REMOVING SOD FROM A STACKING CONVEYOR

摘要

Sod harvester stacking head and stacking conveyor configurations can increase the rate at which sod can be harvested. The movement of the stacking head and/or the stacking conveyor can be controlled to maximize the rate at which the stacking head can remove sod from the stacking conveyor. A stacking head can employ multiple pick up positions. A stacking conveyor may also advance sod for pick up at varying rates. A stacking head may include a pivoting connection to allow the stacking head to rotate around a pivot during a pick up operation.

主权项

1. A sod harvester comprising:
a stacking conveyor configured to support one or more slabs of sod prior to a stacking operation, the stacking conveyor configured to rotate in a first direction to advance the one or more slabs of sod to at least two pick up locations including a first pick up location and a second pick up location, the first pick up location being closer to a front of the stacking conveyor than the second pick up location; and a stacking head configured to remove the one or more slabs of sod from the stacking conveyor as part of a stacking operation, wherein the stacking head is configured to be positioned at at least two pick up positions including a first pick up position that is overtop the first pick up location and a second pick up position that is overtop the second pick up location; wherein, for each set of one or more slabs of sod to be advanced for removal by the stacking head, the stacking conveyor is configured to alternate between advancing a set to the first pick up position and advancing a set to the second pick up position, and wherein the stacking conveyor is rotated at a first speed when advancing each set to the first pick up position and at a second speed when advancing each set to the second pick up position, the first speed being faster than the second speed.