Fmc Corporation

Other

Ag-right Enterprises, Inc.

Star-kist Foods, Inc.

Cotton Machinery Company, Inc.

Star-kist, Inc.

Franklin P Orlando

Phillip Ray Scott

Marty D Youman

Kevin M Caine

David Jeffrey Meester

Lee D Butler

Don H Lenker

Rangasami S Chandra

Kenneth Brown

Frederick A Zemke

Joseph S Goulart

Donald J Christian

Mark P Parker

John C Lodholz

Donald G Mortensen

Dennis Raymond Schultz

Donald J Haney

Larry Losli Slates

James T Browning

Richard W Fitzmaurice

Robert L Mills

Donald A Luttrell

Rangasami Sarat-Chandra

Richard K Warren

Thomaas Franco

Johan Hendriks

Allen C Thompson

Ronald W Droll

Thomas Franco

Yves LeCarre

A harvester incorporating at least one force balanced shaker vibratory brush as the harvesting apparatus uses a sensing system connected to spring feelers to generate a signal responsive to the location, shape and position of a tree.

Adjustable shaker head harvester

Automatically adjusting shaker head harvester with steering correction and improved shaker head mounting

A over-the-row single sided harvester harvests a row crop from a first side of a row while simultaneously collecting crop from the 'off side' side of the same row.

Over-the-row single sided harvester

A harvester incorporating at least one force balanced shaker vibratory brush as the harvesting apparatus uses a sensing system connected to a plurality of spring feelers carried on a shaft to generate a torque value responsive to the location of the shape and position of a tree. The feeler springs may be of differing lengths to assist in tuning the harvester. Apparatus and a method for mounting the shaker head on the vehicle as well as system of steering the harvester are disclosed.

A vibratory shaker for mounting on a crop harvester framework for removing crops from vines, bushes, and trees has a crop foliage engaging brush that is driven directly about a brush rotation axis by a brush driving motor. The crop foliage engaging brush and the brush driving motor are supported for rotation on the crop harvester framework. The power for driving the brush driving motor is controlled to provide oscillatory motion subject to operator controlled frequency, amplitude and oscillatory wave shape.

Direct drive vibratory shaker

An improved gondola assembly for receiving harvested crops in the field from a crop harvester has a lightweight molded drop in tank held in place by a tank framework on the gondola assembly. The drop in tank lowers the gondola center of gravity as it replaces stainless steel or painted mild steel tanks and requires no periodic maintenance. A built in scale for continuous in the field monitoring of the weight of received harvested crop is constructed to be viewable by a tow tractor operator whether towed from one end of the gondola or the other. The towable gondola obtains power for operation of a pair of tank framework lift cylinders from the tow tractor so that the tank is movable between an elevated dump position and a lowered crop collection position. The gondola has a reversible towing tongue for towing in either direction so it may be configured to be towed on either side of a crop harvester.

Bulk material trailer

A self-propelled mechanical harvester for harvesting above ground crops includes a shaker assembly that operates in a single plane. The shaker will oscillate from side to side in the plane without pivoting of the plane around a pivot point. The assembly includes crop contacting rods in one embodiment and crop contacting striker bars in another embodiment. The force used to impart the oscillatory motion to the shaker is supplied by a force balance shaker using two weights operating at the same frequency of rotation, in opposite directions. The weights are timed and maintained in time by a geared relationship to produce maximum force laterally outboard and no force in a direction corresponding to the machine's direction of travel.

Pivotless mechanical crop harvester

The invention provides a harvesting shaker with a set of primary eccentric weights and secondary eccentric weights. The invention rotates the primary and secondary eccentric weights at the same speed, but may on the fly, using a hydraulic rotary actuator, change the rotational phase between the primary and secondary eccentric weights, causing an on the fly change of amplitude of the inventive shaker. The invention also uses a rotary valve, that does not require high pressure bearings, and that provides damping of the control system.

Adjustable four-weight shaker head

The invention provides a shaker with a set of primary eccentric weights and secondary eccentric weights. The invention rotates the primary and secondary eccentric weights at the same speed, but may on the fly change the rotational phase between the primary and secondary eccentric weights, causing an on the fly change of amplitude of the inventive shaker.

The invention provides a chemical mixture device that avoids the mixing of large batches of chemicals and provides a continuous and precisely mixed mixture. For mixing water and a chemical, a large water tank and a chemical tank supply water and chemicals to first and second mixing tanks. As small batches are mixed in one mixing tank, the mixture is drawn from the other mixing tank.

Continuous batch mix sprayer

A harvester for harvesting grapes or other fruits from plants. The harvester uses a force balanced shaker head, which rotationally oscillates around a vertical axis. A yoke extends down from the force balanced shaker. The arms of the yoke are attached to a plurality of rods, which shake the plant to harvest the fruit. Two rows of enclosures are provided below the shaker head to catch the fruit. A low profile conveyor transports the collected fruit to storage.

Canopy harvester with force balanced drive

In the harvesting of legumes, apparatus having a plurality of rods mounted on a rotating axle provides a vibratory contact force to the seed containing pods to provide acceleration and impact forces to separate the seeds from the shells or pods containing the seeds, and an auger feeds the pods through the apparatus to optimize the time the pods are in contact with the rods.

Legume pod thresher including an auger

Growing community of inventors

Morgan Hill, CA, United States of America

Franklin P Orlando