Patent ID: 7066277
Filing Date: 2006-06-27
Classification: A01G,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for cutting and stacking rolls of sod comprising: a wheeled chassis for traversing a sod field; a horizontal cutting mechanism for cutting a plurality of sod strips; an accumulator configured to hold the plurality of sod strips, wherein the accumulator comprises a retractable portion which allows an operator to return a rejected sod roll to the sod field; a sod roller configured to roll the sod strips prior to transferring the sod to the accumulator; a conveyor configured to transfer sod from the cutting mechanism to the accumulator; and a robotic arm configured to lift the plurality of sod strips from the accumulator to a sod storage location, wherein the robotic arm comprises a horizontal pick-un head having a plurality of gripper modules, each gripper module configured to engage a separate individual sod roll; and wherein each gripper module comprises a pair of engageable fingers, the engageable fingers being configured to be rotatably positioned to engage a roll of sod positioned in the accumulator.