US2786585A - Tobacco harvesters - Google Patents

Description

March 26, 1957 Filed July 8, 1954 w. E. DAVIS ET AL TOBACCO HARVESTERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVENT OR ATTORNEYS March 26, 1957 w. E. DAVIS ET AL TOBACCO HARVESTERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 8, 1954 fmp w lsb INVENTORS Wi Hiom E. Davis Alton Scot? Oliver W. Scott BY "7m =1, Nag

FIG. 2.

ATTORNEYS March 26, 1957 w. E. DAVIS ET AL 2,786,585

TOBACCO HARVESTERS Filed July 8, 1954 4 Sheeis-Sheet 3 50 INVENTORS Wilhan E. DGVIS Afton Scoff BY Oliver W. Scott ATTORNEYS March 26, 1957 w. E. DAVIS ET AL TOBACCO HARVESTERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 8, 1954 INVENTOR WILL/AM E. DAV/S, ALTON SCOTT oLn/EK w scan j j/ q ATTORNEYS United States Patent" 2,786,585 TOBACCO HARVESTERS William E. Davis', s ven Springs, and Alton Scott and Oliver W. Scott, Southern Pines, N; C.; said Alton Scott and said- OliverW. Scottassignoirs to said William E. Davis Applicationjuly 8, 1954, Serial No; 444,881

Claims. (Cl. 2145.5)

The present invention relates to a tobacco harvester and more particularly to an apparatus for facilitating the picking of tobacco leaves and their preparation previous to drying, and is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 355,791 for Tobacco Harvester filed May 18, 1953, which matured intoU. S. Patent No. 2,715,968 granted August 23, 1955, incorporated herein by reference.

In the harvesting of tobacco it is desirable to pick the ripening leaves from the standing tobacco plant, tie them in bundles of three to five leaves, and drape twenty to thiry bundles over a long stick which is usedto hang the leaves in the drying barn. Formerly this has been done by using a large number of workers called primers who walk between the rows of tobacco, picking the ripe leaves with one hand and placing them under their other arm. When a primer has accumulated an armful of leaves, he must carry them to a tobacco truck which may be situated several rows away. When the truck is full it is moved to another area Where other workers called handers select small bundles of about five leaves with their stems bunched together, which they hand to still other Workers called loopers who the the stems of the several leaves together and drape the resulting bundles over the drying stick' on alternate sides thereof. The disadvantages of this method are that the leaves are thrown together in a pile and handled many' times, resulting in the deterioration of the leaves, it is very slow and costly because the picking, handing and tying operations necessarily comprise work that involves hard. labor by many men. The present invention, however, obviates the diflic-ulties experienced in the past in a novel manner.

It is an object of'tlie present invention toprovide an apparatus for facilitating tobacco operations prior to the d y It is an object of the present invention to-provide a mobile apparatus which-may be moved betwcen'the rows of tobacco plants for preparing tobacco for the drying operation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which can be moved between rows of tobacco plants for carrying thetobacco leaf primersand facilitating their Work ofpicking, and automatically bundling, looping and-mounting the tobacco leaveson'a drying stick.

It is a further objectof'the instant'invention to provide an apparatus for tying tobacco leaves in bundles and mounting the bundles on an elongated stick, many of which can be carried on the apparatus. I

Another object of the'invention is theprovision' of a novel mechanism for grasping and/or tying a plurality of tobacco leaves together at their stalks.

The above patent discloses a more automatic form of the invention and referenceis made thereto for d e tails of structure and operation'which thereforeneed not be repeated here at length save as may be desirable to explain certain improvements in'that more fully automatic'form comprisihg'the'addition ofwheels or'equiva' 2,786,585 l iatented Mar. 26, 1 957 2 lent means at the point of insert-ion ofa buridle of tobacco leaves to facilitate entry thereof auto matic looper mechanism under conditions of relatively heavy gummin'g. V A

The invention may be best understood rare :to certain of its structural forms, semen-w ich a illustrated in theaccompa'nying clra'wirigsin w i 'z Figure 1 is .a front elevation'of one'fbrnroflth'e invention, with parts oinittedfor s'akeof clarity. F

Figure 1A is a plan view of the" struetureshdvvh in Figure 1'. n

Figure 2- is a side elevation of theappa'ra tusof 1, with other parts omittedforisake of clarity.

Figure 2A is a fragmentary detail of oneform'of'cbnveyor chain with spring pressed clips attached.

Figure 3 is .a t-ra'gmentar'y view of the conveyor drive.

Figure 4 is a top view of the combined handing" aiid loo-ping portion of the invention with portions broken away for clarity and to show the wheels 200whi'ch overcome gumming. I

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the mechanism shown in Figure 4, with the needle in.

Figure SA is a fragmentary viewsir'nilar" to Figure 5 with the needle retracted and ready to receive a new load of tobacco. v

Figure 5B is a fragmentary plan View of an" adaptation of certain of the elements of Figures 4, 5 and 5A to a modified form of the invention.

I Figure 5C is a fragmentary elevation of aportion" of Figure 5B.

Like reference characters denote like parts in" the several figures of the drawings herein as Well as in the above patent, which are presented as illustrativeonly of certain schematic forms the invention may take and though preferred they are not to be taken as limiting:

The invention comprises a tractor framework providing seats for two, three, four or more pirmers-who ride with legs outstretchedveryclose to the ground level and within easy reach of the tobacco or other row plants which are being harvested. Although adaptable to other row crops, with or without desirableor necessary changes, the invention is intended primarily for the harvest of tobacco and it is in this held of use that the advantages of theinventi'on in thefo rm illustratedare a'rnaximurni v As the tractor moves along at /s to A of a rn'ilean hour; the primer select and strip the lowjer ripe leaves from the stalk and bunch four to six leaves together as a hand and in'sertth e bunched stems in a looping niecha nisrn" which is adjacent" an upwardly sloping carrying chaina'sf'shown in 'more detail inthe'above'basic patent. Theiooping'mechanism forms a'continuoiis chain stitch of binding twine with the stems of each hand tightly grasp'ed'ineach'loop as shown in Figures 4 and 5A.; The looped h'ands are draped over the carrying chainsuc; cessively on alternate sides thereof with the bunched stems up and the leaves hanging down freelof the mecha nism. The alternate draping is accomplished by a defiector plate'pivoted to the apparatus arid moved back andfo'rth to and from alternate'positi-oiisby,a suitable linkage controlled y the looping mechanism the ope r ation'off which is intermittently'ini'tiatedby' the inse'r n of a'h'a'nd of tobacco therein. In general eachiloop g mechanism can handle the tobacco hands gametes .fby' one, two or more primers, and although the drawingshows a looper mechanism on each side, each 'servingfa. singleprimer, thein'ventiou isnot liniited in this regard as a single l-ooper can be readily positioned to'be rached by two primers sitting side by side'or slightly offset to harvest adjacent'rows'. Where primers are seated one be hindth eoth'er, two looper mechanisms will normally be required, onefor each primer as both cannot reach the same lo'operl As the chain carrying the draped tobacco rises to the platform the alternate hands are spread by a guide carried by the frame so as to permit the hands which are chain stitched together to hang down alternately on each side of a tobacco stick positioned to receive them. When a stick is 'full the twine is cut between loops, locked taut, and the loaded stick is stored temporarily on a suitable rack at the rear of the platform.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the apparatus of the invention, indicated generally by the reference character 10, is shown having a tricycle tractor 11. This tractor comprises a motorized large wheel 12 mounted centrally of the forward portion and two small wheels 13 at the rear. These small wheels 13 are each mounted on a vertical tubular member 14, the tubular members being jointed in their upper portions by cross members 15. Tubular longitudinal members 16 extend forwardly from the junctions of the vertical members 14 and the cross member 15, in a horizontal plane and more or less parallel to one another. Intermediate of the length of the tractor these members 16 are bent downwardly and they are also bent inwardly and joined together above the wheel 12. A vertical wheel mount 17 extends downwardly from this junction to the wheel 12 and the wheel 12 is rotatably mounted on its lower end. Between the members 16 and their rearward horizontal portions is mounted a platform 18 extending from side to side of the tractor. Some of the members of the tractor are not shown in Figure 1 for purposes of clarity of presentation. Also mounted between the members 16 and their forward portion is a platform 19 on which an engine 20 is mounted, movable as a unit with wheel 12. In this same area is mounted a drivers seat 21 and a steering wheel 22 operatively connected to the wheel 12 which in turn is driven by the engine 20 through a conventional driving means 23.

A tubular bar 24 extends transversely across the forward portion of the tractor, and is removably secured to the tractor in its central portion. At the ends it is bent downwardly to form vertical portions 25 which are fitted at their lower ends into sockets 26 which are integral with tubular side members 27. The position of the vertical portion 25 and the socket 26 is adjustable vertically by means of set screws 28. Each of the side members 27 is composed of a forward horizontal portion 29 to the front end of which is attached the socket 26. At the rearward end of the portion 29 is mounted a side member which consists of a rearwardly inclined portion 30, the rearward end of which merges adjacent the center of the tractor with a rearward horizontal portion 31. The rearward end of the portion 31 merges into a vertical portion 32 at the top of which the side member is forwardly bent to form an inclined portion 33. The upper portion of the vertical portion 32 of the side member 27 is connected to the upper portion of its respective tubular member 14 by a massive plate 34. Each side member 27 is provided at the rearward portion of the horizontal portion 31 with at least one seat 35 for the tobacco picker or primer and the lower part of the vertical portion 32 is provided with a back rest 36 furnishing him with a back support. A foot rest 37 is provided on each side mem- 'ber for the feet of the leaf picker.

On each of the side members 27 is mounted one or more leaf handling mechanisms 38 attached to the side member by straps such as 40 and a connection with inclined portion 33.

Figure 2 shows the general arrangement of a simple form of the invention employing clips with some hands in position on conveyor chain 50 and others omitted for clarity. A frame 44 formed of angles and flats welded together to form a generally rectangular configuration supports conveyor chain 50. At the forward and upper portion of handling mechanism 38 may be positioned a supply of tobacco sticks 43 if desired. Sticks 43 are omitted from Figure 2, but are shown as optional equipment in Figure 3 arranged longitudinally in a chamber formed by said angles and flats, supported by the frame and open at the top. The supply of sticks 43 may be positioned loosely in the chamber or suspended therein and maintained in the topmost portion thereof by means of straps 45 having detented buckles 46 which permit the adjustment of loops in which the sticks lie. Mounted about the periphery of frame 44 are sprockets 47, 48, 49 and 62 around which is arranged a link belt 53 of the usual type and having spring pressed clips 199 extending laterally therefrom at intervals and constructed as explained below.

At the rearward portion of the mechanism 38 and firmly attached to the inclined portion 33 of the side member is an electric motor 55 mounted on a transverse mounting or housing 52. Housing 52 also mounts bevel gear 56 driven by motor 55 and mating with bevel gear 57 on the end of conveyor belt drive shaft 58. On the opposite end of drive shaft 58 is a worm 59 which engages spur gear 66 on stub shaft 61 which also carries sprocket 47 through which power is supplied to drive conveyor chain 50. An electric motor 55 offers a large degree of control and is preferred to a conveyor chain drive powered directly by the main power plant 29 or a drive off one of the tractor wheels. Where the conveyor chain is driven by an electric motor 55 the speed of the chain can 'be adjusted to suit the amount of ripe tobacco being harvested at a given tractor speed and the chain can be slowed down or stopped if necessary to prevent recycling of harvested bundles held by the clips 199 which the looper operator lacks the time to remove from the chain. Sprocket 47 may be driven by a suitable power takeoff such as a chain drive from one rear wheel 13 if desired. The other sprockets 48, 49 and 62 are idler sprockets. Sprocket 62 is mounted on post 67 forming the lower end of leaf bundling mechanism 38 and is positioned so as to place the end of conveyor chain 50 Within easy reach of adjustable leaf picker seat 35. Post 67 both supports sprocket 62 and serves as a protection to the operator from the moving chain 50, the mount for sprocket 62 serving also to cover the approach of link belt 50 to the sprocket. A guard shield 210 may also be supplied if desired to assure that the suspended bundles are not disturbed in their passage upward from a point adjacent the seat 35 to a position above the platform 18 by movement of the harvester along the plant rows.

Reference is now made to an improved form of the more fully automatic machine disclosed and broadly claimed in U. S. Patent No. 2,715,968. Only so much of the structure of the automatic looping mechanism is retained as is necessary to make clear the construction and operation of Figures 4 and 5 with the incorporation of the wheels 204) mounted on guide arms 7 8 and 79 to facilitate harvesting under conditions of more or less heavy gum ming. For a more complete discussion see the specification and drawings of the above patent which are incorporated herein by reference.

Figures 4 and 5 show in detail the construction of the timing mechanism 41 and automatic looping devices with the improved leaf bundle insertion means for gumming conditions. In particular Figure 4, which is a plan view of the mechanism, shows the arrangement of the housing portion 52 and the underlying longitudinal housings S3 and 54. It can be seen that curved guide members 78 and 79 are mounted at the upper portions of the housings 53 and 54, respectively, and are limited in their movement by slot and screw means. A strand 80 of twine originating in the supply 42 can be seen entering the mechanism between the guide members 78 and 79. The shaft 31 of the motor is mounted in the housing portion 52 and has keyed thereto a pulley 82. A shaft 83 is mounted vertically in the outer end of the housing portion 52. and the forward end of the longitudinal housing 53. A sprocket 87 fastened to the underside of the pulley 84 drives a sprocket 88 journaled on the shaft 86. Since the sprocketsSS. and 87 and. thepulley 84 are journaled on their respective shafts. the motor 55 and'its drive shaft 81 drive the pulley 84 and the sprocketSS through the belt 84 without movingthe shafts 83 and 86.] Sprocket 88 is provided. with a series, of pinsor lugs extending upwardly fromits, uppersurface and grouped concentrically about the shaft 86. A1col-lar.90.- is keyed to the shaft 86 and on this collaris secured, a finger 91; which extends outwardly a sufiicient distance to be engaged by the pins 89. Thisfin-ger 91Iiscapableof having, its outer. end raised above the tops of .the pins 89, but which is normally maintained in a lower position where, it can be engagedby the pins89 by aspring 92. on avertical pin 93 ispivotly mounted a. cam.-finger.-9'4 whose. outer end is curved to conformto the circle. of pins 89. Thisv finger 94 normally remains outside the circle of pins 89'and is movabletoward and away from that circle. The finger 94 is connected to and movableby means of a solenoid 95 The upper edge of thecurved. portionofuthefinger 94, which may best be seeninFigut-e 6,.slopes upwardly from the outer end so that the outer endof the finger91 in moving with the-pins89 will ride along this upper surface and beraised above thetops of the pins. However, the'length of the finger 91 is such that'it will cam. along the curved surface of the finger 94 only when that finger is adjacentxthe circle of pins 89. When the finger. 94 is moved 'by the solenoid 95.:to a position away from the circle of pins 89 the pin 91 lies beneath the. level of the tops of the pins 89 and will be carried around with the movement of the sprocket 88.

Referring next to Figure 5, which shows :thcunderside of the tying or looping mechanism 41, it should be remembered nowthat the shafts 83 and'86 and the longitudinal housings 53 and 54 have reversed places in .the illustration when compared. witht'the illustrationshown in Figure 4.. A sprocket 97 is keyed to the bottomend of the shaftiiia and, drives a sprocket chain 98. The sprocket chain in turn drives a sprocket 99iwhich -is keyed to the lower end of a'vertical'stu'b shaft 100, which is mounted in bearings at-therearwardend of the longitudinalhousing 54. Keyed or otherwise fastened to the upper end of the, shaft 100 is a bobbin ltllwhich-is an S-shaped element-with the ends: tapered to points. Onthe lower end of. the shaft 36*is mounted a-wheel 102 having a pin 163 mounted at its periphery and extending downwardly therefrom. Pivotly mountedon this pin 103 is a-connectingrod 104; The outer endis'connected to-a needle 105-. T l e-needle isa member formed of flat material, and-is somewhat curved in :shapein the form of a semi-crescent. In other words, it-isnarrow at oneend and ratherrlarge at the other end.- At the narrow olfipointedend the needle is provided'withan aperture or eye 1% and it is pivoted atthe other end to a vertical pin 107 for, swinging in a horizontal plane. An:actuatingconnecting;-rodz104 is connected to the needleltES atthe: large end, js-omejdistance from the-pivot .pin10'l'.

A hub 108 extending upwardly from the upper-surface of the sprocket: 97 is substantially:cylindrical but has one flat side 109. A flat spring 110 iszbolteddo the-housing 4Yand has one free end "resiliently pressed against the hub 108-at all'tirnes. A switchlll; having an actuating finger 112.. isfastened :to the housing 54 adjacent: the sprocket 97 with the actuating finger 112 resiliently'biased against-the spring 119. The switch: 111, the springillt) and-the hub 108 are so arranged that when the spring fill/contacts the cylind-rical portionof thehub 198 the switch isclosed, but when the's-pring 110 rests against the fiatside N9 of the hub108, the switch will be open. The switch 111 is also providedwith another spring biased actuating .finger 113 which. extends in the opposite direction from the actuating finger 112 for a purpose to he explained. The guidejmem'ber 78 is keyed at its forward end to..a stubshaft114, about theaxisof. which it ispermittedto rotate inwardly and outwardly. Thelo-wer end of-the shaft 114 has attached thereto-a crank arm 115, the outer end of which is attached to a spring 116. The other end of the spring 115 is attached to the housing 53, sothat-the guide member 78 is biased inwardly at all times by the spring116. The guide member 79 is pivoted in a similar manner on a stubshaft 117 having a crank arm 118 which is connected to a spring 119 fastened to the frame 54 so that the guide member 79 is biased to an inward position. However, the crank arm 113 is pro vided with a contactor element 120 whoseposition relative to the cranksarrn 11 8 is adjustable by screw means. The contactor. element is adapted topress against the actuating finger 113 when the guide'menrber is in its outer position; toopen the switch 111. The switch 111 is connected in. serieswith the coil of the solenoid 95Iand serves to determine whether the arm 94 is in an inner or outer position relative to the circle of pins 89. The. solenoid 95 is connected to an electric battery, not shown, and, when the switch 111 is closed, current passes through the solenoid 95 andv moves the arm 94 to an outer position. Of course when the switch 111 is open the finger 94 is biased to a position adjacent to pins 89.

It should be noted that for some conditions the guide members 78 and 79 may have plain curved edges which separate against spring action onthe insertion-of a hand of tobacco to receive the bunched stems in a resilient'mam ner; trip the looping mechanism for tying and'also advance the chains carrying the hands toward the tobacco sticks. Where however a substantial amount of gum is present, the tobacco sticks to the curved edges of guide members 78 and 79 and offers enough resistance toinsertion of the hands to slowdown the primer and also be very tiring after arelatively short. time. The wheels 200-are rotatably mounted on the guide members 78 and 79and con vertthe sliding action of the gummystems on-the curved guides 78 and 79 to a rolling action. Thewheels 200 move bodily'with the guides 78 and 79 and cooperate therewith'to hold the stems against the resilient action of the taut twine during the looping process.- The diameter of the wheels 200and their breadth are so chosen to'reduce resistance toa desirable minimum, avoid undue pinching or cutting of the stems and to hold themfirrnly in the proper position for looping. While separate resilient mountings may be provided for the bearings of wheels 200 on guides 78 and 79, it is preferred-to provide fixed journals as shown and rely upon the spring biased pivoting action of the guide members themselves.

The operation of the apparatus-of'the more fully auto.- matic form-of the invention will now be understood-in view of/the above description. The driver may sit in-the seat 21, but usually stands on the platfornrand adjusts the steering ofthe apparatus by means of'the-wheel 2 2 from time totime; The tobacco leaf pickers or primers-sit in the seats 35-with-their feet on the foot rests 37. The tobacco plants are planted in rows of such width that-the large forward wheel 12 may pass betweentwo rows and the small-rearwheels 13'will, pass on the outside ofth'e two rows of plants from which the leaves are being picked. The vehicle is moved by the engine 20 driving the wheel 12.through. suitable means such as the drivingmeans Z3. Itv will be noted that the motor and front wheel 12 are mounted as an independent unit. Inaddition to advantages of cost, this construction provides stability of operation land-very short turning radius. The construction permits .a lighter'frame because the pulling action of the drive unit eliminates any tendency of the machine to walk in loose soil as would occur if the drive is made through the rear wheels bymeans of differentialtge'aring. Suchrear'wheel drives tend to push-the machine forward oneside at a time as each drive wheel finds :an independent footing in. the loose soil. Such action not only warps the frame unless it is made very rigid and therefore heavy, but of far greater importance requires greatly increased and.v insome cases almost constant attention to steering. The front driveconstruction-has the great importance that it frees the driver so that he has time to remove the loaded tobacco sticks and store them on the racks at the rear of the platform.

The apparatus with which each of the leaf pickers is working in the form illustrated is independent of the similar apparatus with which the other leaf picker is working. As the primers accumulate a bundle of tobacco leaves, the number depending on how ripe the tobacco is, they then insert the bundle or hand with stems uppermost between the wheels 200 mounted on guide members 78 and 79 and into the tying mechanism 41 where it is pressed against the twine. The tying mechanism ties the stems of the bundle tightly together with twine, using a chain stitch, and the bundle hangs on the link belt 50 with all of the leaves of one bundle hanging down on one side and the next bundle hanging down on the other side. The bundle is moved along under the action of the link belt 50 as it moves forward and also because the twine or string which ties the bundle together it still connected with the portion which was used to tie the preceding bundles together. The bundles of tobacco leaves move forwardly and upwardly until they reach the uppermost position where they are prevented from going any further by the frame of the mechanism 38. In this uppermost position the bundles are spread and straddle the supply of sticks 43. When a sufiicient number of tobacco leaves have arrived at that position, which number, as will be explained hereinafter, is dependent on the amount of movement of the chain 50, the bell 64 will ring, warning the driver of this fact. This occurs because the elongated pins 51 extending from the chain 50 are so spaced as to bring about this timing. The pins cause the switch 65 to close by means of the trigger mechanism 66 being engaged by pins 51 and the bell 64 rings. See Figures 2, 3 and 6 of the said patent for additional detail showing of the above construction. The driver then reaches over and cuts the string between the lowermost bundle of tobacco leaves which straddles the supply of sticks 43. He then lifts the topmost stick, and he places the stick with its dependent leaves on the rack mounted on platform 18, or on a trailer pulled behind, Where such sticks and leaves accumulate until a sufficient load is obtained to warrant their being carried to the drying barn or some similar station. The motor 55 which is connected to the battery of the engine 20, operates continuously, but the apparatus is so arranged that the other operations which take place within the mechanism 38, keep in step with the speed of the leaf picker in accumulating bundles. As a matter of fact, the cycle of tying the bundle of leaves and moving it upwardly to its position above the supply of sticks 43, is set in motion by the picker when he introduces the bundle between the guide members 78 and 79. The shaft 81 of the motor 55 drives the pulley 84 through the belt 85. Since the pulley 84 is journaled on the bearing 83, but not keyed thereto, the shaft 83 does not turn the pulley 84. The sprocket 87 however is directly connected to the pulley 84, although in Figure 6 it is shown separated from the pulley 84 for purposes of clarity and therefore the sprocket 88 is continuously driven through the sprocket chain 96. Since the sprocket 88 is continuously driven so long as the finger 91 is in a position below the level of the tops of the pins 89, it will be carried by the pins, thus driving the collar 90, which in turn drives the shaft 86. When the shaft 86 is driven it, in turn, drives the shaft 83 through the sprockets and sprocket chain connecting the two. When the shaft 83 is driven it in turn drives the stub shaft 100 through the medium of the sprockets 97 and 99 and the sprocket chain 98. The driving of the shaft 100 of course rotates the bobbin 101. The shaft 36, when driven, carries the pin on the Wheel 102 in a circle about the axis of the shaft 86, carrying with it the connecting rod 104, which, as a result, has a reciprocatory action imparted thereto. This action moves the needle 105 about its axis pin 107, so that the narrow end of the needle having the aperture 106 is moved in a wide arc in a reciprocatory manner. It can be seen that the bobbin 101 and the needle are actuated only when the finger 91 is in contact with the pins 89. At certain times it is not desirable to have these members driven and this may be accomplished by actuating the solenoid 95 in such a manner that the finger 94 is in its inward position against the circle of pins 89 so that the finger 91 is lifted and does not contact the pins 89. The finger is carried around in a circle by the sprocket 88 and the pins 89, and, when the outer end of the pin 91 strikes the upper surface of the finger 94, it is carried upwardly above the pins 89. When the pin 91 clears the tops of the pins 89 it is no longer driven thereby and remains in that position resting on the upper surface of the finger 94 and is returned to its position below the tops of the pins 89, where it may be engaged and driven by a pin 89, only when the finger 94 is retracted and the pin is allowed to drop. When the leaf picker or primer introduces the bundle of tobacco leaves between the members 78 and 79, with or without the wheels 200 mounted thereon, they are forced outwardly about their pivots 114 and 117 against the resilient biasing action of their springs 116 and 119. When the guide member 79 is moved its crank arm 118 is moved toward the switch 111 so that its contactor 120 strikes the actuating finger 113 of the switch 111. This opens the switch 111, thus cutting oh the current to the coil of the solenoid 95 and permitting the finger 94 to be biased away from the circle of pins 89. This permits the pin 91 to drop between the pins 89 so that the shaft 86 is driven and the bobbin and needle go through their cycle.

When the shaft 83 is rotated the hub 108 is also rotated so that the spring follows the shape thereof and falls at least once during each rotation into the flat side 109. When the spring 110 falls into the fiat side 109 the actuating finger 112 of the switch 111 is resiliently biased into an outward position so that the switch 111 is closed and the solenoid 95 is actuated so that the finger 94 is in an outward position where it does not lift the finger 91 away from engagement with a pin 89. The result of the foregoing is that while the leaf picker is accumulating a bundle of leaves the machinery is at rest, with the sprocket 88 rotating, but not driving the shaft 86 or the shaft 83. In this condition the pin 99 rests on the upper surface of the finger 94, which is in its inward position adjacent the circle of pins 89. When the picker introduces the bundle of leaves between members 78 and 79, the solenoid is actuated so that the finger 94 moves away from the pins 89 and the pin 91 drops between the pins 89, and comes into contact therewith, so that the shafts 86 and 83 are driven. The tying cycle of the bobbin and needle is also begun. However, when the shaft 83 has been rotated through almost a complete rotation thus producing a complete rotation of the needle and bobbin, the flat side 109 comes in contact with the spring 110, so that by means of switch 119 the solenoid is deactivated and the finger 94 returns to its position adjacent the pin circle. Pin 91 is then disconnected from pins 89 and the needle and bobbin again come to rest.

During the cycle thus described, two other things are happening. First, the chain 51 is being driven, and secondly, the shield 77 is moved. During the single rotation of the shaft 86 the pinion 56 is rotated, thus rotating the pinion 57, the drive shaft 58, the worm 59, the spur 60, and the stub shaft 61, and the sprocket 47. The driving of the sprocket 47 of course moves the link belt 50 a short distance. The single rotation of the shaft 83, which takes place during a cycle, also moves the pin 76 through a single cycle. This means that the connecting rod 75 goes through one reciprocation moving the harness member 73 about its pivot pin 74. The movement of the lower motion causes the spring 71 to pivot about its collar 72. The free end bearing the pin 70 partaking of a motion longitudinally of the apparatus and engaging a cusp of the cam 69 and drawing it rearwardly. This rotates the shaft 67 and moves the shield 77 from a position where it covers the bobbin and needle mechanism to a position where it doesnot cover-this mechanism and then returns it again to its initial position. That is to say, the leaf picker in moving the bundle of leaves between number 78and' 79 starts a cycle of the shield 77, whereby the shield is moved' away so that the bundle can enter the mechanism and then it is returned s'o that'the'leaf picker cannot insert his hands or other parts of-his' body into the mechanism. At the'beginning of a cycle theshield'77' is again'cover ing the mechanism and the outer cusp of the cam 69' is in the forward'posi'tion' and'the pin 70 and its sp'rir'igmember 71 a're in a rearwardpositiion. When the cycleis begunthe' member 79is drawn forwardly pulling theouteicusp"forwardly;rotating theshield away from the mechanism As the cycle continues, the'pinf70' engages theother inside cusp ofth'ecarn'and drives it forwardly, thus returning-the shield 77 to its position covering themechanism.

As isevident from the relative sizes'of-the'sprocke't wheels, the shafts 83, 86 afid 100 rotatat the same rate. This means that the bobbin 101' rotates once for'every in and out cycle ofthe ne'edle'105. The mannerin which the'bu ndle s'of tobacco leaves aretied together can be seen best in Figures 5 and 5A. An individual bundle of leaves enters the apparatus Where it is pressed by wheels 200 and guide members 78 and 79'against the twine 50 which'is held taut by thete'nsion mechanism and the needle 1 3 which is in its retracted position away from the bobbin 1 01 When the'bundle is well into the apparatus the single cycle of needle and bobbin rotation has started. The needle proceeds across'the back of the bundle of stems" and" carries with it a loop of string. This'loop is engaged by the next horn of the bobbin 101 to' come along. Once the loop has beenengaged by the horn of the bobbin l0 li'the'needle'lo5 moves to its'retracted position again, slidingalong the string and' leaving'a loop behind. The loop is held bythehorn' of the bobbin and then the bobbin begins to movethat loop to a position on the other side of the bobbin; This tightens up'all' loops and knots that have gone before 'in'previous cycles. The bobbin holds the loop spread apart in this far position until the next bundle of leaves enters. At that time the'needle 105' again proceeds across the back of the bundle of leaves, carrying another loopalong; This'loop is passed'through the firstformed spread loop and picked up by the other horn of the bobbin. The bobbin meanwhile releases" the firstformed' loop as it rotates. It can be seen then that when the hordofthebobbifr icks up the second loop and carries it to its far position theresult isthat the first loop is tightened up and in that way the bundles of leaves are held together by a series xof'l'oops one looped within the other, "and drawn tight: Asisevide'nt in: the picture, any looseendsot stringareheldtightly,due to the factfliat all'th'e'"lobps areurawnnpuighr were bobbin; The spreading of the loop is achieved by sliding it back around the wide base portion of the bobbin.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. While there has been presented above a particular embodiment of the invention, now believed to be preferred, many variations will readily suggest themselves in the light of the above disclosure to those skilled in the art. All these different forms which fall within the spirit of the invention are intended to be covered by the appended claims wherein generic terms are employed for the express purpose of including the many equivalent structures by which the present results or part of them can be obtained.

Among the many such variant structures and combinations, the following are suggested as representative.

Although the low seating arrangement on each side with the primers adjacent the base of the tobacco plants, the raised platform carrying stacked tobacco sticks and rack means to receive and safely carry loaded sticks and the looper mechanism with the upwardly moving conveyor chain carrying the looped hands of tobacco from 10 theprimersup to the platform comprise one formof the invention which is more fullyautomatic thanothers, novel and useful combinations can be made according to the. invention which do not include all the above elements or sub-combinations. For example, if a less expensive harvester is desired the looping mechanism as. a subcombination can-be left out and the guide members 78 and 79 with their wheels 200-may be attached directly tothe link belt or conveyorchain50r One form of this vvariant is shown in Figures 5B and 5C wherein the wheels 290 are rotatably mounted. on pins201 atthe ends of resilient arms 202. Arms 202 are mounted on link; belt or conveyor chain 50 and urged toward each other by their own resiliency,- a' tension spring 2tl3 or a combination of both. The tension spring is a preferred part of the unitbecause its extensibility helps holdv the bunched stalks of a hand of tobacco in a resilient manner similar to the action of the taut twine mentionedsabove whenthe hands are-first inserted in the looper mechanism. These resiliently held hands of tobacco are conveyed upwardly ontheconveyor chain 50, on which the arms 202 are mounted by a suitable bracket such as 204, to the raised platform where a Worker called a looper stands and removes the bunched hands from the moving clip means formed and mounted as shown in Figures .SB and 5C. The looper then'loopsthe hands of tobacco manually on-the sticks which he places on therack when full. Although the complete invention does the work ofboth handers and loopers, the teachings thereof are believed not to be avoided by the elimination of oneof these components and supplementing the simpler combination by manual operation. This less comprehensive inventive combination is deemed to be within thespirit of the invention.

Itfollows that the resiliently pivoted guide means 78 and 79 with rotatable wheels mounted thereon and spring biased'toward each other to hold bunched hands resiliently so they can be conveyedfrom the primers upwardly to the raised platform by a suitable conveyor belt or chain for storage on sticks placed on suitable racks carried by the machine, forms an inventive sub-combination within thespirit of the invention and is intended to be covered by the claims.-

I claim: I v

l. A tobacco harvester comprising a frame, wheels supporting. said frame, members secured to said frame in spaced-relationship to each other, conveyor chains carried by said members, drive means for actuatingsaid chains, a platform secured on top of said frame, said chains. extending upwardly above said platform; from 't-hercbelow,.said:chains having spring pressed clips attachedv thereto for resiliently engaging and carrying tobacco leaves, a plurality of seats, and means adjustably suspending said seats from said frame in back of said chains.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, said clips each having at least one movable arm with relatively movable means adjacent the end thereof to facilitate the insertion and removal of a bundle of leaves into and from the clips.

3. A harvester comprising a frame, a forward centrallylocated wheel supporting said frame, two rearward outwardly-located wheels supporting said frame, a motor, means connecting the motor to the forward wheel for the driving thereof, means connected to the forward wheel for the steering thereof, a raised platform secured to said frame, a conveyor means carried by the frame and passing from a position adjacent the level of the wheels to a position above the platform, said conveyor means having tobacco leaf bundle holding clips, each clip having at least one movable arm and resilient means causing said arm to grasp a bundle of tobacco leaves by their stems, said clips being mounted on said conveyor means and carried thereby and operable to hold bundles of leaves of tobacco in depending position on said conveyor means for transfer as bundles from said position adjacent the level of the wheels to said position above the platform, means for driving the chain, and a seat fastened to the frame below said platform whereby a leaf picker seated thereon may pick ripe leaves and place bundles of said leaves in dependent position on said conveyor means.

4. An apparatus adapted to move along a row of tobacco plants for harvesting the leaves therefrom comprising, an engine for driving the apparatus along a row to be harvested, a frame, a raised platform mounted on said frame for receiving and temporarily storing tobacco leaves, a movable mechanism for moving bundles of leaves from a position below said platform to a position above said platform and bundle holding means comprising clips distributed along said conveyor means, each clip having at least one movable arm member and resilient means causing said arm member to grasp a bundle of tobacco leaves, said clips being carried by said movable mechanism for holding bundles of leaves by their stems in draped depending position on said movable mechanism, said bundle holding means permitting movement of said bundles with respect to said movable mechanism under the action of gravity whereby damage to harvested leaves and breaking of the stems thereof are minimized and the bundles are suitably positioned with freedom of movement for the next handling step.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, said clips comprising a holding surface, wheel means rotatably mounted on said clips to receive an inserted bundle with rolling action, said resilient means acting to urge said arm member and said holding surface toward each other into bundle holding relation.

6. An apparatus adapted to move along a row of leaved plants for harvesting the leaves therefrom comprising, an engine for driving the apparatus along a row to be harvested, a frame, a leaf pickers seat carried by said frame adjacent the ground, a raised platform mounted on said frame for receiving and temporarily storing harvested leaves, a movable mechanism for moving bundles of leaves from a position adjacent said seat to a position above said platform and means carried by said movable mechanism for holding bundles of leaves by their stems in draped depending position on said movable mechanism, said bundle holding means permitting movement of said bundles with respect to said movable mechanism under the action of gravity whereby damage to harvested leaves and breaking of the stems thereof are minimized and the bundles are suitably positioned with freedom of movement for the next handling step, said means carried by said movable mechanism comprising bundle grasping arms and resilient means urging said arms together in grasping position to carry said bundles to said position above said platform and a wheel mounted for rotation adjacent the outer part of at least 12 one of said arms to facilitate the insertion of a bundle of leaves.

7. A tobacco harvester comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame, upwardly extending conveyor chains carried by said frame, drive means for actuating said chains, a raised platform secured to the top portion of said frame high enough to clear tobacco plants without breaking the stalks thereof, said chains extending upwardly above said platform from therebelow, said chains comprising links for carrying bundled hands of tobacco leaves, a plurality of seats for leaf pickers located on the lower part of said frame, means suspending said seats from said frame in back of said chains, each said conveyor chain being operable to convey bundles of tobacco leaves from a point within easy reach of at least one of said seats to a point above said platform, certain ones of said links for carrying bundled leaves mounting spring pressed clips having at least one movable arm resiliently urged into bundle grasping and holding position, said arms providing means adjacent their ends for the ready insertion of the stems of a bundle of leaves.

8. A tobacco harvester comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame, members secured to said frame in spaced relationship to each other, conveyor chains carried by said members, drive means for actuating said chains, a raised platform secured to said frame, said chains extending upwardly above said platform from therebelow, said chains having spring pressed clips attached thereto for resiliently engaging and carrying tobacco leaves, a plurality of seats, means mounting said seats on said frame in back of said chains, said spring pressed clips each comprising at least one movable arm biased by a spring for holding bundles of leaves by their stems in draped depending position on a conveyor chain, said spring permitting movement of said bundles with respect to one of said conveyor chains under the action of gravity to minimize damage to harvested leaves and to position said bundles suitably with freedom of movement for the next handling step, means mounted adjacent the end of said movable arm to facilitate the insertion of a bundle of leaves into said clip.

9. The combination set forth in claim 8, said last means being relatively movable with respect to said movable arm.

10. The combination set forth in claim 9, said last means comprising a wheel pivoted on said movable arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,275,781 Stark et a1 Aug. 13, 1918 2,652,932 Funnell Sept. 22, 1953 2,672,248 Holliday Mar. 16, 1954 2,715,968 Davis Aug. 23, 1955

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