LIFTER FOR POTATOES AND OTHER SUBTERRANEAN VEGETATION PRODUCTS

Abstract: A potato lifter, but also being a lifter capable of lifting other especially subterranean vegetation products, such as celery roots, carrots, bulbs, edible onions, etc., the lifter being of the kind comprising an in the ground, under the products, led cutting member and a conveyor positioned behind the cutting member for the upwards guiding of the products is described. A number, and at least one, mainly with plain, smooth or comparatively featureless surface shaped delivery roll or rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) is (are) positioned between the rear edge of the cutting member (1, 2, 3, 4) and the conveyor (9). The delivery rolls, having preferably equal diameters and being driven with a circumference velocity of about the same size as the forward drive velocity of the potato lifter, are positioned rotatable around mainly horizontal axes and, when more than one, positioned rather close together and mutually parallel. The damage introduced at the mechanical lifting to the potatoes is exquisitely low.

Description: Lifter for Potatoes and Other Subterranean Vegetation Products. The present invention relates to a potato lifter, but also to lifters capable of lifting other, especially sub¬ terranean, vegetation products, such as celery roots, carrots, bulbs, edible onions, etc., the lifter being of the kind comprising an in the ground, under the products* led cutting member and a conveyor positioned behind the cutting member for the upwards guiding of the products. The lifter is in the following called a potato lifter, but the application of the invention is not limited to the lifting of potatoes. Such kind of lifter is used as well just to lift the potatoes up from the underground to be laid free on the ground as to lift the potatoes from there or directly from the underground to a silo member or directly to a further preparing apparatus or device. The known lifters suffer from the drawback that a cer¬ tain percentage of the " lifted potatoes becomes bruised or directly damaged which during storage of the hampered pota¬ toes results in loss of weight, as the stored potatoes themselves try to cure the damages. Bruised potatoes having blue spots do not present a nice look and a larger waste results when being peeled, the waste being larger for eating potatoes than for those used in the industry. An ex¬ pense is also introduced when stored potatoes are sprayed to protect damaged potatoes against attacks from fungi. The main purpose of the invention is to provide a lif¬ ter which not alone is as efficient as the known harvesters but also introduces less damages to the products being har¬ vested. A drive mechanism, which is capable of driving the mo¬ ving parts of the potato lifter according to the invention to achieve an optimum performance of the lifter, is incorpo¬ rated in the invention and is disclosed in the following. The purpose aimed at is attained by means of the features disclosed in claim 1. A preferred feature is given in claim 2. Another preferred feature is given in claim 3. A driveme- chanism capable of driving the delivery roll or delivery rolls to achieve an optimum performance is disclosed in claim 4. Preferred features of the delivery rolls are given in claims 5 and 6. By means of a potato lifter constructed along these guidelines according to the invention a surprisingly effec¬ tive handling of the potatoes has been attained. This is as well the case when lifting the potatoes up from the under- ground, as lifting them up from the surface of the ground after they by the same machine or by other means have been taken up from the underground and laid free on the surface of the ground for during a suitable duration of time,.as a part of the preparing process depending on the kind of po- tatoes and local conditions, to let the potatoes be exposed to the surrounding free atmosphere before they finely by the_ potato lifter are lifted up for storing in f.i. a silo or for further preparations. By the last mentioned lifting directly from the surface of the ground it is advantageous to employ an upper aiding conveyor positioned above the delivery rollers, as the handling of the potatoes then is even more careful. Such an upper aiding conveyor is on the other hand without effect when lifting the potatoes up from the underground. The addition of the aiding conveyor is thus an optional means mainly expected to be swung into operational position when lifting potatoes directly from the ground. The lifter is so carefully handling the pota¬ toes that if these, beforetaken up from the surface of the ground, are exchanged with raw eggs of hens the eggs are not damaged by the lifter. Even the use of one single delivery roll according to the invention introduces a positive effect. Generally three or four such delivery rollers positioned in parrallel be¬ tween the mentioned cutting member and a usually employed conveyor for the further transportion of the potatoes may be considered as an optimal combination. Practice shows that a very considerable reduction of the percentage of hampered potatoes by the lifter compared to the already known lifters is obtained, i.e. a factor of reduction by 3 to 10 times is obtainable. This applies in case of light as well as of heavy earth substance also when the potatoes are taken up from a ground comprising weeds. Moreover, the lifter is capable of being success¬ fully operated with the earth being more wet from rain than those of the known kind. It is also capable of being successfully operated at a higher drivespeed than the con¬ ventional lifters. The delivery rolls according to the present invention are advantageouslyarranged to be driven at different rotatio¬ nal speed with the speed of rotation being highest for the delivery rolls positioned farthest behind the cutting mem¬ ber. Hereby partly it is attainedthat small stones, being lifted together with potatoes, are less apt to be sticking between the delivery rolls which rolls mainly mutually in ' parallel are positioned with rotational as geometrical horizontal axes being orientated rectangular to the drive direction of the lifter. For the use at very much slanting fields the orientation of the rolls within the lifter may be adjustable, respectively that each delivery roll is di¬ vided in f.i. three rolls having the orientation of the axes adjustable within the plane rectangular to the afore¬ mentioned drive direction of the lifter. The delivery rolls within the lifter advantageously may possess the same ex-_ ternal diameter size. The rotational speed of the rearmost being 5 to 10% larger than for the foremost delivery roll. A forerunningguide wheelwith side membersto run on both sides of a row of growing potatoes, serving to guide the cutting member and the potato lifter, may advatageously also be employed at the lifter according to the invention. Useful embodiments according to the invention are de- scribed in more details in the following under reference to the drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 in the perspective, omitting unnecessary parts t . illustrates the essential parts of an embodi- - ment of a potato lifter according to the invention, fig. 2 shows the same as fig. 1 but including an em¬ bodiment of drive means for the delivery rolls, fig. 3 shows the same as fig. 2 but an aiding conveyor over the delivery rolls has been added, fig. 4 in more details illustrates an embodiment for an aiding conveyor as shown in fig. 3, and fig. 5 illustrates a vertical cross section through an embodiment of a gearbox 24 to be used toge¬ ther with embodiments according to fig. 2 and 3. In fig. 1 of the drawing an embodiment according to the invention is illustrated which incorporates such usually well known parts as pointed shaped and forward in the drive direction orientated earth cutting members 1 , 2, 3 and 4 to be led down .under the potatoes to be lifted up by the potato lifter. The potatoes together with the earth around them are pressed upwards along the upper surface of the cutting members when the potato lifter is driven for- ' ward, i.e. to the left according to the drawing. A guide wheel 13 serves, from above, to lay against the top of a row of growing potatoes, and the spacing, having been made ad- justable, between the guide wheel and the cύt.ting''-m ' embers determines the depth in the underlaying ground wherein the cutting member is led. A cutting wheel 14 is shown posi¬ tioned besides the earth cutting members. Another corres- sponding cutting wheel is positioned at the other side in proportion to the earth cutting members 4, but this cutting wheel is not illustrated in the drawing. The cutting wheel serves, sidewardsly, to cut the ribbon of earth continuously being lifted up by the potato lifter. Behind the earth cutting members a potato lifter of the state of the Art comprises a conveyor 9, which f.i. is supported on supporting and drive rolls 10, 11 and 12. The__T conveyor comprises a number of parallel rods being posi¬ tioned suitably close together so that the earth may fall down on the ground whereas the potatoes are guided further on. The conveyor may end freely so that the potatoes as aforementioned fall down on the surface of the ground, and after a suitable duration of time they are to be picked up again by the potato lifter for further processing in an apparatus following the lifter or to be transported by other means to a place of storage or for further treatment. When 'as already described a number, ' and at least one delivery roll respectively rolls 5, 6, 7, 8 with plain, smooth or comparatively featureless surface is respectively are positioned between the rear edge of the earth cutting members 1 , 2, 3, 4 and the front end of the conveyor 9 which preferably is positioned some what lower than the last of the delivery rolls 8 a remarkable improvement is obtained compared to the known harvesters as much less po¬ tatoes become damaged by the lifter even when running faster over the ground as the known harvesters are able to. A side plate 15 or sucha plate inclusive thereto be¬ longing chassis portions forms one of the sides of the lif¬ ter and prevents drop out of potatoes sidewardsly and si¬ multaneously serves as supporting means for the shown items. On the other side of the lifter a corresponding side plate arrangement is provided (not shown in the drawing) . A drive mechanism for the delivery rolls 5, 6, 7, 8 is shown in fig. 2. A hydraulic or oil pressure motor 25 po¬ sitioned on top of a gearbox 24 drives, not further speci- fied, gear ratio providing parts in the gearbox 24 driving a shaft 22 situated at 23 on box 24. A friction wheel 21 on the shaft 22 rests against the foremost side of a wheel 16 taking part in carrying the lifter. The drive speed of the circumference of the friction wheel 21 corresponds to the drive speed of the complete potato lifter on the ground. A spring 26 pulls shaft 22 and friction wheel 21 upwards. It is hereby obtained that if the motor 25 is driven fast enough the friction wheel 21 is going to run at a higher position on the wheel 16 and in caseof sufficiently large lifting upwards become totally free of wheel 16. Through a 5 suitable drive ratio in the gearbox 24 the friction wheel 21 is able directly to drive a chain 20 from a sprocket not being shown at gearbox 24 on the one hand, on the other hand the friction wheel 21 through chain 22 influences upon the motor 24 so that the drive power of the motor becomes " * u diminished if the friction wheelhas been raised too much. Hereby it is attained that the chain 20 is driven with a speed which is linearily proportional with the forward moving speed of the potato lifter. A sprocket on the delive¬ ry roll 8 is driven by chain 20. A further sprocket connec- 15 ted with delivery roll 8 drives a chain 19 which through a sprocket drives the delivery roll 7, which on its side through a chain 18 and two sprockets drives the delivery roll 6, which on its side through a chain 17 and two fur¬ ther sprockets drives delivery roll 5.* The sprockets could 0 be provided with an equal amount of teeth, whereby all the delivery rolls are running at the same speed. But if the driving sprockets on delivery rolls 8, 7, 6 and 5 possess f.i. 16, 17, 18 and 19 teeth a different rotation speed of the rolls is obtained. Suitably a good result may be obtai- 5 ned with a circumference -velocity of the foremost delivery roll 5 equal to the forward velocity of the lifter plus 10 percent. It is remarked that a linear increasing velocity of the circumferences from the foremost to the rearmost of the delivery rolls not fully is attained by this embodi- 0 ment, but an improvement in relation to that, that else is attained through the invention, is obtained. An embodiment comprising the aiding conveyor is shown in fig. 3, the aiding conveyor 30 carries protuding spikes 33 sitting on transverse rods connected to belts 31 and 32 5 of the conveyor being driven by wheels or rolls 28, 29, the rearmost being driven through a chain 27 which may be driven through the same drive mechanism as used for the de¬ livery rolls 5, 6, 7, 8 obtaining synchronism therewith. Both conveyors 30 and 9 may be supported each by pivo- table frames being directly or indirectly pivotably or swinging link suspension connected with the side plates 15, so that especially the front end spacing unto the top of the delivery rolls 5, 6, 7, 8 is adjustable. If the swinging link suspension is executed decidedly parallogram- like the position of the conveyor or conveyors may be adju¬ stable in also the lengthy direction of the potato lifter. As such supporting devices in themselves belong to the technic of the state of the Art only the directions of ad¬ justment are hinted at in the drawingbymeans of arrows A and B for respectively the conveyor 9. and the conveyor 30. With suitable fastening members of a well known kind a chosercpo- sitionmaybe kept fixed unto a readjustment is undertaken, respectively the adjustmentmay be remote controlled through the insertion of f.i. one or more hydraulic operated piston comprising cylinder units. A possible embodiment of the aiding conveyor is shown in fig. 4 of the drawing. Here the front shaft 41 carrying a sprocket 29, not shown in fig. 4, on protuding ends of the shaft 41 f.i. carries not illustrated stopbushings suspen- ded in chains of which a chain 46 is illustrated. The upper endsof the chains are hanging in hooks being f.i. welded unto the side plates 15 ' through fastening members 47. Cor¬ responding chains, as chain 48, are arranged at the rear shaft 43 carrying the sprocket 28' not being shown in fig. 4. Tightening members 44, 45 for the tightening of the belts 31 and 32, of which only 31 is shown in fig. 4, may be positioned between the shafts 41 and 43, they may com¬ prise an external spring means on a piston means 44 coope¬ rating with a cylinder means 45. An angle shaped rail 54 which may be f.i. mechanically cooperating with a correspondingangle shaped rail at the opposite side of the potato lifter are alike supported as __. shown at 55. The angle shaped rails are able to grip the shaft ends such as 42 from below and simultaneously lift the conveyor 30 upwards so that it at later use after lo¬ wering may be reused with unaltered operational position of the conveyor inside the potato lifter. A f.i. manually activatable fastening member may be present to keep the conveyor in a position determined by the angle shaped rails. A remote controlled lifting and lowering by means of the angle shaped rails may have an embodiment as shown com¬ prising a bended arm 51 with a gripping means 52 gripping the rails and a hydraulic drive cylinder 57 or other drive means pivotably supported at 58 to the side plates 15. The cylinder 57 comprises a piston means 56 and a control hose 59 for hydraulic fluid. An embodiment of the internal items of the gearbox 24 is shpwn in fig. 5 of the drawing. The items 21, 22, 26 and 23 are already described. A drive wheel 60 is in well known manner drive connected to f.i. a drive wheel on shaft 63 carrying a sprocket for chain 27 which drives the aiding conveyor 30. Through gear toothwheels 65 and 66 a shaft 67 carrying a sprocket 68 for the driving of chain 20, driving the delivery rolls 5, 6, 7, 8, is brought to rotate in oppo- site direction. The sprockets 64 and 68 drive, as already described, the friction wheel 21 when the drivemotor 25 re¬ ceives no drive energy producing means or the supply hereof is too low, whereas the friction wheel 21 is lifted upwards to lessoned grip in the wheel 16 when sufficient supply is present to the motor 25. By means of cardan shaft 23,andwhen a a large angle is formedbetween the shafts 67 and 22, a certain uneven drive velocity of the delivery rolls 5, 6, 7, 8 ad¬ vantageously can be provided. It is remarked, that an earth cutting member may com- prise more single cutting members 1, 2, 3, 4.

Claims: C L A I S 1. Potato lifter, but also lifter- capable*'-bf-lif-. -' '■ ting other, especially subterranean, vegetation products, such as celery roots, carrots, bulbs, edible onions, etc., the lifter being of the kind comprising an in the ground, under the products, led cutting member and a conveyor posi¬ tioned behind the cutting member for the upwards guiding of the products, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t a number, and at least one, mainly with plain, smooth or comparatively featureless surface shaped delivery roll or rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) is (are) positioned between the rear edge of the cutting member (1, 2, 3, 4) and the conveyor (9) . 2. Potato lifter according to claim 1 c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d i n t h a t the delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) are positioned rotatable around mainly horizontal po¬ sitioned axes. 3. Potato lifter according to claim 1 or 2 c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8), when more than one is employed, are positioned rather close to each other and mutually parallel. 4. Potato lifter according to claim 1 , 2 or 3 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) are driven by a drive means (25), here- among from one or more the lifter supporting wheels (16) through a gear transmission (24) , preferably being driven with such velocity of the circumference of the delivery rolls that the foremost of the delivery rolls (5) rotates with a circumference velocity being a little faster than the momentary drive velocity of the potato lifter over the ground, and that the rearmost of the delivery rolls (8) has the relatively fastest circumference velocity, whereby possible delivery rolls (6, 7) therebetween exhibits an in¬ creasingly higher circumference velocity in proportion to the delivery roll (5 respectively 6) positioned in front thereof. 10 5. Potato lifter according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) all present the same outer diameter. 6. Potato lifter according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 5 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the lengths of the delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) are such that they (5, 6, 7, 8), stretching from side to side within the potato lif¬ ter, correspond to the width of the "ribbon" of earth being treated by the lifter. 10 7. Potato lifter according to claim 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t over at least a part of the delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) an aiding conveyor (30) carrying protruding and preferably yielding spikes (33) is positio¬ ned, and whereby the lower side side of this aiding con- 15 veyor (30) facing the delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) serves as accompanying conveyor for the lifted products. 8. Potato lifter according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the supporting means for the aiding conveyor (30) are of an 20 adjustable kind so that the spacing unto the delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) is adjustable. 9. Potato lifter according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the working surface of the conveyor (9) situated after the 25 delivery rolls (5, 6, 7, 8) in proportion to the upper conveying surface of these (5, 6, 7, 8) is situated rela¬ tively lower, respectively that the level difference here- between with adjustable means is adjustable.

Inventors: KVISTGAARD JENS PETER, KVISTGAARD, JENS, PETER
Applicants: KVISTGAARD JENS PETER, KVISTGAARD, JENS, PETER
Application year: 1985
Main classification: A01D17
IPC codes: A01D17, A01D25, A01D33