US3664526A

US3664526A - Harvester

Info

Publication number: US3664526A
Application number: US874320A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kelly S Dilday
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-11-05
Filing date: 1969-11-05
Publication date: 1972-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-23

Abstract

A harvester particularly useful in harvesting tobacco by providing a vehicle having vertically adjustable seats for persons who pick the leaves of tobacco with the vehicle having a support in the form of a conveyor for receiving the picked leaves from the persons and transporting the leaves to another location on the vehicle where one or two other persons place the tobacco on racks and such racks may be either the conventional tobacco sticks for drying in tobacco barns or may be pallets on which the tobacco leaves are laid and the pallets with the loaded leaves may be removed. To obtain maximum advantage of the invention the crop is arranged in rows with two adjacent rows close together and alternate adjacent rows being spaced apart a sufficient distance for the vehicle to pass so that the vehicle has a low center of gravity and can be pulled by a conventional tractor.

Description

United States Patent Dilday, deceased [451 May 23, 1972 54] HARVESTER 3,203,562 8/1965 Long ..214/5.5

[72] Inventor: Kelly S. Dilday, deceased, late of Ahoskie, Primary Examiner Alben J. Makay N.C. Stewart Anthony Dilday and Kelly Wayne Dilday, executors Att0rney--Munson H. Lane and Munson H. Lane, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A harvester particularly useful in harvesting tobacco by providing a vehicle having vertically adjustable seats for persons who pick the leaves of tobacco with the vehicle having a support in the form of a conveyor for receiving the picked leaves from the persons and transporting the leaves to another location on the vehicle where one or two other persons place the tobacco on racks and such racks may be either the conventional tobacco sticks for drying in tobacco barns or may be pallets on which the tobacco leaves are laid and the pallets with the loaded leaves may be removed.

To obtain maximum advantage of the invention the crop is arranged in rows with two adjacent rows close together and alternate adjacent rows being spaced apart a sufficient distance for the vehicle to pass so that the vehicle has a low center of gravity and can be pulled by a conventional tractor.

26 Claims, 28 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAY 23 I972 SHEET 2 BF 9 FIGB.

34A34F 35B 28 34B FIG. 8.

29 24 INVENTOR 23 22 KE LLY s. DI LDAY I \3! &\ V 22 BY 2 1 llglrll %WM ATTORNEY PATENTEDmma I972 3, 664, 526

SHEET 3 BF 9 I I4 I INVENTOR KELLY S. DILDAY ATTORNE Y PATENTEDMAYZS I972 3.664, 526

sum 5 OF 9 FIG.I3.

INVENTOR KELLY S. DILDAY ATTORNEY PATEmEnmms I972 3. 664, 526

main 9 OF 9 INVENTOR KE LLY S. D ILDAY BY Z/ AM ATTORNEY HARVESTER This invention relates to harvesting tobacco and particularly to harvesting tobacco used in cigarettes where the leaves of the tobacco plant become ripe beginning with the leaves at the bottom and progressing upwardly so that the leaves at their maximum quality may be picked to produce the best product.

I-Ieretofore various types of tobacco harvesters have been used and some required a high platform with a tricycle support with the resulting center of gravity at a very high location with danger of the harvester tipping over and the platforms had to be higher than the tobacco plants. Other types of tobacco harvesters have included four wheel vehicles and even trailers, but none of these have been entirely satisfactory since the position of the personnel could not be accurately located to obtain the maximum advantage.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco harvester which overcomes the difficulties of the prior art.

Another object is to provide a method of agriculture to attain the maximum efficiency in the overall planting and harvesting of the crop.

It is another object of this invention to provide a two row tobacco harvester comprising a vehicle having a load bed supported close to the ground which travels in the space left between adjacent pairs of tobacco rows when planting the field by alternately planting two rows, skipping two rows, planting two rows and so on successively across the tobacco field. The tobacco harvester includes a pair of forwardly facing picker seats extending rearwardly from opposite rear corners of the load bed, mount means supporting a selected one of several types of tobacco transfer means positioned adjacent the rear end of said vehicle intermediate the picker seats, an operator's station forward of the tobacco transfer means where at least one operator stands and removes tobacco from the transfer means, a temporary tobacco storage station (load station) S at the front of the load bed where the tobacco taken from the transfer means by an operator is temporarily stored. The load station may support a pallet on which the tobacco is placed so that it can be removed by a fork lift or other mechanical means. The sides of the load bed are usually left open but may include removable side wall panels if desired. The pickers seats are adjustable in height so that the pickers who begin picking at the bottom of the tobacco plants can raise their seats to accommodate picking the upper leaves of the plant as the leaves ripen. The tobacco transfer means is also adjustable in height so that it may be varied in height corresponding to the position of the pickers. The operators station will normally include various adjuncts such as twine holders, tobacco stick supports and tobacco stick storage racks according to the needs of a' particular farmers harvesting situation.

There are on the market a number of different types of tobacco bulk racks, tobacco sticks and other means for supporting the tobacco for curing and storage. It is an object of this invention to provide a tobacco harvester which will accommodate the use of the particular and often varied types of tobacco storage racks or sticks which the farmer may have on hand and therefore not require the additional expense of purchase of a specific tobacco rack or stick.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tobacco harvester which is readily altered to include diverse types of tobacco transfer means for transferring tobacco from the picker positions to an operators station where tobacco on the transfer means is removed and set aside in a temporary storage position. The harvester therefor is adaptable for use in accordance with the needs and preferences of individual tobacco farmers who can alter the harvester to suit their preferences and the existing equipment such as tobacco bulk racks and tobacco sticks which the farmer may already have on hand. The harvester of this invention because of its versatility has a much greater sales potential than tobacco harvesters which are especially designed for one type of tobacco harvesting situation.

It is another object of this invention to provide diverse types of tobacco transfer equipment which can be substituted on the basic harvester vehicle to accommodate the needs and preferences of individual tobacco farmers.

Other and further objects will be apparent as the description proceeds and upon reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the trailer harvester showing the coupling for attachment to a tractor and one of the workmen supporting seats and one form of conveyor and supports for the tobacco sticks;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the trailer harvester attached to a conventional narrow tractor;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the trailer harvester;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear portion of the trailer showing the position of the workmen supporting seats and the conveyor and also the supports for tobacco sticks to which the tobacco hands are attached;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the rear portion of the trailer showing the adjustment of the belt conveyor;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken substantially on broken line 6-6 of FIG. 5 showing the vertical and pivotal adjustment of the conveyor;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 4 showing how the length of the conveyor is adjusted to maintain the correct belt tension;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective showing how the workmen supporting seats are vertically and angularly adjustable on the uprights which also support the sun shade;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective of the slidable support for the tobacco stick while tobacco hands are applied thereto;

FIG. 10 is a section taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 9 showing the square shaft telescopic arrangement;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective showing how the belt conveyor is supported for vertical and pivotal adjustment;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective on an enlarged scale of the U-shaped holder for the stems of a tobacco hand of several leaves;

FIG. 13 is a perspective of the trailer harvester showing a modification in which the product receiving support includes a pivoted rack with a partition between first and second crop supporting means;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective of the pivoted product supporting means showing the partition between the parts and showing the pivotal mounting therefor and the brackets to support impaling tobacco sticks;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged plan view of the rear portion of the trailer modification shown in FIGS. 13 and 14;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary section taken on line 16-16 of FIG. 15 and also showing the recessed floor for the workmen placing the sticks on the rack;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary section taken on line 17-17 of FIG. 15 on an enlarged scale showing the pivotal mounting of the support for the hands of tobacco and showing the sticks in impaled position;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary section taken on line l8-18 of FIG. 17 showing the indexing for the support to maintain the support in its operative positions;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary section corresponding to section taken on line 17-l7 of the modification which provides for vertical adjustment of the product receiving support;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary section corresponding to section 17--l7 of a modification providing for double capacity by the use of an extension partition and the use of double rows of impaling P FIG. 21 is a third form similar to FIG. 20 in which the rib of the lower clamping member is located intermediate the edges;

FIG. 22 is still another form where clamping action is used rather than impaling pins;

veyor illustrated particularly in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 12 of the drawings;

FIG. 26 is a side elevational view of the endless tobacco transfer conveyor shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a sectional view of the endless tobacco transfer conveyor taken on line 27-27 of FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on lines 2828 of FIG. 25.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the trailer harvester shown in FIG. 2 includes a draw bar 1 adapted to be connected to a tractor 2 with the draw bar extending the length of the trailer; a workman supporting floor 3 (FIG. 1) is mounted on the draw bar and

rectangular fenders

4,4 extend upwardly from the floor 3 and

cover supporting wheels

5,5 suitably supported on an axle which with the

side frame members

6,6 and the

fenders

4,4 form the chassis of the trailer. A sun shade 7 is supported by

front posts

8,8 and

rear posts

9,9 for shading the workmen.

Tube sections are slidably and rotatably mounted on

rear posts

9,9 and held in adjusted position by set screws 11,11 (FIG. 8) and welded to each tube section 10 is an L-shaped bracket having a vertical leg 12 welded to the outer periphery of the sleeve 10 with the horizontal leg 13 extending under a seat 14 having a back rest 15. An upright 16 from the horizontal leg 13 supports the back at the outer edge. The inner edge of the seat is braced by an upright 17, a leg 18 and a connecting brace 19 extending between the leg 18 and the leg 13, it being understood that the seat may be adjusted both vertically and laterally by the adjusting screws 11,11 which permit the vertical adjustment of the sleeve 10 and thereby the seat; it also permits lateral pivotal motion to obtain the most desirable position for a workman. A footrest 20 supported from the trailer provides a support for the feet of the seated workmen when the seat is adjusted close to the ground.

A rearwardly opening U-shaped bed plate having a bight portion 21 and rearwardly extending

legs

22,22 supports an upwardly opening U-shaped bracket having a bight portion 23 and leg portions 24,24 (FIGS. 3 and 6). The bight portion 21 of the bed plate carries an upwardly extending cylindrical sleeve 25 for supporting turntables hereinafter described.

Aligned bolt receiving apertures in bight portion 23 and

legs

22,22 receive bolts 26 for securing the upwardly opening U- shaped bracket in fixed relation for carrying a conveyor C hereinafter described. The

struts

27,27 are secured in adjusted position by the proper positioning of the bolts 29 in aligned apertures in the strut members and in the upwardly extending

legs

24,24 and support

pillow block bearings

28,28. The conveyor C (FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5) includes a pair of side rails 30,30 having

tubular telescoping elements

30A,30A (FIG. 7) which are adjusted to obtain the desired length by adjusting screws 30B and such rails are maintained in spaced relation by cross members 31 and by

shafts

32,33 rotatably supported in

pillow block bearings

32A,33B respectively and an intermediate shaft 34 rotatably supported in

pillow block bearings

34A,34B. Extensions of the shaft 34 are rotatably mounted in

pillow block bearings

28,28 supported on the struts 27 from the

legs

24,24 of the upwardly opening U-shaped bracket and a further extension of the shaft 34 carries a sprocket 34B fixed to the shaft 34. An idler shaft 34X is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 34Y suitably mounted on the chassis and a sprocket 34Z on idler shaft 34X is connected by a chain 34C to a sprocket 34D fixed to the right wheel 5 so that motion of the trailer causes rotation of the idler shaft 34X by the chain 34C. The sprocket 34B is connected via sprocket chain 34D to a sprocket 34W fixed to the idler shaft 34X. The shaft 33 is driven from the shaft 34 by means of a V-shaped belt 34E extending between pulley 34F on the shaft 34 and a V-shaped pulley 346 on the shaft 33. The

conveyor shafts

32 and 33 each carry a pair of

rollers

35,35 around which belts 35A,35B pass and such belts are moved in the direction of the arrow by the

chains

34C, 34D and the V-shaped belt 34E. Belts 35A and 35B are connected by bars 35C. A supporting roller 36 is mounted in

pillow block bearings

36A,36A to support the belts 35A and 35B intermediate the

shafts

32 and 33. The conveyor C is rockably mounted in

bearings

28,28 and is retained in adjusted position by a pair of

struts

37,37 which extend from the corresponding rail 30 to the U-shaped upwardly extending bracket 24 and/or the struts 27 with bolts passing through the ends of the struts to position the conveyor C in its angular position such as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

U-shaped holders 38 are mounted on the

belts

35A and 358 by means of plates 38' riveted to the belts and the legs of such U-shaped holders diverge upwardly and outwardly as shown in FIG. 12 to receive several stems of tobacco leaves forming a hand of tobacco leaves as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it being apparent that the workman sitting at one side fills the holders on his side of the conveyor C and the workman sitting on the opposite seat fills the holders on his side of the conveyor C. The conveyor C thereby carries the hands of tobacco leaves toward the upper end to a second pair of workmen who take the hands of tobacco leaves and mount them on tobacco sticks 39.

- A tobacco stick 39 is supported from the chassis of the trailer by means of

studs

40,40 positioned forwardly and rearwardly of the corresponding fender 4 and a downwardly opening U-shaped frame of square tubular material including a bight portion 41 and

hollow legs

42,42 for telescoping reception of the

studs

40,40 thereby supporting the U-shaped frame. A square telescoping tube section 43 (FIG. 9) is slidably mounted on the bight portion 41 and carries a pair of

upstanding rods

44,44 which carry a U-shaped tobacco stick support including a bight portion 45 and

legs

46,46 carrying upwardly opening

yokes

47,47 for supporting the tobacco stick 39. An L-shaped extension 48 has one of its legs in alignment with the openings in the

yokes

47,47 to abut the end of a tobacco stick 39 to properly position the tobacco stick for receiving the hands of tobacco.

A storage rack for the tobacco sticks 39 is formed by a frame supported on front posts 8,8 (FIG. 9) with a transverse bar 49 therebetween and side bars 50,50 and a front bar 51, with the front bar 51 and the front ends of the bars 50 being supported by

suspension members

52,52 supported from

longitudinal members

53,53 which support the cave portion of the canopy 7. Forwardly extending .I-shaped

hooks

54,54 support cones of

twine

55,55, which cones of twine are located substantially in the same plane as the tobacco stick supporting racks so that each workman, called a looper, can grasp the twine and secure it to the stick and then secure the hands of tobacco in the usual manner by looping the twine around the stems of each hand of tobacco as clearly shown in FIG. 4 and as is well known in the art. It will thus be seen that, as the trailer moves along, the wheels 5 rotate and, through the chain and sprocket and belt drive, drive the conveyor C so that the workmen may place the hands of tobacco in the holders 38 and the loopers can pick the hands of tobacco from the holders 38 and secure the hands of tobacco to the tobacco stick by means of the twine in the well known way. The tobacco sticks 39 may be moved longitudinally in the direction of the vehicle due to the sliding action of the sleeve 43 on the square shaft 41 and the L-shaped abutment 48 assures proper positioning of the tobacco stick in its supporting

yokes

47,47. When the tobacco stick is filled it is then stored in the rack by having the ends extending over the

members

49 and 51 in the manner shown in FIG. 1 where empty sticks are so positioned, it being apparent that filled sticks may be positioned in the same manner and the sliding motion of the stick supports make it possible for the looper to stand in substantially one position and do all of the looping of the tobacco hands and secure the hands to the sticks.

Referring to the modification shown in FIGS. 13 to 18 inclusive, the cylindrical turntable sleeve 25 is provided with a bolt receiving aperture radially thereof receiving a bolt 60 which supports a hub 61 carrying a flange 62 which is secured by suitable fasteners to a floorboard 63 of a turntable T.

Other floorboards

64,65 are held together in assembled relation by bars 66 to which the floorboards are attached, thereby providing a turntable which may rotate about the axis of hub 61 and the upstanding sleeve 25 (FIG. 14). A partition 67 extends upwardly from the floorboard 63 and at its ends is provided with

plates

68,68, the comers of the floorboards being cut away on an are at 69 to permit rotation of the turntable, the turntable being retained in its two positions by the indentation 70 on the lower edge of the hub 61 which rides over the bolt 60 with a slight depression serving to yieldably retain the turntable in its position extending across the vehicle.

A groove 71 is formed between floorboard 64 and floorboard 63 to provide for the reception of a rib 72 (FIGS. 17

and 19) formed in a channel member having a web 73 and

flanges

74,74. This channel member lies on the floorboard of the tobacco receiver turntable and the workmen picking the leaves place the leaves on the turntable so that the ends of the butts of the stems engage the partition 67 and the stems lie across the channel 73 and the tobacco leaves are piled to the height shown substantially in FIG. 17 at the left thereof, at which time the turntable is turned around so that the empty segment is toward the rear and adapted to receive tobacco leaves from the pickers. An upright 75 (FIG. 13) extends upwardly from one end of the channel 73 and includes a yoke opening upwardly which receives one end of a channel bar 76 carrying a plurality of impaling pins 77 with the channel 76 pivotally mounted by means of a pin 77A in the yoke 75 whereby, when the tobacco leaves are piled to substantially the height of the bar 76, the channel bar 76 is lowered impaling the tobacco leaves with the tines 77 and'clamping the tobacco leaves between channel 76 and channel 73. The clamped bundle of tobacco leaves are then removed and placed on platform L or other suitable storage area.

The channel 76 with the pins 77 thereon are held in vertical position as shown in FIG. 13 by means of a vertically extending rod 78 having a C-shaped yoke 79 at its upper end which C-shaped yoke is adapted to receive the channel 76 and retain it in its vertical out-of-the-way position while the pickers place the picked leaves of tobacco on the rear section of the tumtable and after the leaves have been piled to substantially the height shown the turntable is rotated 180 and the channel 76 is pressed downwardly to impale the leaves, as shown to the left of FIG. 17 and the clamped leaves are removed by picking up the channel 73 and the channel 76 while maintaining them in the closed relation shown.

In FIG. the turntable T is shown in its yieldably retained positions and the workman removing the tobacco from the turntable T may stand in

foot receiving wells

79A,79A which are normally covered by a cover plate 79B which is removably attached by screws 79C so as to provide a flat surface under some circumstances and provide for the workmen to stand in a lowered position so that it is not necessary for him to bend to as great an extent to pick up the tobacco when the tobacco is clamped in the clamps shown in FIG. 17, for example.

Since the leaves of tobacco to be picked are at different heights on the plants at different times of harvesting the seats 14 are vertically adjustable and the turntable T is also made to be vertically adjustable by the structure shown in FIG. 19 where a sleeve 80 is received within the hub 61 and is held in adjusted telescoping position by a bolt 81 passing through aligned apertures in the hub and in the telescoping tube 80 and the telescoping tube 80 is received in a sleeve 82 telescopically retained in the upwardly extending sleeve 25 and held in position by the bolt 60 passing through aligned apertures in the sleeve 80 and the upwardly opening sleeve 25. The telescoping sleeve 80 is provided with recesses 70 in diametrically opposed locations so that the turntable will be retained in the position shown in FIG. 15 or in a position 180 of rotation thereto as described above.

In FIG. an extension partition board 83 having a plurality of straps 84 extending downwardly from one edge thereof is adapted to be positioned above the partition board 67 and fastened thereto to increase the height of the partition board. In this modification a channel member 85 having a downwardly extending tongue 86 received in groove 71 is positioned on the floorboard 65 and tobacco leaves are adapted to be positioned thereon with their stem ends abutting the

partitions

67 and 83 so that the tobacco leaves I. may have their stems abutting the partitions and the tobacco leaves can be stacked up to approximately twice their height shown in FIG. 17. The channel is provided with ends 87 providing an upwardly opening U-shaped holder and onto this holder another channel member 88 having two rows of pins 89,89 is adapted to be mounted on the ends 87 so that the pins 89 penetrate through the tobacco leaves and thereby the tobacco leaves are retained in the holder in a manner similar to that previously described and such holder with the tobacco leaves can then be positioned at any convenient storage space and the holder replaced for filling when the opposite holder has been filled.

In FIG. 21 another form of holder is shown in which a channel 90 having a downwardly extending tongue 91 received in the groove 71 receives tobacco leaves in a similar manner and has ends 92 which project upwardly and receive a channel member 93 having two rows of

pins

94,94 which penetrate the tobacco leaves and cooperate with the upwardly opening

holder

90,91,92,92 to hold the tobacco leaves L to provide for easy removal from the turntable T. I

In FIG. 22 a still different modification is shown in which the holders for the tobacco leaves are shown as made of tubular material in which the upstanding U-shaped frame includes

horizontal members

95,95 and vertically extending

members

96,96 at each end with a pivoted clamping

frame

97,97 adapted to press against the leaves stacked on the

horizontal sections

95,95 and retaining the leaves in clamped position so that the entire group of leaves may be removed at one time. Two of these frames are provided on each side of the

partition

67,83 and suitable latching means may be provided to hold the

upper frame

97,97 with its end in clamping relation.

In FIG. 23 a fifth form of the tobacco leaf holder includes a channel 98 having rolled flanges 99 and such channel is positioned in the plane of the floorboard 65 by removal of the floorboard 65A thereby widening the groove 71 to accommodate the channel 98. Cooperating with the channel 98 is a channel 100 having leaf impaling pins 101 adapted to penetrate the leaves of tobacco and thereby hold the leaves of tobacco in a condition so that the entire group of stacked leaves L on one side of the partition 67 can be removed as a unit. To provide for conveniently holding the channel 100 with the pins 101 thereon the C-shaped holder 79 supported on rods 78 provides for the reception of the channel 100 as shown in FIG. 24 so that the channel 100 will be out of the way while the pickers place the tobacco leaves on the rear portion of the turntable T.

From the above description the operation of the various forms of the invention should be apparent and it will be understood that a conventional tractor 2 draws the trailer on which the pickers are seated on

seats

14,14 in a position to place the leaves on the conveyor or on one of the turntables and the section of the conveyor and the section of the turntable is adapted to be moved away from the pickers so that the pickers always have a suitable space on which to place the harvested leaves and the leavesare either fastened to tobacco sticks by the loopers or the leaves are retained in the clamping devices which may include impaling pins to provide for removal of the picked leaves from the turntable. The turntable and the conveyor as well as the seats are adapted for vertical adjustment to assure that the workers are in the most convenient location to facilitate their work without excessive bending and without excessive strain and the equipment is adapted to be used with many of the existing tobacco leaf handling devices including the conventional tobacco sticks 39 and the various clamps shown in FIGS. 17 through 23 and therefore the user of the present equipment may use some of the clamps which he may already have in his possession thereby reducing the initial outlay to the tobacco grower and further economy is obtained by using a conventional tractor or even animal power to move the harvester in the larger space between the rows of tobacco.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the rows of tobacco 102,103 are close together as are

rows

104 and 105 while

rows

103 and 104 are spaced apart an increased distance to provide for the passage of the harvester and the tractor as clearly shown in FIG. 2 and this arrangement of planting makes it possible to grow the tobacco plants to their maximum growth and permits the use of a vehicle with a low center of gravity to harvest the entire crop.

Referring to FIGS 25-28, a modified tobacco transfer conveyor C is illustrated which may be substituted for the endless conveyor C shown in FIG. 1. The conveyor C differs from the conveyor C primarily in that the conveyor C is made up of a pair of spaced

parallel sprocket chains

110 and 1 1 1 driven by sprocket wheels 1 12 and 113 whereas the conveyor C is made up of spaced endless belts 35A,35B which are driven by friction pulleys 35,35. The conveyor C therefore provides a more positive drive than the conveyor C although the conveyor C if properly adjusted has been found to be entirely satisfactory.

The conveyor C includes a frame F composed of spaced,

parallel angle irons

114 and 115 which are rigidly connected by two or more cross bars 116 that are welded or otherwise suitably connected to the angle irons. A transverse shaft 1 17 is rotatably mounted on the conveyor frame F by means of a pair of bearing blocks 118 mounted on the upper surface of

angle irons

114 and 115 by welding, bolts or other suitable means. The opposite ends of shaft 117 extend substantially beyond the outside edges of the

angle irons

114 and 115, and are rotatably supported in bearing blocks 119,119 mounted on top of the pair of spaced struts 27,27 described in connection with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 112 of the drawing. The

struts

27,27 are adjustably mounted with respect to the

vertical legs

24,24 of a U-shaped bracket which is secured to the trailer bed by a U-shaped mounting plate as shown particularly in FIGS. 6 and 11. The right hand end of the shaft 117 (see FIG. 27) extends beyond the bearing block 119, and supports fixedly thereon a V-grooved pulley 120 and a sprocket wheel 121 which are spaced slightly apart. The sprocket wheel 121 is driven by means of a driven sprocket chain 34D which is described in connection with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-12. The driven sprocket wheel 121 turns the shaft 117 which in turn drives the Vpulley 120. A V- belt 122 is driven by the V-pulley 120 and drives a pulley 123 mounted on one end of a cross shaft 124 mounted in bearing blocks 125 at the front end of the conveyor frame F looking in the direction of travel of the upper reach of the conveyor as indicated by the arrow 126. Fixed to the cross shaft 124 just outside of the

longitudinal frame members

114 and 115 are the

sprocket wheels

112 and 113 by which the conveyor chains 110,111 are driven. At the opposite end of the conveyor frame from the cross shaft 124 are longitudinally adjustable stub shafts 127,127 which are slidably mounted in slots 128 in the

angle irons

114 and 115. Each of the stub shafts extends perpendicularly outwardly from the angle iron in which it is mounted and rotatably supports in spaced relationship to the angle iron a grooved idler pulley 129. The inside ends of the stub shafts 127 are provided with hexagonal heads 130 having a vertical flat side 131 engaged by an adjusting screw 132 which is rotatably mounted in a nut 133 fixed to the underside of the angle iron. The idler pulleys 129,129 support the conveyor chains 110 and 111 and are adjustable by means of the adjusting screws 132,132 to provide the proper tension on the conveyor chains. Also mounted on the frame F as by welding are additional stub shafts 134,134 which extend perpendicularly outwardly from the

angle irons

114 and 115 and which rotatably support on their outer ends in spaced relationship to the angle irons intermediate idler pulley 135,135. The intermediate idler pulleys 135,135 give intermediate support to the

conveyor chains

110 and 1 11.

The conveyor chains 1 and 11 1 have secured as by welding to outside chain links a plurality of spaced U-shaped holders 136. These U-shaped holders 136 function in the same manner as the U-shaped holders 38 secured to the belts 35A and 3513 as shown on the conveyor described in connection with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-12. Their purpose is to hold the butt ends of several tobacco leaves placed therein as the conveyor moves forward in the direction of the arrow 126. Space is provided between the chains and 111 and the bearing blocks 119 to permit the U-shaped holders to pass without interference. As shown by dotted lines in FIG. 28, the bottom of the U-shaped holders 136 are secured to the upper edge of the outside of conveyor chain links in such a manner that the holders 136 pass over the rim of the idler pulleys 129 without interference. The holders 136 on conveyor chains 1 10 and 111 are spaced in staggered relationship so that tobacco leaves placed with their butts in a holder on one chain will extend crosswise of the opposite chain and be supported thereby. The space between the chains 110 and 111 is such that the two chains support the tobacco leaves without the leaves falling therebetween.

The inclination of the conveyor C' with respect to the trailer bed 3 is adjustable about the shaft 117 by means of

support brackets

37,37 having their upper ends pivotally secured as by bolts to the

angle irons

114 and 115, and their opposite ends bolted in selected ones of vertically spaced holes 138 in the struts 27 or legs 24 in the same manner as the conveyor C is adjustable (see FIG. 5).

It will be apparent that the conveyor C is used in the same manner as the conveyor C to carry the hands of tobacco leaves from the pickers in seats 14 forwardly to workmen positioned forwardly of the conveyor in the operators station who remove the leaves and mount them on tobacco sticks, in racks or in other suitable receivers.

What is claimed is:

1. A two row tobacco harvester for harvesting tobacco planted in rows in a field according to an arrangement of alternating two adjacent rows of tobacco with space sufficient for the passage of the harvester successively across the field, the harvester comprising a vehicle having a load supporting open bed which is supported close to the ground, said bed being generally rectangular in top plan view with front, rear and side edges, the front edge being that edge which is foremost in the normal direction of vehicle travel, a pair of forwardly facing pickers seats supported on said load bed and extending rearwardly from opposite rear corners of said bed, within the confines of the space between the two rows of tobacco, mount means located adjacent the rear edge of said bed intermediate said side edges, tobacco transfer means supported on said mount means for receiving tobacco from pickers seated in the pair of seats and transferring tobacco forwardly to at least one handler, a handlers station located intermediately on said bed forward of said tobacco transfer means and a load station at the front end of said bed forward of said handlers station on to which the handler standing in said handlers station places tobacco taken from said transfer means.

2. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 1, wherein said tobacco transfer means is a turntable which is rotatable through 360 and is indexed for each 180 of revolution so that opposite sides of said table can be alternately positioned in front of said pickers seats for loading tobacco onto said table and alternately turned adjacent said handlers station so that a handler can remove tobacco from said turntable.

3. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 2 wherein said seats and said turntable are vertically adjustable.

4. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 2, wherein means are provided on said turntable to interchangeably hold a selected one of plural diverse types of tobacco receiving sticks and racks.

5. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 1, wherein said tobacco transfer means comprises endless conveyor means positioned medially between said pair of seats, the longitudinal axis of said conveyor means extending parallel to the front to rear axis of said load bed, and having an upper reach for receiving tobacco adjacent said pickers seats and travelling forwardly toward said handlers station where the tobacco is removed.

6. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 5, wherein said endless conveyor means is pivotally mounted about a horizonreceiving holders spaced in rows along opposite side edges of said endless conveyor means.

8. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 5, wherein said vehicle is a trailer having forwardly extending draft means, and a pair of support wheels with axle means pivotally supporting said load bed on said wheels, and drive means connected between one of said wheels and said endless conveyor means for driving said endless conveyor means.

9. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle is a towed trailer having forwardly extending draft means and a pair of support wheels with axle means pivotally supporting said load bed on said wheels.

10. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 9, wherein said load bed lies substantially in one plane and is supported adjacent the center axis of said wheels.

11. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 10, wherein said trailer has a pair of fenders extending upwardly from said load bed on opposite sides thereof and a means for slidingly supporting tobacco sticks parallel to said load bed mounted over each of said fenders.

12. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 7 wherein said endless conveyor means includes an elongated conveyor frame having a driven conveyor support means rotatably mounted at one end of said frame, and an idler conveyor support means rotatably mounted at the other end of said frame and an endless conveyor belt stretched between said driven support means and said idler support means, and means for driving said driven support means.

13. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 12 wherein said frame comprises a pair of telescoping sections and is adjustable in length in order to adjust the tension on said endless conveyor belt.

14. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 12 wherein said endless conveyor belt is made up of a pair of transversely spaced, parallel endless belts, and plural longitudinally spaced cross members transversely connecting said pair of belts.

15. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 14 wherein the upwardly opening holders are arranged in two rows, there being one row of holders on each of said belts with the holders of one row being equally spaced with relationship to each other, but spaced in staggered relationship with respect to the holders on the other conveyor belt.

16. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 14 wherein said driven conveyor support means comprises a driven shaft and a pair of spaced friction pulleys mounted thereon.

17. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 12 wherein said endless conveyor belt is made up of a pair of transversely spaced, parallel endless sprocket chains.

18. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 17 wherein said driven conveyor support means comprises a driven shaft and a pair of spaced sprocket wheels fixedly mounted thereon.

19. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 18 wherein said idler conveyor support means comprises a pair of idler pulleys, and longitudinally adjustable means for rotatably mounting said pulleys on said other end of said frame in order to adjust the tension on said conveyor chains.

20. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 19 wherein said upwardly opening tobacco receiving holders are longitudinally spaced, and secured to separate links on said chains, the holders on one chain being spaced in staggered relationship to the holders on the other chain.

21. The harvester set forth in claim 1 wherein said bed of said vehicle is provided with at least one recessed well at said operators station and a removable cover for selectively covering or uncovering said well so that an operator may raise or lower his standing position with respect to said transfer means by covering or uncovering said well and standing on said cover, or in said well respectively.

22. The harvester set orth in claim 2 wherein said turntable is provided with a partition normally extending transversely of the direction of movement of the harvester, and with a linear groove on each side, and spaced from, and parallel to said partition for selectively receiving and holding diverse types of tobacco holding sticks and racks.

23. The harvester set forth in claim 22 together with means for selectively varying the width of said grooves to accommodate tobacco holding sticks and racks of different widths.

24. The invention set forth in claim 1 in which a pair of vertical posts are provided adjacent opposite rear corners of said load bed, and seat supporting brackets are adjustably mounted on said posts.

25. The invention set forth in claim 24 wherein said seat supporting brackets each include a vertical sleeve slidably and rotatably mounted on one of said posts, a horizontal seat supporting leg secured to said sleeve and means for locking said sleeve in an adjusted position relative to the vertical post on which the sleeve is mounted.

26. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 1, wherein said mount means has means to support a selected one of plural diverse types of tobacco transfer means.

Claims

1. A two row tobacco harvester for harvesting tobacco planted in rows in a field according to an arrangement of alternating two adjacent rows of tobacco with space sufficient for the passage of the harvester successively across the field, the harvester comprising a vehicle having a load supporting open bed which is supported close to the ground, said bed being generally rectangular in top plan view with front, rear and side edges, the front edge being that edge which is foremost in the normal direction of vehicle travel, a pair of forwardly facing pickers'' seats supported on said load bed and extending rearwardly from opposite rear corners of said bed, within the confines of the space between the two rows of tobacco, mount means located adjacent the rear edge of said bed intermediate said side edges, tobacco transfer means supported on said mount means for receiving tobacco from pickers seated in the pair of seats and transferring tobacco forwardly to at least one handler, a handler''s station located intermediately on said bed forward of said tobacco transfer means and a load station at the front end of said bed forward of said handler''s station on to which the handler standing in said handler''s station places tobacco taken from said transfer means.

2. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 1, wherein said tobacco transfer means is a turntable which is rotatable through 360* and is indexed for each 180* of revolution so that opposite sides of said table can be alternately positioned in front of said pickers'' seats for loading tobacco onto said table and alternately turned adjacent said handler''s station so that a handler can remove tobacco from said turntable.

5. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 1, wherein said tobacco transfer means comprises endless conveyor means positioned medially between said pair of seats, the longitudinal axis of said conveyor means extending parallel to the front to rear axis of said load bed, and having an upper reach for receiving tobacco adjacent said pickers'' seats and travelling forwardly toward said handler''s station where the tobacco is removed.

6. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 5, wherein said endless conveyor means is pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis intermediate its ends and is angularly adjustable about said horizontal axis.

7. The tobacco harvester set forth in claim 5, wherein said endless conveyor means has uPwardly opening tobacco receiving holders spaced in rows along opposite side edges of said endless conveyor means.

21. The harvester set forth in claim 1 wherein said bed of said vehicle is provided with at least one recessed well at said operator''s station and a removable cover for selectively covering or uncovering said well so that an operator may raise or lower his standing position with respect to said transfer means by covering or uncovering said well and standing on said cover, or in said well respectively.

22. The harvester set forth in claim 2 wherein said turntable is provided with a partition normally extending transversely of the direction of movement of the harvester, and with a linear groove oN each side, and spaced from, and parallel to said partition for selectively receiving and holding diverse types of tobacco holding sticks and racks.