Patent ID: 9532500
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: A01D

Claim:
1. An apparatus for harvesting rhizomes from a field of soil in which rhizome-bearing plants have grown comprising a chassis having wheels to move in a primary direction over an area of the field in which rhizome-bearing plants have grown, the primary direction defining a forward and aft sense, coulter disks on a forward end of the chassis, digger blades aft of the coulter disks, an inclined ramp on the chassis having a live bottom mounted to move clusters of rhizomes up the ramp in the aft direction including upright posts that move over the live bottom to catch and push the clusters of rhizomes up the inclined ramp, the ramp provided with superstructure bars extending above the live bottom and having obstructers extending downward from the superstructure bars toward the live bottom, and a collector aft of the live bottom to collect rhizomes falling from an aft end of the inclined ramp, whereby as the chassis moves over the field of rhizome-bearing plants, the coulter disks break up soil on a top surface of the field, the digger blades scoop clusters of rhizomes from the field with adhered soil, the upright posts on the live bottom catch and push clusters of rhizomes and soil up the inclined ramp and as clusters encounter the obstructers, the cluster is broken reduce its size and to loosen and separate soil from the rhizomes, and the rhizomes are collected by the collector.