Harvester with mechanical rod weeder and soil agitator

Abstract

A double, transverse, parallel tool bar is attached to the three-point hitch of a tractor. A depending shank is welded to each tool bar extension for mounting the rod weeder. Each shank has a forwardly and downwardly extending hard faced chisel tooth and a rearwardly extending skid which controls depth of penetration of the rod weeder. A chain and sprocket drive assembly is connected to the center shank and driven through the PTO of the tractor. The other shanks each have contained therein a bearing having a spare aperture through which a square rod weeder bar is disposed. The outermost shanks each have a strap which is bolted over the ends of the rod weeder bars to hold them in place and provide for easy replacement thereof. A plurality of cleaner bars are disposed 1/16th of an inch behind the high cam position of the rod weeder and fixedly connected between the shanks for both cleaning the rod and providing lateral support for the shanks. An additional bar is mounted in an offset position behind each shank. The bar contains a plurality of tines which are driven in unison in an up and down motion for separating fruit which has been uprooted by use of the rod weeder from the surrounding soil to facilitate the manual harvesting of the fruit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.