diff --git a/target/linux/generic/patches-3.18/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch b/target/linux/generic/patches-3.18/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index d4164ca26b..0000000000
--- a/target/linux/generic/patches-3.18/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-Upstream changed the default rootfs to tmpfs when none has been passed
-to the kernel - this doesn't fit our purposes, so change it back.
-
-Signed-off-by: Imre Kaloz <kaloz@openwrt.org>
-
---- a/init/do_mounts.c
-+++ b/init/do_mounts.c
-@@ -623,6 +623,7 @@ int __init init_rootfs(void)
- 	if (err)
- 		return err;
- 
-+#if 0
- 	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_TMPFS) && !saved_root_name[0] &&
- 		(!root_fs_names || strstr(root_fs_names, "tmpfs"))) {
- 		err = shmem_init();
-@@ -630,6 +631,9 @@ int __init init_rootfs(void)
- 	} else {
- 		err = init_ramfs_fs();
- 	}
-+#else
-+	err = init_ramfs_fs();
-+#endif
- 
- 	if (err)
- 		unregister_filesystem(&rootfs_fs_type);
diff --git a/target/linux/generic/patches-4.1/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch b/target/linux/generic/patches-4.1/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 5e56d4415d..0000000000
--- a/target/linux/generic/patches-4.1/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-Upstream changed the default rootfs to tmpfs when none has been passed
-to the kernel - this doesn't fit our purposes, so change it back.
-
-Signed-off-by: Imre Kaloz <kaloz@openwrt.org>
-
---- a/init/do_mounts.c
-+++ b/init/do_mounts.c
-@@ -628,6 +628,7 @@ int __init init_rootfs(void)
- 	if (err)
- 		return err;
- 
-+#if 0
- 	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_TMPFS) && !saved_root_name[0] &&
- 		(!root_fs_names || strstr(root_fs_names, "tmpfs"))) {
- 		err = shmem_init();
-@@ -635,6 +636,9 @@ int __init init_rootfs(void)
- 	} else {
- 		err = init_ramfs_fs();
- 	}
-+#else
-+	err = init_ramfs_fs();
-+#endif
- 
- 	if (err)
- 		unregister_filesystem(&rootfs_fs_type);
diff --git a/target/linux/generic/patches-4.4/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch b/target/linux/generic/patches-4.4/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index e6f1be45f8..0000000000
--- a/target/linux/generic/patches-4.4/000-keep_initrafs_the_default.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-Upstream changed the default rootfs to tmpfs when none has been passed
-to the kernel - this doesn't fit our purposes, so change it back.
-
-Signed-off-by: Imre Kaloz <kaloz@openwrt.org>
-
---- a/init/do_mounts.c
-+++ b/init/do_mounts.c
-@@ -633,6 +633,7 @@ int __init init_rootfs(void)
- 	if (err)
- 		return err;
- 
-+#if 0
- 	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_TMPFS) && !saved_root_name[0] &&
- 		(!root_fs_names || strstr(root_fs_names, "tmpfs"))) {
- 		err = shmem_init();
-@@ -640,6 +641,9 @@ int __init init_rootfs(void)
- 	} else {
- 		err = init_ramfs_fs();
- 	}
-+#else
-+	err = init_ramfs_fs();
-+#endif
- 
- 	if (err)
- 		unregister_filesystem(&rootfs_fs_type);