Bulbous onion harvester and trimmer

In a field harvester and trimmer for root crops each having foliage tops growing from crowns of a crop to be harvested and trimmed, including but not limited to large bulbous onions, turnips, parsnips and rutabagas, consisting of a movable vehicle having at least a forward mounted severing and lifting mechanism and more rearward mounted trimmer, the improvement comprising forming said trimmer of a series of rotating and caged flail drum sub-assemblies positioned substantially normal to an operations travel direction of said movable vehicle for trimming foliage tops and roots of a crop to be gathered in sequence through provision of a non-vibratory tumbling action while directing said crop across sectors of said rotating and caged flail drum sub-assemblies.

A method of trimming rooted vegetables to an enhanced state, comprising the steps of:

• (i) guiding rooted vegetables to a trimmer traveling in a pre-selected direction and comprising a series of caged flail drum sub-assemblies each mounted transverse to said pre-selected direction and including an independently rotating, dissectable cylindrical cage circumferential of a series of transverse knives mounted on a central, independently driven shaft,
• (ii) independently rotating each cage so as to provide a non-vibratory tumbling action as said rooted vegetables travel across a sector of each cage and pass to an adjacent cage,
• (iii) independently rotating the transverse knives having end portions positioned adjacent to the cages whereby both foliage tops and roots of the rooted vegetables are trimmed after the vegetables have exited from said series of rotating and caged drum sub-assemblies.

A method of trimming rooted vegetables to an enhanced state, comprising the steps of:

• (i) guiding rooted vegetables to a trimmer traveling in a pre-selected direction and comprising a series of caged flail drum sub-assemblies each mounted transverse to said pre-selected direction and including an independently rotating, dissectable cylindrical cage circumferential of a series of transverse knives mounted on a central, independently driven shaft,
• (ii) independently rotating the transverse knives having end portions placed adjacent to the cages whereby both foliage tops and roots of the rooted vegetables are trimmed after the vegetables have exited from said series of rotating and caged drum sub-assemblies.

For use in trimming rooted vegetables, an article of manufacture comprising at least a rotating and caged flail drum sub-assembly comprising an independently rotating dissectable cylindrical cage circumferential of a series of transverse knives mounted on a central, independently driven shaft.