WO2017049131A1 - Harvester and components therefor, harvesting methods, collectors, and collection methods - Google Patents

Abstract

Harvesters and harvesting methods are described for agitating nut and fruit trees. The harvesting methods can include agitating the trees with mechanical and/or compressed fluid agitation assemblies. Harvesters can be modified for use with nut and fruit trees, including adding retrofit components. Crop collection apparatuses and methods are also described that utilize a vehicle mounted vacuum pump.

Description

HARVESTER AND COMPONENTS THEREFOR, HARVESTING METHODS, COLLECTORS, AND

COLLECTION METHODS

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/220,925, filed September 18, 2015 (Docket No. 20502-137188-US), and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/239,479, filed October 9, 2015 (Docket No. 20502-137265-US), both of which applications are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the inventions disclosed herein relate to the harvesting of crops from trees, and more specifically relate to the harvesting of nuts and fruits from trees using harvesting machines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Methods, systems, components, and apparatuses are described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

[0004] FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of an overhead olive harvester.

[0005] FIGURE. 2 is a front perspective view of a picking tunnel of the overhead olive harvester of FIGURE 1 showing a bow rod assembly extending the height of the picking tunnel and overlapping tiles covering a bottom opening of the picking tunnel.

[0006] FIGURE 3 is a front perspective view of a modified overhead harvester suitable for harvesting almonds from young, traditionally grown almond trees in accordance with some embodiments.

[0007] FIGURE. 4 is a front perspective view of the modified overhead harvester of FIGURE 3 showing shielding installed around an entrance to the picking tunnel, brush assemblies replacing the overlapping tiles, and a shield covering mounting components of removed bow rods in accordance with some embodiments.

[0008] FIGURE. 5 is a top plan view of a brush for the brush assembly shown in FIGURE 4 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0009] FIGURE. 6 is an alternative brush for the brush assembly shown in FIGURE 4 showing the bristles of the brush extending rearwardlv in accordance with some embodiments.

[0010] FIGURE. 7 is a diagrammatic view of brush assemblies, shaker plates, and buckets showing bristles of the brushes extending upwardly along with covers extending o ver the bristles in accordance with some embodiments.

[0011] FIGURE 8 is a first alternative for an adjustable upper connection between a bow rod assembly frame and a picking tunnel in accordance with some embodiments.

[0012] FIGURE 9 is a second alternative for an adjustable upper connection between a bow rod assembly frame and a picking tunnel in accordance with some embodiments.

[0013] FIGURE 10 is a rear perspective view of a bow rod assembly of the overhead harvester of FIGURE. 3 showing a shield covering mounting components of removed bow rods in accordance with some embodiments.

[0014] FIGURE. 1 1 is a bottom perspective view of bow rod assemblies on either side of a picking tunnel showing components of removed bow rods in accordance with some embodiments.

[0015] FIGURE 12 is a bottom perspective view of bow rod assemblies on either side of a picking tunnel and a coupler installed within the head between the bow rod assemblies in accordance with some embodiments.

[0016] FIGURE 13 is a bottom perspective view of bow rod assemblies on either side of a picking tunnel and a coupler installed within the head between the bow rod assemblies in accordance with some embodiments.

[0017] FIGURE 14 is a top perspective view of the bow rod assembly of FIGURE 5 showing oscillating posts and a frame of the bow rod assembly and a bucket conveyor in accordance with some embodiments. [0018] FIGURE. 15A is a flow chart showing a harvesting method in accordance with some embodiments.

[0019] FIGURE. 15B is a flow chart showing a harvesting method in accordance with some embodiments.

[0020] FIGURE. 16 is a front elevation view of a harvester having an air compressor assembly mounted thereto in accordance with some embodiments.

[0021] FIGURE. 17 is a perspective view of a pipe and nozzle configuration for the air compressor assembly of FIGURE 16 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0022] FIGURE. 18 is a side diagrammatic view of a vacuum assembly for crop collection mounted to first and second vehicles or optionally just the second vehicle in accordance with some embodiments.

[0023] FIGURE 19 is a side diagrammatic view of a storage area for the vacuum assembly of FIGURE 18 showing optional conveyors for transporting crop in accordance with some embodiments.

[0024] FIGURE. 20 is a front perspective v ew of a vacuum head with associated brush assemblies in accordance with some embodiments.

[0025] FIGURE. 21 is a top diagrammatic view of a vacuum head with associated brush assemblies in accordance with some embodiments.

[0026] Skilled artisans will appreciate the elements and the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments. Also, common but well understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted to facilitate a less obstructive view of these various embodiments. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions and a person skilled in the technical field as set forth above, except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Traditional almond harvesting commonly follows a set schedule depending on the age of the tree. Typically, once ready for harvesting, almond trees are individually and manually struck with blunt instruments to knock the almonds from the tree onto a tarp for manual collection. This practice can be costly, requiring extensive manual labor and time. Almonds from mature trees can also be harvested using a tree-shaker harvester machine that moves into position adjacent to a tree, stops, clamps onto the trunk of the tree, and shakes the tree to release the almonds, then moves to the next tree and repeats this process. For a young tree, i.e., about one to three years old, however, a tree-shaker harvester would likely kill the tree outright or damage the tree and expose it to disease. Almonds shaken from trees are often left to dry in between rows of trees, and then collected with sweepers that produced large amounts of dust.

[0028] Super High Density planting refers to the method of growing crops in a row, similar to how grapes are grown. Almond trees can be planted in this fashion. Almonds are most frequently grown in a traditional manner with traditional spacing, i.e., planting the trees about fourteen feet apart. Another type of planting involves the use of dwarf root stock that limits the size of the almond tree. Using dwarf root stock, almond trees can be planted every four feet. These types of almonds trees are also traditionally harvested either manually or using a trunk shaker machine.

[0029] For reference with regard to methods, machinery, and components described herein, an overhead harvester 10 designed specifically for harvesting olives from olive trees, as it was previously configured and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is described below. An overhead olive harvester allows a farmer to continuously move the harvester 10 over a row of olive trees during harvesting. To achieve this, the harvester 10 includes a picking tunnel 12 extending lengthwise therethrough sized to receive an olive tree therethrough when the harvester 10 drives over the olive tree. A picking zone 14 within the picking tunnel 12 corresponds to an area where bow rods 16 are disposed on either side thereof and vibrated to agitate the olive trees and remove or 'knock' olives off the trees. As shown, bow-rod assemblies 18 (bow rod heads) are disposed within the picking tunnel 12 on either side thereof. Such bow rod olive harvesters are commercially available, for example, Oxbo International Corporation commercially sells the Oxbo 6420 Olive Harvester.

[0030] The entrance 20 to the picking tunnel 12, as well as the exit 22 (see FIG. 12) therefrom, which is not shown, includes exposed metal sheeting, welding, and metal components. It is noted that the entrance 20 is shown in FIG. 2 as the through side of the illustration (where the tree is illustrated), and the exit 22 is the near side or point of view of the illustration. During harvesting, the branches of olive trees to be harvested contact these exposed metal areas as the olive tree is driven into the picking tunnel 12. Olive trees are flexible bush-like trees that are not damaged significantly by these machines. It is noted that the tree illustrated in FIG. 2 is an almond tree, not an olive tree.

[0031] The bow rods 16 are mounted in a vertical, stacked orientation. In the illustrated form, twelve bow rods 16 are mounted along almost the entire height of the bow rod assembly 18 starting at about 1 foot from the ground and extending up to about 12 feet. As such, the bow rods 16 are vertically spaced apart a variable distance, for example, by as little as about 2 inches. This allows the harv ester 10 to agitate all of the branches of an olive tree within the picking zone 14. Olive tree branches grow outwardly so that the tree has a bush-like structure and appearance. Additionally, olive tree branches maintain flexibility as the tree ages. Due to these features, this configuration of bow rods 6 is configured to engage and agitate the entire height of branches on the olive trees.

[0032] The bow rods 6 are mounted on either end thereof to rotating posts 24 that oscillate or rotate back and forth in sync. The bow rods 16 mount to the post 24 with a bracket 26 having a cylinder to receive the end 30 of the bow rod 16 therethrough. The oscillation of the posts 24 causes the bow rods 16 attached thereto to vibrate and deflect outwardly and thereby agitate a tree within the picking zone 14. The harvester 10 includes a control to set the oscillation speed of the posts 24. Under normal operation, the oscillation speed of the Oxbo 6420 Olive Harvester is generally set at around 600 for olive tree harvesting.

[0033] Within a bow rod system, the width of the picking zone 14, also called the pinch, is set by the distance that the bow rod assemblies 18 are mounted apart from one another on either side of the picking tunnel 12. Under normal operation for olive trees, the pinch of the Oxbo 6420 Olive Harvester is generally set at about between 3 and 4, which corresponds to a picking zone 14 of about 6-8 inches wide. The posts 24 described above are mounted to a frame 32. The position of the bottom portion of the frame 32 can be adjusted with a lower bracket 34 have a number of holes 36 therein to shift the frame 32 inward or outward as desired. In the illustrated form, the bracket 34 includes six holes 36 spaced apart by about 1.5 inches. As such, with the OXBO Olive Harvester 6420, the bottom of the frame 32 can be adjusted by a total of about 17.5 inches. A top of each frame 32 is mounted to the picking tunnel 12 at a non-adjustable top bracket 38. A head or bridge 40 extends between the frames 32 of the bow assemblies 18 across the top of the picking tunnel 12.

[0034] The picking tunnel 12 includes a bottom opening 42 (see FIG. 7, not shown in other figures since it is covered by tiles or a brush assembly) to the ground, which can let olives fall out during harvesting. To prevent this, the bottom opening 42 of the harvester 10 is covered by rigid, overlapping plastic tiles or closures 44. The tiles 44 are configured to deflect upon impact with a tree trunk to let the olive tree through the tunnel 12, but advantageously block olives from falling through the bottom opening 42 to the ground.

[0035] The tiles 44 are rotatably mounted to shaker plates 46 positioned outwardly thereof. The shaker plates 46 are mechanically driven to vibrate to thereby direct olives from the tiles 44, over the shaker plates 46, to buckets 48 of a conveyor system 50. The conveyor system 50 operates in a loop to transport the olives from adjacent the tunnel bottom opening 42 to the top of the harvester 0 where they can be off loaded as desired.

[0036] In addition to the above configuration and settings, speed control of the harvester 10 can be optimized for olive tree harvesting. For example, during normal use, the Oxbo 6420 Olive Harvester is operated at about 1.3 mph during olive tree harvesting so that the trees are thoroughly agitated by the bow rods 16.

[0037] The harvester 10 configured as described above is designed and marketed for olive tree harvesting. As previously discussed, the nature of olive trees being more bush-like and flexible allows the trees to withstand rougher treatment during harvesting.

[0038] Generally speaking, pursuant to various embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to provide for the harvesting of nut trees, such as almond trees, using continuously moving, motorized harvesting machines that use agitation to remove the nuts from the trees. Thus, in accordance with some embodiments and as illustrated in FIG. 15 A, a harvesting method is provided that includes continuously moving a harvester 52 down a row of nut trees (Step 92) and agitating, while continuously moving the harvester 52, branches of the nut trees with an agitation assembly 54 to thereby remove nuts from the branches (Step 94). In some forms, the harvester 52 is a motorized or self-propelled harvester, and/or is a mobile harvester capable of being attached to a motorized or self-propelled machine or vehicle. In some embodiments, the agitation assembly 54 takes the form of a mechanically based agitation assembly (e.g., a mechanical agitation assembly) in that an agitation member mechanically engages at least a portion of the tree and is physically moved (e.g., vibrated, oscillated, rotated, flexed, etc.) which imparts a physical movement translation to the portion of the tree. For example, in some forms, the harvester 52 is a bow rod harvester and the agitation assembly 54 includes a vibrating bow rod assembly 56. In some embodiments, the agitation assembly 54 takes the form of a pressure based agitation assembly (e.g., a compressed fluid assembly) in that gas and/or fluid flow (e.g., air, gas, vapor, etc.) is forced toward at least a portion of the tree which imparts a physical movement translation to the portion of the tree. For example, in some forms, the harvester 52 includes an agitation assembly having an air compressor coupled to one or more nozzles that release pressurized air that imparts an agitation force to the tree. In some forms, the agitation assembly includes more than one specific agitation mechanism, e.g., one or more mechanically based agitation assemblies and/or one or more pressure based agitation assemblies. For example, in some cases, forms, the harvester 52 includes a vibrating bow rod assembly 56 and an air compressor with nozzles. It is understood that the process of FIG. 1.5 A may be applicable to the harvesting and removal of nuts and/or fruit from trees, and thus, may genencally be applicable to the removal or harvesting of crops from trees bearing such crops. It is understood that the methods covered by the process of FIG. 15A may be implemented at least by any of the structures and devices described herein. It is further understood that in some embodiments, continuous movement of the harvester can mean that the harvester moves during at least a portion of the time that the agitation assembly is actively agitating the tree to remove crops therefrom. It is understood that the harvester may periodically cease continuous movement, but that during at least a portion of the time of agitation, the harvester is continuously moving along a harvesting path, e.g., down or along a row of trees to be harvested.

|0039J Many nut trees such as almond trees have considerably different characteristics than olive trees such that before the embodiments described herein, one of ordinary skill in the art would have not considered use of such olive harvesting machines 10 on nut trees such as almond trees. Almond trees are more rigid, brittle and susceptible to branch damage and barking than the more flexible bush-like trees such as olive trees. Contact with any rigid surface on a tree such as an almond tree may damage the tree, result in barking, potentially leading to disease and tree loss. Due to the characteristics of almond trees, and particularly young almond trees (about 1 to 3 years old), one of ordinary skill in the art would not believe the use of an olive harvester 10 such as the Oxbo 6420 Harvester could be safe or prudent to use on almond trees. However, in accordance with several embodiments, various uses of such harvesters with one or more modifications and/or changes in control variables have shown that such harvesters can be made and/or designed to be effective and safe in use for harvesting nuts such as almonds.

[0040] One or more embodiments can provide significant advantages over traditional almond harvesting approaches. For example, several embodiments provide the machine harvesting method eliminating manual labor or the impacting of trees with blunt objects to remove the crop. Harvesting speed can also be significantly increased due to the continuous motion of the machine. Further, since some harvesters convey the harvested nuts to a collection area, there is no need at all for sweeper machinery and the resulting debris and dust generated.

[0041] It has been found in some embodiments that with changes in controls and/or settings, and/or removing one or more features of existing harvesters, bow rod style harvesters designed for harvesting olives can be used to efficiently and safely harvest almonds from almond trees, including young, traditionally grown almond trees and high density almond trees.

[0042] In some embodiments, one change to existing bow rod style harvesters 10 designed for olives is to remove the tiles 44 covering the tunnel bottom opening 42. This prevents the tiles 44 from damaging the vulnerable trunk of almond trees, particularly young almond trees. Normally, an open bottom opening 42 in the tunnel 12 would result in a large percentage of lost crop, i.e., crop falling to the ground and not collected by the harvester, which would require a sweeper or other piece of equipment to collect the fallen crop. In some cases, almond harvesting provides an advantage in that farmers typically leave almonds on the ground to dry after harvesting. As such, leaving the bottom opening 42 of the tunnel 12 unblocked will simply result m almonds being left on the ground to dry. Next, the pinch of the bow rod assembly 56 (i.e., the distance between opposing heads of the bow rod assembly) of the harvester 52 can be adjusted to 1.5-2 and the picking zone 14 can be adjusted to its widest setting. This includes moving the bottom of the posts 24 to the furthest opening in the lower bracket 34. If desired, a coupler 58 (see FIGS. 12 and 13) can be installed withm the head 40 to extend the width between the frames 32. For example, a six inch coupler is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. It has been found that the coupler 58 can also be installed having a size between about 10 inches and about 17.5 inches to further extend the width of the picking zone 14. Moreover, the harvester 52 is operated at a much faster pace than as compared to when olive tree harvesting. For example, the harvester 52 can operate at a continuously self-propelled pace of 2.5-3.4 mph. Additionally, the oscillation of the posts can be operated at picking speed of about between 350-435.

[0043] So configured, a motorized bow rod harvester 52 can be used for continuously propelled harvesting of almonds from young, traditionally-grown almond trees without causing barking by introducing agitation to the branches of an almond tree as the harvester 52 continuously moves by the tree while agitating the tree which minimizes damage to the branches and leaves of the tree by providing a picking zone 14 having a width of between about 6 - 24 inches depending the age, growth, density and/or pruning style of the almond tree. For example, in some embodiments, the picking zone 14 for an almond tree is generally set to be wider than the picking zone for a similarly sized olive tree. Advantageously, in some embodiments, the harvester 52 does not have to stop at each tree to remove the crop, it can continuously move along a row of trees, or at least continuously move during at least a portion of the time that the agitation assembly is in operation.

[0044] While a harvester 52 having these configurations and settings can be used to harvest almonds from almond trees even including young, traditionally-grown trees and high density- trees, additional modifications can be made to better protect against damage to the trees. These modifications can be incorporated into a new machine or can be provided as retrofit components to existing harvesters designed for other trees and crop as desired. Individual ones of the modifications or combinations thereof can be utilized.

[0045] In a first modification, the overlapping tiles 44 used to close the bottom opening 42 of the tunnel 12, which were removed, can be replaced with a brush assembly 60, as shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 3-7. The brush assembly 60 advantageously blocks the tunnel bottom opening 42 during harvesting without damaging the tree trunks, i.e., zero barking. [0046] In the illustrated embodiment, the brush assembly 60 includes two brushes 62, which can be single piece units or a plurality of pieces, that mount to the shaker plates 46 of the harvester 52. Bristles 64 of the brushes 62 are mounted to or between a securing plate or plates 66 with the brushes 62 mounted so that the bristles 64 project away from the shaker plate 46 to cover the tunnel bottom opening 42. The bristles 64 can be sized to generally meet at a middle of the tunnel 12 or can be sized so that bristles 64 of the brushes 62 overlap in a middle portion of the tunnel 12. In any event, the bristles 64 are configured to have sufficient length relative to the diameter of the trunks to contact the trunks of trees and deflect as the harvester 52 drives over a row of trees and due to their flexible nature do not cause barking.

[0047] The brushes 62 are secured to the shaker plates 46 by any suitable means, including fasteners, welding, or the like. So configured, the brushes 62 at least partially vibrate along with the shaker plate 46 to direct falling almonds outwardly toward the shaker plates 46 and the buckets 48 on the other side thereof. Preferably, the brushes 62 extend along a majority of the length of the tunnel 12, which in the illustrated form is about 14 feet, although it is understood that the brushes 62 may extend along any portion of the length of the tunnel 12 depending on the implementation.

[0048] If desired, the brushes 62 can be mounted or configured so that the bristles 64 thereof extend along inclined axes. For example and as shown in FIG. 6, the bristles 64 can be angled to extend rearwardly along the tunnel 12, such as at an angle between about 80 degrees and 30 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis L extending the length of the tunnel 12. So configured, the bustles 64 will only deflect rearwardly slightly as a tree trunk passes thereby, rather than bunch outwardly such as if the bristles 64 were extending towards the entrance of the tunnel 12. Additionally or alternatively and as shown in FIG. 7, the bristles 64 can be angled to extend upwardly or at least have an upper surface that extends upwardly, such as at an angle between about 5 degrees to about 50 degrees with respect to horizontal. So configured, the brushes 62 will direct any falling crop outwardly onto the shaker plates 46 and the buckets 48. In a preferred form, the bristles 64 extend rearwardly at about 45 degrees and upwardly at about 45 degrees.

[0049] The brush assembly 60 can further include a cover 68 disposed on a top surface of the bristles 64. The cover 68 will prevent any crop (e.g., nuts such as almonds) from entering the bristles 64 of the brush assembly 60 and provide easier deflection of falling crop. The cover 68 can be flexible, such as a flexible plastic, rubber, cloth material, to avoid using a material that could damage a tree trunk. The cover 68 can further be secured to the bristles 64, at least along an inward edge portion 70 thereof. In form illustrated in FIG. 4, individual bristles 64 of the brush 62 are sewed into the cover 68 to thereby hold the cover 68 in place. Alternatively, or in combination thereto, the cover 68 can be adhered, clipped, or otherwise secured to the bristles 64. By another approach, the cover 68 can be rubber of a sufficient thickness to avoid bunching, but soft enough to avoid damaging trees as they pass through the harvester. As shown in FIG. 7, the cover 68 can include upwardly curling inner edges 72.

[0050] As set forth above, a coupler 58 (see FIGS. 12 and 13) can be installed in the head assembly 40 to extend the width of the top portion of the picking zone 14. By a further approach, the harvester 52 can include a series of couplers 58 having widths that each correspond to one of the openings in the lower bracket 34 to provide a farmer with easy to adjust width control

[0051] By another approach, the upper connection between the frame 32 and the picking tunnel 12 can be adjustable. Currently, the upper connection is non-adju stably attached to the picking tunnel with a bracket 38, as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the frame 32 can instead be adjustably secured to the picking tunnel to provide a farmer with increased options for adjusting the width or pinch of the picking zone 14.

[0052] In a first example shown in FIG. 8, the upper bracket 38, which currently only include four openings to which the frame secures, can instead include 6 or more openings 74 so that the frame 32 can be mounted along any combination of openings 74. In another example shown in FIG. 9, the frame 32 and picking tunnel 12 can be coupled together with a telescoping mechanism 76. For example, the frame 32 can include an outwardly projecting member 78 with a first diameter having a plurality of securing points 80. The head 40 can have a corresponding sleeve or tunnel 82 with a second diameter sized so that the outwardly projecting member 78 can fit therein. A user can therefore adjust the upper width of the picking zone 14 by sliding the outwardly projecting member 78 inward or outward and securing the frame 32 to the picking tunnel 12 at a desired securing point. The securing point can be an opening sized to receive a locking post therethrough, an outward projection sized to releasably extend through an opening in the sleeve, or the like. [0053 J In some embodiments, another modification involves the use of fewer bow rods 16. In the form of retrofitting an existing bow rod style harvester, a plurality of lower bow rods can be removed prior to use. The upper bow rods 84 in this form are configured to engage and agitate the tree at a height corresponding to an upper half (or upper third or upper quarter) portion of the tree during harvesting. In one example depending on the height of the tree, the harvester 52 includes a top 2-3 feet of bow rods 84 removing all bow rods below this upper portion, the number depending on spacing therebetween, such as 5-9, or more specifically 7 as shown in FIG. 10. This upper portion, for almond trees, is newer growth and, as such, is more supple and flexible as compared to lower, older, stiffer branches. For example, with a harvester having 12 bow rods, the bottom 5 bow rods can be removed. Of course, the harvester 52 can be assembled with fewer bow rods as described.

[0054] In some embodiments, another modification to the harvester 52 includes adding shields 86 to the tunnel 12 to provide smoother surfaces against which branches and leaves of the trees slide against during harvesting. As discussed above, harvesters as currently configured have a tunnel opening 20 and a tunnel exit 22 that are generally sheet metal with exposed welded edges, as well as other edges, openings, and exposed components. These edges and openings do not provide a smooth transition for branches of the trees as they enter and exit the tunnel 12, which can damage the branches and pull off leaves. To reduce this damage, the harvester 52 can be designed or retrofitted with shields 86 that provide smooth surfaces surrounding the entrance 20 and exit 22, In the illustrated form, the entrance shields 86 are curved to gently transition the branches of the tree to the compressed state necessary for traversing the picking tunnel 12. The shields 86 can be a smooth plastic or rubber material, such as polyurethane or the like.

[0055] Additionally, as discussed above, the harvester 52 can be configured with only a few upper bow rods 84, whether the harvester 52 is designed this way or lower bow rods have been removed. The area below the upper bow rods 84 can therefore include an additional shield 88 to make the exposed surfaces in the tunnel 12 as smooth as possible. If the bow rods are removed, the brackets 26, as well as other components or mechanisms for mounting the bow rods 16 to the posts 24 may remain within the tunnel 12. As such, the shields 88 conveniently cover these structures to prevent branches from being damaged in these areas. In one form, the shield 88 can attach directly to the posts 24. In another form, the shields 88 can mount to the frame 32 or have tubular ends configured to slide over the posts 24, but not oscillate therewith. As such, the shield 88 of this form would provide an otherwise stationary surface so that branches can easily slide thereover.

[0056] Currently, the bow rods 16 are made from a hard plastic material that can resiliently deflect when the posts are oscillated. To further reduce damage to the tree, the bow rods 16 can be covered or coated with a rubber or soft plastic material to lessen the impact of the bow rods 16 on the branches and leaves of the tree.

[0057] The harvester 52 can incorporate one, some, or all of the shields 86, 88 discussed above. These shields 86, 88 provide increased benefits when the harvester 52 is operated at the higher speeds of almond harvesting.

[0058] Additionally, although the above harvester, harvesting method, and modifications have been described with respect to almond harvesting, it will be appreciated that this description can be applied to other trees and plants including, for example, juice trees, such as apple, orange, lime, lemon, or the like.

[0059] Various embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to provide for the harvesting of nut trees, such as almond trees. In some embodiments, a harvesting method is provided that includes continuously moving a harvester down a row of nut trees and agitating, while continuously moving the harvester, branches of the nut trees with an agitation assembly to thereby remove nuts from the branches.

[0060] In some embodiments, a brush assembly configured to be mounted within a picking tunnel of a harvester, the brush assembly comprises: back plates configured to be coupled to the harvester adjacent to a bottom opening of the picking tunnel; and bristles extending inwardly from the back plates, the bristles sized to extend across at least a portion of the bottom opening of the picking tunnel to thereby engage tree trunks during harvesting to minimize crop loss through the bottom opening while also minimizing damage inflicted to the tree trunks.

[0061] In some embodiments, an overhead harvester comprises: a picking tunnel having an entrance, an exit, and a bottom opening, the picking tunnel configured to receive a row of trees therethrough during harvesting; a bow rod assembly disposed on either side of the picking tunnel, the bow rod assembly including a plurality of bow rods configured to be oscillated and vibrated during harvesting to introduce a mechanical agitation force at least a portion of trees of the row of trees to remove crop from the trees; shaker plates extending along the bottom opening of the picking tunnel on either side thereof, the shaker plates configured to vibrate and direct the falling crop outwardly during harvesting; conveyors disposed outwardly of the shaker plates to receive the crop thereon during harvesting and transport the crop out of the picking tunnel; and a brush assembly extending along and substantially covering the bottom opening of the picking tunnel, the brush assembly including bristles extending inwardly toward tree trunks of the trees and sized to extend across at least a portion of the bottom opening of the picking tunnel to thereby engage tree trunks during harvesting to minimize crop loss through the bottom opening while also minimizing damage inflicted to the tree trunks.

[0062] In some embodiments, a method of retrofitting an overhead harvester for harvesting of almonds from trees, the overhead harvester including a picking tunnel having an entrance, an exit, and a bottom opening, and rigid pivotable tiles covering the bottom opening of the picking tunnel is provided, the method comprising: removing the rigid pivotable tiles to expose the bottom opening of the picking tunnel; and installing a brush assembly extending along and covering the bottom opening of the picking tunnel, the brush assembly including bristles sized to extend across at least a portion of the bottom opening of the picking tunnel to thereby engage tree trunks during harvesting to minimize crop loss through the bottom opening while also minimizing damage inflicted to the tree trunks.

[0063] By another approach, the agitation assembly 54 takes the form of a pressure based agitation assembly in that gas and/or fluid flow (e.g., air, gas, vapor, etc.) is forced toward at least a portion of the tree which imparts a physical movement translation to the portion of the tree. Thus, in accordance with some embodiments and as illustrated in FIG. 15B, a harvesting method is provided that includes applying compressed fluid (e.g., air, gas, vapor, etc.) to at least a portion of a tree having a crop thereon (Step 96) and agitating the tree via contact with the compressed fluid to thereby remove or dislodge the crop from the tree (Step 98).

[0064] In some forms, these steps are performed by a harvester which is a motorized or self- propelled harvester, and/or is a mobile harvester capable of being attached to a motorized or self- propelled machine or vehicle. In some embodiments, the agitation assembly takes the form of a pressure based agitation assembly (e.g., a compressed fluid assembly) in that gas and/or fluid flow (e.g., air, gas, vapor, etc.) is forced toward at least a portion of the tree which imparts a physical movement translation to the portion of the tree. For example, in some forms, the harvester includes an agitation assembly having a fluid compressor coupled to one or more nozzles that release pressurized fluid that imparts an agitation force to the tree. In some forms, the agitation assembly and method can also include one or more mechanically based agitation assemblies. It is understood that the process of FIG. 15B may be applicable to the harvesting and removal of nuts and/or fruit from trees, and thus, may genericallv be applicable to the removal or harvesting of crops from trees bearing such crops. It is understood that the methods covered by the process of FIG. 15B may be implemented at least by any of the structures and devices described herein. In some embodiments, the harvester and method may occur when the harvester is moving about the tree or stopped relative to the tree.

[0065] In some embodiments, the harvester includes an agitation assembly having a fluid compressor (e.g., an air compressor) coupled to one or more nozzles that release pressurized fluid (e.g., air) that impacts an agitation force to the tree. Thus, in some forms, compressed air can be directed at a tree to knock a crop, such as nuts or fruit, off of the branches. The harvester of this type is suitable for many crops including, for example, almonds, walnuts, acorns, chestnuts, peaches, apples, plums, pears, and the like. More specifically, a harvester can have one or more nozzles or openings ejecting compressed air (or gas, fluid, vapor, etc.) into an agitation zone of the harvester. Air can be directed to one or both sides (e.g., opposing or adjacent sides) of a tree, and/or from above the tree, and/or impact the tree at various angles (such as partially from the side and partially from above the tree). The compressed air strikes the crop with a sufficient force to knock the crop off of the branches. In some forms, the only substantial contact with the tree is the force of the air agitation and there is not mechanically induced agitation force. It is noted that while several of the preferred embodiments describe the use of compressed or pressurized air applied to the tree, it is understood that other compressed or pressurized fluids may be used.

[0066] In one form, the harvester can be an overhead harvester having a tunnel therethrough, such that the overhead harvester can drive or move over one or more trees during harvesting. The overhead harvester of this form can include a compressed air assembly mounted thereto and be configured to discharge compressed air into an agitation zone within the tunnel to thereby harvest crop from the trees. The compressed air assembly can be integrated within the harvester or be separate therefrom, such as with a retrofit device. 0067J One example harvester 100 is shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. The harvester of this form includes a body 102 having a tunnel 104 running longitudinally therethrough (i.e., the tunnel runs along an axis of harvester movement). The tunnel 104 includes an entrance 106 at a front 108 of the body 102, an exit 110 at a rear 112 of the body 102, and a bottom opening 114. As such, the body has an inverted U shape so that the harvester 100 can drive over trees during harvesting. The harvester 100 can be configured to operate at a constant speed during harvesting, such as between 0 and 6 mph. When harvesting almonds, for example, a user may elect to average between 1 and 4 mph. Alternatively, a user can slow or stop the harvester during harvesting as desired. For example, rather than continuously moving over a row of trees, a user may decide to slow or stop as the harvester passes over a tree. For example, in some embodiments, a harvester may move into position such that it surrounds a tree, stop movement, activate the compressed air agitation assembly to remove crop, then resume movement.

[0068] The harvester 100 can include the shaker plates and conveyor system described above. The bottom opening 114 of the tunnel 104 can be left open so that any crop harvested can drop therethrough to the ground or can have the brush assembly, described above with respect to FIGS. 4-7, installed therein.

[0069] By a further approach, the tunnel 104 can include flat, smooth surfaces throughout. For example, side surfaces 116 and a top surface 118 of the tunnel 104 can be constructed from sheet metal or be covered with a smooth plastic or rubber material, such that openings, edges, and other structures that could catch or damage a branch are minimized. As with the above embodiments, the entrance 106 and exit 110 can include narrowing and expanding surfaces, respectively.

[0070] In one example, the tunnel 104 can be between about 4 feet and 10 feet wide and between about 8 feet and 14 feet tall, as measured from the ground, and more preferably, about 6-8 feet wide and about 12 feet tall. As such, trees can generally pass through the tunnel without significant contact (i.e., bending branches and compressing the crown of the tree) with the side and top surfaces 116, 1 18 thereof, it will be understood, however, that a tunnel having a smaller width and/or height, or larger trees could result in bending branches and/or compression of the tree with suitable results. |0071J The harvester 100 of this form further includes an air compressor assembly 120 (which may be genericaily referred to as a compressed fluid assembly, where is it understood that a fluid can be air, gas, liquid, vapor and combinations thereof). The air compressor assembly 120 includes an air compressor 122 mounted to or integrated within the body 102 of the harvester 100. The air compressor 122 feeds one or more nozzles or openings 124 disposed or mounted within the tunnel 104 to discharge compressed air into an agitation zone within the tunnel 104 via any suitable conduits, hoses, pipes, or the like. More genericaily, the air compressor can be referred to as a fluid compressor that acts as a source or reservoir of pressurized fluid, and that can selectively release the pressurized fluid under control of a controller 123 which is coupled to or part of the operational control system of the harvester that controls harvester speed, pressure, etc. In some embodiments, the interior surfaces 116, 1 18 of the tunnel 104 can be generally smooth other than openings for compressed air conduits and the nozzles mounted thereto. The air compressor assembly 120 can include a dedicated power supply, such as a gas-powered motor, or be connected to another power supply of the harvester 100. The agitation zone is preferably disposed generally centrally along the longitudinal length of the tunnel. This positioning provides spacing on either side of the agitation zone so that any crop blown forward or backward can potentially still by caught by the collection mechanisms of the harvester.

[0072] Using an air compressor or fluid compressor advantageously avoids physical contact of mechanical agitation elements or members with the trees. As such, the risk to younger trees that are more susceptible to physical damage is minimized. The nozzles releasing compressed air into the semi-enclosed tunnel 104 can be configures to create a turbulent airflow within the agitation zone, which can create a vortex or the like, that blows the branches of the trees, as well as the crop thereon, harmlessly harvesting the crop. The application of compressed air will not only knock crop off the trees, including crop in the middle of the tree spaced about 2 to 3 feet from the air nozzle, but also blow leaves off the braches. Blowing the leaves off of the branches is advantageous in some cases because it signals to the tree to prepare for winter. Some farmers resort to using chemicals to remove leaves from the trees and the harvester of these embodiments could result in avoidance this additional step. In some embodiments, the air compressor 122 can be configured to generate between 4000 to 8000 psi. [0073J Details of some embodiments of an air compressor assembly 120 are shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. The nozzles 124 of these embodiments are disposed about the tunnel 04 intermediate of the entrance 106 and the exit 110 thereof. The nozzles 124 are preferably disposed spaced from one another along a width and/or height of the tunnel 104. Moreover, the nozzles 124 are shown directed generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tunnel, but can be angled with respect thereto if desired. In this form, the air compressor assembly 120 includes one or more conduits or pipes 126 mounted within the tunnel 104. The pipes 126 have the nozzles 124 mounted thereto, which can be spaced apart between about 3 inches to about 24 inches, and preferably between about 8 inches to about 18 inches, and more preferably about 12 inches.

[0074] As discussed above, the nozzles 124 can be disposed on one or both of the tunnel side surfaces 116 and/or the tunnel top surface 118. The nozzles 124 can further be disposed along the height of the tunnel side surfaces as desired and/or along the width of the tunnel top surface 118 as desired. In the illustrated embodiment, the pipes 126 extend along the side and top surfaces 116, 118 of the tunnel 104 to position the nozzles to discharge compressed air into the agitation zone. The pipes 126 can have an inverted U shape to generally conform to the structure of the tunnel 104. Mounting the U-shaped pipe 126 generally centrally in the tunnel 104 provides compressed air from both sides and from above when a tree passes through the tunnel. While one or both sides would provide satisfactory results, providing compressed air from three directions will ensure more coverage for crop high on the tree or within an interior of the crown.

[0075] The harvester of some embodiments can include more than one conduit or pipe 126. For example, as shown, there are three pipes 126 spaced from one another along the longitudinal length of the tunnel 104. Of course, two, or more than three, could also be utilized. The pipes 126 can be longitudinally spaced apart from one another to define the agitation zone within the tunnel 104. For example, the length of the agitation zone, and therefore the spacing between the first and last pipe, can be between 2 feet and 12 feet, and specifically between about 5 feet and 10 feet, and more specifically about 8 feet. As such, together with the width and height of the tunnel 104, the agitation zone can be in excess of 360 cubic feet and, in some embodiments, in excess of 750 cubic feet. If desired, the pipes 126 can be connected by a longitudinal conduit or pipe 128, so that only one connection to the air compressor 122 is fed into the tunnel 104. The longitudinal pipe 128 can also have nozzles 124 disposed thereon. [0076] Next, the height of the pipe 126, and therefore the distance the pipe 126 travels down the tunnel side surface 1 16, can he used to agitate desired areas of the tree. In one form, the pipe 126 travels down a majority of the tunnel side surface 116 to thereby agitate a majority of the tree crown. More specifically, the pipe 126 can extend downwardly so that a nozzle 124 can be positioned about 12 inches to 18 inches above the brush assembly and/or shaker plates discussed above. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the nozzles 124 can be spaced apart on the pipe 126 by about 12 inches. Accordingly, with the three pipe configuration, the air compressor assembly 122 can have between 40 and 50 nozzles along the tunnel top surface 118 and between 40 and 50 nozzles along the tunnel side surfaces 116.

[0077] Moreover, the air compressor assembly 122 can be used in conjunction with other types of harvesting and agitation methods. For example, the air compressor assembly 122 can be mounted to a bow rod style mechanically agitating harvester so that the nozzles 124 thereof can emit compressed air into the agitation zone of the bow rod harvester before, during or after the tree is mechanically agitated by the bow rods. For example, the nozzles 124 can be disposed along a top surface of the harvester tunnel and/or along the side surfaces of the harvester tunnel. If desired, the nozzles 24 can be disposed below the bow rods mounted withm the tunnel and/or disposed behind or in between the bow rods to further agitate the trees.

[0078] Adding the air compressor assembly 122 to a bow rod harvester, in some embodiments, would advantageously allow a farmer to reduce the amount of vibration for the bow rods, as the nozzles would aid in agitation. The reduced vibration could result in less physical agitation of the tree and therefore reduce any potential for damage to the tree.

[0079] Although harvesters, harvester components, and harvesting methods have been described herein, methods and apparatuses will now be described with respect to collecting harvested crop. Almonds and other crop, as discussed previously, are sometimes left on the ground after harvesting for drying. A sweeper can first be used to organize the almonds into rows and, after a sufficient time for drying has passed, a collector vehicle can then pick up the almonds with rotating plates or buckets and conveyors for further processing.

[0080] An alternative to this collection method is provided herein with reference to FIGS. 18-21. The collection methods provided herein use a vacuum assembly 200 to pick up crop, such as nuts or fruit, off of the ground and transport the crop for further processing. A vacuum can be used for a variety of crops, including, for example, almonds, walnuts, acorns, chestnuts, or for collecting fruit that has fallen or been picked off of the tree, such as peaches, apples, plums, pears, and the like. The vacuum assembly can advantageously collect the crop in a vehicle or other storage device. Using the vacuum assembly 200 during collection in some embodiments can further reduce harvesting debris, such as dust, dirt, rocks, gravel, and the like, normally associated with the collection of crop off of the ground.

[0081] The vacuum assembly 200 can include a vacuum head 202, a vacuum pump 204, and conduits, pipes or tubes 206 connecting the vacuum head 202 to the vacuum pump 204 and further providing a discharge opening 208. The vacuum assembly 200 can be integrated into a vehicle or vehicles, such as a shuttle truck, a sweeper, a harvester, a collector, or the like, or can be a retro-fit device configured to mount to a variety of vehicles. In the illustration of FIG. 18, the vehicle 201 is illustrated as a sweeper. The vacuum assembly 200 allows the vehicle 201 to drive over an area having crop on the ground and collect the crop. The assembly 200 can further collect debris generated as a result of the collection process, such that this debris is not released into the air surrounding the .

[0082] In some embodiments, the vacuum head 202 can include a housing 220 having an intake opening 222 disposed therein. For many applications, the intake opening 222 can be generally centrally disposed within the housing 220. The housing 220 can further include lateral portions 224 that project outwardly from either side of the intake opening 222. The housing 220, with the lateral portions 224 thereof, can create a cavity 226 within which the intake opening 222 is disposed. As such, the suction generated by the vacuum pump 204 can be expanded within the cavity to pick up additional crop. By some approaches, the housing 220 and intake opening 222 can be sized according to the specific crop being collected.

[0083] One example vacuum assembly is shown in FIGS. 1 8-21 . In some embodiments, the vacuum head 202 is mounted to a first vehicle 201 while the vacuum pump 204 is mounted to a second vehicle 203. As such, the first vehicle 201 can be configured to drive over and vacuum the crop off of the ground, while the second vehicle 203 can provide an area for crop collection and storage. So configured, when the second vehicle's storage capacity is full, the vacuum head 202 can either be disengaged from the first vehicle or can be disconnected from the pipe 206 to the vacuum pump 204. If desired, another second vehicle can then be connected to the first vehicle to continue the crop collection. As such, the crop can be almost continuously collected. In one embodiment, the first vehicle 201 is a sweeper and the second vehicle 203 is a shuttle truck.

[0084] In these embodiments, the pipes 206 include an intake pipe 210 that connects to the vacuum pump 204 and extends forwardly of the second vehicle to a position in front thereof. The intake pipe 210 extends a sufficient distance in front the second vehicle to connect to the vacuum head 202 mounted to the first vehicle. The pipes 206 further include a discharge pipe 212 that connects to the vacuum pump 204 and extends rearwardly down the second vehicle into a storage area 214. So configured, the first and second vehicles can simultaneously drive over ground having crop thereon such that the vacuum head 202 sucks up crop and other debris on the ground and the crop and other debris travel down the intake and discharge pipes 210, 212 and into the storage area 214. In the embodiment with the first vehicle 201 being a sweeper, the sweeper advantageously arranges the crop on the ground into rows, which can conveniently and efficiently be collected by the vacuum head 202 mounted on a rear of the sweeper.

[0085] The vacuum pump 204 can be mounted in any suitable area of the second vehicle 203. For example, if available, the vacuum pump 204 can be mounted behind the cab of the vehicle and in front of the storage area 214, Alternatively, the pump 204 can be mounted on top of the cab, in front of the vehicle, on a side of the vehicle, on top of the storage area 214, or at a rear of the veh icle.

[0086] As discussed above, the second vehicle 203 can include a storage area 214. By one approach, the storage area 214 can be an enclosed area having a cover 216 extending thereover. As such, the debris, such as dirt and dust, collected with the crop can be contained within the storage area 214 rather than be allowed to blow away.

[0087] In order to maximize the storage space available in the storage area 214, the storage area 214 can further include an auger or pusher mechanism 218 configured to drive or push the crop to the rear of the storage area 214. As such, as crop is collected the auger 218 will drive the collected crop to the rear of the storage area 214 to clear up the area around the discharge opening 208 and maximize the space available for storage. By another approach, the storage area 214 can include a conveyor or series of conveyors 219 to transport the crop out of the storage area through a chute 221. if desired, the conveyors 219 can have openings therein sized to allow debris to fall therethrough during transport of the crop. Additionally, a bottom wall 223 of the storage area 2 4 can having corresponding openings therein to allow the debris to fall out of the storage area 214 or can be closed to collect the debris within the storage area 214.

[0088] Additionally, if desired, the cover 216 and/or other portions of the storage area 214 can be transparent or translucent so that users will be able to visually inspect the storage area 214, such as to inspect the crop and/or determine when the area 214 is full.

[0089] As discussed above, the vacuum assembly 200 can advantageously be disconnected so that when the storage area 214 is full, the second vehicle 203 can separate from the first vehicle 201 to empty the crop. The second vehicle can then drive to a collection area to off load the crop. If desired, the crop can be off loaded with or onto a conveyor system to further process or store the crop. During this process, one or more fans or blowers can be positioned along the conveyor system to blow off collected debris. Further, the fans can be configured to blow the debris into a partially enclosed area, such as a trailer, box, or the like, that can be emptied as desired after collection. The conveyor or surfaces during transfer can also be configured so that small debris is allowed to drop therethrough. This advantageously reduces dust during collection of the crop, while still cleaning the crop after collection.

[0090] In some embodiments, such as illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21, the vacuum head 202 can include a brush assembly 230 associated therewith. The brush assembly 230 can be used to brush crop into and/or into the path of the vacuum head 202. For example, one of the brush assemblies 230 can be disposed on either side of the vacuum head 202 and angled with respect to the direction of travel so that brushes 232 thereon direct crop inwardly. The brushes 232 can be configured to rotate about a horizontal axis as shown, or can be configured to oscillate back and forth. A rotating brush can include a number of radially-projecting fins 234, such as between 1 and 8, so that the ground is continuously swept as the brush 232 rotates, if desired, the brushes 232 could also simply be angled to direct crop to the vacuum head 202 without moving.

[0091] Although some embodiments have been described with respect to operating first and second vehicles, the vacuum assembly can also be used on a single vehicle. In one example, the vacuum assembly 200 could be mounted on a truck or other vehicle having a bed or other storage area and be configured to discharge the crop into the bed. in other examples, the vacuum assembly can be mounted on an overhead harvester as discussed above. In these embodiments, the vacuum head 202 can be mounted to a rear of the harvester to collect crop that fell forwardly out of the tunnel entrance, rearwardly out of the tunnel exit, or downwardly through the bottom opening. In these embodiments, the discharge pipe 212 can be mounted so that the discharge opening 208 thereof deposits the collected crop into the buckets, onto a top of the harvester into a collection area, or elsewhere as desired. The vacuum head 202 of this form can extend along the width of the harvester. Additionally, an optional brush assembly 230 can be disposed outwardly of the housing 220 to collect additional crop.

[0092] In some embodiments, a harvesting method is described that includes applying compressed fluid to at least a portion of a tree having a crop thereon; and agitating the tree via contact with the compressed fluid to thereby dislodge the crop from the tree. In some embodiments, the compressed fluid (e.g., air) can be applied from both sides of the tree and/or from above the tree. If desired, in some embodiments, the harvesting method can include applying compressed air to the tree within a tunnel of an overhead harvester.

[0093] In some embodiments, a harvester is described that includes: a vehicle body; a fluid compressor assembly mounted to the vehicle body; wherein the vehicle body is configured to be movable so that at least a portion thereof is positioned adjacent to a tree having a crop thereon and the fluid compressor assembly is configured to eject pressurized or compressed fluid to thereby agitate the tree to dislodge the crop. In some embodiments, the fluid compressor assembly can include: a fluid compressor mounted to the vehicle body; a plurality of nozzles; and piping connecting the fluid compressor and the nozzles so that compressed fluid from the fluid compressor is ejected through the nozzles.

[0094] In some embodiments, a crop collection apparatus is described that includes: a vacuum pump; a vacuum head; a storage area; an intake pipe connecting the vacuum pump to the vacuum head; a discharge pipe connecting the vacuum pump and the storage area; wherein the vacuum pump is configured to create suction at the vacuum head to collect crop and force the crop through the intake and discharge pipes to deposit the crop in the storage area.

[0095] In some embodiments, a method for collecting crop is described that includes: operating a vacuum pump mounted to a vehicle; moving the vehicle over ground having a crop disposed thereon; suctioning the crop off the ground with a vacuum head connected to the vacuum pump via a pipe; and depositing the crop into a storage area through a pipe connected to the vacuum pump. |Ό096] Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.

Claims

Claims:

1. A harvesting method comprising:

continuously moving a harvester down a row of nut trees: and

agitating, while continuously moving the harvester, branches of the nut trees with an agitation assembly to thereby remove nuts from the branches.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the nut trees comprise almond trees such that almonds are removed from the branches.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising avoiding, while continuously moving the harvester, contacting trunks of the nut trees with rigid members.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the harvester comprises a bow rod harvester and the agitation assembly comprises a vibrating bow rod assembly.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein agitating the branches of the nut trees comprises engaging the nut trees with the agitation assembly above a height corresponding to an upper half portion of the nut trees.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein agitating the branches of the nut trees comprises engaging the nut trees with the agitation assembly above a height corresponding to an upper third portion of the nut trees.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein continuously moving the harvester comprises continuously moving an overhead harvester.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein avoiding contacting the trunks of the nut trees with rigid members comprises contacting the trunks with bristles of a brush assembly.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the agitating step comprises agitating eh branches of the nut trees using one or both of a mechanical agitation assembly and a compressed fluid agitation assembly.

10. A brush assembly configured to be mounted within a picking tunnel of a harvester, the brush assembly comprising:

back plates configured to be coupled to the harvester adjacent to a bottom opening of the picking tunnel; and

bristles extending inwardly from the back plates, the bristles sized to extend across at least a portion of the bottom opening of the picking tunnel to thereby engage tree trunks during harvesting to minimize crop loss through the bottom opening while also minimizing damage inflicted to the tree trunks,

1 1. The brush assembly of claim 10 wherein the bristles are angled to extend rearwardly along the picking tunnel.

12. The brush assembly of claim 10 wherein the bustles are angled to extend upwardly to thereby deflect falling crop outwardly.

13. The brush assembly of claim 10 further comprising a cover extending over and secured to a top surface of the bristles to minimize crop from entering the bristles.

14. The brush assembly of claim 13 wherein the cover comprises a flexible cover and is secured to the bristles by one or more bristles being sewed into the flexible cover.

15. The brush assembly of claim 10 in combination with a harvester.

16. The combination of claim 10 wherein the harvester includes a shaker plate on either side of the picking tunnel adjacent to the bottom opening thereof; and the back plates are secured to the shaker plates to be vibrated thereby.

17. An overhead harvester comprising:

a picking tunnel having an entrance, an exit, and a bottom opening, the picking tunnel configured to receive a row of trees therethrough during harvesting:

a bow rod assembly disposed on either side of the picking tunnel, the bow rod assembly including a plurality of bow rods configured to be oscillated and vibrated during harvesting to introduce a mechanical agitation force at least a portion of trees of the row of trees to remove crop from the trees;

shaker plates extending along the bottom opening of the picking tunnel on either side thereof, the shaker plates configured to vibrate and direct the falling crop outwardly during harvesting; conveyors disposed outwardly of the shaker plates to receive the crop thereon during harvesting and transport the crop out of the picking tunnel; and

a brush assembly extending along and substantially covering the bottom opening of the picking tunnel, the brush assembly including bristles extending inwardly toward tree trunks of the trees and sized to extend across at least a portion of the bottom opening of the picking tunnel to thereby engage tree trunks during harvesting to minimize crop loss through the bottom opening while also minimizing damage inflicted to the tree trunks.

18. The overhead harvester of claim 17 wherein the brush assembly comprises back plates configured to be coupled to the shaker plates, wherein the bristles extend from the back plates.

19. The overhead harvester of claim 17 wherein the plurality of bow rods are disposed in a stacked orientation beginning at a height corresponding to an upper half portion of the trees.

20. The overhead harvester of claim 17 further comprising a shield disposed below the plurality of bow rods on either side of the picking tunnel to reduce damage to branches and leaves during harvesting.

21. The overhead harvester of claim 17 further comprising shields disposed around the picking tunnel entrance and exit configured to reduce damage to branches and leaves during harvesting.

22. The overhead harvester of claim 21 wherein the shields are curved.

23. The overhead harvester of claim 17 wherein the bow rod assembly including a plurality of bow rods having forward and rearward ends: forward and rearward posts having the forward and rearward ends of the bow rods mounted thereto, respectively, a frame having the forward and rearward posts pivotablv mounted thereto, and upper and lower connections connecting the frame to the picking tunnel.

24. The overhead harvester of claim 23 wherein the lower connection of the bow rod assembly comprises a bracket having a plurality of holes through which the frame can secure to thereby adjust the lateral position of the lower connection; and the upper connection comprises a projection having a plurality of securing points extending outwardly from the frame and a sleeve coupled to the picking tunnel and configured to receive the projection therein to and secure to one of the securing points to thereby adjust the lateral position of the upper connection.

25. A method of retrofitting an overhead harvester for harvesting of almonds from trees, the overhead harvester including a picking tunnel having an entrance, an exit, and a bottom opening, and rigid pivotable tiles covering the bottom opening of the picking tunnel, the method comprising;

removing the rigid pivotable tiles to expose the bottom opening of the picking tunnel; and installing a brush assembly extending along and covering the bottom opening of the picking tunnel, the brush assembly including bristles sized to extend across at least a portion of the bottom opening of the picking tunnel to thereby engage tree trunks during harvesting to minimize crop loss through the bottom opening while also minimizing damage inflicted to the tree trunks.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the brush assembly further comprises back plates configured to be coupled to the shaker plates and wherein the bristles extends inwardly from the back plates.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the overhead harvester further includes a how rod assembly having a plurality of vertically stacked bow rods disposed across the picking tunnel from one another, the method further comprising removing bow rods disposed at a height corresponding to a lower half portion of the trees.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising securing a shield to the bow rod assembly to cover components of the removed bow rods and prevent branches and leaves of trees from contacting the components.

29. The method of claim 25 further comprising adding smooth shielding around the picking tunnel entrance to reduce damage to trees being harvested as branches of the tree are compressed for entrance to the picking tunnel.

30. A harvesting method comprising:

applying compressed fluid to at least a portion of a tree having a crop thereon;

agitating the tree via contact with the compressed fluid to thereby dislodge the crop from the tree.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the applying step comprises applying compressed air to the at least the portion of the tree.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the applying step comprises applying the compressed fluid while moving a harvester about the tree.

33. The harvesting method of claim 30 wherein applying the compressed fluid to the tree comprises applying the compressed fluid from two sides of the tree.

34. The harvesting method of claim 33 wherein applying the compressed fluid to the tree further comprises applying the compressed fluid from above the tree.

35. The harvesting method of claim 30 wherein applying the compressed fluid to the tree comprises applying the compressed fluid to the tree within a tunnel of an overhead harvester.

36. The harvesting method of claim 35 wherein the overhead harvester includes a mechanical agitation assembly, the mechanical agitation assembly and the compressed air both agitating the tree.

37. A harvester comprising:

a vehicle body;

a fluid compressor assembly mounted to the vehicle body;

wherein the vehicle body is configured to be movable so that at least a portion thereof is positioned adjacent to a tree having a crop thereon and the fluid compressor assembly is configured to eject compressed fluid to at least a portion of the tree to thereby agitate the tree to dislodge the crop from the tree.

38. The harvester of claim 37 wherein the fluid compressor assembly comprises a compressed air assembly.

39. The harvester of claim 37 wherein the fluid compressor assembly comprises:

a fluid compressor mounted to the vehicle body;

a plurality of nozzles; and

piping connecting the fluid compressor and the plurality of nozzles so that compressed fluid from the air compressor is ejected through the plurality of nozzles to the at least a portion of the tree.

40. The harvester of claim 37 wherein the vehicle body comprises an overhead harvester havmg a tunnel extending therethrough, and the plurality of nozzles are disposed within the tunnel.

41. The harvester of claim 40 wherein the tunnel includes a top surface and side surfaces, and the plurality of nozzles are mounted adjacent to the top surface of the tunnel and both side surfaces of the tunnel.

42. A crop collection apparatus comprising:

a vacuum pump;

a vacuum head;

a storage area;

an mtake pipe connecting the vacuum pump to the vacuum head; and

a discharge pipe connecting the vacuum pump and the storage area;

wherein the vacuum pump is configured to create suction at the vacuum head to collect crop and force the crop through the intake pipe and the discharge pipe to deposit the crop in the storage area.

43. The crop collection apparatus of claim 42 wherein the vacuum head is configured to be mounted to a first vehicle and the vacuum pump is configured to be mounted to a second vehicle with the intake pipe spanning the distance therebetween.

44. The crop collection apparatus of claim 42 wherein the storage area includes a transparent or translucent portion so that the crop is visible within the storage area.

45. The crop collection apparatus of claim 42 wherein the storage area includes a drive mechanism configured to push crop therein rearwardly.

46. The crop collection apparatus of claim 42 wherein the vacuum head includes one or more brush assemblies associated therewith configured to push crop into or into the path of the vacuum head.

47. A method for collecting crop comprising:

operating a vacuum pump mounted to a vehicle;

moving the vehicle over ground having a crop disposed thereon; suctioning the crop off the ground with a vacuum head connected to the vacuum pump via a pipe; and

depositing the crop into a storage area through a pipe connected to the vacuum pump.

48. The method of claim 47 further comprising moving a second vehicle over the ground, the second vehicle having the vacuum head mounted thereto.

49. The method of claim 47 further comprising driving the crop in the storage area rearwardly with a driving mechanism.

50. The method of claim 47 further comprising pushing crop on the ground into, or into the path of, the vacuum head with a brush assembly.