Tobacco harvester

#This invention relates to harvestering devices and more particularly to tobacco harvesters.

#In the past various types of harvesters have been developed for use in conjunction with leaf type crops such as tobacco. Some of these devices have been self-propelled with workers riding thereon. Some of these harvesters have had a platform above the workers with mechanical conveying means to move tobacco from the picking or priming area up to the "racking" area.

#Other harvesters, usually less expensive in production cost, have been developed on which the workers ride, some of these having raised platforms for racking areas and are even provisioned for a trailer to be towed behind the harvester to load the filled bins or racks onto. A third broad category of tobacco harvesters are the automatic primers but these are relatively compact and extremely expensive, and, therefore, cannot be justified economically except by farmers or coops with large acreage allotments.

#FIG. 1. is a perspective view of the harvesting system of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the trailer portion of the present invention;

#FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the frame of said trailer;

#With further reference to the drawings, the harvesting system of the present invention, indicated generally at 10, is composed of a harvester unit, indicated generally at 11 which is straddlingly disposed about a harvested crop transport unit, indicated generally at 12.

#The harvester unit 11 is constructed of a plurality of frame means carrying crop conveyors and worker riding stations. This frame is composed of a vertical tow frame 13 having a standard coupler foot 14 secured to its lower end for pivotable mounting on the tow bar 15 of a standard tractor 16.

#The upper end of tow frame 13 is fixedly secured to V-shaped horizontal frame 17. To strengthen the joint between frame 13 and 17, a pair of braces 18 are fixedly secured therebetween.