Apparatus for cleaning tuberous plants

An apparatus for cleaning tuberous plants, comprising

• a frame;
• a plurality of digging wheels substantially upstandingly mounted to the lowermost side of a suitable, horizontally disposed, framing member at the forwardmost terminal end of said frame;
• a disk-renk including a plurality of pentagonally shaped plates fastened on a suitable shaft journally mounted horizontally and transversely on said frame, rearwardly of said digging wheels, said shaft being driven by a suitable drive means;
• a belt-renk subassembly including an elevating conveyor and a belt-renk, said elevating being mounted on suitable framing members of said frame and being operable to elevate and to move rectilinearly rearwardly plant tubers from said disk-renk, said elevating conveyor being driven by suitable drive means similar to said disk-renk, said belt-renk being disposed on a suitable framing member of said frame parallel to and substantially beneath said elevating conveyor, said belt-renk including an upwardly inclined, substantially chain conveyor-like belt being driven by suitable drive means driving said belt-renk in an upwardly inclined rearward direction, the angle of said belt-renk being disposed to suitably reduce downward gravitational travel of a tuber on said belt-renk to overcome the counteracting rearward direction of travel of said belt-renk;
• and
• a discharging subassembly being suitable mechanically powered and being carried on said frame, said discharging subassembly having means to collect said tubers discharged from said belt-renk and means to convey said tubers to a transporting vehicle.