Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for recovering food losses from the main recovery system, the handsorters, and the color sorters. A recovery shaker conveyor located beneath the main recovery system to catch food and vines which are tossed off the end of the main recovery system. The food and vines are turned over during the fall, thus loosening some food from the vine. The loosened food falls through the openings in the recovery shaker conveyor onto a recovery cross conveyor which is situated in between the chains of the recovery shaker conveyor and under the handsorters. Food which is rejected by the color sorters also falls onto the recovery cross conveyor and is directed toward a dirt sorter electronic system. The food which is rejected by the handsorters, is placed on a recovery sorter conveyor which is fed into the recovery cross conveyor for re-examination.

Abstract: A finger roller for an agricultural implement has a shaft with a non-circular cross-section. Two or more finger disks are pushed onto the shaft in the axial direction of the shaft. The finger disks each have a hub with a central opening having an inner contour configured to match the cross-section of the shaft. The finger disks each have elastically deformable fingers connected to the hub. The fingers of each one of the finger disks are distributed uniformly about a circumference of the hub and project away from the hub. The shaft has a circumferential surface comprised of identical circumferential portions sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction of the shaft. The finger disks each have an odd number of fingers when the circumferential portions are even numbered, and the fingers disks each have an even number of fingers when the circumferential portions are odd numbered.

Abstract: A fruit harvester includes a single shaker head having multiple, independently operable, shaker head segments freely rotatable about an axis of the head and moveable in a to and fro linear displacement. Each head segment includes a shaft and multiple finger elements radially extending from the shaft for penetrating fruit bearing branches of a tree. A shaker provides the radially linear displacement of the shaker head segment to and from the axis of the single shaker head. Adjacent shaker head segments are displaced in parallel and opposing directions for providing an oscillating movement to the finger elements, and thus a balance and stability to the shaker head during shaking movement of the tree branches. The shaker head is operable with a mobile carrier. A conveyor, also carried by the mobile carrier, is independently operable for receiving fruit falling from the tree and delivering the fruit onto a hauler.

Abstract: A harvester for harvesting leafy vegetables, lettuce and the like which are very delicate and which are grown in precisely configured beds of either a regular or single width (40 inches or 42 inches) or a double width (80 inches). A single conveyer/cutter assembly is located on one side of the harvester centerline and has a width somewhat exceeding the width of a single width bed. The wheels on each side are separated by somewhat more than the width of a double bed. The driver and engine is located on the other side of the centerline. Such a harvester can cut single width beds, or can cut double width beds by making a first pass in one direction and a second pass in the other direction. The single conveyer/cutter reduces the amount of debris and unwanted material from the harvested leafy vegetables.