SOD PICK-UP MECHANISM

摘要

A sod pick-up mechanism (36) for a sod harvester has in one embodiment a set of hooks (50) mounted on rotatable shafts (54). The hooks can be rotated through a grid (66) into sod rolls or sod slabs located below the grid, to penetrate the sod rolls or slabs and pin them to the underside of the grid, after which the set of rolls or slabs thus retained can be moved to an appropriate stacking location such as a pallet. In another embodiment arms (120) press against the ends of the sod rolls exerting pressure on them to retain them for pick up. If desired, the sod rolls can be arranged e.g., in sets of three, end-to-end, in the form of an arch to prevent the middle roll from dropping out. Pins (130) which penetrate the sod rolls can be used to help retain the sod rolls while they are being moved. Other embodiments comprise clamps (142) for engaging sod rolls from opposite sides or ends and a sod slab pick-up arrangement comprising a first screen (66) which engages the grass side of the slabs so that the grass projects through openings in the screen, and a second screen that engages the projecting grass and traps it between to the two screens.