Harvesting tomatoes

Abstract

A tomato harvester pickup and harvesting method. A pickup conveyor with a relatively flat pickup angle is combined with an overhead assist system. An assist frame pivotally secured to the pickup frame above and spaced from the forward end of the conveyor pivotally supports, with spring return, the front end of a plurality of generally horizontal guideways forward of and above the forward end of the pickup conveyor. The rear end of each guideway is steeply upwardly and rearwardly inclined but forward of the pickup conveyor. A corresponding plurality of powered endless overhead assist chains are supported by the front and rear ends of the assist frame and the guideways for movement in a path extending horizontally rearwardly along the guideways, then up steeply with increasing spacing from the pickup conveyor to the rear end, and then downwardly and forwardly to the front end. From each chain a series of flexible projections extend out substantially normally. When the assist chain moves along its guideway, some projections extend down into tomato vines and engage them, and then they carry the vines upwardly steeply along the steeply inclined portion of the loop. A series of vine releasing tines extend downwardly and then rearwardly and act to free the cut vines from the assist chains when the vines lie over the pickup conveyor, thereby insuring transfer of the vines fully to the pickup conveyor.