Sod harvesting apparatus and system for disposing of a defective sod roll

A system for disposing of a defective sod roll from a sod harvester is disclosed. The system includes: (i) a transport conveyor; (ii) an accumulator located behind the transport conveyor, such that a gap is defined between a rear end of the transport conveyor and a front end of the accumulator; and (iii) a movable tray located proximate to the gap. The tray moves between a retracted position and an extended position. When the tray is in the retracted position, the gap is open and a receiving surface of the tray is in a generally horizontal orientation. When the tray is in the extended position, the tray is located within the gap to receive the sod roll from the transport conveyor.

FIELD

The Applicant's teachings described herein relate generally to a sod harvester configured to cut strips of sod and form the strips into rolls.

INTRODUCTION

Sod harvesters which cut a strip of sod from a field and then form the strip into discrete rolls of sod are well known. In such harvesters, the sod rolls formed by the harvester are usually stacked on a pallet or other holder. In some cases, one or more of the sod rolls formed by the harvester may be determined to be defective or otherwise unacceptable for sale or delivery to a customer.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the invention, a sod harvesting apparatus for harvesting a strip of sod into a sod roll is provided. The apparatus comprises: (i) a cutting head assembly adapted to cut the strip of sod from the field; (ii) a transport conveyor located behind the cutting head for conveying the strip of sod from the cutting head; (iii) a roll-up assembly operatively connected to the transport conveyor, wherein the roll-up assembly is adapted to form the strip of sod into the sod roll; (iv) an accumulator located behind the transport conveyor, wherein a gap is defined between a rear end of the transport conveyor and a front end of the accumulator; and (v) a movable tray located proximate to the gap. The tray moves between a retracted position and an extended position. When the tray is in the retracted position, the gap is open and a receiving surface of the tray is in a generally horizontal orientation. When the tray is in the extended position, the tray is located within the gap to receive the sod roll from the transport conveyor.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a system for disposing of a defective sod roll from a sod harvester is provided. The system comprises: (i) a transport conveyor; (ii) an accumulator located behind the transport conveyor, wherein a gap is defined between a rear end of the transport conveyor and a front end of the accumulator; and (iii) a movable tray located proximate to the gap. The tray moves between a retracted position and an extended position. When the tray is in the retracted position, the gap is open and a receiving surface of the tray is in a generally horizontal orientation. When the tray is in the extended position, the tray is located within the gap to receive the sod rot from the transport conveyor.

Reference numerals may be repeated amongst the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1shows a self-propelled sod harvester100. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described herein are also applicable to a sod harvester that is towed by a supporting vehicle, such as a tractor.

The sod harvester100has a frame101, and a sod cutting head104mounted to a front end of a transport conveyor108. Optionally, the cutting head104may include a ground roller106located behind a conventional cross cut blade (not shown). The cross cut blade may be driven downwardly at periodic intervals (by any suitable conventional mechanism) to form a transverse cut in the ground, so that the strip of sod which is to be cut by the cutting head104will be cut into individual strips. The strip of sod to be cut travels beneath the ground roller106and is then undercut by a conventional undercutting knife (not shown), which includes side cutting blades, one at each side thereof. The undercutting knife can be mounted on arms which are reciprocated forwardly and rearwardly in conventional fashion by a hydraulic motor (not shown), to cut a strip of sod.

Referring now toFIGS. 1 and 2, the transport conveyor108is preferably inclined to receive the cut sod strips and convey them away from the cutting head104. A conventional sod roll-up assembly114is mounted at a rear end of the transport conveyor108. The sod roll-up assembly rolls each sod strip into a sod roll116a. The sod roll assembly includes a sensor (not shown) that preferably detects the trailing end of a sod strip (not shown) being rolled up into the sod roll116a. After being formed into sod rolls116, the rolls of sod116are transferred to an accumulator118located behind the transport conveyor110. The accumulator is mounted on frame101and will be described in more detail below. Those skilled in the art will understand that, rather than detecting the trailing edge of the sod strip, the sensor may detect the presence or position of the sod roll in any other suitable fashion.

After the sensor detects the trailing edge of the sod strip being formed into sod roll116a, it communicates this information to a processor (not shown), which in turn sends a command to the roll-up assembly114to release the sod roll116afrom the rear end of the transport conveyor108.

Referring toFIG. 1, a gap119exists between the rear end of the transport conveyor108and the front end of the accumulator118. In addition, the rear end of the transport conveyor108is preferably located above the surface of the accumulator118.

The sod harvester also includes a conventional sod roll pick-up head120mounted to a conventional sod roll pick up arm122which picks up the sod rolls116b-hand deposits the sod rolls on a pallet124(shown inFIG. 2).

Referring now toFIGS. 3A-3C, the accumulator118has a frame200with a pair of side walls202a,band a front wall203. The accumulator118is preferably an indexed conveyor which moves a conveyor belt204in an index or step-wise fashion away from the transport conveyor108. A number of retaining members206are secured in any suitable fashion (for example, by fasteners208) to the conveyor belt204. The retaining members206are oriented general perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the conveyor belt204. Each portion of the conveyor belt204between two adjacent retaining members206provides a landing zone209which accommodates a sod roll116. For clarity, only two landing zones209are identified inFIG. 3A.

As best shown inFIGS. 3B and 3C, slot210aand slot210bare provided in side walls202a,202b, respectively. A cross bar212is received in the slots such that the opposing ends of the cross bar protrude exteriorly of the side walls. A first rod214aand a second rod214bare secured to each end of the cross bar212. The rods extend horizontally and run generally parallel to side walls202a,202btoward the front end of the accumulator118. The rods pass through sleeves216secured to the side walls202a,b. The front ends of the rods214a,bare secured to a tray support218. A tray220is mounted on the tray support in any suitable fashion, such as by welds. The tray220has a generally planar horizontal receiving surface222and a vertically extending planar shoulder224projecting from the front edge of the receiving surface. In an alternative embodiment, the shoulder224could be replaced with a set of bars (not shown). An opening, such as a cutout226, is formed in the central portion of receiving surface222and shoulder224. The cutout226permits the retaining members206to pass through the tray during movement of the conveyor belt204.

Referring now toFIG. 3B, an actuating assembly300is preferably mounted to the front wall203of the accumulator118to permit the tray220to extend into the gap119(shown inFIG. 1) and to retract. The actuating assembly includes a hydraulic cylinder302mounted to the front wall203. A hydraulic piston304has one end received in the cylinder302in a conventional manner, and an opposing end connected to the cross bar212.

The operation of the sod harvester100will now be described with reference toFIGS. 1-5. As the sod harvester travels forward, the sod cutting head104cuts a sod strip (not shown) from the field and then cross-cuts the sod strip to an appropriate length for forming the sod roll116a, all in a conventional manner. The sod strip travels up the transport conveyor108toward the sod roll-up assembly114. The sod roll-up assembly captures the leading edge of the sod strip and forms the sod strip into sod roll116a. When the sensor detects the trailing edge of the sod strip, the sensor communicates this information to the processor, which in turn sends a command to the sod roll-up assembly114to release the sod roll116a. At the same time, the processor sends a command to the actuating assembly300to move the tray220into the extended position shown inFIG. 2. The hydraulic piston304of the actuating assembly300causes the cross bar212to slide in slots210a,b, which in turn moves the rods214a,bconnected to the tray220.

As best shown inFIG. 4, the sod roll116areleased by the sod-roll up assembly114falls onto the receiving surface222of tray220. The sod roll116ais prevented from falling forward by shoulder226. Preferably, the tray220is automatically moved back into the retracted position after a period of time, which period of time is preferably synchronized to the time interval for indexing the accumulator118by one landing zone.

As best shown inFIG. 1, when the tray220is moved back into the retracted position, the tray moves the sod roll116aonto the forwardmost landing zone250(shown inFIG. 3A) of the accumulator118. As the tray moves into the retracted position, the accumulator118indexes one landing zone, leaving the forwardmost landing zone250open for the next sod roll.

The above described operation then repeats for each acceptable sod roll. However, as shown inFIG. 5, if the operator notices a defective sod roll310being released by the sod roll-up assembly114, the operator can override the processor command to move the tray220into the extended position. In order to dispose of the defective sod roll, the tray remains in the retracted position when the sod roll is released by the sod roll-up assembly114, thereby causing the defective sod roll310to be dropped from the sod harvester100by permitting the defective sod roll to fall through the gap119.

What has been described above has been intended to be illustrative of the invention and non-limiting and it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.