Firefly Automatix, Inc.

Matthew G Aposhian

Eric Edwin Aston

William M Decker

Steven R Aposhian

Samuel H Drake

Daniel A Aposhian

A sod harvester can include an auxiliary stacking conveyor for stacking or folding slabs of sod on a conveyor prior to the stacked/folded slabs being removed from a stacking conveyor by a stacking head. The auxiliary stacking conveyor can be configured to receive a leading slab of sod and then stack the leading slab on top of a trailing slab while the trailing slab is being advanced along a conveyor. The auxiliary stacking conveyor can also be configured to partially receive a slab of sod and then reverse direction to cause the slab to be folded backwards on top of itself while being advanced along a conveyor. Different configurations can be employed to cause slabs to be selectively positioned on an auxiliary stacking conveyor.

Sod harvester having auxiliary stacking conveyor

A sod harvester can include an auxiliary stacking conveyor for stacking or folding slabs of sod on an inclined conveyor prior to the stacked/folded slabs being removed from a stacking conveyor by a stacking head. The auxiliary stacking conveyor can be configured to receive a leading slab of sod and then stack the leading slab on top of a trailing slab while the trailing slab is being advanced along an inclined conveyor. The auxiliary stacking conveyor can also be configured to partially receive a slab of sod and then reverse direction to cause the slab to be folded backwards on top of itself while being advanced along an inclined conveyor. Different configurations can be employed to cause slabs to be selectively positioned on an auxiliary stacking conveyor.

A sod harvester can include a preliminary stacking head for stacking slabs of sod prior to the stacked slabs being removed from a stacking conveyor for stacking on a pallet. In this way, the stacking head can remove multiple layers of sod during a single stacking operation. The preliminary stacking head can be positioned overtop a conveyor and can be configured to pick up a slab of sod as the slab travels along the conveyor. The preliminary stacking head can then drop the slab on top of a trailing slab thereby forming a stack of slabs on the conveyor. The conveyor over which the preliminary stacking head is positioned can be an inclined conveyor that transports slabs of sod from the ground to a stacking conveyor.

Sod harvester having preliminary stacking head

A sod harvester can include an inclined stacking conveyor from which slabs of sod are removed for stacking on a pallet. The direction of incline of the stacking conveyor can be opposite that of one or more inclined conveyors used to convey sod from a cutting head to the stacking conveyor. Therefore, slabs of sod can ascend along the one or more inclined conveyors and then descend along the inclined stacking conveyor from which they are removed by the stacking head. The stacking head can also be inclined to correspond with the incline of the stacking conveyor. By inclining the stacking conveyor and the stacking head, the stacking head does not need to move vertically when removing slabs of sod from the stacking conveyor.

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Kaysville, UT, United States of America

Matthew G Aposhian