Scroll-type gatherer and top shredder with longitudinal blades for sugar cane harvester

摘要

An attachment for a sugar cane harvester for gathering, severing and chopping or shredding the non-millable, immature top portions of a sugar cane stalk so that the remaining millable portion of the sugar cane stalk can be harvested by the sugar cane harvester in a conventional manner. The attachment includes a scroll-type gathering system interconnected with a rotary knife assembly to form one integral unit with the knife assembly which includes a unique arrangement of radial and longitudinal blades mounted on a drum or cylinder which rotates about an axis which is inclined upwardly and forwardly at a fixed angle to vertical to provide more effective shredding of the non-millable cane top with the gathering system enabling the sugar cane harvester to more efficiently handle brittle sugar cane varieties with reduced breakage of the brittle stalk, thereby enabling sugar cane growers to utilize more brittle sugar cane species which are resistant to smut and other diseases and insects with the efficient shredding of the cane top permitting increased sugar cane borer control by eliminating a significant portion of the winter habitat of the sugar cane borer.