JP7239925B2 - Reaping device for non-heading leafy vegetables - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act On September 10, 2018, the program was distributed at the reception desk of the 2018 Joint Conference of Five Agricultural and Environmental Engineering-Related Academic Societies at Tarumi Campus, Ehime University.

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies September 11, 2018, released at Ehime University Tarumi Campus "2018 Joint Conference of Five Agricultural and Environmental Engineering Academic Societies"

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a novel harvesting apparatus capable of rationally and labor-savingly harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables (soft leafy vegetables) called so-called leafy vegetables such as spinach and Japanese mustard spinach.

For example, non-heading leafy vegetables such as spinach and Japanese mustard spinach sold at supermarkets and greengrocers are often sold in a state in which multiple leaves are bundled with tape or a transparent sheet. do). Spinach for fruits and vegetables sold in such a form is harvested in the first place with the roots attached to the leaves by several centimeters.
As such a harvesting apparatus for spinach for fruits and vegetables, for example, a device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been devised. However, in harvesting using such a device, it is extremely difficult to mechanically harvest the spinach without damaging the leaves of the spinach and cleanly remove the soil and mud adhering to the spinach (particularly the roots) during the harvesting.

By the way, spinach is not only for this kind of demand for fruits and vegetables. There is also a demand for distribution in pieces, and the harvested leaves are mainly transported to restaurants, food processing plants, etc., and used for processing (commercial use).
Harvesters suitable for this processing have been devised, for example, a device as disclosed in Patent Document 2 (especially FIG. 1).

Here, the cut leaves of the spinach for processing also need to be transported when stored, but since the leaves are in a disjointed state, they are easily damaged, and a transport method that avoids this is required.
Furthermore, spinach for processing has a lower transaction unit price than spinach for fruits and vegetables, so the leaves are harvested after growing large, which makes it more difficult to transport individual leafy vegetables. .
Harvesting machines are required to be compact so that they can be easily loaded and unloaded from a light truck and can be turned in a small radius even in the field. etc. is required.
In addition, from a farmer's management point of view, purchasing such a harvesting machine as a dedicated machine would be a heavy financial burden and cannot be easily adopted.

JP-A-9-107765 JP 2012-70645 A (especially FIG. 1)

The present invention has been made in recognition of such a background, and in particular, when harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables such as spinach for processing, an air blower is used as a means for transferring the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables to a storage unit. This is an attempt to develop a new reaping device that prevents damage that may occur during transportation as much as possible and that can efficiently transport and store non-heading leafy vegetables.

That is, the apparatus for harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables according to claim 1 is
It comprises a mobile body, a reaping/transporting unit mounted on the mobile body for harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables, and a storage section for storing the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables, and harvesting the non-heading leafy vegetables grown on the ridge surface. A device for transferring to a storage unit by
The harvesting/transporting unit harvests non-heading leafy vegetables that are longer than tea leaves, and the harvesting/transporting unit is provided in front of the mobile body, and the harvesting/transporting unit has a cutting blade. The harvesting body is provided at the front, and a transfer duct is arranged behind it, and the non-heading leafy vegetables after harvesting are transferred to the container by air blowing,
Furthermore, the reaping/transporting unit is configured such that the reaping body and the transporting duct are integrally rotated,
In addition , the transfer duct is formed such that a transfer start portion for starting transfer of the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables has at least a ridge width dimension in a plan view,
In addition, the non-heading leafy vegetables after harvesting are moved upward in the transport duct by the back wind sent into the transport duct from the rear side of the cutting blade and transported to the container.

Further, the device for harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables according to claim 2, in addition to the requirements of claim 1,
The reaping/transporting unit is characterized in that it is configured to send auxiliary transport air from either the front or the side of the reaping body, or both, to assist the air blowing by the back wind.

Further, the apparatus for reaping non-heading leafy vegetables according to claim 3, in addition to the requirements of claim 1 or 2,
The reaping/transporting unit is characterized in that it is mounted on the mobile body so as to be able to move up and down.

Further, the apparatus for harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables according to claim 4 , in addition to the requirements according to claim 3 ,
Said reaping and transfer unit is characterized by having a gauge device for setting the reaping height on both sides.

Further, the apparatus for harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables according to claim 5 , in addition to the requirements according to claim 4 ,
The gauge device is characterized by comprising a gauge wheel that contacts and rolls between the ridges.

The above problems are solved by means of the configuration of the invention described in each of these claims.
That is, according to the first aspect of the invention, since the non-heading leafy vegetables after being harvested are transferred to the storage part by air blowing, the non-heading leafy vegetables can be efficiently removed while preventing damage caused by the transfer as much as possible. It can be transported, and the total harvesting work including storage in the storage section can be performed extremely efficiently.
In the past, non-heading leafy vegetables after harvesting were sometimes transported by, for example, a conveyor. Specifically, the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables were sometimes transported to the container in a state of being sandwiched by a pair of left and right conveyors. It is inefficient because the harvesting work requires a great deal of time and labor, and the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables may be damaged during transportation.
In addition, in the present invention, since the transfer in the transfer duct is upward transfer, the overall length (longitudinal length) of the transfer duct and thus the entire reaping apparatus can be shortened, so that the reaping apparatus can be easily used even in a narrow space such as a greenhouse. can be realized.
In addition, according to the present invention, since the reaping/transfer unit is mounted on the mobile body so that the rising angle with respect to the ridge can be adjusted, for example, the lifting angle (tilt angle) of the transfer duct with respect to the ridge can be gentle. When the transfer duct is tilted so that the air flow is the same, the transfer capacity (conveyance capacity) can be increased, and even if individual leafy vegetables are harvested longer, they can be conveyed without problems. can. Therefore, the non-heading leafy vegetables immediately after harvesting can be smoothly sucked up without spilling from the transfer starting portion of the transfer duct, and the harvest can be performed without delay.
Also, by returning the tilted transfer duct to a substantially vertical position, it is possible to improve the turnability of the leafy vegetable harvesting device (compared to the case where the tilt angle is fixed).

Further, according to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the back wind, an auxiliary transfer wind is sent from the front or the side of the harvesting body. Even if it is harvested as a thing), it can be smoothly lifted and transferred without causing retention or clogging during transfer in the transfer duct.
Specifically, when relatively large-grown non-heading leafy vegetables are harvested, for example, by blowing an auxiliary transfer air into the transfer duct from the side of the harvesting body, the non-heading leafy vegetables growing at both ends in the width direction of the ridge are Although it is possible that the entire stock does not fit in the transfer start portion, even such a stock can be harvested after being moved to the center of the transfer start portion (the center in the width direction of the ridge) by an auxiliary transfer wind from the side. It is possible to prevent undercutting. In addition, it is possible to prevent the non-heading leafy vegetables after being harvested from sticking to the inside of the side surface of the transfer duct.
In addition, by sending the auxiliary transfer air into the transfer duct from the front of the harvesting body, the action of sending (or sucking) the non-heading leafy vegetables just before harvesting to the transfer start part of the transfer duct works, and the non-heading leafy vegetables at the time of harvesting work. It is possible to prevent falling forward. In addition, it is possible to prevent the non-heading leafy vegetables after harvesting from falling from the front of the transfer start portion.
In this way, the auxiliary transfer air blown from the front or the side enables the non-heading leafy vegetables to be harvested with the harvesting posture adjusted, and reliably fed into the transfer duct.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, the reaping/transporting unit is mounted so that it can move up and down with respect to the mobile body, so that the reaping body (cutting blade) can be set at a desired reaping height. That is, the height of the ridge surface with respect to the space between ridges may differ depending on the field, and therefore, it is necessary to set the cutting height each time the machine is moved between fields, and this can be dealt with. In addition, the cutting height can be set so that the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables can be transported according to the growing conditions. For this reason, particularly large-grown non-heading leafy vegetables can be harvested in several steps, such as two-stage harvesting of tea leaves.
Also, when moving or loading the harvesting device for leafy vegetables, raising the harvesting/transporting unit prevents the harvesting body (cutting blade) from coming into contact with the ground or the loading platform, thereby preventing damage to the harvesting body. can be prevented.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the reaping/transporting unit is provided with gauge devices for setting the reaping height on both sides, the reaping height is stabilized. That is, in the apparatus for harvesting leafy vegetables of the present invention, since the harvesting/transporting unit is mounted in front of the moving machine, the harvesting height may become unstable due to adverse effects of pitching of the machine when traveling on rough terrain such as irregularities in the field. Although it is conceivable (compared to a normal tea harvester), since the gauge devices are provided on both sides of the harvesting/transporting unit in the present invention, the adverse effects of this pitching can be suppressed (the harvesting height can be stabilized). can).

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the specific configuration of the gauge device is realized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view (a) showing an example of a leafy vegetable reaping device (reaping device for non-heading leafy vegetables) of the present invention, and an explanatory view (b) showing how non-heading leafy vegetables are reaped by the device. The same side view (a), an explanatory view (b) showing a modified example of a gauge device provided with a thread body, and a transfer duct (transfer duct main body) held by a four-bar link , related to the present invention It is a skeletal explanatory diagram (c) partially showing a reference example . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the front view (a) and top view (b) which show an example of the leaf-vegetables harvesting apparatus of this invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged explanatory diagram showing a state in which non-heading leafy vegetables are harvested by the leafy vegetable harvesting device. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a modified example of a transfer duct (reaping/transfer unit) in which an auxiliary transfer air is fed from the side of the reaping body in addition to the back air. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing how the non-heading leafy vegetables after harvesting are transferred upward by the back wind and the auxiliary transfer wind. Fig. 10 is a side view showing a modification of the walking type (hand-push type) leafy vegetable harvesting device.

The modes for carrying out the present invention include those described in the following examples, as well as various techniques that can be improved within the technical concept thereof.

A ``non-heading leafy vegetable reaping device 1 (hereinafter referred to as a ``leafy vegetable reaping device 1'') of the present invention comprises spinach grown on a cropped surface (hereinafter referred to as a ridged surface T) on which crops are planted. It is a device for cutting and harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables A, such as the above, and one of the major features is that the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables A are not transferred to the container by a conveyor, but are transferred by air blowing. As shown in FIG. 1, this leafy vegetable reaping apparatus 1 includes a mobile body 2 that moves across ridges, and a reaping/transporting device mounted on the mobile body 2 for reaping substantially non-heading leafy vegetables A. It comprises a unit 3 and a container 4 for containing the non-heading leafy vegetables A after transfer. That is, the leaf vegetable reaping apparatus 1 of the present invention is based on a structure in which a detachable reaping/transporting unit 3 is mounted on a mobile body 2 and a storage section 4 is provided.
The non-heading leafy vegetables A include, in addition to the spinach described above, leafy vegetables such as Japanese mustard spinach, bok choy, and benli leafy vegetables, and the leafy vegetable reaping apparatus 1 of the present invention is also suitable for harvesting these. .
Furthermore, in the present invention, since the non-heading leafy vegetables A after harvesting are transported by air blowing, the leafy vegetables to be harvested are mainly leafy vegetables (leafy vegetables) that are harvested in pieces without the roots sticking to them. suitable, which is referred to as processing or commercial.

Incidentally, the applicant of the present application has been involved in the development of tea reapers for plucking tea leaves for many years. Intensive research has been carried out on a novel transfer method in which tea branches and leaves after harvesting are transferred to a desired portion such as a container by the action of the back wind, and various patent applications have been filed (for example, Japanese Patent No. 4349999, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-97018, etc.). Therefore, in the harvesting of the non-heading leafy vegetables A as well, attention has been paid to air blowing using the back wind. In addition, the applicant of the present application calls such a transfer mode using a back wind a slit jet system, and this name is also used in this specification.
The moving body 2, the harvesting/transporting unit 3, and the container 4, which constitute the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1, will be described in order below.

First, the moving body 2 will be explained.
The moving body 2 is equipped with the reaping/transporting unit 3 as described above, and in this state, moves the reaping/transporting unit 3 along the ridge. A mobile body 2 of a type that runs (self-runs) on the ground (path between T and ridge T) is exemplified. The mobile body 2 uses a portal frame 21 formed in a substantially portal shape when viewed from the running direction (longitudinal direction of the ridge) as a skeleton member. The gate-shaped frame 21 comprises left and right leg frames 21A provided in a raised state between the ridges G, and a connecting frame 21B connecting the left and right leg frames 21A like a deck.
Further, a running body 22, for example a crawler, is provided at the lower end of the leg frame 21A. Of course, the traveling body 22 is not limited to such a crawler, and a configuration in which pneumatic tires are applied so as not to excessively press the ridges G, or a configuration in which both are applied (for example, a configuration in which a pneumatic tire is applied to the front side and a crawler is applied to the rear side). etc. can be adopted as appropriate.

Further, on the upper part of the connecting frame 21B, there is a control seat (operator's seat) 23 in which a worker who gets on the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 sits, and a control stick 24 for moving the moving body 2 forward/backward or turning left/right. , and a control box (not shown) for controlling and operating the leaf vegetable harvesting device 1 . Next to the cockpit 23, a prime mover 26 such as a diesel engine is mounted. As an example, the prime mover 26 drives a hydraulic pump (not shown), and the oil is supplied by the hydraulic pump. Hydraulic oil is used to drive the traveling body 22 and to drive and set the attitude of the reaping/transfer unit 3, which will be described later.
1 and 2, an air blower 27 is provided on the connecting frame 21B to generate pressure air for transporting the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables A. As shown in FIG. The blower 27 is directly driven by the prime mover 26, for example.
Then, from the air blower 27, pressure air is supplied to the reaping/transporting unit 3 through the relay duct 27A. A part or the whole of the relay duct 27A is formed of a flexible duct and connected to the reaping/transporting unit 3. As shown in FIG.
Then, as described above, the reaping/transporting unit 3 is attached to the mobile body 2 so as to be positioned on the ridge surface T. As shown in FIG.

As such a mobile body 2, a running body of a tea reaper (especially a riding type tea reaper here) can be applied as described above, and this will be described below.
When performing various work in the tea garden, such as plucking of tea leaves, pruning work to trim branches and trunks to restore tree shape, fertilization and pest control work to spray chemicals and fertilizers, etc. These works are generally carried out by selectively attaching management machines according to the intended work to a riding-type traveling machine. is possible.
As described above, the leaf vegetable harvesting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment uses the mobile body 2 as the traveling body used in the tea plantation management work, and the attachment type harvesting/transporting unit 3 is attached to the moving body 2. is.
Due to such a configuration, a frame for mounting the reaping/transporting unit 3 is provided on the front side of the moving body 2, and this frame is used as a mounting frame 28. As shown in FIG.

Next, the reaping/transporting unit 3 will be described.
The harvesting/transporting unit 3 is mounted on the mobile body 2 as described above, and moves along the ridges to harvest the non-heading leafy vegetables A such as spinach grown on the ridges T. and a transfer duct 6.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the harvesting body 5 and the transfer duct 6 are integrally attached to a base frame 30, and the base frame 30 is attached to the mounting frame 28 of the mobile body 2. It is attached.
The reason why the reaping body 5 and the transfer duct 6 are mounted on the moving body 2 via the base frame 30 is that the reaping body 5 and the transfer duct 6 are integrally rotated (tilted) ( the ridge surface). This is a mechanism for changing the rising angle with respect to T, and this is referred to as a tilt setting mechanism 31), and the base frame 30 is used as a reference for such tilt angle change.
The reaping/transporting unit 3 is preferably mounted so that it can move up and down relative to the moving body 2 (this is referred to as an elevating mechanism 32). The base frame 30 itself is configured to move up and down. For this reason, the vertical movement of the reaper 5 and the transfer duct 6 is based on the mounting frame 28 of the moving body 2, and the base frame 30 is not the vertical movement reference.

Next, the reaping body 5 will be described.
The cutting body 5 is for substantially cutting non-heading leafy vegetables A such as spinach, and comprises a cutting blade 51 as a main member. 1 and 4, the cutting blade 51 comprises a pair of upper and lower cutting blade bodies 51A, a cutting blade support frame 51B that slidably supports the cutting blade bodies 51A, and a cutting blade body 51A. A clipper having blades (teeth) formed on each of the upper and lower cutting blade bodies 51A by alternately reciprocating the pair of upper and lower cutting blade bodies 51A. It reaps the non-heading leafy vegetables A by action.

Thus, the cutting blade 51 takes the form of a so-called cassette type replaceable blade in which the cutting blade body 51A, the cutting blade support frame 51B, the driving portion 51C and the like are integrally assembled. Reference numeral 52 in the drawing denotes a side plate portion that detachably holds such a cassette-type cutting blade 51 . Incidentally, in the case of a tea reaper, the specification of the tea reaper can be easily changed from a plucking specification to a pruning specification such as a shallow cutting device or a medium cutting device by appropriately replacing the cassette-type cutting blades. is.

Further, it is desirable that the driving portion 51C of the cutting blade 51 is also driven by the hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump (the hydraulic pump driven by the prime mover 26 mounted on the moving body 2). It is also possible to drive the blade 51 by a separate engine.
Note that the cutting blade 51 is not necessarily limited to such a clipper type, and for example, a rotary blade can be applied.

Next, the transfer duct 6 will be explained.
The transport duct 6 transports the non-heading leafy vegetables A harvested by the harvesting body 5 (cutting blade 51) toward the container 4 provided at a predetermined position.
As shown in FIG. 1(a), the transfer duct 6 has, as a main member, a transfer duct body 61 formed in a flat wind tunnel shape. A configuration is adopted in which the non-heading leafy vegetables A are transferred toward the container 4 .
That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, the transfer duct 6 is erected in an almost vertical inclined state as a whole, and air is sent upward into the inside of this duct (from the rear of the cutting blade 51 to the transfer duct main body). A slit-jet transport mode is adopted in which the non-heading leafy vegetables A are transported toward the container 4 by the back wind W) introduced into the inside 61 .
In this specification, terms such as “front”/“rear” are used to mean the “front side”/“back side” of the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 . For this reason, the "front side (front side)" corresponds to the working direction when the non-heading leafy vegetables A are harvested by the leafy vegetable harvesting apparatus 1, in other words. Also, the left and right are based on this front side (or the operator sitting in the operator's seat 23).

As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 1(b), the transfer duct main body 61 is provided with air ducts 62 extending from both sides thereof to the rear of the cutting blade. As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, the pressure wind (air) flowing downward in the air blowing duct 62 is initially introduced upward from the blowing portion 60 of the transfer duct body 61, thereby causing the upward flow into the transfer duct body 61. It forms an air flow (upward flow) (this is the back wind W).
Here, the pressure air finally sent from the air duct 62 into the transfer duct main body 61 is sent so as to act from behind the cutting blade 51 as shown in FIGS. In the specification, this is called "back wind W". Also, a portion where the back wind W is introduced from the air duct 62 into the transfer duct main body 61 is called a "blowing portion 60". Furthermore, as described above, the applicant of the present application refers to the transport mode by such a back wind W as the slit jet system, and following this, the term "slit jet system (transport mode)" is also used in this specification. is called

In addition, by introducing the back wind W into the transfer duct body 61, the suction force (negative pressure suction force) due to the back wind W is generated at the lower end opening of the transfer duct body 61 (this is referred to as a transfer start portion 61S). By this suction force, the non-heading leafy vegetables A positioned immediately before the transfer start portion 61S are sucked toward the transfer start portion 61S.

The transfer duct main body 61 and the air duct 62 will be described in more detail below.
The transport duct main body 61 transports the non-heading leafy vegetables A growing on the ridges T to the accommodation section 4 with the back wind W as described above. Due to such a transfer form, the transfer duct main body 61 includes a front plate 611 provided on the front side (front side) of the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 and The back plate 612 provided facing each other and the side plate 613 provided so as to connect them form a flat wind tunnel-like (hollow) interior, and the upper and lower ends of the duct are formed in an open state. Here, in this specification, the lower opening at which transfer of the non-heading leafy vegetables A starts in the transfer duct main body 61 is called a transfer start portion 61S. The upper opening of the transfer duct body 61 at which the transfer of the non-heading leafy vegetables A ends is called a transfer end portion 61E. A relay duct 63 following is connected.
The front plate 611 is preferably configured to be movable up and down (so-called shutter structure) so that the opening length of the transfer start portion 61S can be adjusted. The opening length can be appropriately adjusted according to the length to be harvested.

Also, the transfer duct 6 installed in front of the mobile body 2 including the transfer duct main body 61, the air duct 62, the relay duct 63, etc., is provided so as not to obstruct the field of vision of the operator sitting in the operator's seat 23. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the transfer duct 6 (mainly the transfer duct main body 61) is formed so as to avoid (avoid) the front of the operator's seat 23 when the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 is viewed from the front. It is possible to In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the transfer duct main body 61 and the air duct 62 are designed to have the same width dimension from the transfer start portion 61S to the transfer end portion 61E while avoiding the front side of the cockpit 23 in the vertical direction. However, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3A, for example, the transfer path is formed so as to narrow only the upper part of the transfer duct 6, and avoids only the front of the operator sitting in the operator's seat 23. Morphology is also possible. It is also possible to form the transfer duct 6 from a partially transparent material (for example, a plate member made of acrylic or polycarbonate) to secure a field of vision in front of the cockpit 23 .
Further, part or all of the relay duct 63 can be configured using a flexible hose.

In addition, the transfer start portion 61S of the transfer duct body 61 is formed to have at least a ridge width dimension (ridge width dimension of the ridge to be cut) in a plan view. The action extends over the entire area in the ridge width direction.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1A, for example, the transfer end portion 61E is arranged such that the discharge side faces rearward (toward the storage portion 4) when the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 is viewed from the side. The portion up to the point may be formed in a curved shape as appropriate. Incidentally, in FIG. 1(a), the non-heading leafy vegetables A harvested from the ridge T are finally transported to the rear of the moving body 2 and collected here, that is, stored behind the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1. The form which provides the part 4 is shown.

As described above, according to the present invention, the transfer duct 6 (reaping/transfer unit 3) is arranged in an inclined shape, and the non-heading leafy vegetables A cut on the ridge surface T are transferred upward. The total length (longitudinal length) of the device is shortened, and the maneuverability (turnability) of the device is improved even in narrow places such as greenhouses, enabling efficient harvesting of non-heading leafy vegetables A. .
Of course, the transfer duct 6 is preferably configured such that the rising angle (inclination angle) with respect to the ridge surface T can be appropriately adjusted, and this is the inclination setting mechanism 31 . When the inclination setting mechanism 31 sets the raising angle (inclination angle) of the transfer duct 6 with respect to the ridge T more gently, the transfer capacity (conveyance capacity) is increased even with the same air blowing amount. Even if the non-heading leafy vegetables A are harvested longer (assuming that the air volume for transportation is the same), they can be transported without any trouble. Therefore, for example, the non-heading leafy vegetables A immediately after harvesting can be smoothly sucked up without spilling from the transfer start portion 61S of the transfer duct 6, and the harvest can be performed without delay. Further, if the transfer duct 6 that has been tilted is returned to a substantially vertical position, the turnability of the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 is improved as described above (compared to the case where the tilt angle is fixed). Details of the tilt setting mechanism 31 will be described later.

Further, the transfer duct body 61 can be formed so as to narrow upward as described above. In this case, the width dimension is It is preferable not to suddenly change the cross-sectional area, etc., especially when the object to be transferred is soft immediately after harvesting and non-heading leafy vegetables A (so-called leaves) that are longer than tea leaves. This is to minimize damage caused by collision of the non-heading leafy vegetables A inside with the inner wall surface of the transfer path and damage caused by rubbing of the non-heading leafy vegetables A against each other. For this reason, for example, in the upper portion of the transfer duct main body 61, specifically, in the vicinity of the transfer end portion 61E, when the portion is narrowed or notched in order to secure the operator's field of view, the transfer path can be made as smooth as possible. A gradual change is preferred.
At least a part of the transfer duct main body 61 is preferably formed in a nested or flexible shape. This is to enable vertical movement together with the cutting body 5 (cutting blade 51).

Next, the air duct 62 will be described.
The air duct 62 is a duct for sending the back wind W from the rear side of the transfer duct main body 61 into the transfer duct main body 61 (for example, near the transfer start portion 61S) as described above. It is provided in close contact with the side (see FIG. 1(b)). The air is blown from the blower 27 to the blower duct 62 (reaping/transfer unit 3) by the relay duct 27A as described above. (see FIG. 2(a)).
When the air duct 62 is provided in close contact with the back side of the transfer duct main body 61, the transfer duct main body 61 and the air duct 62 are completely separate flat ducts (rectangular cross-sectional ducts in a plan view). It is also possible to form and stretch these, or to use the back plate 612 of the transfer duct main body 61 as the front plate 611 of the air duct 62 (so to speak, common structure).

Further, the reaping/transporting unit 3 preferably has the tilt setting mechanism 31 as described above.
As shown in FIG. 1A as an example, the tilt setting mechanism 31 includes a rotating shaft 311 provided on the upper portion of the base frame 30 and a pivot shaft 311 between a position near the bottom of the base frame 30 and a support member of the transfer duct 6. and a hydraulic cylinder 312 provided. A member that supports the upper portion of the transfer duct 6 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 311 .
Further, as a specific operation of the inclination setting mechanism 31, by extending the slider of the hydraulic cylinder 312, the raising angle of the transfer duct 6 (reaping/transfer unit 3) with respect to the ridge surface T is moderated. By contracting the slider of the hydraulic cylinder 312, the rising angle of the transfer duct 6 with respect to the ridge T is made steeper (the transfer duct 6 can be placed in a substantially vertical state). Thus, the base frame 30 serves as a reference for tilting the transfer duct 6 (reaping/transfer unit 3 ) by the tilt setting mechanism 31 .
It is desirable that the hydraulic cylinder 312 is also driven by hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump (the hydraulic pump driven by the prime mover 26 mounted on the moving body 2).

Further, the harvesting/transporting unit 3 is preferably mounted so as to be vertically movable with respect to the moving body 2 by the lifting mechanism 32 as described above.
As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2(a), the elevating mechanism 32 is constructed by mounting the base frame 30 to the mounting frame 28 of the moving body 2 so as to be able to move up and down. Therefore, the reference for the vertical movement of the base frame 30 is the mobile body 2 (mounting frame 28).
The base frame 30 is attached to the mounting frame 28 via a liftable holder 321. For example, the liftable holder 321 that allows the base frame 30 to move up and down is fixed to the mounting frame 28. As a result, the reaping/transporting unit 3 can be moved up and down. For this reason, the reaping/transporting unit 3 is configured to be able to move up and down while maintaining the inclined state of the transport duct 6 .
Incidentally, it is desirable to drive the base frame 30 (reaping/transfer unit 3) up and down by hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump (the hydraulic pump driven by the prime mover 26 mounted on the mobile body 2).

In addition, since the reaping/transfer unit 3 is vertically mounted, the reaping body 5 (reaping blade 51) can be set at a desired reaping height. In addition, the cutting height can be set so as to be transportable according to the growing condition of the non-heading leafy vegetables A, which are the harvested product. Therefore, the non-heading leafy vegetables A, which have grown particularly large, can be harvested several times, for example, like two-stage harvesting of tea leaves.
When the leaf vegetable harvesting device 1 is moved or transported and loaded, the harvesting/transporting unit 3 is raised to prevent the harvesting body 5 (cutting blade 51) from contacting the ground or the loading platform. Damage to the body 5 can be prevented.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2 as an example, the reaping/transporting unit 3 is provided with gauge devices 33 for setting and adjusting the reaping height of the reaping body 5 (reaping blade 51) on both sides. This gauge device 33 will be described below.
The gauge device 33 comprises, for example, an elevating rod 331 which is vertically provided under the base frame 30 and a gauge wheel 332 which is provided at the lower end of the elevating rod 331 . The gauge wheel 332 is configured to move up and down together with the lifting rod 331, and during actual harvesting, the gauge wheel 332 is grounded between the ridges G and rolled in this state. Therefore, this gauge wheel 332 is also called a grounding wheel.
In the leaf vegetable harvesting apparatus 1 of the present invention, since the harvesting/transporting unit 3 is mounted in front of the mobile body 2, it is easily affected by the pitching of the body due to irregularities in the field. It is conceivable that the cutting height is not stable, and in order to solve this problem (unstable cutting height), gauge devices 33 are provided on both sides of the cutting/transfer unit 3 .

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2(a), the gauge wheel 332 is a pair of two wheels arranged in the front-rear direction. 332 are connected by a connecting rod 333 . Further, in this embodiment, the central upper portion of the connecting rod 333 (on the center line of the pair of front and rear gauge wheels 332) is rotatable, and this is the center of rotation 334. As shown in FIG.
For this reason, in this embodiment, the two front and rear gauge wheels 332 connected by the connecting rod 333 are configured to be rotatable about a rotation center 334, thereby further suppressing the pitching effect of the machine body due to unevenness in the field. configured to be Of course, if there is local unevenness in the field, the above structure in which the gauge wheel 332 is two wheels connected by a rotatable connecting rod 333 is better than a single wheel (single wheel). It is also excellent in this respect (even in terms of smoothing out local unevenness).

As described above, according to the present invention, although the harvesting/transporting unit 3 is mounted in front of the mobile body 2, the harvesting height is stabilized by the gauge device 33, and soil is not sucked in together with the non-heading leafy vegetables A. (prevention of so-called foreign matter contamination). Conversely, if the cutting height is not stable, the cutting blade 51 may sink into the soil during harvesting work, and in such a case, the cut leafy vegetables and the soil thrown up by the cutting blade 51 may be pushed up. I could inhale it. Of course, if the cutting height is set considerably higher than the ridge T from the beginning, it may be possible to prevent such contamination even if the cutting height is not stable. Unfortunately (students remained in the ridges after harvesting for a long time), it was not an efficient harvest.

Next, the housing portion 4 will be described. The storage part 4 is a part that finally stores (recovers) the non-heading leafy vegetables A transferred by the transfer duct 6 .
A container-type container can be used as the storage unit 4, and a configuration in which the non-cephalic leafy vegetables A after upward transfer are stored in this container-like container can be adopted. In addition to this, a storage bag may be suspended at an appropriate location as a storage section, and the non-cephalic leafy vegetables A after upward transfer may be stored in this storage bag.
In the case of the container-type storage section 4, for example, the container is placed on the deck-shaped connecting frame 21B immediately behind the operator's seat 23 (in FIG. 1, obliquely to the left of the operator's seat 23). It is possible to provide a storage portion 4 of the same type, and with such a configuration, the overall length (longitudinal length) of the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 can be shortened.
In addition, in the case of adopting a form in which the accommodation portion 4 is accommodated in an accommodation bag, the opening of the accommodation bag is attached so as to face the discharge port (the transfer end portion 61E) of the transfer duct 6, and the non-container is placed in the accommodation bag. A configuration in which headed leafy vegetables A are stored is possible. The storage bag is usually formed to have air permeability, and the air (transport air) that has transferred the non-heading leafy vegetables A passes through the bag and is released to the outside. In addition, when storing in a storage bag, foldable openable mounting tables are provided on both sides of the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1, and when the storage bag is full of non-heading leafy vegetables A during operation, In this case, it is possible to open the mounting table in a wing shape from the folded state and place the containing bag therein.
Incidentally, in the case of adopting either the container type or the storage bag type as the storage section 4, the installation mode should be such that it does not interfere with the operation of the operator sitting in the operator's seat 23 and does not interfere with the operator's field of vision. , the housing portion 4 and a relay duct 63 from the transfer duct 6 to the housing portion 4 are installed.

The leaf vegetable reaping apparatus 1 of the present invention has the basic structure as described above. Hereinafter, a mode of harvesting non-heading leaf vegetables A such as spinach using this leaf vegetable reaping apparatus 1 will be described.
(1) Contents of Setting When actually performing the harvesting work, various settings are made for each part of the leaf vegetable harvesting device 1 in accordance with the harvesting situation. When deciding the settings, basically, how long each leafy vegetable (leafy thing) should be harvested (how much weight each leafy vegetable will have), Conditions such as the number of rows (the number of rows in the width direction of the ridge) of the non-heading leafy vegetables A grown on the ground are the basis. Incidentally, the ridge width dimension of the ridge surface T to be reaped is equal to or less than the width dimension of the transfer duct 6 (transfer start portion 61S).
Then, from such items, the advancing speed (reaping speed) of the moving body 2, the inclination angle (upright angle with respect to the ridge surface T) of the reaping/transfer unit 3 (transfer duct 6), and the reaping body 5 (reaping blade 51). The cutting height, the opening length of the transfer start portion 61S (cutting length of leafy vegetables), the blowing amount (wind speed) of the back wind W, and the like are set. Incidentally, the setting of such items is such that the longer the individual leafy vegetables to be harvested (the larger the mass), the slower the harvesting speed is set, the larger the air volume is set, and the inclination angle of the transfer duct 6 is set to This setting is gentle, and this is to smoothly receive the non-heading leafy vegetables A after being harvested in the transfer start section 61S, and to transfer and store them smoothly without stagnation or clogging during transfer. be. Of course, the specific setting of each item is comprehensively set in consideration of various situations. You don't have to match the conditions. That is, it is not necessary to slow the reaping speed, increase the air volume, and make the inclination angle of the transfer duct 6 gentle.

(2) Specific setting (angle)
Of the above settings, for example, when setting the angle of the reaping/transporting unit 3 , the reaping body 5 and the transport duct 6 are integrally tilted with respect to the base frame 30 by the tilt setting mechanism 31 . As a specific operation, when the rising angle of the transfer duct 6 (reaping/transfer unit 3) with respect to the ridge T is desired to be gentle, the slider of the hydraulic cylinder 312 is extended. Further, when it is desired to raise the transfer duct 6 with respect to the ridge T at a steeper angle, the slider is contracted, thereby allowing the transfer duct 6 to stand almost vertically.

(3) Specific settings (cutting height)
After that, for example, to set the cutting height (the height of the cutting blade 51), the lifting rod 331 is lowered from the base frame 30, and the gauge wheel 332 is grounded on the ridge G. At this time, the height of the base frame 30 is not changed.
Then, with the gauge wheel 332 grounded on the ridge G, the reaping/transfer unit 3 is moved up and down (excluding the gauge wheel 332 and the lifting rod 331) to set the cutting blade 51 to a desired cutting height. The cutting height can be set from the projection dimension of the lifting rod 331 with respect to the base frame 30 .
Incidentally, in the ridges for growing spinach, the ridge surface T is often made 5 cm to 10 cm higher than the interval G between the ridges. Here, for example, if the ridge surface T is made 5 cm higher than the ridge interval G, and the cutting height is to be 1 cm higher than the ridge surface T, the gauge ring 332 of the cutting blade 51 The cutting height from G) is added by that amount to make 6 cm.
When adjusting the cutting height by moving the cutting body 5 up and down, if it is desired not to change the height position of the upper side of the transfer duct 6 (upper transfer end portion 61E), at least one of the transfer duct main bodies 61 If the parts are formed in a nested manner, the cutting height can be set by moving only the lower side of the transfer duct main body 61 up and down.
In addition to these, as described above, the wind volume (wind speed) of the back wind W and the traveling speed (reaping speed) of the moving body 2 are specifically set.

(4) Reaping work After performing such various settings, reaping is performed while the blower 27 is driven. At this time, as described above, the gauge wheel 332 is always in contact with the space between the ridges G, and the non-heading leafy vegetables A are harvested while rolling on the space between the ridges G.
In the reaping body 5, when the cutting blade 51 that moves along with the movement of the moving body 2 contacts the non-heading leafy vegetables A, the non-heading leafy vegetables A are reaped. At the time of harvesting, the non-heading leafy vegetables A are mainly separated from the roots and harvested in a state of relatively long leafy vegetables (leaves) and in a state where individual leafy vegetables are separated (Fig. 1 ( b) See FIG. 4).
Further, in this cutting, the back wind W is blown into the transfer duct main body 61 as described above, and the negative pressure suction action by this back wind W works in the vicinity of the transfer start portion 61S. For this reason, the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables A are sucked into the transfer duct main body 61 near the transfer start portion 61S, and then transferred while rising inside the transfer duct main body 61 by the blowing action of the back wind W. , reaches the transfer end portion 61E, and is stored in the storage portion 4 via the relay duct 63 in a free-falling state.

[Other embodiments]
Although the present invention is based on the above-described embodiment as one basic technical idea, the following modifications are possible.
First, in the basic embodiment described above, the non-heading leafy vegetables A after harvesting are air-fed (upward transfer) only by the back wind W sent from the rear of the cutting blade 51, but as an example, FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 1(a), it is possible to send the auxiliary transfer air W1 from one or both of the front and side of the cutting body 5 (cutting blade 51). Reference numeral 65 in the drawing denotes an auxiliary duct for sending the auxiliary transfer air W1 into the transfer duct 6 (transfer duct main body 61), which can also be partly or entirely formed of a flexible hose.
The effect of sending the auxiliary transfer air W1 from the side and the effect of sending the auxiliary transfer air W1 from the front will be described below.

First, by sending the auxiliary transfer air W1 into the transfer duct 6 (transfer duct main body 61) from the side of the reaping body 5, the following effects are obtained.
For example, when harvesting relatively large non-heading leafy vegetables A, the non-heading leafy vegetables A growing at both ends in the width direction of the ridge may not fit in the transfer start portion 61S as a whole. Even non-heading leafy vegetables A Co., Ltd. can be harvested after being moved to the center of the transfer start portion 61S by the auxiliary transfer wind W1 from the side, and uncut can be prevented (Fig. 1 ( a), see FIG. 3(b)).
In addition, it is possible to prevent the non-heading leafy vegetables A after harvesting from sticking to the inside of the side surface of the transfer duct 6 (the transfer start portion 61S).

Furthermore, by sending the auxiliary transfer wind W1 from the front of the reaping body 5 into the transfer duct 6 (transfer duct main body 61), the non-heading leafy vegetables A just before being harvested are fed (or sucked) into the transfer start section 61S. It is possible to prevent the non-heading leafy vegetables A from collapsing forward during harvesting (see FIG. 6). In addition, it is possible to prevent the non-heading leafy vegetables A after harvesting from spilling in front of the transfer start section 61S.
In this way, the non-heading leafy vegetables A can be reaped with the reaping posture adjusted by the auxiliary transfer wind W1 sent from the front or the side, and can be sent into the transfer duct 6. As shown in FIG. In addition, even if the non-heading leafy vegetables A are harvested for a longer time, the non-heading leafy vegetables A can be reliably transported to the storage unit 4 without remaining or being clogged during transport. be.

The position at which the auxiliary transfer air W1 (for example, the auxiliary transfer air W1 from the front) is sent into the transfer duct 6 (transfer duct main body 61) can be changed as appropriate. It is also possible to send the auxiliary transfer air W1 from near the middle (a so-called two-stage air blowing structure). Further, even when the auxiliary transfer air W1 is sent in from the side, for example, as shown in FIGS. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to send the auxiliary transfer air W1 from the side of the lower end of the transfer duct main body 61 (side plate 613).
In addition, the auxiliary transfer air W1 may have a structure in which the installation height and angle can be appropriately adjusted according to the growing conditions of the non-heading leafy vegetables A to be harvested.
Further, the auxiliary transfer wind W1 can be branched from the blower 27, which is a transfer fan, by an auxiliary duct 65 such as a flexible hose and taken into the transfer duct main body 61 in the same manner as the intake form of the back wind W (Fig. 5), it is also possible to separately provide a fan (blower) dedicated to the auxiliary transfer air W1.

In the basic embodiment described above, the gauge device 33 is provided with the gauge ring 332 at the lower end of the lifting rod 331, and the cutting height of the cutting blade 51 is set with the gap G as a reference.
However, instead of such a gauge wheel 332, it is also possible to provide a sled-like sled body 335, as shown, for example, in the partial view of FIG. 2(b). Also in this case, the sled body 335 is preferably provided rotatably with respect to the lifting rod 331 .
Further, in this case, the sled body 335 rubs the ridge G, which is the running surface, during the harvesting operation, so that the cutting height of the cutting blade 51 can be set with the ridge G as a reference. In addition, the sled body 335 rubs between the ridges G, thereby suppressing pitching that may occur in the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 .
Also, although illustration is omitted, a roller can be applied instead of the thread body 335 . Further, although not shown in the drawings, instead of the sled body 335, for example, a distance sensor (measurement distance sensor) is attached to the side of the reaper 5, and while measuring the distance from the ridge G (running surface), a constant It is also possible to control the cutting height by maintaining a distance.
Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, for example, a contact sensor is attached to the side of the reaper 5 so that the sensor always contacts the ridge G (running surface). It is also possible to control the cutting height.

In addition, although the gauge device 33 described above controls the cutting height with reference to the ridge G, which is the running surface, the gauge device 33 is not necessarily limited to this. It is also possible to control the cutting height as a reference.
Specifically, although not shown, for example, a sled-like component (the sled body 335) is attached to the lower surface of the reaper 5. As shown in FIG. In this case, the sled-like part scrapes the ridge T during the harvesting operation, so that the cutting height of the cutting blade 51 can be set (controlled) with the ridge T as a reference. In addition, the sled-like parts scrape the ridges T, thereby suppressing pitching that may occur in the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 . Of course, it is possible to use wheels, rollers, etc. instead of such sled-like parts.
Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, for example, a distance measuring sensor may be attached to the rear of the cutting body 5 to measure the distance from the ridge T and maintain a constant distance to control the cutting height. It is possible.
Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, a contact sensor is attached to the rear of the cutting body 5, and the cutting height is controlled by keeping the position of this sensor always contacting or not contacting the ridge surface T. It is also possible to

In the basic embodiment described above, the rotary shaft 311 of the reaping/transfer unit 3 is provided on the upper part of the base frame 30, and the lower part of the transfer duct 6 is swung to tilt the reaping/transfer unit 3. Although shown, the rotating shaft 311 and the tilting mode are not necessarily limited to this. That is, it is possible to tilt the reaping/transporting unit 3 by locating the rotating shaft 311 in the lower part of the transport duct 6 and rocking the upper part of the transport duct 6. It is also possible to tilt the reaping/transporting unit 3 by locating the rotating shaft 311 at the position of the reaping/transporting unit 3 and swinging the transport duct 6 up and down.

Even if the transfer duct 6 is tilted by the tilt setting mechanism 31 (even if it is tilted at a gentle angle), it is desirable to maintain the posture (angle) of the cutting blade 51 (for example, even if the angle of the transfer duct 6 is changed, the cutting blade 51 is desired to be maintained in a horizontal state, etc.), and this form will be described below , but this is a reference example related to the present invention .
In this reference example , for example, as shown in FIG. 2(c), a cutting blade 51 is fixed to a base frame 30 using a four-bar link L in an appropriate posture.
Here, each link of the four-bar link L is assumed to be a fixed link L1, a driven link L2, an intermediate link L3, and a driving link L4. Assume that the duct 6 is tilted. The driven link L2 is also provided on the transfer duct 6 which is tilted as shown. The fixed link L1 is attached to, for example, a bracket B fixed to project forward from the base frame 30, and a cutting blade 51 is attached to the tip of the bracket B. As shown in FIG.
With such a four-bar link L, the posture of the cutting blade 51 can be maintained regardless of the inclination of the transfer duct 6 . That is, in order to change the angle of the transfer duct main body 61, the driving link L4 is first rotated by the hydraulic cylinder 312, thereby rotating the driven link L2 via the intermediate link L3. Finally, the transfer duct main body 61 to which the driven link L2 is attached is tilted at an appropriate angle. However, even if the driven link L2 tilts (even if the transfer duct main body 61 tilts), the fixed link L1 is fixed to the bracket B and does not move, so the cutting blade 51 maintains its posture.

Also, in the basic embodiment described above, a ride-on type in which a worker actually gets on the mobile body 2 while performing the actual harvesting work has been basically described. However, the mobile body 2 is not necessarily limited to the riding type as described above. For example, as shown in FIG. type) may be used. In this case, the moving body 2, the harvesting/transporting unit 3, and the storage unit 4 can be made more compact overall, and the leafy vegetable harvesting device 1 can be further reduced in size and weight. and unloading from the truck bed can be performed more easily. In addition, with such a leafy vegetable harvesting apparatus 1, the handleability in a narrow space is further improved, and the convenience and mobility of the leafy vegetable harvesting apparatus 1 are further improved. By the way, the present applicant has confirmed that the width of the reaping/transporting unit 3 can be reduced to about 600 mm in the walking type leaf vegetable reaping device 1 that is particularly designed to be compact and lightweight. It is possible to realize a leafy vegetable reaping device 1 that can deal with ridges of any size.
The imaginary line in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the storage bag, which is the storage portion 4, is inflated by the transfer wind during the actual harvesting work.

1 Leafy vegetable reaping device (Reaping device for non-heading leafy vegetables)
2 mobile unit 3 reaping/transport unit 4 storage section 5 reaping body 6 transport duct

2 mobile body 21 portal frame 21A leg frame 21B connecting frame 22 running body 23 operator's seat (operator's seat)
24 Control stick 26 Prime mover 27 Blower 27A Relay duct 28 Mounting frame

3 Reaping/transfer unit 30 Base frame 31 Inclination setting mechanism 311 Rotating shaft 312 Hydraulic cylinder 32 Elevating mechanism 321 Liftable holder 33 Gauge device 331 Elevating rod 332 Gauge wheel (grounding wheel)
333 Connection rod 334 Rotation center 335 Thread body

5 Reaping body 51 Reaping blade 51A Reaping blade body 51B Reaping blade support frame 51C Drive section 52 Side plate section

6 transfer duct 60 blowing part 61 transfer duct body 61S transfer start part 61E transfer end part 611 front plate 612 back plate 613 side plate 62 fan duct 63 relay duct 65 auxiliary duct

A Non-heading leafy vegetables T Furrow surface G Between furrows W Back wind W1 Auxiliary transfer wind L Four-bar link L1 Fixed link L2 Driven link L3 Intermediate link L4 Driving link B Bracket

Claims (5)

It comprises a mobile body, a reaping/transporting unit mounted on the mobile body for harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables, and a storage section for storing the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables, and harvesting the non-heading leafy vegetables grown on the ridge surface. A device for transferring to a storage unit by
The harvesting/transporting unit harvests non-heading leafy vegetables that are longer than tea leaves, and the harvesting/transporting unit is provided in front of the mobile body, and the harvesting/transporting unit has a cutting blade. The harvesting body is provided at the front, and a transfer duct is arranged behind it, and the non-heading leafy vegetables after harvesting are transferred to the container by air blowing,
Furthermore, the reaping/transporting unit is configured such that the reaping body and the transporting duct are integrally rotated,
In addition , the transfer duct is formed such that a transfer start portion for starting transfer of the harvested non-heading leafy vegetables has at least a ridge width dimension in a plan view,
Further, the cut non-balling leafy vegetables are transferred upward in the transfer duct by the back wind sent into the transfer duct from the rear side of the cutting blade and transferred to the container. reaping equipment.
2. The reaping/transporting unit according to claim 1, wherein the reaping/transporting unit is configured to send auxiliary transport air from one or both of the front and sides of the reaping body to assist the air blowing by the back wind. , reaping equipment for non-heading leafy vegetables.
3. The device for reaping non-heading leafy vegetables according to claim 1, wherein said reaping/transporting unit is mounted so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the mobile body.
4. The device for reaping non-heading leafy vegetables according to claim 3 , wherein said reaping and transferring unit is provided with a gauge device for setting a reaping height on both sides thereof.
5. The device for harvesting non-heading leafy vegetables according to claim 4 , wherein said gauge device comprises a gauge wheel which is grounded and rolled between the ridges.

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