Collection of crop and like materials

A crop collection vehicle comprising a frame movable over the ground and pick up means at the forward side of the vehicle, said vehicle having front and rear walls and each wall having a substantially curved configuration, said walls adjoining a top and defining a receiving chamber with curved surfaces, said chamber including a load receiving floor that is supported on said frame and an entrance leading into said chamber, said entrance being located adjacent and to the rear of said pick up means, a conveyor system positioned at least partly within said chamber and said system including at least one conveyor that extends upwardly and adjacent the curved rear wall, said conveyor being associated with said rear wall and positioned to receive crop and move same along the interior surfaces of said rear wall, top and front walls during the operation of said conveyor system, said rear wall having a tiltable portion that is displaceably connected to said frame with hinge means and movable to a downwardly tilted position with respect to said chamber, said conveyor being supported on said tiltable portion and movable with that portion into an unloading position for conveying the crop mass out of said chamber.

A crop collection vehicle comprising a frame movable over the ground and a crop receiving chamber supported on said frame, a conveyor system positioned at least partly within said chamber to move crop and unload same, said chamber having a floor and further being defined by walls including a front wall and a rear wall, both of which have a substantially curved configuration, said front and rear walls adjoining a top of said chamber, said conveyor system being positioned to roll crops in a mass along the interior surfaces of said walls and top within said chamber during the operation of said conveyor system, said rear wall having a tiltable portion that is displaceably connected to said frame with hinge means and movable to a downwardly tilted unloading position with respect to said chamber, in which at least one conveyor of said system is positioned to move the crop mass out of said chamber and said tiltable portion affording a guide for the crop being unloaded.

A crop collection vehicle comprising a frame movable over the ground and a receiving chamber having front and rear walls each of which has a substantially curved configuration and said walls adjoining a top, a crop receiving floor supported on said frame, pick up means mounted adjacent said front wall to move crop into said chamber, a conveyor system within said chamber being positioned to move said crop along the inner surfaces of said front and rear walls during operation as a rolled mass, driving means connected to said pick up means and to conveyors of said system to operate same, orienting means on said vehicle positioned within said chamber and adjacent at least one of said walls to orient the stems of crop during the latter's movement along said walls, said rear wall having a tiltable portion that is displaceably connected to said frame with hinge means and movable to a downwardly tilted unloading position with respect to said chamber for conveying the crop mass out of said chamber by means of said conveyor system.

A method of collecting crop and loading same for transport within an enlarged enclosed load receiving chamber comprising circulating said crop along the inner surfaces of walls and top of the chamber and passing the crop by projecting combing elements located adjacent the path of movement of the crop to contact and at least partly orient the crop stems in the general direction of movement past said elements, progressively forming a rolled mass of crop in a coherent stack within said chamber and thereafter discharging said mass as a single stack from said chamber.