The posting below about harvesting grapes reminds me of a "summer project" when I was in school that dealt with harvesting blueberries.
The machine was a "high crop" sprayer tractor with a wide front end so it could straddle a row. All sprayer equipment was removed and the "contraption" was hung under the machine. It consisted of 3-4-5 (don't remember the final count??) pieces of rubber heater hose that went from front to back from an oscillating fixture to a stationary point. Catch trays and conveyor system were down low.
The concept was that the wave motion set up by the oscillating tubing would gently knock the ripe blueberries loose...caught and boxed till you got to the end of the row...etc. etc. etc.
Our "efficiency ratio" of the number of berries left on the ground was comparable to the large, commercial harvester machine costing thousands of dollars that was on the same farm.
The machine went on to some "grape harvesting" after the blue berry project was over. This was just a summer project while I was in school, but my whole family was able to benefit from fresh, frozen blue berries.
Any body else ever work on a farm machinery research project??
Rick
The machine was a "high crop" sprayer tractor with a wide front end so it could straddle a row. All sprayer equipment was removed and the "contraption" was hung under the machine. It consisted of 3-4-5 (don't remember the final count??) pieces of rubber heater hose that went from front to back from an oscillating fixture to a stationary point. Catch trays and conveyor system were down low.
The concept was that the wave motion set up by the oscillating tubing would gently knock the ripe blueberries loose...caught and boxed till you got to the end of the row...etc. etc. etc.
Our "efficiency ratio" of the number of berries left on the ground was comparable to the large, commercial harvester machine costing thousands of dollars that was on the same farm.
The machine went on to some "grape harvesting" after the blue berry project was over. This was just a summer project while I was in school, but my whole family was able to benefit from fresh, frozen blue berries.
Any body else ever work on a farm machinery research project??
Rick