Vegetable harvester

An agricultural harvester for harvesting the fruit of plants grown in rows comprising:

• a harvester frame movable across a surface of a field;
• a harvesting head attached to the front of the frame;
• a primary elevator attached to the frame for receiving fruit harvested by the harvesting head;
• a shredder, for shredding stems and leaves, including a left side plate adjustably attached to the harvester frame, a right side plate adjustably attached to the harvester frame, a first drum assembly journalized on the left side plate and the right side plate for rotation about a first axis of rotation, a second drum rotatably journaled on the left side plate and the right side plate for rotation about a second axis of rotation that is generally parallel to the first axis of rotation of the first drum and spaced from the first axis of rotation of the first drum, a third drum rotatably journalized on the left side plate and the right side plate for rotation about a third axis of rotation that is generally parallel to the first axis of rotation of the first drum and the second axis of rotation of the second drum and that is horizontally positioned to one side of the first axis of rotation of the first drum and the second axis of rotation of the second drum, a plurality of posts extending radially outward from an outer surface of the first, second, and third drums, and a drive that rotates the first, second, and third drums to lift stems and leaves from the primary elevator, to shred stems and leaves with the plurality of posts, and to return shredded stems and leaves to the primary elevator;
• a blower which passes air through fruit and other crop material that has been discharged from the primary elevator and carries material other than fruit out of the harvester;
• a roller bed that receives fruit and other material from the primary elevator, removes stems and leaves from the fruit, and separates leaves, stems, and other material from the fruit;
• a secondary elevator that receives fruit from the roller bed and elevates the fruit;
• a sizer that receives fruit from the secondary elevator, separates large fruit and any remaining large pieces of plant material and discharges separated large fruit and pieces of plant material, and that separates small fruit and pieces of plant material, and discharges the small fruit from the harvester;
• a sorting bed that receives fruit from the sizer and conveys the fruit from the sizer along a manual separation area for the separation of undesirable fruit;
• and
• a discharge conveyor system that conveys cleaned, sized, and sorted fruit from the harvester.