US 4,060,133 A · Method for mechanically harvesting tomatoes

Abstract

Tomatoes are mechanically harvested by moving a mechanical harvester through a row of growing tomato plants, severing the plants below ground, and picking up the severed plants along with loose tomatoes and some dirt clods, while returning loose dirt to the ground. The severed tomato plants are separated from the loose tomatoes and dirt clods and are shaken to remove the tomatoes from the plants. These tomatoes are recovered and conveyed forwardly past sorters. In the meantime the originally loose tomatoes and clods are passed rearwardly countercurrently to the mainstream of tomatoes, by the sorters for recovery of good loose tomatoes. Preferably, the pickup is made at about 15% slower than the ground speed of the harvester, while the separation between plants and the clods and loose tomatoes is made at the ground speed and the separated plants are carried away from that separation step at a speed about 15% greater than the ground speed of the harvester.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A method of mechanically harvesting tomatoes comprising the steps of:

a. moving a mechanical harvester through a row of growing tomato plants,
b. slicing a thin top layer of soil in said row to sever tomato plant stems just below the surface of the ground,
c. picking up severed tomato plants, loose tomatoes, and dirt clods, while returning the loose dirt to the ground,
d. separating said severed tomato plants from said loose tomatoes and dirt clods,
e. agitating said tomato plants with an increasingly intense up and down and forward and backward motion to shake off tomatoes without damaging them,
f. recovering said tomatoes shaken from said plants while separating and discarding chaff, leaves, twigs, dirt, trash, and exhausted tomato plants,
g. conveying said recovered tomatoes forwardly past sorters who remove culls and pass good tomatoes,
h. passing said loose tomatoes and dirt clods rearwardly by said sorters, some of whom recover the good said loose tomatoes, and
i. loading said recovered good tomatoes into a suitable container.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for mechanically harvesting tomatoes

Life of this patent

Method for mechanically harvesting tomatoes

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5