Peanut combine

In a combine comprising a housing enclosing thrashing means, a vine pick-up member disposed at the front of the combine adapted to lift vines from the ground and carry them into the combine to the thrashing means, said pick-up member comprising plates evenly spaced across the width of the combine having an arcuate shaped surface exposed at the front of the combine, said member being fixed to the housing, to be supported at the front of the combine near the ground, a shaft extending transversely across the said member inwardly from the spaced plates, a plurality of bars extending transversely through said member and spaced circumferentially from each other radially outwardly of the shaft, means fixed to the shaft for supporting the bars and for rotating the bars as the shaft rotates, a pair of radially spaced guide rails circular in cross-section disposed between the shaft and the said member and adjacent to each end of said bars, a roller attached to each end of said bars and disposed between the guide rails for rolling therebetween as the shaft rotates, a plurality of flexible fingers longitudinally spaced along the bars and extending through spaces between the said plates, said shaft being eccentrically disposed with respect to the center of the cross-sections of the guide rails and disposed with respect to the said member whereby the said fingers as they are moved with the shaft extend outwardly through the spaces when disposed adjacent to the ground and are retracted into the member as they rotate adjacent to said thrashing means whereby vines on the ground are picked-up and rotated about the member into the combine adjacent to the thrashing means, and means for rotating the shaft as the combine moves over the ground.

A combine comprising a vine pick-up member disposed adjacent the ground for transferring cut vines from the ground into the combine, said pick-up member comprising a plurality of arcuate shaped members disposed side by side with spaces therebetween to provide a curved surface over which vines are carried, and means for carrying vines from the ground over the surface into the combine comprising a shaft extending transversely through the said pick-up member inwardly of the arcuate shaped members, a square plate fixed to the shaft at each end thereof, an arm fixed to each plate at each corner thereof and extending radially outward therefrom, a bar fixed at one end to an arm of one square plate and at its opposite end to the corresponding arm of the plate at the opposite end of the shaft, a plurality of flexible fingers for moving vines over said surface spaced longitudinally along the bars and aligned with the spaces between the arcuate shaped members, a pair of guide rails spaced radially from each other and disposed eccentrically with respect to the shaft and the said arcuate shaped members, the rollers on the bars being disposed between the guide rails for rolling therebetween when the bars are rotated, whereby upon rotation of the shaft the bars follow the path provided by the guide rails and the flexible fingers extend outwardly through the spaces between the arcuate shaped members to lift vines from the ground and carry them over the surface and are withdrawn into the said pick-up member when rotated into the combine and release the vines, and means for rotating the shaft as the combine moves over the ground.

In a peanut combine comprising means for picking up cut peanut laden vines from the ground, means for thrashing the vines to remove the peanuts from the vines, means for separating the peanuts from the vines and discharging them separately from the combine and means for collecting the peanuts, the improved means for transporting the peanuts from the discharge point to the collecting means comprising a conduit, means for receiving peanuts into the conduit through an opening in one wall thereof and an opposite wall, means upstream of the peanut receiving means for introducing a stream of air into the conduit, a discharge end of the conduit downstream of the peanut receiving means and communicating with the collecting means, a first plate adjacent to the said receiving means extending across the conduit and extending longitudinally from upstream of the said receiving means to downstream of the receiving means, a second plate spaced between the first plate and the said opposite wall of the conduit extending across the conduit and extending longitudinally downstream from below the downstream end of the first plate, a valve for diverting air between the first plate and the material introducing means disposed upstream of the second plate and downstream of the upstream end of the first plate, whereby the velocity of the air from the said supply means is increased to form air jets at longitudinally spaced points along the conduit.

In a peanut combine comprising means for picking up cut peanut laden vines from the ground, means for thrashing the vines to remove the peanuts from the vines, means for separating the peanuts from the vines and discharging them separately from the combine and means for collecting the peanuts, the improved means for transporting the peanuts from the discharge point to the collecting means comprising a conduit, means for receiving peanuts into the conduit through an opening in one wall thereof and an opposite wall, means upstream of the peanut receiving means for introducing a stream of air into the conduit, a discharge end of the conduit downstream of the peanut receiving means and communicating with the collecting means, a first plate adjacent to the said receiving means extending across the conduit and extending longitudinally from upstream of the said receiving means to downstream of the recieving means, a second plate spaced between the first plate and the said opposite wall of the conduit extending across the conduit and extending longitudinally downstream from below the downstream end of the first plate whereby the velocity of the air from the said supply means is increased to form air jets at longitudinally spaced points along the conduit, a check valve disposed in the conduit downstream of the upstream end of the first plate and upstream of the downstrem end of the second plate, said check valve comprising a plate pivotably fixed adjacent to the top of the conduit and adapted to swing with downstream flow of air through the conduit into an open position and to move towards a closed position upon obstruction of air flow and an increase in back pressure downstream thereof until said obstruction is removed.

In a peanut combine comprising means for picking up cut peanut laden vines from the ground, means for thrashing the vines to remove the peanuts from the vines, means for separating the peanuts from the vines and discharging them separately from the combine and means for collecting the peanuts, the improved means for transporting the peanuts from the discharge point to the collecting means comprising a conduit, means for receiving peanuts into the conduit through an opening in one wall thereof and an opposite wall, means upstream of the peanut receiving means for introducing a stream of air into the conduit, a discharge end of the conduit downstream of the peanut receiving means and communicating with the collecting means, a first plate adjacent to the said receiving means extending across the conduit and extending longitudinally from upstream of the said receiving means to downstream of the receiving means, a second plate spaced between the first plate and the said opposite wall of the conduit extending across the conduit and extending longitudinally downstream from below the downstream end of the first plate, a valve disposed upstream of the second plate and downstream of the upstream end of the first plate, means above the first plate to create an air jet across the said material introducing means, and a pivotable plate disposed across the conduit downstream of the upstream end of the second plate, said pivotable plate being responsive to air pressure in the conduit and adapted to be moved into an open position with unobstructed flow of air downstream thereof and towards a closed position in response to back pressure caused by obstruction of air flow downstream thereof.

In a peanut combine having means for lifting peanut laden vines from the ground and means for thrashing the vines and separating the peanuts therefrom, an improved thrashing means comprising a rotatable shaft, circumferentially spaced bars spaced radially from the shaft, means secured to the shaft for rotation therewith supporting said bars, flexible fingers fastened to said bars for shredding vines, and a parallelepiped shaped vine carrying means disposed about the shaft and between the shaft and the bars, said means secured to the shaft for rotation therewith comprising a pair of circular plates spaced longitudinally on the shaft, said bars being circumferentially spaced on the peripheral edges of the plates, and the vine carrying means being a parallelpiped shaped enclosure member about the shaft disposed between the circular plates and the peripheral edges of the circular plates to prevent vines from falling through the thrashing means, said enclosure member comprising four wall members assembled with one end against each circular plate and a first edge along it length abutting the face of another wall member between the shaft and peripheral edge of the plates wherein the space within the enclosure member is parallelpiped shaped and of smaller cross-section than the diameter of the circular plates, the width of each wall member being larger than the cross-section of the said space with the second edge along the length of the said member being adjacent to one of said bars, and means for rotating the circular plates so the tops of the circular plates are rotating towards the forward end of the combine where vines falling on said wall members fall therefrom forwardly of the said thrasher.