 to 23 hp) under normal conditions. The machine is being produced commercially through a “know-how” contract between the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and the manufacturer.