Modular nut cleaning plant

A modular nut cleaning plant comprising:

• a nut sizer comprising a rotating nut sizer cage mounted in a nut sizer frame, the nut sizer cage having an open intake end for receiving a nut product stream, the rotating nut sizer cage comprising a plurality of spaced apart sizer rods between which nuts received in the nut sizer cage will fall;
• and
• a stick remover with a nut product stream receiving end connected to the nut sizer frame wherein the stick remover comprises an endless chain that moves the nut product stream from the receiving end thereof toward a discharge end of the stick remover;
• a delivery conveyor positioned to collect nuts from the nut product stream from the stick remover and to deliver the nuts along with other debris in the nut product stream into the open intake end of the rotating nut sizer cage, the stick remover being reversibly positionable on the nut sizer frame such that the nut receiving end of the stick remover may be positioned on a right or left side of the nut sizer, the delivery conveyor positioned between upper and lower runs of the endless chain.

A modular nut cleaning apparatus comprising:

• a nut sizer with an open intake end configured to receive nuts from a nut product stream, the nut sizer comprising a rotatable nut sizer cage with a plurality of longitudinally extending nut sizer rods with spaces therebetween through which nuts from the nut product stream will pass;
• a stick remover with a receiving end for receiving the nut product stream mounted to the nut sizer, the stick remover comprising,
• a moving endless chain to move sticks toward a discharge end thereof, the endless chain defining openings through which nuts in the nut product stream fall;
• and
• a support surface at the receiving end of the stick remover along which the nut product stream travels, the endless chain configured to deliver sticks and other debris to a debris conveyor;
• and
• a delivery conveyor positioned to receive the nuts that pass through the openings in the endless chain of the stick remover and to convey the nut product stream from the stick remover to the open intake end of the nut sizer;
• and
• a vacuum unit mounted to the stick remover, wherein the stick remover conveys the nut product stream through the vacuum unit prior to nuts from the nut product stream passing through the endless chain.

A modular nut cleaning plant comprising:

• a nut sizer having an open intake end and a discharge end, the nut sizer comprising a nut sizer frame and rotatable nut sizer cage rotatably mounted in the nut sizer frame, the nut sizer cage comprising longitudinally extending spaced apart rods to allow nuts of a desired size to pass therebetween;
• a stick remover having a receiving end and a discharge end mounted to the nut sizer frame, the stick remover comprising:
• a movable endless chain defining a plurality of openings to allow nuts to pass therethrough;
• and
• a delivery conveyor positioned to receive nuts and other debris that pass through the openings in the endless chain, wherein the delivery conveyor delivers nuts and debris that pass through the endless chain directly into the open intake of the nut sizer;
• and
• a debris conveyor positioned beneath the nut sizer configured to collect debris passing out of the nut sizer through the longitudinally extending spaced apart rods in first and second sections thereof as the nut product stream moves from the intake end of the nut sizer toward the discharge end of the nut sizer, the spaces between the longitudinally extending spaced apart rods in the second section being greater than the spaces between the rods in the first section.