Picking arm construction in a machine for harvesting fruit grown on plants arranged in a row

Claim 2

In a machine for harvesting produce grown on plants and having a frame movable alongside the plants, wherein the improvement comprises produce picking means movably arranged on said frame including rearwardly extending arm means, means for moving said arm means back and forth transversely of the plants including a support member, fulcrum means providing a fulcrum permitting pivotal movement of said arm means relative to said support member in a direction transverse of the plants, and yielding means operatively interposed between said support member and said arm means to restrain yieldingly said pivotal movement therebetween in one relative direction about said fulcrum.

Claim 3

A machine according to claim 1 wherein said fulcrum means provides a yielding fulcrum for said arm means on said support member.

Claim 4

A machine according to claim 1 wherein said arm means includes an arm bar having a transverse dimension greater in a vertical direction than a horizontal direction.

Claim 5

A machine according to claim 3 wherein said fulcrum means comprises a fulcrum pad of resilient material interposed between opposing faces on said arm bar and said support member.

Claim 6

A machine according to claim 4 which further comprises hold down means for clamping said arm bar and said support member against said fulcrum pad.

Claim 7

A machine according to claim 5 wherein said hold down means includes a clamp member embracing said arm bar and said support member, means securing said clamp member to said support member, and a cushion of resilient material interposed between said arm bar and said clamp member.

Claim 8

A machine according to claim 6 wherein said support member includes a plate having a flat face on one side thereof and a rib outstanding from the other side thereof, said plate having a pair of externally threaded studs outstanding from said other side on opposite sides of said rib, said clamp member being C-shaped including end flange portions severally apertured to receive said studs and an intermediate web portion generally parallel to said end flange portions, said cushion being interposed between said web portion and one side of said arm bar, said flat face of said plate being one of said opposing faces the other of which is on said arm bar on the side thereof opposite from said one side of said arm bar, a shim for each of said end flange portions interposed between the inside of it and said other side of said plate, and a nut arranged on each of said studs and screwed down against the outside of the corrsponding one of said end flange portions to lock said shim in place.

Claim 9

A machine according to claim 3 wherein said yielding means comprises a bolt having a head and shank externally threaded remote from said head, said arm bar and said support member being provided with alined apertures to receive said shank, said head thrustingly bearing against that side of said arm bar remote from said support member, a nut screwed on such threaded shank portion, and spring means interposed between said support member and said nut, the axial position of said nut on said shank determining the loading on said spring means.

Claim 10

A machine according to claim 3 wherein said yielding means comprises a C-shaped bracket embracing said arm bar and said support member and having end portions and an intermediate web portion, a first cushion of resilient material interposed between the inside of said web portion and said arm bar, a second cushion of resilient material interposed between said arm bar and said support member, said web portion, cushions and support member being provided with a pair of spaced alined openings, a bolt for each set of said alined openings and haviNg a head and shank externally threaded remote from said head, said head thrustingly bearing against the outside of said arm bar, said shank extending through said alined openings, a nut screwed on each such threaded shank portion, and spring means surrounding each bolt shank and interposed between said support member and its said nut, the axial positions of said nuts on said shanks determining the loading on said spring means.

Claim 11

A machine according to claim 5 wherein said hold down means includes a clamp member embracing said arm bar and said support member and having a web portion overlying a portion of one side of said arm bar, said yielding means includes a bracket embracing said arm bar and said support member and having an apertured web portion overlying another portion of said one side of said arm bar and provided with spaced apertures, bolts arranged in said apertures and having heads thrustingly bearing against the outside of said apertured web portion, and guard means including a guard plate interposed between such bolt heads and said outside of said apertured web portion and having apertures through which said bolts extend and covering the leading upright edges of said web portions and said arm bar and that portion of said arm bar intermediate said web portions.

Claim 12

A machine according to claim 1 wherein said produce picking means further comprises finger means on the trailing end of said arm means and extending laterally therefrom.

Claim 13

A machine according to claim 11 wherein said produce picking means further comprises clamp means embracing said arm means at the trailing end thereof and securing said finger means to said arm means.

Claim 14

A machine according to claim 11 wherein said finger means includes a pair of fingers which incline downwardly relative to said arm means inwardly toward the plants.

Claim 15

A machine according to claim 13 wherein said fingers at their forward ends are joined by an integral transverse section, means for securing said section to said arm means, and clamp means embracing said arm means at the trailing end thereof and securing said fingers to said arm means.

Claim 16

A machine according to claim 3 wherein said finger means comprises a rod bent to provode a central trasnverse section from the opposite ends of which extend a pair of offset sections joined to a pair of parallel sections terminating in a pair of angled fingers, said transverse section being arranged against one side of said arm bar, said parallel sections extending along the upper and lower edges of said arm bar, said fingers extending downwardly relative to said parallel sections and laterally relative thereto to point in a direction away from said transverse section, an ear secured to said transverse section and arranged against said arm bar, said ear and said arm bar being provided with alined apertures, a fastener having a portion extending through said alined apertures and securing said ear to said arm bar, a clamp bracket at the trailing end of said arm bar embracing the same and said parallel sections, said clamp bracket and said arm bar being provided with a spaced pair of alined apertures, and a fastener for each of said pair of alined apertures having a portion extending therethrough and securing said parallel sections to said arm bar.

Claim 17

A machine according to claim 15 wherein a sleeve is arranged on each of said fingers so as to increase its transverse dimension.

Claim 18

A machine according to claim 11 wherein said finger means is a curved member of flexible material.

Claim 19

A machine according to claim 3 wherein said produce picking means further comprises a curved finger member of flexible material which has a forward attaching section of greater height than thickness arranged against one side of said arm bar and a free trailing section which gradually reduces in thickness toward its rear extremity and moves laterally across the rear end face of said arm bar, the upper and lower edges of said free section converging toward said rear extremity, a bracket plate covering the edge of said arm bar between its said rear end face and the side of said arm bar opposite from said one side and having a flange portion overlying such opposite side, said flange portion, arm bar and attaching section being provided with a spaced pair of alined apertures, and a fastener for each of said pair of alined apertures having a portion extending therethrough and securing said bracket and finger member to said arm bar.