Field crop harvesting system

Abstract

A harvesting apparatus is provided wherein a forward harvesting machine tows a rearward shuttle truck, both vehicles being self-propelled, with the harvesting machine having a crop collection system comprising a series of conveyors which convey the crops from a pair of forward wing conveyors through a cleaning/fungiciding station to a pair of on-board longitudinally extended conveyors spaced on opposite sides of the harvesting machine. Between these two spaced longitudinal crop conveyors extending centrally down the bed of the harvesting machine is a full box conveyor for boxes which have been packed, and between the full box conveyor and the crop conveyors are the respective work areas having sorting bins and packing stands enabling workers in these areas to remove individual crops such as melons from the outer crop conveyors and place them in the boxes, and then place the boxes on the central full box conveyor, which is moving rearwardly. The full boxes on the full box conveyor move rearwardly to a bridge and over the bridge onto a roller conveyor longitudinally extended on the shuttle truck. Once this is done, the shuttle truck releases from the harvest truck and takes the cleaned, fungicided, sorted, boxed and palletized crop to a freight depot or cooling station where it can be cooled or shipped without further handling other than by the pallet.