Harvest machine with worker suspension slings having long length and converging supports for free lateral movement

A harvest machine for facilitating a manual harvesting operation, comprising:

• a chassis fitted with spaced wheels for enabling said chassis to be propelled in a forward direction along parallel rows of plants, conveying means on said chassis for automatically carrying produce into a packing means, said conveying means comprising a motorized conveyor belt,
• said chassis having a frame which includes an overhead harness suspension support member above said wheels for supporting movable worker suspension means,
• movable worker suspension means attached to said overhead harness suspension support member for suspending a worker in a prone position below said overhead harness suspension support member and for enabling said worker to swing about freely in a horizontal plane,
• said movable worker suspension means including a worker-carrying harness which includes an underbelly portion which extends under said worker's torso,
• said worker-carrying harness including at least two side elongated suspensory members which are attached to opposite sides of said underbelly portion and which extend upwardly at respectively opposite sides of said worker's torso,
• said two side elongated flexible suspensory members each having a bottom end and a top end, said bottom ends of said two side elongated suspensory members being spaced apart, when supporting a prone worker, in a sideways horizontal direction normal to said forward direction, by the width of said worker's torso,
• said two side elongated flexible suspensory members converging toward each other above said worker's position such that said upper ends of said two side elongated flexible suspensory members are substantially closer together, in said sideways direction, than the width of said worker's torso,
• said movable worker suspension means also including attachment means attaching said upper ends of said two side elongated flexible suspensory members to said overhead harness suspension support member above said worker's position,
• said attachment means also being substantially narrower, in said sideways direction, than the width of said worker's torso,
• the combined lengths of said side elongated flexible suspensory members and said attachment means being over two meters long,
• whereby said worker-carrying harness, and any worker carried in a prone position in said harness, will be able to swing freely and easily in said sideways direction so as to facilitate harvesting produce.