Specifications_for_One-Row_Potato_Harvester.docx

Specifications for One-Row Potato Harvester

· Draw bar hitch below the PTO

· Tires left side size 12,5/80-18AS, right side 500/45-22.5

· Digging blade on the left-hand side of the harvester (left hand side when standing in front of the harvester looking to the back). The digging blade should line up on the row to the immediate right of the tractor tire. Digging blade should be wide enough to allow digging of potato rows at 36 inch spacing.

· Main control box with joystick controls

· Primary lifting chain with flutes or off-set height of links to prevent tubers from rolling back down the chain. Digging chain should be wide enough to match width of digging blade.

· Stainless steel side linings on primary lifting chain area to allow less sticking of soil

· Belted chains with rods across for lifting chains

· Pitch on lifting and carrying chains

· Primary chain 45 mm

· Secondary chain 40 mm

· Separator chain (crossover from secondary to picking table) 35 mm

· Press wheel above the digging blade to help soil and tubers move onto the chain.

· 2 Coulters (one on each side) for cutting vines along the row.

· De-vining chain to remove vines from the primary digging chain

· Cross over chain (crosses over from primary digging chain to the sorting table).

· Debris removal system on the crossover belt. This system also needs to be adjustable to allow small tubers to move to a secondary sorting table channel.

· Adjustable separatory scraper roller to move debris and potatoes off crossover chain – adjustable while digging using Bowden cable.

· Primary lifting chain drive below the belt with staggered bars to create "Pocket effect" due to height adjusted chain bars, allowing better transport of the crop on slopes

· Trash belt conveyor to direct debris from cross over to the same row that was just dug.

· Picking table with a set of grading rollers in the middle of the table. Adequate room is necessary on either side of the sorting table for two people on each side to stand, sort, and handle the tubers on the table. Table speed that can be regulated by the workers on the harvester is also necessary.

· Secondary picking table channel on the main sorting table. The end of this channel should drop into one of the trash chutes so that any remaining potatoes and debris in it are directed to the row which was just dug.

· 2 Trash chutes located on the opposite side of the sorting table’s secondary channel to allow workers to put debris into the chute. Debris from these trash chutes should all be directed to the row which was just dug.

· 1 Trash chute underneath the grading rollers in the middle of the table. Debris from the sorting table trash chute should all be directed to the row which was just dug.

· Bagging system that will hold 50 lb and 100 lb burlap or mesh bags located at the end of the sorting table. The bagging mechanism would hold two bags and have a diversion mechanism to direct the tubers into one bag at a time.

· Working platform. Platform located around the bagging portion of the harvester and extends toward the front of the harvester with enough room to allow movement of 3-5 workers doing the bagging and enough room to stack 25-30 100 lb harvested bags. Working distance from end of sorting table to bag storage area should be at least 3 ft. This platform must be open and allow free movement from other parts of the harvester. Sides of the platform must be enclosed for worker safety and have one area that is open for off-loading bags at the end of the field. The open side of the harvester should be on the left and extend beyond the frame of the harvester by at least 2 feet to allow for an overhang of the off-loading trailer.

· Control system that is operated by the tractor driver. The speed of the primary digging chain, crossover belt and clod/dirt removal system would be adjustable by the tractor driver. The hitch on the harvester needs to have a hydraulic ram attached so the driver can line up the digging blade to match the row being dug. The rear wheels should be steerable by the tractor driver.

· Camera video monitoring -2 cameras available to driver