Blueberry picking machine

Abstract

A straddle-type, self-propelled crop harvesting machine having an inverted U-shaped frame for passing over a row of crop bearing bushes. The frame has a longitudinal opening through which the row of crop bearing bushes pass and into which depend a pair of spaced, freely rotatable picking members. Each picking member is supported from a subframe which is pivotally attached to the main frame of the harvesting machine. Each subframe is supported on an air bag which can be used to set the initial height of the picking assembly and which also tends to isolate vibration from the main frame of the harvesting machine. A bearing assembly depends from the subframe and supports a housing in which two rotatable eccentric weights are mounted. The weights rotate in a vertical plane in phase but in opposite directions so that the weights pass at the top and bottom of each rotation and impart a vertical force to the housing. The weights are horizontally spaced from one another which imparts a horizontal twist to the housing as the weights extend outwardly in opposite directions. An elongated shaft depends from the housing and supports a plurality of spaced tiers of elongated fingers which can penetrate deeply into each bush. The sum of the vertical and horizontal forces imparted to each housing by the rotating eccentric weights is imparted to the depending shaft and picking fingers. The picking fingers undergo a complex motion which enables each picking finger to apply both a vertical and a horizontal force to each branch of a bush to gently harvest the crop.