Patent ID: 8272200

Claim:
A lettuce harvester for harvesting one or more spaced apart rows of lettuce heads, comprising: a) a harvester chassis that can travel along the rows of lettuce; b) one or more harvester modules that are supported upon the chassis, each module having a blade movably supported for movement between an open and a closed cutting position; c) the module having a lower end portion with a de-leafing member that pushes outer lettuce leaves away from the lettuce head; d) a powered linkage for moving the blade; e) the linkage including an actuator that moves the blade between the open and closed positions; f) wherein the blade is positioned to extend under a head of lettuce to be harvested when in the closed position; and g) wherein an actuator lifts the blade and a head of lettuce while in the closed position; h) wherein the actuator includes a sliding member and links that join the blade to the sliding member; i) wherein the sliding member moves the blade between inner and outer positions; and j) wherein the harvesting head has multiple fingers, at least a plurality of carrying blades, wherein the sliding member moves to the outer position, the fingers are moved to the open position.