Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
  • A01D31/00—Other digging harvesters
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
  • A01D45/00—Harvesting of standing crops

Definitions

• This invention relates to a harvesting machine for pulling plants from a soil, such as small trees, shrubs, leek, comprising a conveyor to be moved along the soil, the conveyor comprising means for engaging the plants to be dug up for exerting thereon at least a force directed away from the soil and for transporting plants from its forward end to its rear end, the forward end being located lower than the rear end and cleaning units being arranged along the conveyor for cleaning the part of the plant that has been removed from the soil, these cleaning units comprising arms to be moved back and forth on opposite sides of a central vertical plane of the conveyor and, at least partly, substantially transversely to this plane.
• a soil such as small trees, shrubs, leek
• the arms are each mounted on one of two shafts, each arranged on one side of said vertical plane and parallel to the conveyor, the arms each extending from the shafts towards an area under the conveyor.
• the shafts are rotated back and forth through a given angle, so that the arms of the cleaning units knock against the parts of the plants that have been pulled from the soil.
• the adherent earth is removed from these parts in that the adherent earth is shaken off the corresponding parts of the plants.
• a drawback of this known apparatus is that in digging up young shrubs and two to three-year-old trees, and in particular in digging up trees having a large root system and a great many root-hairs, such as three-year-old beech trees, the root system and in particular the root hairs may be damaged to an undesirably large extent.
• Netherlands patent application 7808024 discloses an apparatus for harvesting leaved tuberous crops which comprises a conveyor with means for engaging the plants to be dug up for exerting thereon at least a force directed away from the soil and for conveying the plants from its forward end to its rear end, the forward end being located lower than the rear end and two arms being arranged on opposite sides of the conveyor, which arms alternately beat the roots of the plants supplied counter to the direction of transport.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a harvesting machine which, in cleaning such parts of lifted plants as have have been pulled from the soil, causes little or at least less damage to such parts, while the problem of synchronization of the movement of the arms on opposite sides of the conveyor has been solved and thorough removal of earth from the roots can be accomplished.
• each of the arms at least in its position closest to the vertical plane, extends from its fixed end substantially in the direction of transport and towards the vertical plane, and the arms on opposite sides of the conveyor have been arranged in mutually staggered relationship in the direction of transport.
• the parts pulled from the soil, during transportation along the conveyor are gradually passed along those arms without these parts each time abutting against parts of the arms.
• a further advantage of the design of the arms according to the invention is that they are always directed substantially transverse to the main direction of the roots of most types of plants to be processed, so that the arms cannot penetrate the root systems of harvested plants or penetrate them only to a limited extent. Thus, damage to the root systems is further prevented.
• the arms arranged in mutually staggered relationship on opposite sides of the conveyor exert a shaking action on the roots over a relatively long part of the conveyor, so that a thorough removal of earth can be achieved while keeping the force of impact of each ot the arms low.
• the arms can be driven independently of each other without risk of roots becoming wedged between two oppositely arranged arms.
• the roots pass from the free end of an arm, which moves with a relatively large amplitude, towards the fixed portion of a next arm, which moves with a relatively slight amplitude.
• the arms can be arranged at small intervals in the direction of transport.
• Oppositely arranged arms may even overlap each other in the direction of transport without risk of roots or root systems becoming wedged between these successive arms.
• the apparatus according to the invention is in general relatively unsusceptible to the setting of the distance from the arms to the axis of the conveyor. Adjusting the apparatus is thereby facilitated and will often not be necessary at all.
• An additional advantage of the invention is that it permits the use of relatively flexible arms becaus they are always directed substantially in the direction of transport.
• a harvesting machine according to the invention can also be used for many types of crops having relatively vulnerable parts to be harvested for consumption, such as carrots, leek, onions, potatoes, sugar beets and cassava.
• crops having relatively vulnerable parts to be harvested for consumption such as carrots, leek, onions, potatoes, sugar beets and cassava.
• crops having relatively vulnerable parts to be harvested for consumption such as carrots, leek, onions, potatoes, sugar beets and cassava.
• the parts of the plants that project above the ground and have been cut off constitute a risk in the spread of diseases and therefore are sprayed. This in turn constitutes an undesirable imposition on the environment.
• the use of the harvesting apparatus according to the invention enables the potatoes and the like, plant and all, to be pulled from the soil- for the potatoes to be subsequently separated from the plant portions, so that no plants that must be sprayed
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a harvesting machine according to the invention
• Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a conveyor with cleaning units of a harvesting machine according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 is a top plan view of two cleaning units according to the invention.
• Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the left-hand cleaning unit as shown in Fig. 3;
• Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a different setting of the cleaning units; and Fig. 6 is a top plan view of yet another setting of the cleaning units as shown in Fig. 3.
• Fig. 1 is an overall view of a harvesting machine according to the invention.
• the harvesting machine is designed as a trailer to be coupled a tractor. It is equally possible, however, to design the harvesting machine as a construction to be supported by the tractor and capable of picking up the plants laterally of the tractor.
• the harvesting machine comprises a pivotally suspended depth adjustment roller 1 having connected thereto a plough-share (not shown) .
• a conveyor 2 Arranged in laterally offset relationship to the depth adjustment roller and upstream thereof in the direction of travel is a conveyor 2 comprising two clamping belts 3 arranged in side by side parallel relationship.
• the conveyor inclines upwards counter to the direction of travel and is adapted to clamp a plant 4 (see Fig. 2) between the clamping belts 3 and discharging the plant 4 in the direction of transport indicated with an arrow 5, counter to the direction of travel.
• the height of the conveyor 2 relative to the soil can be set by means of a hand wheel 6, while the pressure force of the clamping belts 3 can be set by means of a hand wheel 9.
• packers 7 and a bundling apparatus 8 Arranged behind the conveyor 2 (in the direction of travel) are packers 7 and a bundling apparatus 8 for collecting and binding the harvested plants into bundles. It is also possible, however, to collect the harvested plants for instance in a bin or simply throw them back onto the soil.
• the plough-share is drawn through the soil downstream of the conveyor 2, so that the soil under the plant to be harvested is cut and loosened and the plant is question can easily be lifted by the conveyor 2.
• the rearward speed of the conveyor is preferably set at a speed equal to the speed of displacement of the harvesting machine along the soil, so that the plants are pulled from the soil in substantially upright orientation.
• the cleaning units 10 Arranged along the conveyor 2 are two cleaning units 10 for shaking the parts of the plants that have been pulled from the soil.
• the cleaning units 10 are arranged on opposite sides of a central vertical plane 11 (see Figs 5 and 6) of the conveyor 2 and comprise arms 12 extending substantially transverse to the plane 11, adapted to be moved back and forth.
• Each of the arms 12, at least in its position closest to the vertical plane, extends from its fixed end substantially in the direction of transport 5 and towards the vertical plane 11 (see also Figs 3, 5 and 6) .
• the roots of the lifted plants 4 are gradually passed along these arms 12 without the roots each time abutting against parts of the arms.
• the arms 12 are directed substantially transverse to the main direction of the roots of most types of plants to be harvested, so that during tapping relative movements of parts of a root system are limited. This enables susbstantial prevention of any damage to the roots of lifted plants during cleaning.
• the arms 12 being oriented substantially in the direction of transport, the use of relatively flexible arms is possible.
• a harvesting machine according to the invention can also be used for many types of crops having relatively vulnerable parts to be harvested for consumption, such as carrots, leek, onions, potatoes, sugar beets and cassava.
• the arms can be used for processing different types of plants.
• the arms may for instance be made of supple resilient plastics material.
• the arms may advantageously be composed of a plurality of resilient stems.
• the arms may each be formed as a resilient flat strip so as to prevent bruising.
• Relative mutual movements of the parts of a root system of a lifted plant during cleaning can be limited by providing the arms 12 each with a free end 13 bent away from the vertical plane 11 (see Figs 2, 3, 5, and 6) .
• the arms 12 are each in operation non-rotatably mounted on an shaft 14 in turn mounted for back and forth rotation, extending approximately transverse to the direction of transport 5 and parallel to the vertical plane 11.
• This offers the advantage that the deflection of the parts of an arm 12 that tap the parts of a lifted plant 4 that have been removed from the soil, increases in the direction of transport 5, i.e., according as the adherent earth has been loosened more and the roots have been allowed to settle.
• the plant is only tapped relatively hard by the time the earth has been somewhat loosened and the roots have been allowed to settle, which prevents damage to the distal parts of the plant facing the arm 12.
• the shafts 14, instead of being directed parallel to the vertical plane 11, may also be inclined downwards away from the plane 11.
• Such portions of the roots as are located relatively far from the clamping belts 3 and can be bent over a relatively large distance, are accordingly bent from their neutral position by a greater distance during cleaning. If the root portions that are located close to the clamping belts 3 are bent over too large a distance, this may have a whiplash effect on the distal root portions and hence cause damage to the roots.
• the arms 12 on opposite sides of the conveyor 2 are arranged in staggered relationship relative to each other (see Figs 3, 5 and 6) .
• the shafts 14 are each connected with three or four arms 12. It is thus ensured that also in the case of plants having relatively long or short subsoil portions, such portions are adequately cleaned. Further, the provision of several arms 12 on each shaft 14 ensures a distribution of the pressure exerted by the arms 12, so that bruising or breaking of roots of lifted plants is avoided.
• the arms 12 are each made from resilient bar stock which has been bent at the fixed ending of the arms to form at least one coil 22.
• a supple, yielding arm 12 can be provided, likewise to limit damage to the former subsoil parts of the lifted plants.
• Fig. 5 shows the cleaning units as shown in Fig. 3 though adjusted in such a way that of a pair of arms 12 arranged one behind another in the direction of transport, an arm 12 has a position closest to the vertical plane 11 which is closer to the vertical plane 11 than the corresponding position of an arm 12 arranged upstream of the first-mentioned arm 12.
• the arms 12 are all shown in their position closest to the vertical plane. This configuration of the arms 12 offers the advantage that former subsoil portions are bent further and shaken more intensively according as more earth has been shaken off these portions.
• the drive mechanism of the cleaning units 10 according to the invention will now be described with reference to Figs 3 and 4.
• the arms 12 arranged in succession in the direction of transport 5 are connected in groups to the shafts 14 discusse above.
• Each of the shafts 14 is coupled with a crank 15.
• Each of the cranks 15 on one side of the conveyor 2 is pivotally connected with one of two drive rods 16 extending substantially parallel to the conveyor 2.
• the drive rods 16 are each connected via a ball joint 17 to a coupling rod 18 which in turn is connected to a pivot pin 19 which can be driven by a motor 20 for rotation according to a path 21 having a radius smaller than the effective length of each of the cranks 15.
• the pivot pin 19 rotating according to path 20 imparts in operation a back and forth motion to the coupling rod 18, which motion is transmitted by the coupling rod via the joint 17 to the drive rod 16.
• the back and forth motion of the drive rod 16 is transmitted to the cranks 15, which in their turn impart the motion to the shafts 14 which are thereby given a back and forth rotary motion.
• This back and forth rotary motion of the shafts 14 causes the arms 12 to pivot back and forth towards and from the central vertical plane 11, so that they tap against a passing portion of a lifted plant.
• the transmission according to the embodiment shown is of simple construction and can be combined with clamping belts 3 of which a portion is shown in Figs 3 and 4.
• a harvesting machine may also comprise, as is known as such, two shafts extending on opposite sides of the vertical plane, parallel to the conveyor, and adapted for back and forth rotation for driving the motions of the arms.
• the arms may each be connected with an intermediate arm which in operation is non- rotatably connected with one of the shafts adapted for back and forth rotation, which intermediate arm can be pivoted transverse to the direction of transport in correspondence with the back and forth rotation of the above mentioned shafts.
• Such a construction offers the advantage that existing harvesting machines fitted with such shafts can simply be converted into harvesting machines according to the invention. It is then of importance that the intermediate arms are so shaped that they always remain outside the path of transport of the subsoil portions of the lifted plants.
• Harvesting machines are preferably fitted with more than one arm and preferably four arms for each intermediate arm.
• the intermediate arms may be made from resilient bar stock, which in the area of the fixed end of that intermediate arm is bent to form at lest one coil.
• the intermediate arms may on the one hand be made from insensitive material and on the other provide a supple suspension of the arms so as to prevent damage to the roots of lifted plants.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Harvesting Machines For Root Crops (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=19858109

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

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Family Cites Families (11)

• 1990
  • 1990-12-07 NL NL9002697A patent/NL9002697A/nl not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1991
  • 1991-12-09 WO PCT/NL1991/000256 patent/WO1992010084A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1991-12-09 EP EP19920901033 patent/EP0513314A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1991-12-09 HU HU254692A patent/HU210421B/hu not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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