Self loading vegetable harvester
OwnerWilliam Paul Franzoyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A root vegetable harvesting system for transporting, filling, and depositing filled storage crates. The harvesting system includes a non-labor intensive collecting system for loading harvested crop into containers, while in the field, directly from the harvester. The containers are picked-up or loaded onto the collecting system by the harvesting system, moved in relation to the collecting system by the collecting system to a location where the containers are filled with crop, and are released from the collecting system by the collecting system.
Claims15
A crop harvesting system for root vegetables comprising:
- a crop harvester having a first end and an opposite second end, with a digger portion at the first end and a conveyor mechanism extending from proximate the digger portion to the second end;
- a crop dispensing system positioned proximate the second end of the crop harvester, the dispensing system having a chute with a chute conveyor and a chute exit,
- a collecting system located proximate the chute exit, the collecting system comprising a frame structure configured to receive at least one container thereon, the collecting system having, in order, an inclined pick-up section, a loading section, and a release section,
- the inclined pick-up section having wall rails, support rails, and a conveyor mechanism;
- the loading section having support rails and a conveyor mechanism;
- and
- the release section having support rails moveable from a first position to a second lowered position,
- each of the conveyor mechanism of the inclined pick-up section, the conveyor mechanism of the loading section, and the support rails of the release section connected to a control station on the harvesting system.
A method of collecting harvesting root crop in a field, the method comprising:
- providing a harvested crop to a chute having a floor conveyor and a chute exit;
- positioning a first container on an elevated loading section of a frame structure proximate the chute exit, the first container having been provided to the elevated loading section from an inclined pick-up section of the frame structure;
- filling the first container with the harvested crop via the chute exit;
- after filling the first container, activating a conveyor mechanism in the loading section to move the first container to a support rail of a release section;
- and
- after moving the first container to the release section, moving the support rail of the release section from a first position to a second position and lowering the first container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.