Bud Antle, Inc.

Bruce E Plumb

C Dal Freeman

A harvesting system for wet soil crops, such as broccoli and cauliflower, includes a harvest/shuttle vehicle and complementary trailer. The vehicle may be operated in a harvest mode in concert with detachable harvesting wings to accumulate a load of produce during a harvest. Thereafter, the harvest vehicle may either transfer the load to a similar vehicle used in a shuttle mode to transport the load to the highway, or the wings may be detached from the vehicle and the vehicle may be operated in the shuttle mode to transport the load to the highway. In either application, the harvest remains uninterrupted because the harvesting wings continue to remain in use in the field. After a load is transported from the field to the highway, it is readily transferred to a trailer. The trailer includes a trailer bed that is readily adjusted between a load receiving elevation and a load transporting elevation. All such transfers between harvester, shuttle, and trailer are automated using palletized loads and self-powered transfer mechanisms.

Harvesting apparatus having detachable wings

In a wheel drive mechanism adapted to produce high torque, low speed power to the wheel through a gearing system that includes a sun gear and a plurality of planetary pinion gears meshed therewith, a mechanism for disengaging the sun gear to ready the vehicle for high speed travel over a highway. The sun gear is supported on a drive shaft that has an elongated splined portion so that the sun gear can be moved axially into a position at which it is disengaged from the planetary pinion gears. A spring biases the sun gear into engagement with the planetary pinion gears and there is mechanism for controllably sliding the sun gear along the splined shaft portion against the spring. The mechanism is accessible from the exterior of the wheel hub, is fast acting and provides for locking the sun gear in either its engaged position or disengaged position.

Growing community of inventors

Salinas, CA, United States of America

Bruce E Plumb