Fruit Harvester Platform

A method of harvesting agricultural products using a mobile picking platform system comprising a mobile picking platform for traveling along a ground surface adjacent to at least one row of agricultural products, the mobile picking platform having a mobile carriage configured for movement along the ground surface, having a first end, a second end and a plurality of sides between the first end and the second end, a plurality of picking stations supported on the mobile carriage at a plurality of heights above the ground surface and extending laterally from at least one of the plurality of sides of the mobile carriage of the mobile picking platform by lateral extensions, a storage box carrier mounted on the mobile carriage having a first carrier section, a second carrier section with a first end and a second end, a first lifting mechanism connecting the second carrier section to the mobile carriage of the mobile picking platform for moving the second carrier section between a load position with the second end of the second carrier section elevated above the ground surface, an unload position with the second end of the second carrier section adjacent to the ground surface, and a pick position in which storage boxes on the storage box carrier are positioned proximate to each of the plurality of picking stations of the mobile carriage of the mobile picking platform, and a storage unit configured for movement along the ground surface, coupled to the mobile picking platform and comprising a storage unit mobile carriage configured for movement along the ground surface, a storage unit bed mounted to the mobile carriage of the storage unit by a lifting mechanism, the bed of the storage unit having a first end, a second end, a down position, and an up position in which a storage box on the ground surface passes underneath the storage unit bed and the first end of the storage unit bed is in alignment with the second end of the second carrier section of the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform when the second carrier section of the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform is in the load position, and a storage box drive unit mounted on the storage unit bed for moving storage boxes from a position on the storage unit bed toward the first end of the storage unit bed and on to the second carrier section of the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) positioning the mobile picking platform between two rows of agricultural products;
• b) placing the second carrier section of the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform in the load position;
• c) placing the storage unit bed in the up position and activating the storage box drive unit to transfer a plurality of empty storage boxes on the storage unit bed from the storage unit bed to the second carrier section of the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform and the first carrier section of the storage box carrier, and placing the second carrier section of the mobile picking platform in the pick position after the plurality of empty storage boxes has been transferred to the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform;
• d) moving the movable picking platform between the two rows of agricultural products while pickers on the picking stations of the mobile picking platform pick the agricultural products and place the picked agricultural products in the empty storage boxes on the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform, until the plurality of empty storage boxes on the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform are full of picked agricultural products;
• e) restocking the storage unit with empty storage boxes;
• and
• f) placing the second carrier section of the mobile picking platform in the unload position and the storage unit bed in the up position, and transferring the plurality of full storage boxes from the storage box carrier of the mobile picking platform to a ground surface while the mobile picking platform moves between the two rows of agricultural products and the storage unit moves over and past the plurality of full storage boxes being transferred to the ground surface.