Abstract: The stick removal mechanism for nut harvesting includes a frame having opposing side members and sprockets mounted on the side members. A roller chain is mounted on the sprockets on each side of the frame. A plurality of cross members having fingers extending therefrom is attached to and extends between the roller chains for travel therewith. A plurality of cross members and their chains define an endless conveyor belt. An adjustable agitator mechanism is installed upon each of the side members, which adjusts corresponding agitator sprockets to lift and agitate the respective roller chains. The stick removal mechanism is installed over the open top of a collector receptacle, e.g., a cart, so that debris is carried atop the conveyor and dropped behind the cart while nuts fall through the passages between the fingers and into the receptacle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus (1) for processing soil infested with plant root material. The method comprises depositing the soil on a vibrating conveyor support (105) at a substantially constant depth, wherein the vibrating conveyor support (105) is arranged to enable the plant root material to be hand-picked. In this way, soil throughput may be maximised without compromising removal of the plant root material. Further, fragmentation of the plant root material may be minimised. The soil may be screened using a vibrating screening mesh (107) to remove smaller particles prior to it being deposited on the conveyor. The soil may be heated, and the processed soil passed under an infrared detector (119) for detecting the presence of plant root material, to thereby objectively control quality.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a table-free technique for detecting all temporal and spatial memory access errors in programs supporting general pointers. Embodiments of the invention provide such error checking using constant-time operations. Embodiments of the invention rely on fat pointers, whose size is contained within standard scalar sizes (up to two words) so that atomic hardware support for operations upon the pointers is obtained along with meaningful casts in-between pointers and other scalars. Optimized compilation of code becomes possible since the scalarized-for-free encoded pointers get register allocated and manipulated. Backward compatibility is enabled by the scalar pointer sizes, with automatic support provided for encoding and decoding of fat pointers in place for interaction with unprotected code.

Abstract: A direct harvester includes a cutting portion, a lifting portion and a feeding portion. The cutting portion typically includes a cutter rod for severing plant roots and a kicker rod for encouraging the plant to the soil surface. The lifting portion typically includes a rotating pickup head for lifting the plants off the soil and separating the plant from the soil, and a pair of rotating tubes to move the plants and encourage further separation of soil from the plants. The feeding portion includes an auger which receives the plants from the rotating tubes and channels the plants into the opening of a combine feeder housing. Preferably, the floor below the auger is screened to allow soil which is knocked free by the auger to fall back to the ground. Additionally the lifting portion and the feeding portion are preferably pivotably attached to one another to enable the harvester to adapt to differing contours in the soil.

Abstract: A farm tractor field stone collection implement is provided with a forward dragbox section having open forward and aft ends, a perforated bottom, multiple spaced-apart teeth projected forwardly and downwardly from the section leading edge, and hitch points for coupling to a farm tractor implement hitch accessory, with an aft dragbox section having a forward open end aligned with the forward dragbox section open aft end, a perforated bottom, and an aft end from which collected field stone may be dumped, with a vibrator mounted on the forward dragbox section, and with fasteners joining the forward and aft dragbox sections in an articulated manner relative to each other.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing tobacco transplant seedlings from a plant bed by being connected to a tractor and pulled thereacross. An undercutter bar is provided at the front of the apparatus for undercutting a ribbon of soil which is then received by a conveyor defining an upwardly extending and a horizontally extending portion. A shaker mechanism provided beneath the conveyor serves to dislodge soil and smaller transplant seedlings from the seedlings as the seedlings are transported from the front to the rear of the automated apparatus. A boxing mechanism is provided at the rear of the automated apparatus which serves to fill containers with the transplant seedlings and then to deposit the filled containers upon the ground as the apparatus is pulled across a plant bed.

Abstract: A root crop harvester comprising a soil-separating primary web arranged to discharge material on to a crop-conveying second web which passes about two rollers adapted to define in the load-bearing run of the second web an overhanging step section.

Abstract: A shaker assembly for use on chain conveyors on harvesters is bolted to the side frame of the conveyors. The shaker assembly includes two spaced roller assemblies which carry rods of the chain conveyor. The distance between the roller assemblies may be varied such that the degree of shaking imparted to the rods as they pass over the shaker assembly may be adjusted.

Abstract: A potato harvester comprises a double disc share feeding potatoes to a vibrating upwardly-moving conveyor sieve 1 (FIG. 1), the operational area of which is determined by the relative positions of rollers 2 and 4. This area can be changed to deal with different soil conditions, any slack or excess amount of conveyor 1 resulting from this change being accommodated by an appropriate repositioning of the pulleys 4, 5.

Abstract: A fresh market tomato harvester comprises a leading knife for severing tomato plants, an inclined ascending conveyor for transporting the cut plants upwardly onto the harvester, a shaker bed for removing the tomatoes from the vines, transverse cross conveyors for receiving the tomatoes after they have been shaken from the vines and for transporting them laterally outward, longitudinally extending side sorting belts for receiving the tomatoes and transporting them rearwardly past workers who remove stems and other foreign matter as well as overripe fruit, sizing conveyors for automatically classifying the tomatoes by size and rejecting undersized tomatoes, and, optionally, a washing station for removing gummy matter and dust. The elevator carries arcuate tines, each of which is covered with surgical tubing which extends beyond the end of the metal tine to provide a resilient yielding structure.

Abstract: An improved oscillatory separator for a tomato harvester includes an agitator assembly for decompacting the vines carried by a plurality of parallel conveyor chains of the separator to thereby permit loose tomatoes to penetrate the vines and fall between the chains and also for transmitting additional shaking forces to the vines to thereby shake more tomatoes loose from the vines than are shaken loose by the receiprocating conveyor chains alone. The agitator assembly includes a tubular member which is adjustably mounted between the reciprocatable side frame members of the separator to extend transversely below the upper reaches of the conveyor chains. A number of agitator bars are fixed in parallel relationship to the tubular member to extend upwardly at spacings thereon such that the bars are positioned between every other chain.

Abstract: A digger-shaker adapted to dig two rows of growing peanut laden plants and shake soil therefrom is provided with two carrier belts disposed at the rear thereof and spaced transversely from each other adapted to intercept the peanut plants as they are discharged by the digger-shaker, support them nearer the root portions than the tops of the foliage, move them rearwardly from the digger-shaker while thus supported whereby the foliage of the plants falls inwardly between the spaced carriers until not above horizontal, and then discharge the plants to the ground with the peanuts spaced away from the ground. The digger-shaker is also provided with an improved conveyor for elevating the peanut laden plants in which a front idler wheel is not journaled on the frame with an outwardly projecting bearing and additional idler wheels direct the conveyor along an irregular path to improve its soil removing properties.