Patent ID: 9027319
Filing Date: 2015-05-12
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
1. A nut tree pickup and debris separator, comprising: a. an elongated mobile frame, said frame having a front end and a rear end; b. a first stage including a rotary pickup brush and an endless pickup conveyor mounted on said front end of said frame, said conveyor being inclined upwardly from a lower input end to a higher output end, said conveyor including plurality of parallel bars with flights therebetween, said bars being arranged in spaced relation sufficient to retain nuts and pass debris, said pickup brush engaging a windrow including nuts and debris and depositing them onto said input end of said conveyor; c. a second stage located on said frame intermediate said front end and said rear end, said second stage comprising an elongated drum having an axis of rotation and means for rotating said drum about said axis, said drum being inclined upwardly from a lower inlet end to a higher outlet end, said inlet end being adjacent and beneath said output end of said pickup conveyor to receive nuts and debris therefrom, said drum having a right-circular cylindrical sidewall with an inner side and an outer side, said sidewall including a plurality of elongated apertures passing therethrough, said apertures being arranged in parallel relation to said axis of rotation and being sized to retain nuts and pass debris, said inner side of said drum having a helical flight extending generally from said inlet end to said outlet end, said helical flight conveying and tumbling nuts and debris upwardly through said drum, with debris falling through said apertures; and, d. a third stage including horizontally and vertically offset tandem conveyors, a first conveyor of said tandem conveyors being inclined upwardly and having a lower intake end and an upper discharge end, said intake end being located adjacent and beneath said outlet end of said drum to receive nuts and debris therefrom, a second conveyor of said tandem conveyors being inclined upwardly and having a lower feed end and an upper drop end, said discharge end of said first conveyor being arranged above said feed end of said second conveyor, said third stage further including a cleaning fan having a suction side adjacent said discharge end and said feed end to remove any remaining debris from the nuts as they fall from said discharge end of said first conveyor onto said feed end of said second conveyor.