摘要 |
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. The tubular member is mounted such that the bars are inclined rearwardly (relative to the direction of conveyor chain movement) at a selected angle relative to the plane of the upper reaches of the chains such that the bars project above the chains to thereby lift the vines therefrom and cuase them to tumble as they cascade back to the chains after dropping over the upper ends of the bars. The angle of inclination of the bars is set according to the desired amount of additional shaking force to be imparted to the vines. The height of the tubular member is also adjustable to decrease or increase the height differential between the upper ends of the agitator bars and the conveyor chains.
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