Tree shaker and fruit and nut harvester

A device that may be moved longitudinally along a space between trees that have the trunks thereof arranged in rows to sequentially subject each of said trees including those with low hanging branches on one side of said space to a shaking operation to displace fruit or nuts therefrom, to harvest said fruit or nuts, and to deliver said fruit or nuts to a container that travels with said device, said device being of the type that includes an elongate, power driven, wheel supported, manually guidable chassis having first and second ends;

• an elongate dimensionally stable first fruit and nut deflector longitudinally supported on said chassis and extending under a portion of the branches of a tree when said chassis is in a harvesting position relative thereto;
• a first longitudinal conveyor belt assembly supported on said chassis under said deflector;
• a transversely movable carriage disposed between said deflector and said first conveyor belt assembly, said carriage capable of occupying either first or second positions, said carriage when in said first position extending across said first conveyor belt assembly and said carriage when in said second position extending from said first conveyor belt assembly towards said tree that is to be harvested;
• two longitudinally spaced, transverse elonge rigid members having first and second ends, said first ends pivotally connected to said carriage;
• two power operated tree shakers supported from said second ends of said members;
• two longitudinally spaced transverse frames supported from said carriage with said two members situated therebetween, with the longitudinal spacing between said frames being such that said members and tree shakers may be disposed to angle away from one another when said shakers are not in a tree trunk engaging position, and said frames having outwardly disposed longitudinally extending first ends, two second conveyor belt assemblies supported in said frames;
• first power means for moving said carriage between said first and second position;
• second power means for pivoting said elongate members towards one another to dispose said tree shakers in gripping pressure contact with the trunk of a tree;
• third power means for driving said first and second conveyor belt assemblies;
• two expandable sheet deflectors that may be extended under a tree to cooperate with said first deflector to receive nuts and fruit shaken from a tree, said first deflector and sheet deflectors when expanded defining fruit and nut receiving surfaces that slope towards said second conveyor belt assemblies whereby fruit or nuts falling on said surfaces roll by gravity thereon to said second conveyor belt assemblies to be transported to said first conveyor belt assembly towards said first end of said chassis to be delivered to said container, the improvement for so supporting said two expandable sheet deflectors that they can be extended under trees with low hanging branches to receive fruit and nuts therefrom when said shakers are actuated, said improvement comprising:
• a. two transverse, longitudinally spaced rails supported from said chassis above said first conveyor belt assembly, said rails having upwardly inclined first portions above said first conveyor belt assembly and downwardly inclined second portions;
• b. roller means on said carriage that movably engage said rails and on at least a portion of the journey from said first to said second position are in engagement with both said first and second portions to cause said shakers as they initially move transversely relative to said chassis to move downwardly at a substantial angle to pass under low overhanging branches of a tree and as said journey continues for said shakers to move downwardly but at a less angle as said roller means rest entirely on said second portions;
• c. two slides movably supported from said first ends of said frames;
• d. fourth power means for concurrently moving said slides towards and away from one another;
• e. two elongate first supports of angular shape pivotally mounted on said slides, said first supports having free edges of said expandable sheet deflectors secured thereto;
• f. linkage means operatively associated with said first supports and said first ends of said frames that automatically pivot said first supports from first positions substantially parallel to said first ends of said frames to second positions where said first supports are adjacently disposed when said slides are moved from first positions to second positions by said fourth power means, with said first supports due to the angular shape thereof moving said expandable sheet deflectors upwardly relative to branches of a tree when they move about the trunk of said tree;
• and
• g. a plurality of second supports pivotally supported from said first ends of said frames that are connected to said expandable sheet deflectors and swing outwardly and inwardly relative to said first ends of said frames in conformity with the pivoting movement of said first supports, said second supports serving to assist said first supports in maintaining said expandable sheet deflectors in a fruit and nut receiving position.