Overhead shaker harvester
OwnerDon Stackhouseinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A single-unit shaker-type tree harvesting machine designed to travel down one side of a row of trees in order to harvest the entire crop from each tree. A wheel-based chassis supports a laterally disposed shaker and an angled catch frame together and conveyors for removing harvested crops. The chassis also supports an adjustable overhead structure and swingable carriage that extends down around the opposite side of each tree. An adjustable catch frame at the bottom of the carriage extends below the tree branches on the opposite side, and meets the chassis-mounted catch frame forming a complete crop catching frame in the shape of a wide modified V. Shaking the tree dislodges the crops which fall into the frame and are conveyed away from the harvester.
Claims18
A tree harvesting machine comprising a mobile wheel-based chassis, a laterally disposed tree shaking device mounted on said chassis, a first set of angled crop catching panels mounted on said chassis adjacent to said shaking device, a deflection panel mounted below said angled catch panels, and a vertically adjustable upwardly extending support structure mounted on said chassis, said support structure having a horizontally adjustable overhead section to which a swingable carriage is hingedly attached, said carriage extending out and away from said overhead section and including a lower section to which a second set of angled crop catching panels are attached, such that said second set of panels detachably engage said chassis near said first set of panels and above said deflection panel when the carriage swings in so as to form a receptacle below the branches of a tree for catching the crops shaken from the tree.
A machine for harvesting the crop of a tree comprising a wheel-based chassis for movable deployment on one side of the tree, said chassis supporting a tree shaking mechanism detachably attachable to the trunk of the tree, a near side angled catch frame, a deflection panel below said catch frame, and a vertically adjustable support, said support having a swingable carriage hingedly attached thereto for extending over and around the far side of said tree, said carriage including a lower angled far side catch frame, such that said carriage swings out to allow said machine to travel from tree to tree, and said carriage swings in to allow said far side catch frame to engage said chassis to surround the base of a tree in order to catch and collect the crops shaken loose from the tree.
A machine for harvesting the crop of a tree comprising a wheel-based chassis supporting a tree shaking mechanism detachably attachable to the trunk of the tree, an angled near side catch frame for positioning below the near side of the tree, and a vertically adjustable support, said support having a swingable carriage hingedly attached thereto for extending over and around the far side of the tree, said carriage including a lower angled far side catch frame, wherein said carriage and far side catch frame are both suspended in spaced relation to the earth on the far side of the tree such that the carriage swings open to allow the machine to travel from tree to tree, and the carriage swings closed to allow the far side catch frame to be positioned below the far side of the tree to surround the base of the tree in order to catch and collect the crops shaken loose from the tree.
A tree harvesting machine comprising a mobile wheel-based chassis for movable deployment down one side of a row of trees, a laterally disposed tree shaking device mounted on said chassis, a first set of angled crop catching panels mounted on said chassis adjacent to said shaking device, a deflection panel mounted below said angled catch panels, and a vertically adjustable upwardly extending support structure mounted on said chassis, said support structure having a horizontally adjustable overhead section to which a swingable carriage is hingedly attached for movement between open and closed positions on the opposite sides of the trees of said row, said carriage extending out and away from said overhead section and including a lower section to which a second set of angled crop catching panels are attached, such that said second set of panels detachably engage said chassis near said first set of panels and above said deflection panel when the carriage swings closed so as to form a receptacle below the branches of a tree for catching the crops shaken from the tree.
A method for harvesting tree crops from one side of a tree comprising the steps of:
- a. moving a wheel-based chassis to one side of a tree, said chassis supporting a tree shaking mechanism, a near side angled catch frame, a deflection panel below said catch frame, and a vertically adjustable support, said support having a swingable carriage hingedly attached thereto that has been opened to extend away from the far side of the tree, said carriage including a lower angled far side catch frame;
- b. engaging the shaking mechanism to the tree;
- c. swinging said carriage in so that it closes around the far side of the tree;
- d. engaging the far side catch frame with the chassis;
- e. activating the shaking mechanism;
- f. collecting the crops shaken loose from the tree in said catch frames and deflection panel;
- and
- g. conveying the crops away from the tree.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.