US 4,590,739 A · Field crop harvesting system

Abstract

A harvesting apparatus is provided wherein a forward harvesting machine tows a rearward shuttle truck, both vehicles being self-propelled, with the harvesting machine having a crop collection system comprising a series of conveyors which convey the crops from a pair of forward wing conveyors through a cleaning/fungiciding station to a pair of on-board longitudinally extended conveyors spaced on opposite sides of the harvesting machine. Between these two spaced longitudinal crop conveyors extending centrally down the bed of the harvesting machine is a full box conveyor for boxes which have been packed, and between the full box conveyor and the crop conveyors are the respective work areas having sorting bins and packing stands enabling workers in these areas to remove individual crops such as melons from the outer crop conveyors and place them in the boxes, and then place the boxes on the central full box conveyor, which is moving rearwardly. The full boxes on the full box conveyor move rearwardly to a bridge and over the bridge onto a roller conveyor longitudinally extended on the shuttle truck. Once this is done, the shuttle truck releases from the harvest truck and takes the cleaned, fungicided, sorted, boxed and palletized crop to a freight depot or cooling station where it can be cooled or shipped without further handling other than by the pallet.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An apparatus for harvesting, packing and transporting field crops, comprising:

(a) a harvesting machine having means to propel same through the fields and also having a collecting system for conveying crops to a packing area on said machine;
(b) a self-propelled vehicle releasibly linkable to said machine such that said shuttle trails said machine through the fields when linked therewith, said shuttle having a crop preparation area where crops are prepared for shipping;
(c) a conveyor system for conveying harvested crops from said packing area on said machine to said crop preparation area on said shuttle vehicle, whereby crops can be prepared for shipping on said vehicle and when said vehicle has a full load, it can be released from said machine to transport crops to a freight depot;
(d) said conveyor system for conveying harvested crops being separable into forward and rear portions carried on the machine and shuttle truck, respectively, said forward portion comprising a powered longitudinal full box conveyor terminating rearwardly in a rearward bridge spanning to said rear portion, said bridge being raisable to separate said forward and rear conveyor system portions;
and,
(e) a roller cam pivoted on an arm and operated by an elongated handle to raise and lower said bridge, said roller cam being rotatable on a shaft and said handle sliding axially on said shaft to selectably engage or disengage same to permit the lowering of said handle into idle position when not in use.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Field crop harvesting system

Life of this patent

Field crop harvesting system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12