Portable curing cell

A tobacco curing cell kit having component parts capable of being assembled and disassembled in the field for forming a portable tobacco curing cell, said kit comprising the combination of:

• a frame structure adapted to be assembled in the field, said frame structure including a plurality of interchangeable vertical support poles, a plurality of interchangeable tubular sockets, a plurality of interchangeable horizontal braces, and a plurality of interchangeable fasteners, said tubular sockets adapted to be driven into the ground in a predetermined pattern of spaced apart longitudinally disposed rows whereby said vertical support poles are fittable into said tubular sockets to form spaced apart rows of said vertical support poles and whereby said horizontal braces are mountable generally perpendicularly to said vertical support poles generally near the top thereof with said fasteners, whereby when assembled said frame structure defines at least one longitudinally disposed storage bay between at least two rows of vertical support poles;
• rigid elongated tobacco rod carrying members securable to said horizontal braces so as to be disposed oppositely faced lengthwise relative said storage bay, said tobacco rod carrying members comprising tobacco rod maintaining means disposed across the top thereof;
• a roof adapted securable to said frame structure, said roof comprising a plurality of roofing braces securable to the outermost of said vertical support poles whereby said roofing braces extend above and over said storage bays, and said roof includes a covering fittable upon said roofing braces;
• and
• elongated guide support rails disposable longitudinally within said storage bay and configured to guide and align a work vehicle through said storage bay.

A portable curing cell assembly for storing tobacco for curing, the tobacco having been cut and impaled on tobacco rods which have been loaded onto a trailer for transferring to the curing cell assembly, said curing cell assembly comprising:

• a frame structure, said frame structure defining three storage bays formed by four rows of paired vertical support poles fitted into tubular sockets which have been driven into the ground, said storage bays having a width sufficient for allowing the trailer to be transported therethrough, said frame structure including horizontal braces secured transversely across said pairs of vertical support poles generally at the top thereof;
• oppositely faced rigid elongated carrying members secured to said horizontal braces along the length of said storage bays, said elongated carrying members disposed longitudinally along each side of said storage bays so that tobacco laden tobacco rods can be suspended from said elongated carrying members across said bays, said elongated carrying members being supported by said frame structure at a predetermined height thereon so that the suspended tobacco stalks have a predetermined degree of ground clearance;
• a roof disposed across and above said storage bays, said roof comprising a plurality of roofing braces extending across said storage bays and secured to the outermost vertical support poles of said frame structure, said roof supported by said frame structure at a predetermined height above said elongated carrying members and comprising a flexible poly sheet material fitting over said roofing braces;
• means for maintaining tobacco rods in place along said elongated carrying members so that said tobacco rods extending across said storage bay are generally parallel relative each other, said maintaining means comprising spaced apart protuberances extending from the top of said rigid elongated carrying members along the length thereof;
• and
• means for positively aligning and guiding the trailer through said storage bays.