Crab butchering machine

Abstract

A central twin or single chain conveyor with abutments moves crabs through a centering device, beneath leg hold-downs and into an intersecting chain having projections that strike the carapace's leading edge to pivot it away from the crab body, and into a guide that, with the chain carrying the projections, will transport the carapace to a cross conveyor for removal. A central pipe, closed at its upstream end, is stationarily positioned to enter the body cavity and remove the viscera from the crab body, and travels in the body cavity while cleansing liquid is sprayed through holes in the pipe to clean the body cavity and the crab is guided by the pipe. Rotatably driven brushes biased into the crab body will, along with the water sprayed, remove the gills. The central conveyor has link support surfaces on opposite sides of a central plane of symmetry to space the crab body above the central portion of the chain so that a central rotating saw may saw the crab body into two sections, each with the legs attached. Thereafter, biased pivoting shoes press each crab section against a stationary concave guide surface to rotate the crab section as the legs are being sawed from the body section along an arcuate cut line, aided by the central chain that pushes the body into the saw, permitting the legs to lag slightly behind, until half the legs are severed. The central chain drops and the pair of outer chains pushes the remaining legs through the saw, permitting the body to lag.