Crop harvesting apparatus

Abstract

A crop harvesting apparatus particularly suited for harvesting fruit and nuts from crop-bearing trees. A plurality of crop severing devices are mounted on rotatable drive shafts. The crop severing devices can take any of several forms. In one illustrative form of the present invention, the crop severing devices can be arcuate members mounted on a drive shaft by two or more support members such as support discs, with each arcuate member including a crop engaging portion and a crop passage portion terminating in a crop severing edge. Alternatively, the crop severing devices can be one or more crop severing rods mounted onto a drive shaft by support members, with the crop severing rods straight, slightly spiralled or wavy in configuration. As another alternative, the crop severing devices can include a first set of foliage-lifting rods mounted for rotation at a first speed and a second set of crop-severing rods mounted for rotation at a second speed, for example faster than the first speed, with the foliage-lifting rods spaced outwardly of the crop severing rods so that the slower rotating foliage-lifting rods lift branches, immature crops, and other foliage while the mature crops hang down to be severed by the crop severing rods. The crop severing rods and the foliage-lifting rods can be mounted on coaxial drive shafts or on drive shafts that are not coaxial. The crop severing rods can be mounted to their drive shaft by support discs, rods, cylinders or endless belts. Thus, as a crop severing device of the present invention is rotated in a crop-bearing plant, mature crops are engaged and severed from the plants, while, because of their relatively light weight, immature, green crops and foliage are not engaged sufficiently to be severed.