Harvesting machine

Claim 2

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two continuous circular rows of immediately adjacent opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping elements of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping elements, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprising spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprising spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounting said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, said cam means being engageable with said fingers in succession as said wheel turns for moving said gripping elements in said opposite direction.

Claim 3

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel having a central hub rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprising spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprising spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounting said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, said spring fingers comprising radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and mounting said gripping elements at their outer ends, said spokes being stressed to urge the opposing gripping elements toward one another to their closed position, and said cam means being disposed between the spokes for the two rows of gripping elements for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said plant releasing and plant receiving zones.

Claim 4

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel having a central hub rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprising spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprising spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounting said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, said spring fingers comprising radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and mounting said gripping elements at their outer ends, said spokes being stressed to urge the opposing gripping elements toward one another to their closed position, and said cam means being disposed between the spokes for the two rows of gripping elements for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said plant releasing and plant receiving zones.

Claim 5

A harvesting machine according to claim 2 wherein: said cam means comprises a relatively fixed cam for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said receiving zone, a relatively movable cam for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said plant releasing zone, and means for oscillating said movable cam circumferentially of said wheel in timed relation to rotation of said wheel in such a way as to periodically release groups of plants from the wheel.

Claim 6

A harvesting machine according to claim 3 wherein: said fixed cam comprises a cylindrically curved band concentric with the wheel and extending from the trailing end of said releasing zone through said receiving zone, and said movable cam comprises a cylindrically curved band concentric with said wheel and extending through said releasing zone into circumferentially overlapping relation to said fixed cam band, and said spokes mount cam followers engageable with the longitudinal edges of said cam bands.

Claim 7

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements about the perimeter of said wheel, radial fingers mounting said gripping elements on said wheel for independent closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and independent opening movement of the gripping elements away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and links pivotally connecting the adjacent fingers in such a way as to permit said independent opening and closing movement of said gripping elements, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone.

Claim 8

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements about the perimeter of said wheel, radial fingers mounting said gripping elements on said wheel for independent closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and independent opening movement of the gripping elements away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and links pivotally connecting the adjacent fingers in such a way as to permit said independent opening and closing movement of said gripping elements, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone.

Claim 9

A harvesting machine according to claim 5, wherein: said wheel has a central hub, said fingers comprise radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said gripping elements, respectively, and said links pivotally connect the adjacent spokes.

Claim 10

A harvesting machine according to claim 6 wherein: said spokes are resiliently flexible and stressed to bias said gripping elements toward one another to their closed positions, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises cam means located between the spokes for the two rows of gripping elements and engageable with said spokes at positions intermediate the inner and outer spoke ends for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said receiving and releasing zones, and said links include radially inner links pivotally connecting the adjacent spokes close to said intermediate spoke positions and radially outer links pivotally connecting the outer ends of adjacent spokes.

Claim 11

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprising at least one substantially continuous circular row of immediately adjacent gripping sections, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping sections of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping sections, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprising means for effecting progressive closure of said gripping means as said gripping means rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and means for effecting opening in intermittent fashion of successive sections of said continuous row of gripping means within said releasing zone, in a manner such that said gripping means are effective to grip and then extract from the soil successive plants in a plant row being harvested and thereafter release the extracted plants in groups for bundling of the harvested plants in bunches.

Claim 12

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprising at least one substantially continuous circular row of immediately adjacent gripping sections, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping sections of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping sections, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprising means for effecting progressive closure of said gripping means as said gripping means rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and means for effecting opening in intermittent fashion of successive sections of said continuous row of gripping means within said releasing zone, in a manner such that said gripping means are effective to grip and then extract from the soil successive plants in a plant row being harvested and thereafter release the extracted plants in groups for bundling of the harvested plants in bunches.

Claim 13

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, and said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting progressive closure of said gripping means as said gripping means rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and means for effecting opening in intermittent fashion of successive circumferential sections of said gripping means within said releasing zone, in a manner such that said gripping means are effective to grip and then extract from the soil successive plants in a plant row being harvested and thereafter release the extracted plants in groups for bundling of the harvested plants in bunches, said means for effecting opening of said gripping means in intermittent fashion within said releasing zone including means for adjusting the circumferential length of said successively opened circumferential sections of said gripping means.

Claim 14

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, and said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting progressive closure of said gripping means as said gripping means rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and means for effecting opening in intermittent fashion of successive circumferential sections of said gripping means within said releasing zone, in a manner such that said gripping means are effective to grip and then extract from the soil successive plants in a plant row being harvested and thereafter release the extracted plants in groups for bundling of the harvested plants in bunches, said means for effecting opening of said gripping means in intermittent fashion within said releasing zone including means for adjusting the circumferential length of said successively opened circumferential sections of said gripping means.

Claim 15

A harvesting machine according to claim 7 wherein: said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means includes means for effecting intermittent opening movement of succesive groups of said gripping elements within said releasing zone in a manner such that extracted plants are released in groups for bundling.

Claim 16

A harvesting machine according to claim 10 wherein: said means for effecting intermittent opening movement of successive groups of said gripping elements includes means for adjusting the number of gripping elements in each said group and, thereby, the number of plants in each plant group released from the wheel.

Claim 17

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, harvesting wheel means on said vehicle movable with the vehicle along at least one plant row for harvesting the successive plants in the row by gripping the plant top and extracting the plant from the soil and thereafter transporting the harvested plant along a prescribed path to a plant releasing zone where the harvested plants are released from the harvesting means, said harvesting means including a pair of axially closely spaced substantially continuous circular rows of immediately adjacent gripping sections relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing posisions and which rotate with the wheel through the plant receiving zone and the plant releasing zone, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping sections of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping sections, and plant treatment means mounted on said vehicle along said path for performing at least one operation on the successive plants.

Claim 18

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, harvesting wheel means on said vehicle movable with the vehicle along at least one plant row for harvesting the successive plants in the row by gripping the plant top and extracting the plant from the soil and thereafter transporting the harvested plant along a prescribed path to a plant releasing zone where the harvested plants are released from the harvesting means, said harvesting means including a pair of axially closely spaced substantially continuous circular rows of immediately adjacent gripping sections relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing posisions and which rotate with the wheel through the plant receiving zone and the plant releasing zone, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping sections of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping sections, and plant treatment means mounted on said vehicle along said path for performing at least one operation on the successive plants.

Claim 19

A harvesting machine according to claim 12 wherein: said plant treatment means comprises means for spraying the harvested plants with a an atomized air-water mixture to wash the plants as they move along the path of transport by said harvesting means, said spraying means including jets and sources of water and high pressure air connected with the jets.

Claim 20

A harvesting machine according to claim 12 wherein: said plant treatment means comprises plant washing means including a shroud forming a tunnel along said path through which the harvested crops are transported by said harvesting means, sources of water and pressurized air on the machine, and spray tubes within said tunnel and connected with said water and air sources for spraying an air-water mixture on the plants to wash the plants.

Claim 21

A harvesting machine according to claim 12 wherein: said plant treatment means comprises a chiller tunnel along said path through which the harvested plants are transported by said harvesting means, a source of pressurized refrigerant fluid on the machine, and means connected with the refrigerant source for directing a cold refrigerant fluid against the harvested plants being thus transported through the tunnel to chill the plants.

Claim 22

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, harvesting wheel means on said vehicle movable with the vehicle along at least one plant row for harvesting the successive plants in the row by gripping the plant top and extracting the plant from the soil and thereafter transporting the harvested plant along a prescribed path to a plant releasing zone where the harvested plants are released from the harvesting means, said harvesting means including a pair of axially closely spaced substantially continuous circular rows of gripping sections relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through the plant receiving zone and the plant releasing zone, plant washing means mounted on said vehicle along said path and including a shroud forming a tunnel along said path through which the harvested crops are transported by said harvesting means, said shroud including a drain for draining washing liquid from said tunnel onto the plant row following said harvesting means, and said washing means including means within said tunnel for spraying a washing liquid such as water on the plant to wash the plant, and means for depositing seeds in the plant row following said harvesting means.

Claim 23

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, harvesting wheel means on said vehicle movable with the vehicle along at least one plant row for harvesting the successive plants in the row by gripping the plant top and extracting the plant from the soil and thereafter transporting the harvested plant along a prescribed path to a plant releasing zone where the harvested plants are released from the harvesting means, said harvesting means including a pair of axially closely spaced substantially continuous circular rows of gripping sections relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through the plant receiving zone and the plant releasing zone, plant washing means mounted on said vehicle along said path and including a shroud forming a tunnel along said path through which the harvested crops are transported by said harvesting means, said shroud including a drain for draining washing liquid from said tunnel onto the plant row following said harvesting means, and said washing means including means within said tunnel for spraying a washing liquid such as water on the plant to wash the plant, and means for depositing seeds in the plant row following said harvesting means.

Claim 24

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, harvesting wheel means on said vehicle movable with the vehicle along at least one plant row for harvesting the successive plants in the row by gripping the plant top and extracting the plant from the soil and thereafter transporting the harvested plant along a prescribed path to a plant releasing zone where the harvested plants are released from the harvesting means, said harvesting means including a pair of axially closely spaced substantially continuous circular rows of gripping sections relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through the plant receiving zone and the plant releasing zone, and plant treatment means comprising a thermally insulated shroud forming a tunnel along said path through which the harvested plants are transported by said harvesting means, and means within said tunnel for spraying a cold liquid against the plants to chill the latter.

Claim 25

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, harvesting wheel means on said vehicle movable with the vehicle along at least one plant row for harvesting the successive plants in the row by gripping the plant top and extracting the plant from the soil and thereafter transporting the harvested plant along a prescribed path to a plant releasing zone where the harvested plants are released from the harvesting means, said harvesting means including a pair of axially closely spaced substantially continuous circular rows of gripping sections relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through the plant receiving zone and the plant releasing zone, and plant treatment means comprising a thermally insulated shroud forming a tunnel along said path through which the harvested plants are transported by said harvesting means, and means within said tunnel for spraying a cold liquid against the plants to chill the latter.

Claim 26

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, harvesting means on said vehicle movable with the vehicle along at least one plant row for harvesting the successive plants in the row by gripping the plant top and extracting the plant from the soil and thereafter transporting the harvested plant along a prescribed path to a plant releasing zone where the harvested plants are released from the harvesting means, said harvesting means comprising a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant tops, extract the gripped plants from the soil, and transport the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, and plant treatment means mounted on said vehicle along said path for performing at least one operation on the successive plants, said plant treatment means comprises a curved shroud about said wheel forming a tunnel having an open side through which projects the portion of the wheel perimeter in said transfer zone, whereby plants extracted from the soil by said wheel are transported through said tunnel to said transfer zone, plant washing means within said tunnel for spraying a washing liquid such as water on the plants to wash the plants as they move through said tunnel, and plant chilling means within said tunnel following said washing means for spraying a cold liquid one said plants to chill the plants as they move through said tunnel.

Claim 27

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, harvesting means on said vehicle movable with the vehicle along at least one plant row for harvesting the successive plants in the row by gripping the plant top and extracting the plant from the soil and thereafter transporting the harvested plant along a prescribed path to a plant releasing zone where the harvested plants are released from the harvesting means, said harvesting means comprising a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant tops, extract the gripped plants from the soil, and transport the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, and plant treatment means mounted on said vehicle along said path for performing at least one operation on the successive plants, said plant treatment means comprises a curved shroud about said wheel forming a tunnel having an open side through which projects the portion of the wheel perimeter in said transfer zone, whereby plants extracted from the soil by said wheel are transported through said tunnel to said transfer zone, plant washing means within said tunnel for spraying a washing liquid such as water on the plants to wash the plants as they move through said tunnel, and plant chilling means within said tunnel following said washing means for spraying a cold liquid one said plants to chill the plants as they move through said tunnel.

Claim 28

A harvesting machine according to claim 18 wherein: said wheel has a central hub, said gripping means comprise flexible radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub, two circular rows of plant top gripping elements mounted on the outer ends of said spokes for independent movement of the opposing gripping elements by flexing of said spokes toward one another to closed plant top gripping positions and away from one another to plant releasing positions, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping elements and the outer ends of said spokes within said transfer zone project into said tunnel through the open side thereof and effectively close said open side.

Claim 29

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprising spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprising spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounting said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, said cam means being engageable with said fingers in succession as said wheel turns for moving said gripping elements in said opposite direction, and a pair of air tubes extending through said plant receiving zone below said wheel in spaced relation transverse to the plane of the wheel, whereby the tops of plants in the plant row being harvested enter between said air tubes substantially concurrently with entrance of said plant tops between said plant gripping means within said plant receiving zone of the wheel, and upwardly directed nozzles on said air tubes for directing air upwardly against the intervening plant tops to blow the plant leaves upwardly and thereby condition the plant tops to be gripped by said gripping means.

Claim 30

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprising spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprising spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounting said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, said cam means being engageable with said fingers in succession as said wheel turns for moving said gripping elements in said opposite direction, and a pair of air tubes extending through said plant receiving zone below said wheel in spaced relation transverse to the plane of the wheel, whereby the tops of plants in the plant row being harvested enter between said air tubes substantially concurrently with entrance of said plant tops between said plant gripping means within said plant receiving zone of the wheel, and upwardly directed nozzles on said air tubes for directing air upwardly against the intervening plant tops to blow the plant leaves upwardly and thereby condition the plant tops to be gripped by said gripping means.

Claim 31

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having leafy tops exposed above the ground and edible root portions, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, and a tubular chute generally tangential to the harvesting wheel at said plant releasing zone of said wheel into which said edible plant portions enter immediately following release of the plants from said wheel at said plant releasing zone, and plant trimming blade means at the entrance end of said chute for trimming said leafy tops from the plants entering said chute.

Claim 32

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having leafy tops exposed above the ground and edible root portions, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a harvesting wheel rotatably mounted on said vehicle in a normally generally vertical longitudinal plane of the wheel for movement with the vehicle along an individual plant row, means for effecting rotation of said wheel in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, said wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive said plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant top, extract the gripped plant from the soil, and transfer the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from said wheel, and a tubular chute generally tangential to the harvesting wheel at said plant releasing zone of said wheel into which said edible plant portions enter immediately following release of the plants from said wheel at said plant releasing zone, and plant trimming blade means at the entrance end of said chute for trimming said leafy tops from the plants entering said chute.

Claim 33

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a plurality of coaxial harvesting wheels rotatably mounted side by side in immediately adjacent relation on said vehicle in normally generally vertical longitudinal planes of the vehicle for movement of the wheels with the vehicle along a plurality of adjacent plant rows, means for effecting rotation of said wheels in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, each wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, and means linking a plurality of such gripping means on each wheel in a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of movements of such means on adjacent wheels toward and away from one another, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means of each harvesting wheel as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means of each wheel rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant tops, extract the gripped plants from the soil, and transport the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means of each wheel reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from the respective wheel.

Claim 34

A machine for harvesting root row crops in the form of plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a vehicle movable along the plant rows, a plurality of coaxial harvesting wheels rotatably mounted side by side in immediately adjacent relation on said vehicle in normally generally vertical longitudinal planes of the vehicle for movement of the wheels with the vehicle along a plurality of adjacent plant rows, means for effecting rotation of said wheels in timed relation to movement of said vehicle along the plant rows, each wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, and means linking a plurality of such gripping means on each wheel in a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of movements of such means on adjacent wheels toward and away from one another, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means of each harvesting wheel as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means of each wheel rotate through said receiving zone in open position to receive plant tops between the gripping means and then close upon entering said transfer zone to grip the intervening plant tops, extract the gripped plants from the soil, and transport the extracted plants through said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, and said gripping means of each wheel reopen upon entering said releasing zone to release the extracted plants from the respective wheel.

Claim 35

A harvesting wheel for a harvesting machine of the character described comprising: a hub, a pair of annular, axially confronting plant gripping means concentrically surrounding said hub radially outward therefrom, said gripping means comprising two continuous circular rows of immediately adjacent opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping elements of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping elements, and means mounting said plant gripping means on said hub for local relative movement of said plant gripping means toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions in such a way that different circumferential portions of said plant gripping means are independently movable to said closed plant gripping positions and said open plant releasing positions, said means mounting said gripping means on said hub comprising resilient spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said gripping elements, respectively.

Claim 36

A harvesting wheel for a harvesting machine of the character described comprising: a hub, a pair of annular, axially confronting plant gripping means concentrically surrounding said hub radially outward therefrom, said gripping means comprising two continuous circular rows of immediately adjacent opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping elements of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping elements, and means mounting said plant gripping means on said hub for local relative movement of said plant gripping means toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions in such a way that different circumferential portions of said plant gripping means are independently movable to said closed plant gripping positions and said open plant releasing positions, said means mounting said gripping means on said hub comprising resilient spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said gripping elements, respectively.

Claim 37

A harvesting wheel for a harvesting machine of the character described comprising: a hub, a pair of annular axially confronting plant gripping means concentrically surrounding said hub radially outward therefrom, said gripping means comprising two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and links pivotally connecting the adjacent spokes in such a way as to permit said independent opening and closing movement of said gripping elements, and means mounting said plant gripping means on said hub for local relative movement of said plant gripping means toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions in such a way that different circumferential portions of said plant gripping means are independently movable to said closed plant gripping positions and said open plant releasing positions, said means mounting said gripping means on said hub comprising resilient spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said gripping elements, respectively.

Claim 38

A harvesting wheel for a harvesting machine of the character described comprising: a hub, a pair of annular axially confronting plant gripping means concentrically surrounding said hub radially outward therefrom, said gripping means comprising two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and links pivotally connecting the adjacent spokes in such a way as to permit said independent opening and closing movement of said gripping elements, and means mounting said plant gripping means on said hub for local relative movement of said plant gripping means toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions in such a way that different circumferential portions of said plant gripping means are independently movable to said closed plant gripping positions and said open plant releasing positions, said means mounting said gripping means on said hub comprising resilient spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said gripping elements, respectively.

Claim 39

A harvesting wheel according to claim 24 wherein: said links include radially inner links pivotally connecting the adjacent spokes intermediate their ends and radially outer links pivotally connecting the outer ends of adjacent links.

Claim 40

A harvesting wheel according to claim 25 wherein: each of said radially inner and outer links include radially inner and outer rows of links spaced lengthwise of said spokes, and rollers mounted on said spokes between each respective inner and outer link rows.

Claim 41

A harvesting wheel for a harvesting machine of the character described comprising: a hub, a pair of annular, axially confronting plant gripping means concentrically surrounding said hub radially outward therefrom, said gripping means comprise two continuous circular rows of opposing plant top gripping pads with the pads in each row disposed side by side in close proximity to one another so as to form essentially a continuous annular row and wherein the opposing gripping pads are independently movable toward one another to close plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping elements of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping elements, and means mounting said plant gripping means on said hub for local relative movement of said plant gripping means toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions in such a way that different circumferential portions of said plant gripping means are independently movable to said closed plant gripping positions and said open plant releasing positions, said mounting means for said gripping means comprise flexible radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said gripping pads in such a way as to permit said independent movement of the pads to their open and closed positions.

Claim 42

A harvesting wheel for a harvesting machine of the character described comprising: a hub, a pair of annular, axially confronting plant gripping means concentrically surrounding said hub radially outward therefrom, said gripping means comprise two continuous circular rows of opposing plant top gripping pads with the pads in each row disposed side by side in close proximity to one another so as to form essentially a continuous annular row and wherein the opposing gripping pads are independently movable toward one another to close plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping elements of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping elements, and means mounting said plant gripping means on said hub for local relative movement of said plant gripping means toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions in such a way that different circumferential portions of said plant gripping means are independently movable to said closed plant gripping positions and said open plant releasing positions, said mounting means for said gripping means comprise flexible radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said gripping pads in such a way as to permit said independent movement of the pads to their open and closed positions.

Claim 43

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a harvesting wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two continuous circular rows of immediately adjacent opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping elements of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping elements, and said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in sucession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprise spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprise spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounted said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, and said cam means are engageable with said fingers in succession as said wheel turns for moving said gripping elements in said opposite direction.

Claim 44

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a harvesting wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two continuous circular rows of immediately adjacent opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, and link means interconnecting adjacent gripping elements of each of said rows to form a continuous belt to provide a continuous sequence of such independent closing and opening movement of the gripping elements, and said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in sucession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprise spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprise spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounted said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, and said cam means are engageable with said fingers in succession as said wheel turns for moving said gripping elements in said opposite direction.

Claim 45

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a harvesting wheel having a central hub and including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprise spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprise spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounting said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, said spring fingers comprising radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to a hub of said harvesting wheel and mounting said gripping elements at their outer ends, said spokes being stressed to urge the opposing gripping elements toward one another to their closed position, and said cam means are engageable with said fingers in succession as said wheel turns for moving said gripping elements in said opposite direction, said cam means being disposed between the spokes for the two rows of gripping elements for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said plant releasing and plant receiving zones.

Claim 46

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a harvesting wheel having a central hub and including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements which are independently movable in closing movement toward one another and opening movement away from one another, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements away from one another in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping elements comprise spring means for yieldably biasing said gripping elements in one direction of their opening and closing movement and cam means for moving said gripping elements in the opposite direction, said spring means comprise spring fingers fixed to said wheel at one end and mounting said gripping element at the other end and stressed to urge said gripping elements in said one direction of their opening and closing movement, said spring fingers comprising radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to a hub of said harvesting wheel and mounting said gripping elements at their outer ends, said spokes being stressed to urge the opposing gripping elements toward one another to their closed position, and said cam means are engageable with said fingers in succession as said wheel turns for moving said gripping elements in said opposite direction, said cam means being disposed between the spokes for the two rows of gripping elements for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said plant releasing and plant receiving zones.

Claim 47

The combination according to claim 29 wherein: said cam means comprises a relatively fixed cam for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said receiving zone, a relatively movable cam for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said plant releasing zone, and means for oscillating said movable cam circumferentially of said wheel.

Claim 48

The combination according to claim 30 wherein: said fixed cam comprises a cylindrically curved band concentric with the wheel and extending from the trailing end of said releasing zone through said receiving zone, and said movable cam comprises a cylindrically curved band concentric with said wheel and extending through said releasing zone into circumferentially overlapping relation to said fixed cam band, and said spokes mount cam followers engageable with the longitudinal edges of said cam bands.

Claim 49

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a harvesting wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements about the perimeter of said wheel, radial fingers mounting said gripping elements on said wheel for independent closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and independent opening movement of the gripping elements away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and links pivotally connecting the adjacent fingers in such a way as to permit said independent opening and closing movement of said gripping elements, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position then close upon entering said transfer zone, and thereafter reopen upon entering said releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone.

Claim 50

A machine for harvesting root row crops comprising plants having tops exposed above the ground, said harvesting machine comprising: a harvesting wheel including a pair of axially confronting plant gripping means about the wheel perimeter which are relatively movable locally toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and away from one another to open plant releasing positions and which rotate with the wheel through a plant receiving zone at the bottom of the wheel, then upwardly through a transfer zone to and finally through an upper plant releasing zone back to said receiving zone, said gripping means comprise two circular rows of opposing plant top gripping elements about the perimeter of said wheel, radial fingers mounting said gripping elements on said wheel for independent closing movement of the opposing gripping elements toward one another to closed plant gripping positions and independent opening movement of the gripping elements away from one another to open plant releasing positions, and links pivotally connecting the adjacent fingers in such a way as to permit said independent opening and closing movement of said gripping elements, and means for effecting local opening and closing movement of said gripping means as said wheel turns in a manner such that said gripping means rotate through said receiving zone in open position then close upon entering said transfer zone, and thereafter reopen upon entering said releasing zone, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises means for effecting closing movement of the opposing gripping elements in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said receiving zone to said transfer zone and opening movement of the opposing gripping elements in succession as said gripping elements rotate from said transfer zone to said plant releasing zone.

Claim 51

The combination according to claim 32 wherein: said wheel has a central hub, said fingers comprise radial spokes fixed at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said gripping elements, respectively, and said links pivotally connect the adjacent spokes.

Claim 52

The combination according to claim 33 wherein: said spokes are resiliently flexible and stressed to bias said gripping elements toward one another to their closed positions, said means for effecting opening and closing movement of said gripping means comprises cam means located between the spokes for the two rows of gripping elements and engageable with said spokes at positions intermediate the inner and outer spoke ends for retaining said gripping elements in their open positions within said receiving and releasing zones, and said links included radially inner links pivotally connecting the adjacent spokes close to said intermediate spoke positions and radially outer links pivotally connecting the outer ends of adjacent spokes.