Plant Harvesting System Unaffected by Rows

Abstract

A row insensitive plant harvesting system for tall stalky plants and canes, to be carried on a mobile frame, includes at least one rotary base cutter carrying knives on a lower end to cut plants from the ground across a swath defined by forwardly disposed plant dividing or separating apparatus. The base cutters and associated aspects of the system then transition the cut plants to a laid down orientation and propel them in a continuous manner while largely maintaining integrity of the stalks or canes for moisture retention, to a conveyor for further processing or handling, typically a billet cutter. The at least one base cutter is pivotally supported to allow adjusting a height of cut while maintaining a desired relationship to the conveyor, to reduce loss of, or damage to, the cut plants.

Description

[0001] This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 764330, and the filing date of the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 764330 is February 13, 2013. Technical field

[0002] The present invention generally relates to a system for harvesting taller stalks or stalk plants (such as sugarcane) in a highly productive manner that is not affected by rows. More particularly, the system is capable of harvesting many plants with varying spacing between rows. Row plants and non-row plants, and pass or convey a continuous stream of longer cutting stems or stalks to a device or location for further processing in a manner that roughly maintains their structural integrity, usually a harvester bar The cutter or the bar cutter attached to the harvester. As an additional feature, the system can be set up and operated to allow adjustment of the height of the base cutter for cutting plants from the ground, optionally independent of the height of the se...

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