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Henry A Baker

Nathan L Baker

A method and related apparatus is provided for size reduction and separation of soil clods mixed with a root crop. The method includes the steps of feeding the mixture along an enclosed operative path, manipulating the mixture so as to change the shape of the conveyed mass and break up the soil clods sufficiently to reduce the size and separating the clods from the crop. The manipulation preferably takes the form of shifting the clods longitudinally and laterally with respect to each other. The operative path is preferably serpentine in shape with the clods/crop expanding along the outside of bends and contracting along the inside of bends. The serpentine path is oriented in a substantially vertical direction and may provide differential speeds along the boundaries of the path. The optimum mixture is approximately 50% soil clods at the entry end, with the range being between 35% and 65%. The preferred apparatus includes a pair of endless conveyor belts guided by horizontally extending rollers and retaining panels positioned in juxtaposition with the edges of the conveyors along the operative runs. Spring loaded idler rollers maintain the conveyors taut and an endless chain conveyor downstream of the exit end of the serpentine path separates the reduced clods from the root crop.

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Burley, ID, United States of America

Henry A Baker