Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for a high speed non-bruising dry bin loader for apples and other produce. A transfer belt receives fruit from an transfer source and transfers fruit to a distribution belt once the transfer belt has accumulated a predetermined, staged pattern of fruit. While fruit is transferred from the transfer belt, the distribution belt reciprocates into a bin, which is held in a sideways loading position. As the distribution belt retracts out of the bin, it discharges its load of fruit. The bin is lowered in pre-determined increments between discharge cycles of the distribution belt, so that the fruit is deposited into the bin one layer at a time.

Abstract: A dry fruit bin filler for rapidly filling fruit bins, including a continuous fruit infeed belt and a fruit distribution belt mounted below the infeed belt which reciprocates under the infeed belt to receive and distribute the fruit layer-by-layer in the bin. The distribution belt is coupled to a sensor which controls intermittent activity of the belt based on the position of a discharge end of the belt relative to the bottom of the bin. The distribution belt is activated when the discharge end reaches the bottom of the bin, and lays down a layer of fruit as the belt retracts from the bin. To facilitate the layer-by-layer loading, the bin is held in a rotatable bin holder. The bin holder incrementally rotates during loading, so that the bin is lowered incrementally by a distance corresponding to a height of the layer of fruit.