Abstract:
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.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/768,763 filed on Feb. 25, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The Applicant&#39;s teachings described herein relate generally to a sod harvester configured to cut strips of sod and form the strips into rolls. 
       INTRODUCTION 
       [0003]    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 
       [0004]    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. 
         [0005]    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. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    In the drawings: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a side view of an example sod harvester with a tray in the retracted position; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an example sod harvester with the tray in the extended position 
           [0009]      FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of an exemplary accumulator for the sod harvester; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3B  is a perspective view of the accumulator of  FIG. 3A  with the belt and several retaining members removed for clarity; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3C  a top view of the accumulator of  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a side view of an example sod harvester with the tray in the extended position and a sod roll on the tray; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a side view of an example sod harvester with the tray in the retracted position showing a defective sod roll being dropped. 
       
    
    
       [0014]    Reference numerals may be repeated amongst the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Various apparatuses or processes will be described below to provide an example of an embodiment of each claimed invention. No embodiment described below limits any claimed invention and any claimed invention may cover processes or apparatuses that differ from those described below. The claimed inventions are not limited to apparatuses or processes having all of the features of any one apparatus or process described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses described below. It is possible that an apparatus or process described below is not an embodiment of any claimed invention. Any invention disclosed in an apparatus or process described below that is not claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent application, and the applicants, inventors or owners do not intend to abandon, disclaim or dedicate to the public any such invention by its disclosure in this document. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a self-propelled sod harvester  100 . 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. 
         [0017]    The sod harvester  100  has a frame  101 , and a sod cutting head  104  mounted to a front end of a transport conveyor  108 . Optionally, the cutting head  104  may include a ground roller  106  located 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 head  104  will be cut into individual strips. The strip of sod to be cut travels beneath the ground roller  106  and 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. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the transport conveyor  108  is preferably inclined to receive the cut sod strips and convey them away from the cutting head  104 . A conventional sod roll-up assembly  114  is mounted at a rear end of the transport conveyor  108 . The sod roll-up assembly rolls each sod strip into a sod roll  116   a . 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 roll  116   a . After being formed into sod rolls  116 , the rolls of sod  116  are transferred to an accumulator  118  located behind the transport conveyor  110 . The accumulator is mounted on frame  101  and 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. 
         [0019]    After the sensor detects the trailing edge of the sod strip being formed into sod roll  116   a , it communicates this information to a processor (not shown), which in turn sends a command to the roll-up assembly  114  to release the sod roll  116   a  from the rear end of the transport conveyor  108 . 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a gap  119  exists between the rear end of the transport conveyor  108  and the front end of the accumulator  118 . In addition, the rear end of the transport conveyor  108  is preferably located above the surface of the accumulator  118 . 
         [0021]    The sod harvester also includes a conventional sod roll pick-up head  120  mounted to a conventional sod roll pick up arm  122  which picks up the sod rolls  116   b - h  and deposits the sod rolls on a pallet  124  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0022]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3A-3C , the accumulator  118  has a frame  200  with a pair of side walls  202   a,b  and a front wall  203 . The accumulator  118  is preferably an indexed conveyor which moves a conveyor belt  204  in an index or step-wise fashion away from the transport conveyor  108 . A number of retaining members  206  are secured in any suitable fashion (for example, by fasteners  208 ) to the conveyor belt  204 . The retaining members  206  are oriented general perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the conveyor belt  204 . Each portion of the conveyor belt  204  between two adjacent retaining members  206  provides a landing zone  209  which accommodates a sod roll  116 . For clarity, only two landing zones  209  are identified in  FIG. 3A . 
         [0023]    As best shown in  FIGS. 3B and 3C , slot  210   a  and slot  210   b  are provided in side walls  202   a ,  202   b , respectively. A cross bar  212  is received in the slots such that the opposing ends of the cross bar protrude exteriorly of the side walls. A first rod  214   a  and a second rod  214   b  are secured to each end of the cross bar  212 . The rods extend horizontally and run generally parallel to side walls  202   a ,  202   b  toward the front end of the accumulator  118 . The rods pass through sleeves  216  secured to the side walls  202   a,b . The front ends of the rods  214   a,b  are secured to a tray support  218 . A tray  220  is mounted on the tray support in any suitable fashion, such as by welds. The tray  220  has a generally planar horizontal receiving surface  222  and a vertically extending planar shoulder  224  projecting from the front edge of the receiving surface. In an alternative embodiment, the shoulder  224  could be replaced with a set of bars (not shown). An opening, such as a cutout  226 , is formed in the central portion of receiving surface  222  and shoulder  224 . The cutout  226  permits the retaining members  206  to pass through the tray during movement of the conveyor belt  204 . 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIG. 3B , an actuating assembly  300  is preferably mounted to the front wall  203  of the accumulator  118  to permit the tray  220  to extend into the gap  119  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) and to retract. The actuating assembly includes a hydraulic cylinder  302  mounted to the front wall  203 . A hydraulic piston  304  has one end received in the cylinder  302  in a conventional manner, and an opposing end connected to the cross bar  212 . 
         [0025]    The operation of the sod harvester  100  will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1-5 . As the sod harvester travels forward, the sod cutting head  104  cuts a sod strip (not shown) from the field and then cross-cuts the sod strip to an appropriate length for forming the sod roll  116   a , all in a conventional manner. The sod strip travels up the transport conveyor  108  toward the sod roll-up assembly  114 . The sod roll-up assembly captures the leading edge of the sod strip and forms the sod strip into sod roll  116   a . 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 assembly  114  to release the sod roll  116   a . At the same time, the processor sends a command to the actuating assembly  300  to move the tray  220  into the extended position shown in  FIG. 2 . The hydraulic piston  304  of the actuating assembly  300  causes the cross bar  212  to slide in slots  210   a,b , which in turn moves the rods  214   a,b  connected to the tray  220 . 
         [0026]    As best shown in  FIG. 4 , the sod roll  116   a  released by the sod-roll up assembly  114  falls onto the receiving surface  222  of tray  220 . The sod roll  116   a  is prevented from falling forward by shoulder  226 . Preferably, the tray  220  is 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 accumulator  118  by one landing zone. 
         [0027]    As best shown in  FIG. 1 , when the tray  220  is moved back into the retracted position, the tray moves the sod roll  116   a  onto the forwardmost landing zone  250  (shown in  FIG. 3A ) of the accumulator  118 . As the tray moves into the retracted position, the accumulator  118  indexes one landing zone, leaving the forwardmost landing zone  250  open for the next sod roll. 
         [0028]    The above described operation then repeats for each acceptable sod roll. However, as shown in  FIG. 5 , if the operator notices a defective sod roll  310  being released by the sod roll-up assembly  114 , the operator can override the processor command to move the tray  220  into 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 assembly  114 , thereby causing the defective sod roll  310  to be dropped from the sod harvester  100  by permitting the defective sod roll to fall through the gap  119 . 
         [0029]    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.