Tobacco harvester having a bulk container filled by manual primers

Claim 1

In a tobacco harvester adapted to be moved through a field of tobacco plants, the harvester having a frame, deck means on the frame located above the tobacco plants, a plurality of seats suspended from said frame for supporting manual priming workmen between rows of tobacco plants, at least two generally vertically movable conveyor means located on each side of the harvester with each conveyor adjacent a seat so that the conveyor means may be used for transporting primed tobacco leaves upwardly to a discharge position above the deck, and one of said generally vertically movable conveyor means discharging forwardly and the other discharging rearwardly, the improvement comprising inclined slide means oriented in a generally opposite relationship along opposite sides of the deck, each of said slide means having a first portion disposed in a position to receive tobacco leaves discharged from two of the vertically movable conveyor means, and a second portion extending generally downwardly and inwardly from the side and above the deck, longitudinally movable conveyor means mounted on the deck means of said harvester and extending transversely to said slide means, the forward portion of the upper run of said longitudinal conveyor means being located beneath said second portion of said slide and extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom, means for driving said longitudinal conveyor so that said upper run moves rearwardly, and a bulk tobacco container removably mounted on said harvester in a position to receive tobacco leaves discharged from said longitudinal conveyor, whereby mature tobacco leaves which are collected by the manual priming workmen and placed on the vertically movable conveyor means are automatically discharged into said container.