Patent ID: 6920744

Claim:
A manual mobile harvesting apparatus for aquatic algae or floating vegetation in shallow areas of water that does not disturb the water bottom ecology, comprising: a perforated self-draining deck with wheels on a transverse axle; said wheels being hollow and capable of adjusting the buoyancy of said apparatus by adding or subtracting water and/or air into the hollow wheels; said wheels being thermoplastic and including means for closing holes in the wheels to maintain a desired buoyancy of the wheels; means for compacting and cutting said algae or vegetation attached to said deck; said deck including a flexible plastic grid enclosed on all sides and by a top cover to collect the cut and compacted aquatic vegetation; and a manual push or pull handle attached to the deck, said handle being vertically movable from front to back over the deck in order to reverse direction of motion of the apparatus without turning the apparatus.