Removing sod from a stacking conveyor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A sod harvester comprising:
- a support on which slabs of sod are stacked;
a stacking conveyor positioned adjacent to the support and 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 a pick up location; and
a stacking head configured to travel between a pick up position that is above the pick up location and a plurality of stacking positions overtop the support, the plurality of stacking positions including a first stacking position and a second stacking position, a distance between the pick up position and the first stacking position being less than a distance between the pick up position and the second stacking position, the stacking head being configured to remove the one or more slabs of sod from the stacking conveyor while the stacking head is in the pick up position and to release the one or more slabs of sod onto the support while in one of the plurality of stacking positions;
wherein the sod harvester is configured to cause the stacking conveyor to advance the one or more slabs of sod to the pick up location at a first rate when the stacking head will stack the one or more slabs in the first position and at a second rate when the stacking head will stack the one or more slabs in the second position, the second rate being faster than the first rate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
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.
17 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A sod harvester comprising:
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a support on which slabs of sod are stacked; a stacking conveyor positioned adjacent to the support and 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 a pick up location; and a stacking head configured to travel between a pick up position that is above the pick up location and a plurality of stacking positions overtop the support, the plurality of stacking positions including a first stacking position and a second stacking position, a distance between the pick up position and the first stacking position being less than a distance between the pick up position and the second stacking position, the stacking head being configured to remove the one or more slabs of sod from the stacking conveyor while the stacking head is in the pick up position and to release the one or more slabs of sod onto the support while in one of the plurality of stacking positions; wherein the sod harvester is configured to cause the stacking conveyor to advance the one or more slabs of sod to the pick up location at a first rate when the stacking head will stack the one or more slabs in the first position and at a second rate when the stacking head will stack the one or more slabs in the second position, the second rate being faster than the first rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of operating a stacking head of a sod harvester, the method comprising:
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continuously operating one or more inclined conveyors to deliver slabs of sod to the stacking conveyor at a periodic rate; while slabs of sod are being delivered to the stacking conveyor at the periodic rate, operating the stacking head to remove sets of one or more slabs of sod from the stacking conveyor, the stacking head being configured to remove the sets from the stacking conveyor in at least a first and a second pick up position and to stack the sets in at least a first and a second stacking position, the first pick up position being closer to a front of the stacking conveyor than the second pick up position, the first stacking position being closer to the stacking conveyor than the second stacking position, operating the stacking head comprising; positioning the stacking head at the first pick up position to enable the stacking head to remove a first set of one or more slabs of sod from the stacking conveyor; moving the stacking head from the first pick up position to the second stacking position to enable the stacking head to stack the first set; after returning from the second stacking position, positioning the stacking head at the second pick up position to enable the stacking head to remove a second set of one or more slabs of sod from the stacking conveyor; moving the stacking head from the second pick up position to the first stacking position to enable the stacking head to stack the second set; and after returning from the first stacking position, positioning the stacking head at the first pick up position. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A stacking head of a sod harvester comprising:
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a main body portion; a sod securing portion configured to remove sod from a stacking conveyor; and at least one arm that secures the sod securing portion to the main body portion via a pivoting connection such that the sod securing portion is configured to rotate from a first position to a second position around the pivoting connection, the sod securing portion including extending means that extend downwardly from the sod securing portion during the rotation from the first position to the second position to bypass the sod such that the sod is removed from the stacking conveyor as the sod securing portion continues rotating into the second position. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification