Abstract: A harvester especially for grape harvesting that has a picking head which includes a support frame and picking rods of fingers to contact the leaves and stems in the canopy of a grape vine to thereby shake the vines to remove grapes. The picking head includes one or more oscillation aims pivotably connected to the support frame on a respective pivot axis to allow oscillation about the respective pivot axis. The oscillation arms are pivotably connected with a respective picking rod or ringer support by a connection, so that the respective picking rod support is driven by the oscillation arm to oscillate in a picking direction. An oscillation flywheel is mounted on the oscillation are to impart an oscillating moment on the oscillation arm and the oscillation flywheel connected solely with the one or each of the oscillation arms.

Abstract: This invention provides an improved shaker rod for a shaker type fruit harvester machine comprising a rigid mounting portion at one end of the rod arranged to be rigidly secured directly to a support member on the machine, a deflectable free end portion at its other end, and an intermediate elongate portion extending between said ends, the rod being constructed so that its strength and stiffness varies between its ends whereby the rod is less stiff and therefore more flexible in the region of its free end than at its fixed one end. Preferably the free end portion comprises an enlarged bulbous formation which has a convexly curved end wall.

Abstract: A beater rod assembly for a crop harvesting machine where the beater rods rotate into and out of a crop row as the harvesting machine moves along the crop row. Each beater rod comprises an elongate fiberglass core surrounded by polyethylene sheath that exerts compressive forces radially inwardly around the fiberglass core. This arrangement alleviates damage to the fiberglass core that would otherwise occur by the tip end of the rod engaging posts or possibly engaging the tip end of another rod.

Abstract: A harvester for harvesting fruits from plants such as trees or bushes. The harvester uses a shaker head, which rotationally oscillates a vertical brush. A shaker frame is able to rotate around a wide arch which allows more than half the tree to be reached in a single pass. The other half of the tree may be reached by the brush in a pass in the opposite direction. The harvester also uses lifts to raise the brush to a height suitable for harvesting fruits from trees.

Abstract: Structure for stripping cotton bolls from cotton stalks comprising a rubber batt having a rounded head and a toed foot; said foot being formed so that it may be installed into a lipped channel strip for connection to a rotatable shaft. The rounded head of the batt provides a buffering contact area between the batt and a cotton stalk thereby preventing excessive chipping of bark from the cotton stalk during harvesting operations. This results in production of a more pure cotton product by minimizing a cotton stripper's collection of foreign matter together with the desired cotton bolls.

Abstract: A pivoting counterforce brush for use with an underslung grapevine comber for cleaning and positioning shoots of a grapevine overhanging the guide wires of a divided canopy is mounted on the frame of the comber in a position to provide a counterforce against a primary brush of the comber which grooms above the roof portion of the canopy as the comber moves along a path of travel parallel to the guide wires. A spindle is mounted on the comber frame at a level below the roof portion of the canopy. The axis of the spindle is substantially transverse to the path of travel of the comber. A bracket is journalled on the spindle. A rotating brush is mounted on the trailing side of the bracket with the axis about which the brush rotates extending rearwardly from the bracket. A brush driver is mounted on the leading side of the bracket and is coupled to the rotating brush to drive the brush about its axis.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a beater for a grape harvesting machine in the form of an elongated body placed laterally to the rows of vines, and being driven in a substantially circular movement and moving on one hand, transversally, and on the other, parallel to the rows of vines, as the machine moves forward along a row, which beater is characterized in that it is made of resilient material and is deformable longitudinally.