Abstract: A husker roll for use in an agricultural product separating apparatus, such as a corn husking apparatus. The husker roll includes a plurality of axially extending ridges or flights which protrude radially from a cylindrical base segment of the roll. The cylindrical base segment may have a circular or elliptical cross-section. The axially extending flights may extend substantially straight or in a helical fashion along the length of the roll. The flights are spaced apart around the circumference of the base segment so as to define grooves between the flights, wherein the circumferential width of the grooves is larger than the circumferential width of the flights themselves. Preferably, the circumferential width of the grooves between the flights is approximately three times the circumferential width of the base portion of the flights.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing the husks from ears of corn has axially extending rotatable molded rubber rolls. Each roll has a plurality of aligned axially extending flights which protrude from a cylindrical base segment. The flights may extend exclusively axially, or may extend circumferentially as well to define a segment of a helix. The flights of adjacent rolls are meshed with one another, and the rolls are rotated toward one another to engage husks therebetween. Portions of one or both rolls define a helical recess which extends the length of a roll. A continuous rib may extend from the base segment and is aligned between two flights and extends above the base segment, the rib extends through the helical recess, and engages husks within the recess of an adjacent roll. The continuous rib may be internally reinforced with a metal blade. The roll recesses provide relief for larger diameter trash and stalks, alleviating the flexing of the roll axles which might otherwise occur.

Abstract: A bean snipper has a rotatable drum with a central passage extending therethrough which has an opening adapted to admit beans and an opening adapted to allow the exit of beans. The surface of the drum has portions defining a plurality of slots which extend circumferentially and which permit the beans inserted therein to protrude outwardly of the drum. A plurality of planar baffles are axially spaced within the drum and have portions defining a central passage for beans therein. A plurality of bean support rods extend between adjacent planar baffles and the rods are spaced radially inwardly from the drum surface and extend substantially perpendicularly to the baffles. The rods are adapted to support a bean with its end inserted in a slot. A snipper knife is located outside the drum and is adapted to snip the end of a bean protruding beyond the surface of the drum.

Abstract: A husking roll section for use in combination with a second parallel husking roll section within a husking machine, includes a hollow core with an outside surface, and a husking sleeve affixed to and surrounding the outside surface of the core to form a husking surface. The sleeve includes at least one hardened sector comprising a rigid rib, and a resilient major portion which is formed from an elastic material and which is bonded to the rigid rib and core. The husking sleeve presents a plurality of helical lands and grooves. When the rigid rib is a metal rib which is affixed to the core outside surface, the elastic material which forms the resilient major portion is bonded to the rigid metal rib sides and to the core outside surface so that the rigid rib sides are completely covered by the elastic material, and the metal rib and the elastic material immediately adjacent thereto form the hardened sector.

Abstract: A cluster seprator for engaging and separating clusters of pod vegetables joined together by stem sections from a large quantity of individual pod vegetables, includes two tandem substantially horizontally spaced drums which each have a cylindrical surface such that the two drums form a restricted zone between the cylindrical surfaces. The drums are rottable in opposite directions so that the cylindrical surfaces move in the same direction at the restricted zone. On each drum are hooked rods which extend generally radially outwardly from the cylindrical surface so that a hook portion of each rod faces generally upwardly within the restricted zone. The hooked rods on each drum form an array of rods of selected density. The hooked rods pass juxtaposedly through the restricted zone at the combined densities of the arrays of both drums to optimize engagement of the clusters of pod vegetables falling through the restricted zone while permitting individual pod vegetables to fall freely between the rods.

Abstract: A machine for processing pod vegetables including a frame. A generally horizontal outer drum is rotatably mounted on the frame and is adapted to contain the pod vegetables being processed. The outer drum has an inwardly presented working surface adapted to interact with the pod vegetables to process them, the working surface having an ascending side and a descending side as the outer drum rotates. An inner drum is rotatably mounted on the frame, the longitudinal axis of the inner drum being oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the outer drum. The inner drum is adapted to rotate in the same direction as and at a higher rate of rotation than the outer drum, the inner drum having an outer surface.