Vegetable harvester

Abstract

To provide a vegetable harvester capable of obtaining good accessibility from an auxiliary seat to a placing table part and improving workability regardless of the existence of a space on the side of a machine body, in a constitution where the placing table part for placing and supporting a storage container thereon is provided in a side part of the machine body in a front / rear extending state and the auxiliary seat is provided on a rear side of the machine body.SOLUTION: A vegetable harvester includes a placing table part 130 for placing and supporting a container 120 thereon, and an auxiliary seat 125 provided on a rear side of a conveyer 7. The placing table part 130 has: a container table body part 131 including a portion allowing the container 120 to be located at a position for receiving a vegetable conveyed by the conveyer 7; and a container table rear part 132 for extending the placing table part 130 rearward. The container table rear part 132 is provided so as to be supported to be movable at least rearward with respect to the container table body part 131 to separate from the container table body part 131 by a rotation support part 160 provided on a machine body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vegetable harvester for harvesting root vegetables such as carrots and bulb vegetables such as onions, garlic and lily bulbs. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a vegetable harvesting machine for harvesting vegetables such as root vegetables such as carrots and bulb vegetables such as onions, which is configured to pull out and transport vegetables grown in a farm field while clamping the stems and leaves extending above ground from the main body of the vegetable in the soil, and to cut the stems and leaves during transport to harvest the main body of the vegetable. Some vegetable harvesting machines of this type are equipped with an auxiliary seat in which an assistant worker who performs harvesting work together with an operator who sits in the driver's seat and operates the machine (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration including an intermediate conveying section that conveys harvested products (vegetable main body parts) obtained in a harvesting section provided on the left side of the body toward the right side of the body, and a placement section that is provided on the right side of the body and extends forward and backward, and on which storage containers are placed. In this document, the placement section has a storage container receiving body that is located near the end of the intermediate conveying section and receives a storage container containing the harvested products, and a front half placing body and a rear half placing body that extend forward and rearward from the storage container receiving body. In this configuration, an auxiliary seat is located behind the intermediate conveying section and on the left and right inner sides (left side) of the rear half placing body.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration of a sorting section that transports the harvested crop from the harvesting section to a storage section in which harvesting bags are set, comprising a first sorting section extending from the harvesting section toward the right and a second sorting section extending from the end of the first sorting section toward a storage section at the rear and upper side. In this configuration, an auxiliary seat is disposed behind the first sorting section and on the left and right inner side (left side) of the second sorting section. The document also discloses that the second sorting section is rotatable toward the left and right outer side (right side) of the machine body with the vertical direction as the rotation axis direction so that an assistant worker can get on to the auxiliary seat and perform tasks such as lowering the harvesting bags into the field. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6105350 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-171000 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] According to the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the rear half carrier, which forms the rear part of the carrier, is located to the right of the auxiliary seat. Therefore, when an assistant worker sitting in the auxiliary seat goes to the right side of the carrier (outside the aircraft body) to, for example, replace a container on the carrier, he or she must go around behind the rear half carrier, which results in a long detour and a long line of movement, which is not good for workability.

[0007] In this regard, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, a configuration in which the second sorting unit on the right side of the auxiliary seat is rotatable is believed to reduce the detour that the assistant worker must take when moving from the auxiliary seat to the right side of the placement unit. However, according to the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the second sorting unit is provided rotatably toward the outside of the left and right sides of the machine body, there is a problem that the second sorting unit cannot be rotated if sufficient space cannot be secured to the side of the machine body.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a vegetable harvesting machine in which a mounting platform for supporting a storage container is provided on the side of the body, extending forward and backward, and an auxiliary seat is located at the rear of the body, which allows good access to the mounting platform from the auxiliary seat regardless of whether there is space on the side of the body, thereby improving workability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The vegetable harvesting machine of the present invention is a vegetable harvesting machine comprising a harvesting section that pulls out vegetables from the soil and harvests them, a transport device that transports the vegetables harvested by the harvesting section, and a mounting platform section for mounting and supporting a storage container that contains the vegetables transported by the transport device, and is provided with an auxiliary seat provided at a position rearward of the transport device, and the mounting platform section has a mounting platform main body section including a portion that positions the storage container in a position to receive the vegetables transported by the transport device, and an extension platform section that extends the mounting platform section rearward from the mounting platform main body section, and the extension platform section is supported by a support section provided on the body of the machine in a state where it can be moved at least rearward relative to the mounting platform main body section so as to be separated from the mounting platform main body section.

[0010] A vegetable harvesting machine according to another aspect of the present invention is a vegetable harvesting machine in which the extension base is rotatable around a rotation axis located on the inner left and right side of the placement base, with the rotation axis direction being in the vertical direction.

[0011] A vegetable harvesting machine according to another aspect of the present invention is the vegetable harvesting machine described above, wherein the auxiliary seat is supported by the support portion, and the extension base portion is arranged to be rotatable together with the auxiliary seat.

[0012] A vegetable harvester according to another aspect of the present invention is the vegetable harvester as described above, wherein the extension base is rotatably supported by a shaft support portion provided on the support portion.

[0013] In a vegetable harvester according to another aspect of the present invention, in the vegetable harvester described above, the auxiliary seat is supported by the pivot support portion so as to be rotatable about a common rotation axis with the extension base portion.

[0014] A vegetable harvesting machine according to another aspect of the present invention has an engagement portion that can be switched between an engaged state in which the extension base and the auxiliary seat are engaged with each other so that the auxiliary seat rotates integrally with the extension base, and a non-engaged state in which the engagement between the extension base and the auxiliary seat is released.

[0015] A vegetable harvester according to another aspect of the present invention is the vegetable harvester as described above, wherein the extension base portion is provided so as to be capable of being engaged with the machine body. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, in a configuration in which a mounting platform for supporting a storage container is provided on the side of the aircraft body extending in the front-to-rear direction and an auxiliary seat is arranged at the rear of the aircraft body, good access to the mounting platform can be obtained from the auxiliary seat regardless of whether there is space on the side of the aircraft body, thereby improving workability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a left front perspective view of a vegetable harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a plan view of a vegetable harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a left side cross-sectional view of a vegetable harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the vegetable harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 2 is a left side cross-sectional view of the rear part of the vegetable harvester according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a right rear perspective view showing the configuration of a mounting base portion and the support configuration of an auxiliary seat according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]4 is a plan view showing the configuration of a platform portion and the support configuration of an auxiliary seat according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the configuration of the rear part of the container table and the auxiliary seat and the support configuration thereof according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the configuration of the rear portion of the container table and the auxiliary seat and the support configuration thereof according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing the configuration of the rear part of the container table and the support configuration for the rear part of the container table and the auxiliary seat according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the rear part of the container table and the support configuration of the rear part of the container table and the auxiliary seat according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a left side cross-sectional view showing the support structure for the rear portion of the container table and the auxiliary seat according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view showing a configuration of a rotation support part according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a second connected state of the auxiliary seat and the rear portion of the container table according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a left side cross-sectional view showing the locked state of the rear part of the container table according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 15. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a left side cross-sectional view showing the locked state of the rear portion of the container table and the auxiliary seat according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 17. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of an arrangement of an auxiliary seat and a rear portion of a container table according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The present invention aims to improve workability by improving the configuration of the platform for supporting the containers that contain the vegetables transported by the transport device, thereby making it easier to access the platform from the auxiliary seat located at the rear of the transport device. The following describes an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] In the embodiment of the present invention described below, a carrot harvester that harvests carrots, a type of root vegetable, will be taken as an example of the vegetable harvester according to the present invention. However, the vegetable harvester according to the present invention can be widely applied as a vegetable harvester that harvests other root vegetables such as radishes, and bulb vegetables such as onions, garlic, and lily bulbs.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the vegetable harvester 1 according to this embodiment is a carrot harvester that pulls out carrots 2 planted in a field from the soil and harvests them. In the field, the carrots 2 are continuously planted in rows along a straight line. The spacing between the carrots 2 is, for example, about 5 to 10 centimeters. In the description of this embodiment, the field in which the carrots 2 are grown is a so-called continuous row field without ridges. In the following description, the left side (lower side in FIG. 2) and the right side (upper side in FIG. 2) facing the front of the vegetable harvester 1 are respectively the left side and the right side of the vegetable harvester 1.

[0021] The vegetable harvester 1 pulls out carrots 2 planted in soil while clamping the stems and leaves 2b extending above ground from the vegetable main body 2a, which is the root part in the soil, and transports the carrots 2 in a hanging position with the stems and leaves 2b clamped upward and rearward, cutting and separating the stems and leaves 2b from the vegetable main body 2a during transport, and harvesting the vegetable main body 2a as the part to be harvested. The stems and leaves 2b separated from the vegetable main body 2a are discharged to a predetermined position in the vegetable harvester 1. The vegetable harvester 1 is a self-propelled harvester, and performs the harvesting work of continuously pulling out, transporting and harvesting one row of carrots 2 while traveling along the line of carrots 2 planted in rows.

[0022] 1 to 4, the vegetable harvester 1 includes a traveling machine body 3 as a machine body having crawler traveling devices 4 as a pair of left and right traveling devices, a driving unit 5 where a driver (operator) of the vegetable harvester 1 performs various operations such as traveling operation and harvesting operation of the vegetable harvester 1, a harvesting unit 6 that pulls out carrots 2 from the soil and harvests them, a conveyor 7 as a transport device that transports the carrots 2 harvested by the harvesting unit 6, and a storage unit 8 for storing the carrots 2 transported by the conveyor 7 in a container 120 that is a predetermined storage vessel. Note that FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the position AA in FIG. 2.

[0023] The traveling machine body 3 includes a machine body frame 9 that is three-dimensionally constructed from a plurality of frame members, and a crawler traveling device 4 is disposed on both the left and right sides of the machine body frame 9. A driving section 5, a harvesting section 6, a conveyor 7, and a storage section 8 are provided on the machine body frame 9.

[0024] The crawler traveling device 4 constitutes a crawler section for moving the traveling machine body 3. The crawler traveling device 4 has a drive wheel 4a supported on the rear lower part of the machine body frame 9, a driven wheel 4b provided at the front end part of the crawler traveling device 4, a plurality of rolling wheels 4c, and a track 4d wound around these wheels. The left and right crawler traveling devices 4 are driven by an engine 10 equipped in the vegetable harvester 1.

[0025] The engine 10 is mounted on the front right side of the traveling body 3. A transmission 11 is provided below and behind the engine 10, between the rear parts of the left and right crawler traveling devices 4. The transmission 11 has a built-in power transmission mechanism including gears, a clutch, etc. in a transmission case, and transmits the power from the engine 10 to the left and right crawler traveling devices 4 with appropriate speed change.

[0026] The driver's unit 5 is provided on the right side of the front part of the traveling body 3. The driver's unit 5 is a part that drives and operates the vegetable harvester 1. A driver's seat support base 16 is provided at the rear of the driver's unit 5, and a driver's seat 13 is provided on the driver's seat support base 16. In the driver's unit 5, an operation unit 12 is provided in front of and to the left of the driver's seat 13, where various operating tools such as levers, switches, and pedals for operating the vehicle are arranged. An engine 10 is provided below the driver's seat 13, that is, inside the driver's seat support base 16. A horizontal floor portion 17 is provided in front of the driver's seat support base 16.

[0027] Hereinafter, each device of the harvesting section 6 equipped in the vegetable harvester 1, as well as the conveyor 7 and the storage section 8, will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5.

[0028] The harvesting section 6 includes a vertical raising device 21, a horizontal raising device 22, a digging device 23, a pulling and conveying device 24, a shoulder alignment device 25, a stem and leaf cutting device 26, and a leaf discharge device 29. These devices are supported by a predetermined working unit frame or the like included in the vegetable harvester 1, and are driven by power transmitted from the engine 10. The harvesting section 6 is also arranged to rotate overall relative to the traveling body 3 by a support shaft provided in the middle of the front and rear with the axial direction extending in the left-right direction.

[0029] The vertical lifting device 21 is a device for lifting upward the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2 planted in the field. The vertical lifting device 21 lifts upward the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2 lying lying in the field, and the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2 to be harvested are separated from the stems and leaves 2b of the adjacent carrots 2 not to be harvested, and are transferred to the pulling and conveying device 24.

[0030] The vertical lifting device 21 has a longitudinal case 31 and a number of tines 32 protruding from the case 31. The case 31 is provided in an inclined manner with its longitudinal direction inclined upward toward the rear in a side view. The tines 32 protrude from the periphery of the case 31. The multiple tines 32 are fixed at a predetermined interval to a belt wound around front and rear pulleys provided at both longitudinal ends of the case 31 with the left and right directions as the rotation axis direction. The vertical lifting device 21 lifts the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2 by the multiple rotating tines 32.

[0031] The horizontal lifting device 22 is provided on the right side of the vertical lifting device 21. The horizontal lifting device 22 is a device for raking in the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2 from the front side of the machine body and transferring them to the pulling-out conveying device 24, thereby assisting the pulling-out by the pulling-out conveying device 24.

[0032] The horizontal lifting device 22 has a longitudinal case 41 and a plurality of tines 42 protruding from the case 41. The case 41 has an elongated thick plate-like shape, and is provided in a slant shape with the longitudinal direction inclined in a rearward upward direction in a side view, and is parallel or approximately parallel to the vertical lifting device 21. The tines 42 protrude from the periphery of the case 41. The plurality of tines 42 are fixed at a predetermined interval to a belt wound around front and rear pulleys provided at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the case 41 with a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the case 41 as the rotation axis direction. The horizontal lifting device 22 hooks the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2 by the rotating plurality of tines 42 in cooperation with the right side surface of the longitudinal case 31 of the vertical lifting device 21 and pulls them upward.

[0033] A guide body 27 having a pointed shape facing forward is provided in front of the lower end of the case 41 of the lateral raising device 22. The guide body 27 is fixed to the lower end of the case 41 via a support member such as a bracket, and is provided in a state where it protrudes forward from the vicinity of the lower end of the case 41.

[0034] The vertical lifting device 21, the horizontal lifting device 22 and the guide body 27 constitute a lifting section at the front of the harvesting section 6. In the lifting section, the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2, which are spread out in a low position along the surface of the field, are lifted from the field by the guide body 27 and then lifted upward by the vertical lifting device 21, so that the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2 adjacent to each other in the front and rear are separated. The separated stems and leaves 2b are scooped up by the horizontal lifting device 22 and scraped into the extraction and conveying device 24.

[0035] The digging device 23 is provided below the front part of the extraction and transport device 24. The digging device 23 is a so-called subsoiler, and is a device that penetrates under the carrots 2 to break up the soil so that the carrots 2 can be easily extracted by the extraction and transport device 24.

[0036] The excavation device 23 has an excavation blade 45 that is approximately "L" shaped when viewed from the front, and a frame portion 46 that drives and supports the excavation blade 45. The excavation blade 45 has, as a portion that is approximately "L" shaped when viewed from the front, a vertical blade portion with the left-right direction being the plate thickness direction, and a horizontal blade portion that is formed in a curved shape from the lower side of the vertical blade portion to the left, and an upper portion of the vertical blade portion is connected and supported by the frame portion 46.

[0037] Frame portion 46 is supported on the front left portion of traveling body 3 so as to be rotatable with the left-right direction as the rotation axis direction, and is connected at its upper end portion to the front end portion of subsoiler drive arm 47. The rear end portion of subsoiler drive arm 47 is supported via a support member such as a bracket at the middle portion of the front-rear direction on the left side of traveling body 3, and is connected via an eccentric mechanism to subsoiler drive shaft 48 whose axial direction is the left-right direction. Subsoiler drive shaft 48 rotates when power is transmitted from engine 10, and vibrates subsoiler drive arm 47 via the eccentric mechanism.

[0038] In the digging device 23, the rotational power of the subsoiler drive shaft 48 drives the subsoiler drive arm 47 to move back and forth, and as this subsoiler drive arm 47 is driven, the frame part 46 supported by the traveling body 3 and the digging blade 45 connected to the frame part 46 swing (vibrate) back and forth together with the left and right direction as the rotation axis direction. As the vegetable harvester 1 moves forward, the digging device 23 inserts the digging blade 45, which swings back and forth, into the soil to soften the soil.

[0039] The pulling-out and conveying device 24 is a device that pulls out the carrots 2 from the soil and conveys them upward and rearward while clamping the stems and leaves 2b of the pulled-out carrots 2. The pulling-out and conveying device 24 is provided behind the vertical raising device 21 and the horizontal raising device 22, clamps the stems and leaves 2b delivered from the horizontal raising device 22, pulls out the carrots 2 while conveying the stems and leaves 2b upward and rearward (diagonally upward and rearward), and conveys the carrots 2 upward and rearward while maintaining the carrots 2 in an upright position.

[0040] The extracting and conveying device 24 is provided inclined toward the upper rear from a position immediately behind the lower end of the lateral raising device 22. The inclination angle of the extracting and conveying device 24 with respect to the horizontal direction is smaller than the inclination angle of the lateral raising device 22. The extracting and conveying device 24 is provided in an elongated manner so that the linear conveying direction in a plan view is aligned with the front-rear direction.

[0041] The pulling-out conveying device 24 pulls out the carrots 2 from the soil at the front of the device, and conveys the carrots 2 in a rearward and upward direction while clamping the stems and leaves 2b of the pulled-out carrots 2. The pulling-out conveying device 24 has a configuration in which a pair of endless rotating belts, that is, conveying belts 51, are wound around a driving pulley 52, which is a driving wheel provided at the rear side, which is the downstream side of the conveying, and a driven pulley 53, which is a driven wheel provided at the front side, which is the upstream side of the conveying. In other words, the pulling-out conveying device 24 is a belt conveying device having a pair of left and right belt clamping bodies 50 in which the conveying belt 51 is wound around the driving pulley 52 and the driven pulley 53, and is configured to convey the stems and leaves 2b by clamping them between the left and right belt clamping bodies 50.

[0042] A pair of conveyor belts 51 clamp the stems and leaves 2b with their opposing portions, and rotate in a direction that moves the opposing sides in the conveying direction by the rotational driving force of the drive pulley 52, to pull out the carrots 2 from the soil. The drive pulley 52 and the driven pulley 53 have a rotation axis direction that is perpendicular to the inclination of the pulling-out conveying device 24 when viewed from the side of the machine body. Tension pulleys, guide rollers, etc. are provided for the conveyor belt 51. Regarding the arrangement of the tension pulleys, since a high clamping force is required in the front part of the pulling-out conveying device 24 to pull out the carrots 2, the front part of each belt clamping body 50 is provided with more tension pulleys spaced closer together than the rear part.

[0043] The carrots 2 pulled out by the pulling-out conveying device 24 are conveyed upward and rearward in a nearly vertically suspended position with the stems and leaves 2b held between a pair of conveyor belts 51. The pulling-out conveying device 24 is extended so that its conveying terminal end (rear end) is located at the rear of the traveling body 3.

[0044] A gauge wheel 68 is provided on the right of the front end of the extracting and conveying device 24, with the left-right direction being the rotation axis direction. The gauge wheel 68 is provided so that its position can be adjusted while being supported by a predetermined frame portion constituting the harvesting unit 6. The gauge wheel 68 is in contact with the field, thereby ensuring a gap between the extracting and conveying device 24 and the field with respect to the rotation of the harvesting unit 6 as a whole relative to the traveling body 3.

[0045] The shoulder alignment device 25 is provided below the rear end of the pulling-out and conveying device 24. The shoulder alignment device 25 is an example of a position alignment device for aligning the height positions of the vegetable main body parts 2a of the carrots 2 being conveyed by the pulling-out and conveying device 24.

[0046] The shoulder alignment device 25 uses the upper portion of the vegetable body portion 2a of the carrot 2 as a shoulder portion and aligns the height of the shoulder portion of the carrot 2 being transported on the downstream side of the pulling-out and transporting device 24. The shoulder alignment device 25 has shoulder alignment plates 70 which are a pair of left and right shoulder alignment members that position the stem and leaf portions 2b of the carrot 2 being transported by the pulling-out and transporting device 24 between each other.

[0047] The shoulder alignment plate 70 is a bent plate-like member having a predetermined bent shape in a side view. The pair of shoulder alignment plates 70 are provided symmetrically with respect to the moving path of the stem and leaf part 2b of the carrot 2 between the left and right belt clamping bodies 50, and the moving path of the stem and leaf part 2b is formed by the parts facing each other. The distance between the pair of shoulder alignment plates 70 is set narrower than the width of the shoulder part of the vegetable main body part 2a of a general carrot 2. The left and right shoulder alignment plates 70 are provided in a state of being fixed to predetermined parts constituting the harvesting section 6 via support members.

[0048] The shoulder alignment plate 70 has a front inclined portion 71 constituting the front portion of the shoulder alignment plate 70 and a rear inclined portion 72 constituting the rear portion of the shoulder alignment plate 70 as portions forming a bent shape in a side view (see FIG. 5). The front end portion of each shoulder alignment plate 70 is positioned near the rear lower side of the left and right belt clamping bodies 50 constituting the drawing and conveying device 24.

[0049] The shoulder aligning plate 70 is provided so that the front inclined portion 71 is inclined upwards toward the rear side in a side view, which is gentler than the inclination of the drawing conveying device 24. In a side view, the shoulder aligning plate 70 gradually widens the vertical distance between the drawing conveying device 24 from the front side to the rear side due to the difference in the inclination angle between the drawing conveying device 24 and the shoulder aligning plate 70. In addition, the shoulder aligning plate 70 is provided so that the rear inclined portion 72 is aligned along a substantially horizontal plane. In detail, the rear inclined portion 72 is aligned along a slightly downward inclined plane in a side view. In a side view, the shoulder aligning plate 70 is formed into a substantially "V" shape together with the rear part of the drawing conveying device 24 due to the difference in the inclination angle between the drawing conveying device 24 and the shoulder aligning plate 70, and the vertical distance between the drawing conveying device 24 is gradually widened from the front side to the rear side.

[0050] The shoulder alignment device 25 having the above-mentioned configuration positions the stem and leaf portion 2b of the carrot 2 transported by the pulling-out conveying device 24 between the front inclined portions 71 of the pair of shoulder alignment plates 70, and aligns the height position of the vegetable main body portion 2a of the carrot 2 that reaches between the left and right rear inclined portions 72 by abutting the shoulder portions of the vegetable main body portion 2a of the carrot 2 from below against the left and right front inclined portions 71. That is, the shoulder alignment device 25 positions the vegetable main body portion 2a below the left and right front inclined portions 71 arranged at a gentle incline with respect to the conveyor belt 51 of the pulling-out conveying device 24, and aligns the height position of the carrot 2 by abutting the left and right front inclined portions 71 against both shoulder portions of the vegetable main body portion 2a as the carrot 2 is transported by the pulling-out conveying device 24 to stop the upward movement of the carrot 2 during transport.

[0051] The shoulder aligning device 25 positions the stem and leaf portion 2b of the carrot 2, which has been subjected to the position alignment action by the left and right front inclined portions 71 while being transported by the pulling-out conveying device 24, between the left and right rear inclined portions 72, and aligns the height position of the vegetable main body portion 2a to a predetermined height position by pressing the shoulder portion of the vegetable main body portion 2a of the carrot 2 with the left and right rear inclined portions 72. That is, the shoulder aligning device 25 positions the vegetable main body portion 2a below the left and right rear inclined portions 72 arranged at a gentle incline (almost horizontally) with respect to the conveying belt 51 of the pulling-out conveying device 24, and as the carrot 2 is transported by the pulling-out conveying device 24, the left and right rear inclined portions 72 abut against both shoulder portions of the vegetable main body portion 2a to stop the carrot 2 from moving upward during transport, and aligns the height position of the carrot 2 in a manner of being handled together with the pulling-out conveying device 24 (see arrow A1 showing the movement of the vegetable main body portion 2a in FIG. 5).

[0052] The clamping force of the pair of conveyor belts 51 of the pulling-out conveying device 24 is relatively large at the front part of the device 24 where the carrots 2 are pulled out, and is smaller at the rear part after the part where the carrots 2 are subjected to the action of the left and right shoulder alignment plates 70 than at the front half. The pair of conveyor belts 51 and the pair of shoulder alignment plates 70 of the shoulder alignment device 25 perform a squeezing action on the carrots 2, that is, the shoulder alignment device 25 acts to lock the carrots 2. The carrots 2, whose heights have been aligned, are led to the stem and leaf cutting device 26 at the rear. Figure 5 is a partial enlarged view of the shoulder alignment device 25 and its vicinity in Figure 3.

[0053] The stem and leaf cutting device 26 is provided immediately behind the shoulder aligning device 25 and located below the rear end of the pulling-out and conveying device 24. The stem and leaf cutting device 26 is a cutting device for cutting the stem and leaf parts 2b of the carrots 2 conveyed by the pulling-out and conveying device 24 and separating and dropping the vegetable main body parts 2a from the stem and leaf parts 2b. The stem and leaf cutting device 26 cuts the stem and leaf parts 2b of the carrots 2 aligned (having the height of the shoulders aligned) by the shoulder aligning device 25 so that the stem and leaf parts 2b do not remain on the vegetable main body part 2a side or so that the stem and leaf parts 2b remain slightly on the vegetable main body part 2a side with a substantially constant length.

[0054] The stem and leaf cutting device 26 has a pair of left and right disc-shaped rotary blades 80. The pair of rotary blades 80 are provided immediately behind the left and right shoulder alignment plates 70 of the shoulder alignment device 25, respectively, at approximately the same height as the rear inclined portions 72 of the shoulder alignment plates 70. The rotary blades 80 are provided parallel to the rear inclined portions 72, with the rotation axis direction being perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the plate surface of the rear inclined portions 72 of the shoulder alignment plates 70 in a side view.

[0055] The pair of rotary blades 80 are arranged vertically adjacent to each other with their outer edges overlapping, and are provided approximately symmetrically in the left-right direction centered on the path of movement of the carrot 2 between the left and right shoulder alignment plates 70. The rotary blade 80 is fixed to the upper end of a cutter shaft 81 whose axial direction is approximately in the vertical direction.

[0056] The carrot 2, which is moving diagonally upward and rearward as a result of the conveying action of the pulling-out conveying device 24, is guided to a position between the left and right rotary blades 80 in a state in which the carrot 2 is stopped from moving upward by the shoulder alignment device 25 and positioned in the up-down direction. When the stem and leaf portion 2b located between the rear inclined portions 72 of the pair of shoulder alignment plates 70 of the shoulder alignment device 25 reaches the overlapping portion of the left and right rotary blades 80, it is cut by the rotating rotary blades 80. The vegetable body portion 2a separated from the stem and leaf portion 2b by the pair of rotary blades 80 falls onto the conveyor 7 and is guided to a predetermined location. In addition, the stem and leaf portion 2b separated from the vegetable body portion 2a is discharged to a predetermined location by the leaf discharge device 29.

[0057] The leaf discharge device 29 is a device that conveys the stem and leaf parts 2b separated from the vegetable main body parts 2a in the stem and leaf cutting device 26 rearward and discharges them from the rear of the machine body. The leaf discharge device 29 is provided above the shoulder alignment device 25 and the stem and leaf cutting device 26 and behind the rear end part of the pulling and conveying device 24.

[0058] The leaf discharge device 29 has a lower belt conveying mechanism 85 constituted by a pair of left and right lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90 and an upper belt conveying mechanism 86 constituted by a pair of left and right upper leaf discharge belt conveyors 95, for transporting the stem and leaf section 2b, forming an upper and lower two-tier belt conveying mechanism.

[0059] The lower leaf discharge belt conveyor 90 has a drive pulley 92 provided at the conveying end (rear end), a driven pulley 93 provided at the conveying start end (front end), and an endless lower leaf discharge belt 91 wound around these pulleys. The lower belt conveyor mechanism 85 is configured to rotate the left and right lower leaf discharge belts 91 in a direction that moves the opposing sides backward, and to convey the stems and leaves 2b by sandwiching them between the left and right lower leaf discharge belts 91. The lower leaf discharge belt 91 is provided with multiple tension pulleys, etc.

[0060] The lower belt conveying mechanism 85 extends in the front-rear direction so that the front ends of the left and right lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90 are located immediately behind the upper end of the pulling-out conveying device 24, and the rear ends of the left and right lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90 are located behind the rotary blade 80. The left and right lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90 are located in the front-rear direction so that the front half of the left and right lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90 is located in the range where the pulling-out conveying device 24 applies a conveying action (pulling action) to the stems and leaves 2b. Therefore, in the front part of the lower belt conveying mechanism 85, the stems and leaves 2b are subjected to a pulling action by the pulling-out conveying device 24 while being conveyed backward by the left and right lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90. The lower belt conveying mechanism 85 is located in the front-rear direction so that the front ends of the left and right lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90 are located in the front-rear middle part of the shoulder alignment plate 70.

[0061] The upper leaf discharge belt transport body 95 has a drive pulley 97 provided at the transport end (rear end), a driven pulley 98 provided at the transport start end (front end), and an endless upper leaf discharge belt 96 wound around these pulleys. The upper belt transport mechanism 86 is configured to rotate the left and right upper leaf discharge belts 96 in a direction that moves the opposing sides backward, and to transport the stems and leaves 2b by sandwiching them between the left and right upper leaf discharge belts 96. A number of tension pulleys and the like are provided for the upper leaf discharge belt 96.

[0062] The upper belt conveying mechanism 86 extends in the front-rear direction so that the front ends of the left and right upper leaf discharge belt conveyors 95 are located immediately behind the upper end of the pulling-out conveying device 24 (directly below the drive pulley 52) and the rear ends of the left and right upper leaf discharge belt conveyors 95 are located at approximately the same position as the rear ends of the lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90. The front ends of the left and right upper leaf discharge belt conveyors 95 are located rearward of the front ends of the left and right lower leaf discharge belt conveyors 90 in accordance with the inclination of the pulling-out conveying device 24. The upper belt conveying mechanism 86 positions the front ends of the left and right upper leaf discharge belt conveyors 95 near the rear ends of the shoulder alignment plates 70 in the front-rear direction.

[0063] According to the leaf discharge device 29 having the above-mentioned configuration, the stems and leaves 2b held by the pulling-out conveying device 24 are transferred (transferred) to the lower belt conveying mechanism 85 and the upper belt conveying mechanism 86 in this order, and are conveyed backward while being sandwiched between the pair of lower leaf discharge belts 91 and the pair of upper leaf discharge belts 96. Here, the stems and leaves 2b held by the pulling-out conveying device 24 start to be sandwiched by the pair of lower leaf discharge belts 91 when the carrot 2 moves from the front inclined portion 71 to the rear inclined portion 72 with respect to the left and right shoulder alignment plates 70 of the shoulder alignment device 25. In conjunction with this, the clamping action of the pulling-out conveying device 24 on the stems and leaves 2b weakens, and the stems and leaves 2b reach the position where the drive pulley 52 is disposed between the pair of conveying belts 51, and are released from the clamped state by the pulling-out conveying device 24. When the stems and leaves 2b begin to be subjected to the action of the pair of rotary blades 80 of the stem and leaf cutting device 26, they are being conveyed rearward while being clamped by the pair of lower leaf discharge belts 91, and immediately thereafter begin to be clamped by the pair of upper leaf discharge belts 96. The stems and leaves 2b conveyed by the lower belt conveying mechanism 85 and the upper belt conveying mechanism 86 are released at the terminal ends of these conveying mechanisms.

[0064] The stems and leaves 2b discharged by the leaf discharge device 29 are guided and discharged onto the field by a leaf discharge chute 99 provided below and behind the leaf discharge device 29. The leaf discharge chute 99 is a gutter-shaped guide body having a guide surface 99a that is provided with a downward slope toward the right side. The leaf discharge chute 99 receives the stems and leaves 2b that are discharged rearward by the leaf discharge device 29 and fall, and guides the stems and leaves 2b to the lower right side so that they fall onto the field. The leaf discharge chute 99 guides the stems and leaves 2b to a position behind the conveyor 7, between the left and right crawler traveling devices 4 in the left-right direction. However, the position to which the leaf discharge chute 99 guides the stems and leaves 2b is not particularly limited.

[0065] In the harvesting section 6, a root cutting device 100 that cuts roots (root hairs) growing below the vegetable body portion 2a of the carrot 2 is provided below the approximately central portion of the pulling-out and conveying device 24 in the front-to-rear direction (see FIG. 3). The root cutting device 100 has a pair of left and right disk-shaped rotary blades 101. The pair of rotary blades 101 are arranged close to each other vertically with their outer edges overlapping, and are provided approximately symmetrically in the left-right direction with the movement path of the carrot 2 between the left and right belt clamping bodies 50 of the pulling-out and conveying device 24 as the center.

[0066] Each rotary blade 101 is fixed to the upper end of a root cutting cutter shaft 102 whose axial direction is approximately vertical. The left and right root cutting cutter shafts 102 rotate by receiving rotational power from a root cutting drive shaft 103 whose axial direction is horizontal.

[0067] The conveyor 7 receives the vegetable body 2a from which the stem and leaf 2b have been cut by the stem and leaf cutting device 26, and conveys the vegetable body 2a to the right. The conveyor 7 extends from below the stem and leaf cutting device 26 to the right of the machine body, with the conveyor end located at the right end of the traveling machine body 3. The conveyor 7 is a bar conveyor having multiple bars at predetermined intervals with the extension direction in the width direction (front-rear direction of the machine body). The conveyor 7 is provided so as to form a conveying surface that is slightly upwardly inclined from the left side to the right side. The conveyor 7 has a chain case 111 with an endless chain 110 built in on both sides (front and rear) in the conveying direction, and multiple bars are installed between the front and rear chains 110.

[0068] The storage section 8 is configured to support containers 120 (see FIG. 2) that store the vegetable main body parts 2a transported by the conveyor 7. The containers 120 are box-shaped containers made of resin with an opening on the upper side. Note that, in addition to the containers 120, harvest bags or the like may be used as collection containers for storing the vegetable main body parts 2a.

[0069] The storage section 8 has a mounting platform 130 for mounting and supporting the containers 120 that accommodate the vegetable main body parts 2a transported by the conveyor 7. The mounting platform 130 constitutes a horizontal support surface at a height position below the conveyor 7 on the right side of the traveling body 3. The mounting platform 130 has a rectangular outer shape in a plan view, and is provided extending in the front-rear direction along the right side of the traveling body 3.

[0070] In the storage section 8, the container 120 is set in a state in which it is placed on the placement table section 130 at a position corresponding to the conveying end of the conveyor 7. Then, the vegetable main body parts 2a conveyed by the conveyor 7 are put into the set container 120. The container 120 that becomes full of the vegetable main body parts 2a is replaced as appropriate.

[0071] The vegetable harvester 1 also includes an auxiliary seat 125 for an assistant operator who performs harvesting work together with the operator who sits in the driver's seat 13 and operates the machine. The auxiliary seat 125 is provided at a position behind the conveyor 7.

[0072] An auxiliary operation unit 126, which is an operation unit for an assistant worker, is provided in front of the auxiliary seat 125. The auxiliary operation unit 126 is provided on the rear side of the conveyor 7 along the chain case 111 on the rear side of the conveyor 7. An emergency stop button for the engine 10, a clutch lever, etc. are provided on the auxiliary operation unit 126.

[0073] The operation of the vegetable harvester 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described. In a field with continuous rows, the vegetable harvester 1 harvests one row of carrots 2 while moving the machine body forward along the line of row planting. When harvesting carrots 2 with the vegetable harvester 1, the machine body is operated by an operator operating the operating unit 12 of the driving unit 5.

[0074] As the vegetable harvester 1 moves forward, it separates the stems and leaves 2b of the carrots 2 lying in the field by lifting them upward with the guide body 27 and the vertical lifting device 21, and then it pulls up the stems and leaves 2b with the horizontal lifting device 22 and hands them over to the pulling and conveying device 24. When the vegetable harvester 1 hands over the stems and leaves 2b to the pulling and conveying device 24 by the horizontal lifting device 22, it loosens the soil below the carrots 2 with the digging device 23 and lifts up the vegetable body parts 2a of the carrots 2.

[0075] The pulling-out and conveying device 24 takes in the stem and leaf portion 2b at its tip, and pinches the stem and leaf portion 2b with the left and right conveying belts 51 to pull out the carrot 2 from the field and convey it upward and rearward. The carrot 2 being conveyed by the pulling-out and conveying device 24 is aligned by the shoulder alignment device 25, and then cut by the stem and leaf cutting device 26 to cut off the whole or almost the whole of the stem and leaf portion 2b from the vegetable body portion 2a.

[0076] As the stems and leaves 2b are cut by the stem and leaf cutting device 26, the vegetable body parts 2a fall onto the conveying surface of the conveyor 7 and are transported to the right by the conveyor 7. The vegetable body parts 2a transported by the conveyor 7 are thrown into the container 120 set on the mounting platform 130 in the storage section 8. Meanwhile, the stems and leaves 2b separated from the vegetable body parts 2a are discharged to the rear of the machine by the leaf discharge device 29 and discharged into the field by the leaf discharge chute 99. During harvesting work by the vegetable harvester 1, the container 120 in which the vegetable body parts 2a have accumulated is moved and the empty container 120 is set by an assistant worker who sits on the auxiliary seat 125 or moves to the right of the machine.

[0077] The configuration of the platform section 130 provided in the vegetable harvester 1 according to this embodiment and the support configuration of the auxiliary seat 125 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 6 to Fig. 19. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken at position BB in Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken at position CC in Fig. 12.

[0078] 2, 6 and 7, the mounting platform 130 has a container platform main body 131 as a mounting platform main body constituting the majority of the mounting platform, and a container platform rear section 132 as an extension platform provided movably relative to the container platform main body 131. In other words, the mounting platform 130 has a divided structure made up of the container platform main body 131 provided in a fixed state relative to the traveling machine body 3 as a fixed platform, and the container platform rear section 132 provided movably relative to the container platform main body 131 as a movable platform.

[0079] The container platform main body 131 is the portion of the loading platform 130 that is forward of a container platform rear portion 132 that forms the rear end of the loading platform 130. The container platform main body 131 has a horizontal support surface 134 as a portion for supporting and loading the container 120 at a position lower than the height H1 (see FIG. 4) of the transport surface of the conveyor 7. The height position of the support surface 134 is set so that the height of the upper end of the container 120 loaded on the support surface 134 is lower than the conveyor 7.

[0080] The container table main body 131 is provided as a horizontal plate-like portion having a generally rectangular outer shape with the longitudinal direction in a plan view. In the longitudinal direction, the container table main body 131 has a front end located forward of the driver's seat 13 and a rear end located rearward of the conveyor 7, forming a support surface 134 over its entirety.

[0081] The container stand main body 131 has a front end portion serving as a container stopper portion 135. The container stopper portion 135 is a portion having a generally rectangular outer shape with the longitudinal direction in the left-right direction in a plan view, and is provided rotatably so as to rise vertically relative to a base 136 of the container stand main body 131 about a rotation axis with the axial direction in the left-right direction. The base 136 constitutes most of the rear side of the container stand main body 131 excluding the container stopper portion 135. The container stopper portion 135 has generally the same width as the base 136 in the left-right direction, and forms a horizontal support surface portion 134 together with the base 136 when laid horizontally.

[0082] The container platform main body 131 has a base 136 supported in a fixed state by support pillars 141 provided at two locations, front and rear, on a frame member 140 constituting the vehicle frame 9 (see FIG. 6). The frame member 140 is a square pipe-shaped member arranged horizontally with the front-rear direction as its extension direction, and forms the right edge of the vehicle frame 9. In the vertical direction, the frame member 140 is provided at a height position below the conveyor 7 and below the floor 17 of the driving section 5.

[0083] The support pillar portion 141 includes a support pillar member 142 provided on the right side of the frame member 140 and extending downward from the frame member 140 (see FIG. 6). The support pillar member 142 is a channel steel member having a substantially "U" shaped cross section (planar cross section) with the left and right inner sides (left side) open. The support pillar member 142 is fixed to the frame member 140 and the left edge of the base 136 of the container table main body portion 131 by welding or the like via support members. The front and rear support pillar portions 141 firmly support the container table main body portion 131, on which the multiple containers 120 filled with the vegetable main body portions 2a are placed, in a horizontal position.

[0084] In the container table main body 131, two rows of protrusions 143 are provided on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the base 136. The protrusions 143 are provided along the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the upper surface of the base 136, and support the container 120 while being in line contact with the bottom surface of the container 120 on the support surface 134. The left and right protrusions 143 facilitate the sliding movement of the container 120 back and forth on the support surface 134.

[0085] The container platform main body 131 includes a container setting section 133 which is a section for positioning the container 120 at a position for receiving the vegetable main body 2a transported by the conveyor 7. The container setting section 133 is a section of the base 136 of the container platform main body 131 that supports the container 120 set on the conveyor 7. In this embodiment, the container setting section 133 is a section of the base 136 of the container platform main body 131 that overlaps in plan view with the container 120 (see the container 120 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2) in a state where the container 120 is set on the conveyor 7. Note that in the container platform main body 131, the container 120 filled with, for example, the vegetable main body 2a is stacked in a section in front of the container setting section 133 of the base 136.

[0086] The container bed rear part 132 has a rectangular outer shape in a plan view. When the container bed rear part 132 is in a position (hereinafter referred to as the "reference position") where it is connected to the rear side of the container bed main body part 131 and forms the loading platform part 130 which, together with the container bed main body part 131, has an integral rectangular outer shape in a plan view, the front-rear direction is defined as the longitudinal direction of the rectangular outer shape in a plan view. Hereinafter, the state where the container bed rear part 132 is in the reference position is defined as the "reference state". In Figs. 1 to 4, the container bed rear part 132 is in the reference state. In Fig. 7, the container bed rear part 132 in the reference state is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0087] In the standard state, the rear part 132 of the container bed has approximately the same width in the left-right direction as the base part 136 of the container bed main body part 131, and the height of the support surface on which the container 120 is placed and supported is the same height or approximately the same height as the support surface part 134 of the container bed main body part 131. Note that the front-rear and left-right directions in the description of the rear part 132 of the container bed are the directions with respect to the rear part 132 of the container bed in the standard state.

[0088] The container table rear portion 132 is a portion that extends the loading platform portion 130 rearward from the container table main body portion 131. The container table rear portion 132 is provided on the rear side of the container table main body portion 131, and is located on the left and right outer sides (right side) of the auxiliary seat 125 in the standard state, and is disposed so as to be continuous with the rear side of the container table main body portion 131.

[0089] 2, the container table rear portion 132 is located to the right of the auxiliary seat 125, and is provided so that its left edge is close to the right edge of the auxiliary seat 125. In addition, the container table rear portion 132 has its rear end located at the rear of the auxiliary seat 125 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0090] The container bed rear section 132 has an outer frame section 151 having a rectangular shape in a plan view, two installation plate sections 152 installed inside the outer frame section 151, and support rod sections 153 arranged inside the outer frame section 151 so as to be perpendicular to the installation plate sections 152 in a plan view. The container bed rear section 132 is configured so that the inside of the outer frame section 151 serves as a placement section for the containers 120, the area of ​​the placement section being slightly larger than the outer shape of one container 120 in a plan view, and one container 120 is placed and supported on the placement section.

[0091] The outer frame 151 has four rectangular sides in plan view, and the front side 151a located at the front side is formed by a pipe member having a circular cross-sectional shape. The other three sides of the outer frame 151, the rear side 151b and the left and right side sides 151c, are narrow plate-like parts whose plate surfaces are aligned in the vertical direction and whose width direction is the vertical direction. The rear side 151b and the left and right side sides 151c are formed by bending a narrow plate-like member at right angles at two points. The pipe member forming the front side 151a has both ends fixed to the left and right side sides 151c by welding or the like, and is installed between the front ends of the left and right side sides 151c.

[0092] The installation plate portion 152 is formed of a narrow plate-like member. The two installation plate portions 152 are arranged on both the left and right sides inside the outer frame portion 151 and extend in the front-rear direction. The plate-like member forming the installation plate portion 152 is fixed at its front end side to the front edge portion 151a and its rear end side to the rear edge portion 151b by welding or the like, and is installed between the front edge portion 151a and the rear edge portion 151b.

[0093] The two installation plate parts 152 are provided such that their upper surfaces 152a, which are the upper plate surfaces, are aligned along a common horizontal plane. The upper surfaces 152a of the two installation plate parts 152 form a support surface for the container 120 inside the outer frame part 151.

[0094] The installation plate portion 152 is located at a height that is approximately the center in the up-down direction with respect to the front edge portion 151a and the rear edge portion 151b. Therefore, approximately half of the upper side of each of the front edge portion 151a, the rear edge portion 151b, and the left and right side edge portions 151c is located above the upper surface 152a of the installation plate portion 152. The parts of the rear edge portion 151b and the left and right side edge portions 151c that are located above the upper surface 152a become peripheral wall portions, which serve to restrict the horizontal movement of the container 120 placed on the upper surface 152a. The front edge portion 151a becomes a portion that the container 120 placed on the upper surface 152a can climb over by moving the container 120 horizontally.

[0095] The support rod portion 153 is a portion extending in the left-right direction at approximately the center between the front and rear of the outer frame portion 151, and is formed of a pipe member having a circular cross-sectional shape. The pipe member forming the support rod portion 153 is fixed to the left and right side portions 151c by welding or the like, and is located below the left and right installation plate portions 152 and fixed to the installation plate portions 152 by welding or the like.

[0096] In this embodiment, the container bed rear part 132 has a configuration in which the support surface for the container 120 is formed by two left and right installation plate parts 152, and most of the inside of the outer frame part 151 is a hollow part in a plan view, but the configuration of the container bed rear part 132 is not limited. For example, the container bed rear part 132 may have a configuration in which a plate-shaped member forming the support surface for the container 120 is provided so as to entirely cover the inside of the outer frame part 151.

[0097] The container bed rear section 132 is provided in a state supported by a rotating support section 160, which is a support section provided on the traveling body 3, so as to be movable at least rearward with respect to the container bed main body section 131 so as to move away from the container bed main body section 131. In this embodiment, the container bed rear section 132 is provided in a state supported so as to be movable rearward in the front-to-rear direction and toward the inner left and right (leftward) away from the container bed main body section 131 in the left-to-right direction.

[0098] The container table rear part 132 is provided so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis O1 located on the left-right inner side (left side) with respect to the placement table part 130, with the rotation axis direction being the up-down direction. That is, the container table rear part 132 is provided in a state supported so as to be rotatable from a reference position toward the rear side around the rotation axis O1 along the up-down direction of the rotation support part 160. The rotation axis O1 is located at a position to the left of approximately the center in the front-rear direction of the container table rear part 132, and at a position behind the middle part of the conveyor 7 in the transport direction.

[0099] The container table rear portion 132 is provided so as to be rotatable together with the auxiliary seat 125. In this embodiment, the container table rear portion 132 is provided so as to rotate integrally with the auxiliary seat 125 or independently around a rotation axis O1.

[0100] The following describes the support structure of the auxiliary seat 125. The auxiliary seat 125 is supported by the rotating support part 160. As described above, the rotating support part 160, which supports the rear part 132 of the container table, has the support pipe 161 that supports the auxiliary seat 125 together with the rear part 132 of the container table.

[0101] The support pipe 161 is a pipe member that has a circular cross section and is bent into an L shape, and is provided so as to form an L shape in a side view. The support pipe 161 has, as the L-shaped portion, a fixed pipe portion 162 that extends in the front-rear direction, and a support pipe portion 163 that stands vertically from the rear end of the fixed pipe portion 162. The support pipe portion 163 serves as a pivotal support portion that pivotally supports the auxiliary seat 125 in the rotation support portion 160. In other words, the auxiliary seat 125 is rotatably supported by the support pipe portion 163 provided on the rotation support portion 160.

[0102] The support pipe 161 is provided so as to extend rearward from a step board 165 for the auxiliary seat 125 provided on the rear side of the body frame 9 of the traveling body 3. The step board 165 is a platform on which an assistant worker seated on the auxiliary seat 125 places his / her feet, and is provided below and in front of the auxiliary seat 125. The step board 165 is provided at approximately the same height as the mounting platform portion 130.

[0103] The step board 165 is installed between a right support frame 166 and a left support frame 167 that extend horizontally in the front-to-rear direction at the rear of the machine body frame 9. The right support frame 166 and the left support frame 167 are both rectangular columnar pipe-shaped members that are arranged parallel to each other at a common height and are provided so that their rear ends are aligned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0104] The right support frame 166 is fixedly supported via a support plate 169 to an extension frame 168 that extends rearward from the rear end of a frame member 140 at the right end of the vehicle frame 9. The extension frame 168 is a rectangular columnar member with its longitudinal direction in the front-to-rear direction, and is fixed to the frame member 140 by a bolt 170 with its front portion inserted into the frame member 140 (see FIG. 11). The bolt 170 penetrates the rear end portion of the frame member 140 from the right, and is screwed into the portion of the extension frame 168 that is inserted into the frame member 140.

[0105] The support plate 169 is a plate-like member including a portion whose thickness direction is in the left-right direction, and its upper portion is located on the left-right inner side (left side) of a portion of the extension frame 168 that extends rearward from the frame member 140, and is fixed to the extension frame 168 at two positions, front and rear, by bolts 171 (see FIG. 8 ). The bolts 171 penetrate the upper portion of the support plate 169 from the left and are screwed into the extension frame 168. The support plate 169 extends downward from the extension frame 168, and its lower end is fixed to an upper surface 166a of the right support frame 166 by welding or the like. Due to such a support configuration of the right support frame 166, the right support frame 166 is provided at a lower position than the frame member 140.

[0106] The left support frame 167 has its front end fixed by welding or the like to a specific member constituting the body frame 9, and is fixedly supported via a support stay 172 to the axle case 11a extending to the left in the transmission 11 (see Figure 4).

[0107] The step 165 has a rectangular shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction in a plan view, and has an upper surface 165a which forms the step portion, and a rear surface 165b which is bent downward at a right angle from the rear edge of the upper surface 165a. A number of circular holes 165c are formed in the upper surface 165a for removing soil, etc.

[0108] The left and right edge portions of the upper surface portion 165a of the step board 165 are fixed by welding or the like to the upper surface 166a of the right support frame 166 and the upper surface 167a of the left support frame 167, respectively, and the left and right end portions of the rear surface portion 165b are fixed by welding or the like to the rear opening end surfaces of the right support frame 166 and the left support frame 167, respectively. The rear surface portion 165b has approximately the same dimensions in the up-down direction as the right support frame 166 and the left support frame 167. In addition, the front edge portion of the upper surface portion 165a of the step board 165 is fixed by welding or the like to the upper surface 173a of the cross frame 173, which is a rectangular pipe-shaped member installed between the right support frame 166 and the left support frame 167 in the left-right direction.

[0109] 7, the rear surface portion 165b of the step board 165 is located rearward of the rear end of the container stand main body 131 and rearward of the auxiliary operating portion 126 in the front-rear direction. In addition, the right edge of the step board 165 is located leftward of the left edge of the container stand main body 131 in the left-right direction.

[0110] In the configuration in which the footboard 165 is provided on the lower front side of the auxiliary seat 125 as described above, the support pipe 161 is provided in a state in which it is supported by the footboard 165 and the horizontal frame 173 by fixing the fixed pipe portion 162 to the footboard 165 and the horizontal frame 173. The fixed pipe portion 162 is provided in a position toward the right side of the center of the footboard 165 in the left-right direction. The fixed pipe portion 162 has a front end surface fixed to a rear surface 173b of the horizontal frame 173 by welding or the like, and is fixed to the rear surface portion 165b by welding or the like in a state in which it fits into a semicircular cutout portion 165d formed on the underside of the rear surface portion 165b.

[0111] The support pipe part 163 is a part between the fixed pipe part 162 and an elbow part 164, is a cylindrical part with a central axis extending in the vertical direction and is open on the upper side. The auxiliary seat 125 is supported by the support pipe part 163.

[0112] The auxiliary seat 125 has a seat main body 181 which is the seat portion, a flat box-shaped support base 182 provided on the underside of the seat main body 181, a support bracket 183 which fixedly supports the seat main body 181 relative to the support base 182, and a seat support shaft 184 which extends downward from the support bracket 183.

[0113] The support base 182 has a rectangular outer shape in plan view with the longitudinal direction being the front-to-rear direction, and is provided so as to fit within the outer shape in plan view of the seat main body 181. The support base 182 has a front surface, a rear surface, left and right side surfaces, an upper surface, and a lower surface, and is configured to be hollow.

[0114] The support bracket 183 is a bent plate-like member that is substantially "U" shaped with the lower side open, and has a horizontal upper surface portion 183a and left and right side portions 183b. The support bracket 183 is interposed between the front end of the bottom surface portion of the seat main body portion 181 and the front end of the support base portion 182. The upper surface portion 183a of the support bracket 183 is fixed to a predetermined mounting surface portion provided on the bottom surface portion of the seat main body portion 181 by a fastener such as a bolt. The left and right side portions 183b of the support bracket 183 are respectively overlapped on the outside of the left and right side portions of the support base portion 182, and are supported by the support base portion 182 by a support shaft 185 whose axial direction is the left and right direction. In addition, cylindrical support protrusions 181a that serve as abutment support portions for the support base portion 182 are protruded downward on both the left and right sides of the rear part of the bottom surface portion of the seat main body portion 181.

[0115] The seat support shaft 184 is configured from a cylindrical pipe member with its central axis extending in the up-down direction, and extends downward from the front of the support base 182. The seat support shaft 184 is fixed to the support base 182 by welding or the like, with its upper end penetrating the underside of the support base 182.

[0116] The auxiliary seat 125 is supported by the support pipe 161 by inserting a seat support shaft 184 into the support pipe portion 163 of the support pipe 161 from above. The seat support shaft 184 has an outer diameter dimension that is approximately the same as the inner diameter dimension of the support pipe portion 163, and is inserted into the support pipe portion 163 so as to be rotatable coaxially therewith (see FIG. 12). In other words, the central axis of the support pipe portion 163 and the central axis of the seat support shaft 184 coincide with the rotation axis O1, and the auxiliary seat 125 is supported so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis O1.

[0117] The support pipe portion 163 is provided with a stopper pin 187 that engages and supports the seat support shaft 184. The stopper pin 187 is a straight rod-shaped member, and has a head portion 187a that is an enlarged diameter portion on one end side. The stopper pin 187 penetrates the support pipe portion 163 in the radial direction along a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis O1, and a tip portion thereof protrudes from the peripheral wall of the support pipe portion 163 to form a tip protrusion portion 187b. A locking member (not shown), such as a clip pin for preventing the stopper pin 187 from coming off, is attached to the tip protrusion portion 187b of the stopper pin 187.

[0118] The stopper pin 187 penetrates the support pipe portion 163 in a direction such that the head portion 187a is located on the right front side of the rotation axis O1 in a plan view. However, the axial direction and the penetrating direction of the stopper pin 187 are not particularly limited. A pair of holes 188, through which the stopper pin 187 penetrates, are formed in the peripheral wall of the support pipe portion 163 at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the support pipe portion 163. The holes 188 have a hole diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shaft portion of the stopper pin 187.

[0119] The stopper pin 187 engages and supports the seat support shaft 184 with respect to the support pipe section 163 by receiving abutment from a lower end surface 184a, which is the lower opening end surface of the seat support shaft 184, at the upper end of the outer circumferential surface of a portion located inside the support pipe section 163 (see FIG. 12). In other words, the seat support shaft 184 is inserted into the support pipe section 163, and the seat support shaft 184 interferes with the stopper pin 187, which penetrates the support pipe section 163 and is mostly located inside the support pipe section 163, so that the auxiliary seat 125 is supported with respect to the support pipe section 163 and is restricted from moving downward. Therefore, the stopper pin 187 bears the load of the auxiliary seat 125 and the auxiliary operator seated on the auxiliary seat 125.

[0120] The support pipe portion 163 has three pairs of holes 188, through which the stopper pin 187 passes, spaced apart in the vertical direction, and any one of the pairs of holes 188 is selectively used. By selecting a pair of holes 188, the locking position of the seat support shaft 184 by the stopper pin 187, i.e., the height of the seat main body portion 181 of the auxiliary seat 125, is adjusted. In this manner, in this embodiment, the height of the seat main body portion 181 can be adjusted to three levels: "upper", "middle", and "lower".

[0121] According to the support configuration of the auxiliary seat 125 as described above, the auxiliary seat 125 is supported by the support pipe portion 163 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis O1 that is common to the container table rear portion 132. The support configuration of the container table rear portion 132 that supports the container table rear portion 132 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis O1 will be described. The container table rear portion 132 is rotatably supported by the support pipe portion 163 via the container table support pipe 191 that forms part of the container table rear portion 132, and the support cylinder portion 195 that is fixed to the container table support pipe 191.

[0122] The container bed support pipe 191 is a pipe member that has a circular cross section and is bent into an L shape. The L-shaped portions of the container bed support pipe 191 include a horizontal pipe portion 192 that extends along the horizontal direction, and a vertical pipe portion 193 that stands vertically from the end of the horizontal pipe portion 192. The vertical pipe portion 193 is a cylindrical portion with a central axis extending in the up-down direction, and is spaced from the horizontal pipe portion 192 via an elbow portion 194.

[0123] The container bed support pipe 191 has a horizontal pipe section 192, of which a large portion on the side opposite to the elbow section 194 is made up of a support rod section 153 which forms part of the container bed rear section 132. In other words, the horizontal pipe section 192 is made up of the support rod section 153 of the container bed rear section 132 and a section which extends from the support rod section 153 towards the rotation axis O1 side. The horizontal pipe section 192 is fixed to the side edge section 151c by welding or the like in a state in which it penetrates a circular hole section 151d (see FIG. 10) formed in the side edge section 151c on the rotation axis O1 side.

[0124] The support cylinder portion 195 is a cylindrical portion with its central axis extending in the up-down direction, and is open on both the top and bottom sides. The support cylinder portion 195 is supported by the support pipe 161 with the upper portion of the support pipe portion 163 of the support pipe 161 inserted into the lower opening. The support cylinder portion 195 has an inner diameter dimension that is approximately the same as the outer diameter dimension of the support pipe portion 163, and is fitted to the support pipe portion 163 so as to be rotatable coaxially therewith (see FIG. 12). In other words, the central axis of the support pipe portion 163 and the central axis of the support cylinder portion 195 coincide with the rotation axis O1, and the container table rear portion 132 is supported so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis O1.

[0125] The support cylinder portion 195 is fixed at its outer circumferential surface 195c to the upper portion of the vertical pipe portion 193 of the container bed support pipe 191. The support cylinder portion 195 and the vertical pipe portion 193 are fixed to each other by welding or the like with their outer circumferential surfaces in line contact with each other. The container bed support pipe 191 is fixed to the support cylinder portion 195 with the upper end of the vertical pipe portion 193 positioned at approximately the same height as the upper end of the support cylinder portion 195. By being fixed to the support cylinder portion 195, the container bed support pipe 191 becomes a part that rotates integrally with the support cylinder portion 195 around the rotation axis O1.

[0126] In a state where the support cylinder portion 195 is fitted into the support pipe portion 163, the support cylinder portion 195 is locked and supported by a stopper pin 187 penetrating the support pipe portion 163. The stopper pin 187 is abutted against a lower end surface 195a, which is the lower opening end surface of the support cylinder portion 195, at the upper end of the outer circumferential surface of the portion protruding from the peripheral wall of the support pipe portion 163, thereby locking and supporting the support cylinder portion 195 to the support pipe portion 163 (see FIG. 12). In other words, the support pipe portion 163 is inserted into the support cylinder portion 195 fixed to the container table support pipe 191 forming a part of the support rod portion 153, and the container table rear portion 132 is restricted in its downward movement by interference with the stopper pin 187 protruding outward from the support pipe portion 163, and is in a state where it is supported by the support pipe portion 163. Therefore, the stopper pin 187 receives the load of the rear portion 132 of the container table and the container 120 placed on the rear portion 132 of the container table. The stopper pin 187 receives contact with the support cylinder portion 195 at the head portion 187a or at the main body shaft portion, which is a portion other than the head portion 187a.

[0127] Similarly to the auxiliary seat 125, the height of the container platform rear portion 132 can be adjusted in three stages by selecting a pair of holes 188 through which the stopper pin 187 passes.

[0128] The above-described support configuration of the container table rear portion 132 allows the container table rear portion 132 to be supported rotatably about the rotation axis O1. Figures 6 to 13 show the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132 rotated 90° clockwise (right-handed) in a plan view.

[0129] The auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear section 132, which are supported rotatably about the common rotation axis O1 as described above, are configured to rotate integrally with each other about the rotation axis O1 by the engagement section 200. The engagement section 200 is configured to be switchable between an engaged state in which the container table rear section 132 and the auxiliary seat 125 are engaged with each other so that the auxiliary seat 125 rotates integrally with the container table rear section 132, and a disengaged state in which the engagement between the container table rear section 132 and the auxiliary seat 125 is released.

[0130] The engagement portion 200 has an upper engagement plate portion 201 which is an engagement portion provided on the auxiliary seat 125 side, a lower engagement plate portion 202 which is an engagement portion provided on the rear portion 132 side of the container table, and a connecting pin 203 which connects these engagement plate portions together.

[0131] The upper engagement plate portion 201 is a plate-shaped portion whose thickness direction is in the up-down direction, and protrudes horizontally from the outer circumferential surface 184c of the seat support shaft 184 of the auxiliary seat 125, that is, along a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis O1. The upper engagement plate portion 201 is provided so as to protrude leftward from the seat support shaft 184 when the auxiliary seat 125 faces forward (see FIG. 2).

[0132] The upper engagement plate portion 201 has an outer shape along a rectangle with its longitudinal direction being the direction along the protruding direction from the seat support shaft 184 (the left-right direction in FIG. 13) when viewed in the axial direction of the rotation axis O1 (hereinafter referred to as "viewed in the rotation axis direction"). The upper engagement plate portion 201 has a dimension in the width direction (the up-down direction in FIG. 13) smaller than the diameter of the seat support shaft 184.

[0133] The upper engagement plate 201 is provided on the seat support shaft 184 at a portion located above an upper end surface 195b, which is the upper open end surface of the support cylinder 195. The upper engagement plate 201 extends from the seat support shaft 184 such that a tip end surface 201a on the protruding side is located radially outward of an outer circumferential surface 195c of the support cylinder 195. The upper engagement plate 201 is provided by fixing a plate-shaped member, the base end of which is formed into an arc-shaped recess along the outer circumferential surface 184c of the seat support shaft 184, to the seat support shaft 184 by welding or the like.

[0134] The lower engagement plate portion 202 is a plate-like portion whose thickness direction is in the up-down direction, and protrudes horizontally from the outer circumferential surface 195c of the support cylinder portion 195, that is, along a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis O1. The lower engagement plate portion 202 is provided so as to protrude leftward from the support cylinder portion 195 when the container table rear portion 132 is in the reference state. The lower engagement plate portion 202 has approximately the same plate thickness as the upper engagement plate portion 201.

[0135] The lower engagement plate portion 202 has a generally rectangular outer shape with its longitudinal direction perpendicular to the protruding direction from the support cylinder portion 195 (the vertical direction in FIG. 13) as viewed in the rotation axis direction. The lower engagement plate portion 202 has protruding portions 202b protruding from the outer peripheral surface 195c of the support cylinder portion 195 on both sides in the direction perpendicular to the protruding direction from the support cylinder portion 195 as viewed in the rotation axis direction (see FIG. 13). The lower engagement plate portion 202 is provided so as to include, within the range of its outer shape, the entire portion protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface 195c of the upper engagement plate portion 201 when the engagement portion 200 is in an engaged state as viewed in the rotation axis direction.

[0136] The lower engagement plate 202 is provided on the upper part of the support cylinder 195 in the up-down direction. When the engagement part 200 is in an engaged state, the lower engagement plate 202 is provided such that a tip surface 202a on the protruding side overlaps a tip surface 201a of the upper engagement plate 201 as viewed in the rotation axis direction (see FIG. 13). The lower engagement plate 202 is provided by fixing a plate-like member having an arc-shaped recess on its base end side along the outer circumferential surface 195c of the support cylinder 195 to the support cylinder 195 by welding or the like.

[0137] The connecting pin 203 is a bent rod-like member bent into an L-shape, and is a connecting member that connects the seat support shaft 184 and the support cylinder portion 195 to each other via the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the lower engagement plate portion 202. One side of the L-shape of the connecting pin 203 is a through-portion 203a that passes through the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the lower engagement plate portion 202, and the other side is a locking portion 203b that is positioned above the upper engagement plate portion 201.

[0138] The connecting pin 203 penetrates the through portion 203a through the upper engaging plate portion 201 and the lower engaging plate portion 202, which overlap each other when viewed in the rotation axis direction, thereby engaging the upper engaging plate portion 201 and the lower engaging plate portion 202 with each other. The through portion 203a penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the plate surfaces of the upper engaging plate portion 201 and the lower engaging plate portion 202. When the connecting pin 203 penetrates the through portion 203a through the upper engaging plate portion 201 and the lower engaging plate portion 202, the locking portion 203b is located above the upper engaging plate portion 201, thereby restricting the connecting pin 203 from coming off downward from both plate portions.

[0139] The upper and lower engagement plate portions 201 and 202 are formed with holes 211 and 212 through which the through-hole 203a of the connecting pin 203 penetrates. The holes 211 and 212 have a diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the through-hole 203a of the connecting pin 203. The holes 211 and 212 of both plate portions are formed at positions where they overlap with each other while the tip surface 201a of the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the tip surface 202a of the lower engagement plate portion 202 coincide with each other when viewed in the rotation axis direction. In the upper engagement plate portion 201, the hole 211 is formed in the vicinity of the tip end protruding from the seat support shaft 184.

[0140] By inserting the connecting pin 203 into the hole 211 of the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the hole 212 of the lower engagement plate portion 202, the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the lower engagement plate portion 202 are connected to each other, and the seat support shaft 184 and the support cylinder portion 195 are unable to rotate relatively around the rotation axis O1. As a result, the container table rear portion 132 and the auxiliary seat 125 are engaged with each other so that the auxiliary seat 125 rotates integrally with the container table rear portion 132. In other words, the engaged state is a state in which the seat support shaft 184 and the support cylinder portion 195, which are located on the inner side and the outer side of the support pipe portion 163, respectively, rotate integrally around the rotation axis O1.

[0141] On the other hand, by removing the connecting pin 203 from the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the lower engagement plate portion 202, the connection between the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the lower engagement plate portion 202 is released, and the seat support shaft 184 and the support cylinder portion 195 become relatively rotatable about the rotation axis O1. This results in a disengaged state in which the engagement between the container table rear portion 132 and the auxiliary seat 125 is released so that the auxiliary seat 125 can rotate independently (separately) from the container table rear portion 132. In other words, the disengaged state is a state in which the seat support shaft 184 and the support cylinder portion 195 can rotate independently of each other about the rotation axis O1.

[0142] In this way, in the engagement portion 200, the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear portion 132 of the container table are switched between an engaged state and a disengaged state by attaching and detaching (inserting and removing) the connecting pin 203 with respect to the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the lower engagement plate portion 202 (see arrow B1 in FIG. 12). In FIG. 12, the connecting pin 203 in a state removed from the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the lower engagement plate portion 202 is shown by a solid line, and the connecting pin 203 in a state inserted into the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the lower engagement plate portion 202 is shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0143] Regarding the positional relationship between the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132, which are engaged and connected to each other by the engaging portion 200, the auxiliary seat 125 faces forward relative to the container table rear portion 132 in the reference state (see FIG. 2). In other words, the engaging portion 200 is provided so as to rotate them integrally around the rotation axis O1 while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the auxiliary seat 125 facing forward and the container table rear portion 132 in the reference state by being engaged.

[0144] 7, by rotating the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132, which are connected by the engagement portion 200, 90° clockwise about the rotation axis O1 from a state in which the auxiliary seat 125 faces forward and the container table rear portion 132 is in a reference state, the auxiliary seat 125 faces to the right and the container table rear portion 132 is located behind the auxiliary seat 125. In this connected state of the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132, the horizontal pipe portion 192 of the container table support pipe 191 extends to the right with respect to the front of the auxiliary seat 125 itself, based on the orientation of the auxiliary seat 125 (the orientation of the seat main body portion 181), and the container table rear portion 132 is located to the right of the auxiliary seat 125.

[0145] The engagement portion 200 has a connection state in which the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear portion 132 of the container table are connected in a positional relationship different from the above-mentioned positional relationship shown in Figure 7 etc. In other words, according to the engagement portion 200, when the connection state in which the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear portion 132 of the container table are connected in a positional relationship in which the rear portion 132 of the container table is positioned to the right of the front of the orientation of the auxiliary seat 125 itself as shown in Figure 7 etc. is defined as a "first connection state", a "second connection state" can be obtained in which the positional relationship between the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear portion 132 of the container table is different from that of the first connection state.

[0146] In the second connected state of the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear part 132 of the container table, the auxiliary seat 125 faces forward and the rear part 132 of the container table is positioned at a diagonal rear right side of the auxiliary seat 125 as shown in FIG. 14. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the angle α1 that the extension direction of the horizontal pipe portion 192 (see line D1) makes with the front-rear direction of the auxiliary seat 125 itself (see line D2) is 135° when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis. Note that this angle in the first connected state is 90°. In other words, the second connected state is a state in which the rear part 132 of the container table is rotated 45° clockwise around the rotation axis O1 with respect to the first connected state.

[0147] The engagement portion 200 has a second hole 212B as the hole 212 in the lower engagement plate portion 202 in order to put the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear portion 132 of the container table into a second connected state (see FIG. 13). That is, in the engagement portion 200, with respect to the relative rotation of the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear portion 132 of the container table about the rotation axis O1, the hole 211 of the upper engagement plate portion 201 and the second hole 212B of the lower engagement plate portion 202 are positioned so as to overlap with each other when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, and the connecting pin 203 is inserted into these holes 211, 212B. As a result, the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear portion 132 of the container table are put into the second connected state.

[0148] Thus, the lower engagement plate 202 has two holes 212: a first hole 212A (see FIG. 12) used in the first connected state and a second hole 212B used in the second connected state. The second hole 212B is formed at a position shifted 45° counterclockwise (left rotation direction) from the first hole 212A about a circumference centered on the rotation axis O1 when viewed in the rotation axis direction.

[0149] By forming three or more holes 212 in the lower engagement plate portion 202, it is possible to obtain three or more connection states between the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132, which differ in the size of the positional relationship between them, i.e., the angle in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis O1 (see angle α1 in FIG. 14), between the two. Also, by forming a plurality of holes 211 in the upper engagement plate portion 201 in the same way as the holes 212 in the lower engagement plate portion 202, a plurality of connection states can be obtained.

[0150] In addition, the container table rear part 132 is provided so as to be able to be engaged with the traveling body 3. In this embodiment, the container table rear part 132 is provided so as to be able to be engaged with a support pipe part 163 of a support pipe 161 fixed to a tread 165 which is a configuration provided with respect to the body frame 9 of the traveling body 3. By engaging the container table rear part 132 with the support pipe part 163, the container table rear part 132 is fixed to the support pipe part 163 and movement around the rotation axis O1 is restricted.

[0151] 15 and 16, the container platform rear section 132 is locked to the support pipe section 163 by a locking pin 220. The locking pin 220 is a member similar to, for example, the stopper pin 187 (see FIG. 13), and has a head 220a on one end side. The stopper pin 187 may be used as the locking pin 220.

[0152] The locking pin 220 radially penetrates the support pipe portion 163 and the support cylinder portion 195 into which the upper end portion of the support pipe portion 163 is inserted along a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis O1, and its tip portion protrudes from the peripheral wall of the support cylinder portion 195 to form a tip protrusion 220b. A locking member (not shown) such as a clip pin for preventing the locking pin 220 from coming off is attached to the tip protrusion 220b of the locking pin 220.

[0153] The locking pin 220 penetrates the support tube portion 195 and the support pipe portion 163 in a direction in which the head portion 220a is positioned on the right front side of the rotation axis O1 in a plan view, similarly to the stopper pin 187. However, the axial direction and the penetrating direction of the locking pin 220 are not particularly limited. A pair of holes 221 through which the locking pin 220 penetrates are formed in the peripheral wall of the support tube portion 195 at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the support tube portion 195. The holes 221 have a hole diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shaft portion of the locking pin 220. For the support pipe portion 163, the hole portion 188 for the stopper pin 187 is used as the hole portion through which the locking pin 220 penetrates. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the upper set of holes 188 out of the upper and lower three stages is used as the hole portion 188 through which the locking pin 220 penetrates.

[0154] By passing the locking pin 220 through the support cylinder portion 195 and the support pipe portion 163 in this manner, the support cylinder portion 195 is locked and fixed to the support pipe portion 163, and the movement of the support cylinder portion 195 in the direction of the rotation axis O1 is restricted, and the rotation of the support cylinder portion 195 about the rotation axis O1 is restricted. As a result, the container table rear portion 132 provided on the support cylinder portion 195 via a part of the container table support pipe 191 is locked and fixed to the support pipe portion 163 of the support pipe 161. The pair of holes 221 through which the locking pin 220 is inserted are formed at positions where the container table rear portion 132 is fixed to the support pipe portion 163 in the reference state shown in FIG. 2 (see FIG. 16).

[0155] In this configuration in which the container bed rear part 132 is fixed to the support pipe part 163 by the locking pin 220, the insertion part of the locking pin 220 with respect to the support cylinder part 195 and the support pipe part 163 becomes a locking part 230 that restricts movement of the container bed rear part 132 by locking the container bed rear part 132 to the traveling body 3. By providing multiple sets of pairs of holes 221 in the support cylinder part 195 in the circumferential direction of the support cylinder part 195 or providing multiple sets of pairs of holes 188 in the support pipe part 163 in the circumferential direction of the support pipe part 163, it is possible to provide multiple fixing positions of the container bed rear part 132 around the rotation axis O1 with respect to the support pipe part 163.

[0156] In the configuration in which the container table rear part 132 is fixed to the support pipe part 163 by the locking pin 220 as described above, the auxiliary seat 125 is supported by the locking pin 220 in a manner similar to the manner in which it is supported by the stopper pin 187. As shown in FIG. 15 , the locking pin 220 is abutted by the lower end face 184a, which is the lower opening end face of the sheet support shaft 184, at the upper end of the outer circumferential surface of the part located inside the support pipe part 163, thereby locking and supporting the sheet support shaft 184 to the support pipe part 163. In other words, the sheet support shaft 184 is inserted into the support pipe part 163, and the sheet support shaft 184 is interfered with by the locking pin 220 that penetrates the support pipe part 163 and is located mostly inside the support pipe part 163, so that the auxiliary seat 125 is supported by the support pipe part 163, with its downward movement being restricted. Therefore, the locking pin 220 receives the load of the auxiliary seat 125 and the auxiliary worker seated on the auxiliary seat 125 .

[0157] As a configuration for fixing the rear portion 132 of the container table, instead of or in addition to the locking structure to the support pipe portion 163 using the locking pin 220, a locking mechanism for fixing the rear portion 132 of the container table in the standard state may be provided on the container table main body portion 131 side.

[0158] Furthermore, in a configuration in which the container table rear part 132 is fixed to the support pipe part 163 by the locking pin 220, by also passing the locking pin 220 through the seat support shaft 184 of the auxiliary seat 125, it is possible to lock and fix the auxiliary seat 125 to the support pipe part 163, which is a component on the traveling body 3 side, together with the container table rear part 132. In other words, by locking the seat support shaft 184 to the support pipe part 163, the auxiliary seat 125 is fixed to the support pipe part 163, and movement around the rotation axis O1 is restricted.

[0159] In a configuration in which the auxiliary seat 125 is fixed to the support pipe portion 163 (hereinafter referred to as the "auxiliary seat fixing configuration"), as shown in Figures 17 and 18, the seat support shaft 184 is locked to the support pipe portion 163 by a locking pin 220. In the auxiliary seat fixing configuration, the locking pin 220 passes through the support cylinder portion 195, the seat support shaft 184, and the support pipe portion 163. For this reason, a pair of holes 222, through which the locking pin 220 passes, are formed in the peripheral wall of the seat support shaft 184 at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the seat support shaft 184. The hole portions 222 have a hole diameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the shaft portion of the locking pin 220.

[0160] By passing the locking pin 220 through the seat support shaft 184 and the support pipe section 163 in this manner, the seat support shaft 184 is locked and fixed to the support pipe section 163, and the movement of the seat support shaft 184 in the direction of the rotation axis O1 is restricted, and the rotation of the seat support shaft 184 around the rotation axis O1 is restricted. As a result, the auxiliary seat 125 with the seat support shaft 184 inserted into the support pipe section 163 is locked and fixed to the support pipe section 163. The pair of holes 222 through which the locking pin 220 is inserted are formed at positions where the auxiliary seat 125 is fixed to the support pipe section 163 when the auxiliary seat 125 faces forward (see FIG. 2).

[0161] As described above, in the auxiliary seat fixing configuration, the auxiliary seat 125 is provided so as to be able to be locked to the traveling body 3. In this embodiment, the auxiliary seat 125 is provided so as to be able to be locked to the support pipe portion 163 of the support pipe 161. That is, by passing the locking pin 220 through the triple cylindrical structure formed by the support pipe portion 163, the support cylinder portion 195, and the seat support shaft 184, the container table rear portion 132 and the auxiliary seat 125 are locked and fixed to the traveling body 3.

[0162] In the auxiliary seat fixing configuration, the insertion portion of the locking pin 220 in the seat support shaft 184 and the support pipe portion 163 serves as an auxiliary seat locking portion 240 that restricts movement of the auxiliary seat 125 by locking the auxiliary seat 125 to the traveling machine body 3. By providing multiple sets of pairs of holes 222 in the seat support shaft 184 in the circumferential direction of the seat support shaft 184 or providing multiple sets of pairs of holes 188 in the support pipe portion 163 in the circumferential direction of the support pipe portion 163, it is possible to provide multiple fixing positions of the auxiliary seat 125 around the rotation axis O1 relative to the support pipe portion 163.

[0163] It is also possible to configure the locking pin 220 to pass through only the support pipe portion 163 and the seat support shaft 184 of the auxiliary seat 125, and the support cylinder portion 195 to be supported on the locking pin 220. According to this configuration, the auxiliary seat 125 is supported in a fixed state to the support pipe portion 163 by the locking pin 220 as shown in Fig. 17, and the container table rear portion 132 is supported by the locking pin 220 to be rotatable around the rotation axis O1 in a manner similar to the manner in which the support cylinder portion 195 is supported by the stopper pin 187 as shown in Fig. 12.

[0164] According to the vegetable harvesting machine 1 of this embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration, in a configuration in which the mounting platform 130 for supporting the container 120 is provided on the side of the body extending forward and backward, and an auxiliary seat 125 is arranged on the rear side of the body, good access to the mounting platform 130 can be obtained from the auxiliary seat 125 regardless of whether there is space on the side of the body, thereby improving workability.

[0165] That is, the loading platform 130 according to this embodiment has a container platform main body 131 and a container platform rear part 132 provided so as to be movable rearward with respect to the container platform main body 131. According to this configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, by moving the container platform rear part 132 rearward, a space 300 through which an operator can pass can be secured between the container platform main body 131 and the container platform rear part 132. As a result, when an auxiliary operator sitting on the auxiliary seat 125 moves to the right side of the container platform main body part 131 to move the container 120 in which the vegetable body parts 2a have accumulated on the container platform main body part 131 or to set an empty container 120 (replacement of the container 120) during harvesting work by the vegetable harvester 1, the auxiliary operator can go through the space 300 to a place on the right side of the container platform main body part 131, which is the right side of the machine body (hereinafter referred to as a "container work place") (see arrow C1 in FIG. 7).

[0166] In the reference state of the container table rear part 132 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, the container table rear part 132 is located to the right of the auxiliary seat 125, so that the auxiliary worker sitting on the auxiliary seat 125 needs to go around by passing behind the container table rear part 132 when going to the container work area. Therefore, by moving the container table rear part 132 to the rear to secure the space 300, the auxiliary worker sitting on the auxiliary seat 125 can access the container work area in the shortest distance by passing through the space 300 without having to go around to the rear of the container table rear part 132. In addition, when the auxiliary worker returns from the container work area to the auxiliary seat 125, he or she can return through the space 300. Thus, according to the configuration of the loading platform part 130 according to this embodiment, the container table rear part 132 can be moved to the rear and removed when it gets in the way, so that the movement between the auxiliary seat 125 and the container work area can be performed smoothly, and good workability can be obtained.

[0167] Furthermore, according to the configuration of the loading platform section 130 in this embodiment, the rear section 132 of the container platform does not protrude to the right side of the aircraft when moving rearward, so that the rear section 132 of the container platform can be moved regardless of whether or not there is space to the right side of the aircraft.

[0168] Moreover, the container bed rear part 132 is provided rotatably about a rotation axis O1 in the rotation support part 160 located to the left of the placement platform part 130. According to this configuration, the container bed rear part 132 can be supported by the rotation support part 160 provided on the traveling machine body 3 side so as to be movable rearward relative to the container bed main body part 131 with a simple configuration. Moreover, since the container bed rear part 132 can be moved by the simple operation of rotating the container bed rear part 132 about the rotation axis O1, good workability can be obtained.

[0169] Furthermore, according to the configuration for rotating the rear part 132 of the container bed, it is possible to reduce the extent to which the rear part 132 of the container bed protrudes to the right from the right end position of the container bed main body 131 during the process of moving the rear part 132 of the container bed, so that the rear part 132 of the container bed can be moved even in a situation where the space to the right side of the machine body is narrow. In other words, the rear part 132 of the container bed can be moved to any location in the field.

[0170] In addition, the auxiliary seat 125 is supported by the rotation support part 160, and the container table rear part 132 is provided so as to be rotatable together with the auxiliary seat 125. According to this configuration, by rotating the container table rear part 132 rearward from the standard state, the auxiliary seat 125 can also be rotated in the same direction, so that the auxiliary seat 125 facing forward can be turned to the right. As a result, when the auxiliary worker sitting on the auxiliary seat 125 moves through the space 300 to the container work site, the direction of the body can be automatically turned to the right side, which is the side to which the worker moves, so that the movement can be made smoothly. In addition, when the auxiliary worker returns to the auxiliary seat 125 from the container work site through the space 300, the auxiliary seat 125 faces right, so that the auxiliary worker can smoothly sit on the auxiliary seat 125. Thus, according to the configuration in which the container table rear part 132 rotates together with the auxiliary seat 125, it is possible to improve the ease of getting on and off the auxiliary seat 125 when working at the container work site.

[0171] Moreover, the rear portion 132 of the container table is rotatably supported by a support pipe portion 163 provided on the rotation support portion 160. According to such a configuration, it is possible to rotate only the rear portion 132 of the container table with a simple configuration.

[0172] Moreover, the auxiliary seat 125 is supported by the support pipe portion 163 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis O1 that is common to the container table rear portion 132. According to this configuration, the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132 can be rotated while maintaining their positional relationship, that is, without changing their positional relationship, so that the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132 can be prevented from interfering with each other or being pinched between other components, etc.

[0173] Also provided is an engagement portion 200 that enables switching between an engaged state and a disengaged state of the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear container table portion 132. With this configuration, by switching the state using the engagement portion 200, it is possible to select an appropriate and user-friendly mode for the rotational mode of the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear container table portion 132 depending on the working form of the harvesting work performed by the vegetable harvester 1, the application of the rear container table portion 132, and the like.

[0174] For example, in a state where the engaging portion 200 is in an engaged state and the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132 are connected in the first connected state (see FIG. 7), when an assistant worker sitting on the auxiliary seat 125 heads to a container work site, for example, from a forward facing state, he or she can turn his or her body to the right as if rotating the auxiliary seat 125 together with the auxiliary seat 125, thereby rotating the container table rear portion 132 90° rearward together with the auxiliary seat 125, thereby forming a space 300 behind the container table main body portion 131 (see arrows E1 and E2 in FIG. 7). In this way, according to the engaged state of the engaging portion 200, the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132 can be rotated integrally in a desired direction in response to the body movement of the assistant worker, and the assistant worker can move smoothly from the auxiliary seat 125 to the container work site.

[0175] Also, for example, in a state where the engagement portion 200 is in a disengaged state and the connection between the auxiliary seat 125 and the container table rear portion 132 is released, an assistant worker sitting on the auxiliary seat 125 can rotate the container table rear portion 132, which is in the standard state, to the rear side while keeping the auxiliary seat 125 facing forward, as shown in Fig. 19. In the example shown in Fig. 19, the container table rear portion 132 has rotated 90° from the standard state about the rotation axis O1 and is located behind the auxiliary seat 125 facing forward. By performing harvesting work in this state, a space 300 exists to the right of the auxiliary seat 125 and behind the container table main body portion 131, so that the assistant worker can easily get on and off the auxiliary seat 125 at any time.

[0176] Also, for example, in a state where the engagement portion 200 is in an engaged state and the auxiliary seat 125 and the rear part 132 of the container platform are connected in the second connected state (see FIG. 14), work is performed with the auxiliary seat 125 facing forward. In work in such a state, for example, the container 120 placed on the rear part 132 of the container platform is used as the container 120 into which vegetable body parts 2a to be re-sorted and defective vegetable body parts 2a that are not to be harvested are put. In this case, the vegetable body parts 2a to be re-sorted that are to be put into the container 120 on the rear part 132 of the container platform are picked up by visual confirmation from the vegetable body parts 2a transported by the conveyor 7 by an assistant worker sitting on the auxiliary seat 125.

[0177] 14, a space 300A narrower than the space 300 (see FIG. 7) formed by rotating the container table rear part 132 by 90° from the standard state is secured to the right of the auxiliary seat 125 and behind the container table main body part 131. The space 300A can be used as a passageway for the assistant worker sitting on the auxiliary seat 125 to head to the container work location (see arrow F1 in FIG. 14).

[0178] In addition, the rear part 132 of the container table is provided so as to be able to be engaged with the support pipe part 163 which is a component of the machine body. According to such a configuration, when movement of the rear part 132 of the container table is not required during harvesting work, the rear part 132 of the container table can be restricted from being moved inadvertently by engaging and fixing the rear part 132 of the container table, thereby enabling safe and stable work to be performed.

[0179] The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Therefore, even if it is not the above-described embodiment, various modifications are possible according to the design, etc., as long as they do not deviate from the technical idea of ​​the present invention. In addition, the effects described in this disclosure are merely examples and are not limited, and other effects may be present.

[0180] In the above-described embodiment, the loading platform 130 constitutes a support surface without having any particular driving parts, but the loading platform according to the present invention may also have, for example, a conveyor part that is driven by power transmitted from a driving source such as a motor and has the function of automatically transporting the container 120 in the forward and backward directions.

[0181] The present technology can have the following configurations. Note that the configurations described below can be selected and combined as desired. (1) A vegetable harvester including a harvesting unit that pulls out vegetables from soil and harvests them, a conveying device that conveys the vegetables harvested by the harvesting unit, and a mounting platform for supporting a storage container that accommodates the vegetables conveyed by the conveying device, An auxiliary seat is provided at a rear position of the transport device, the mounting table portion includes a mounting table main body portion including a portion for positioning the storage container at a position for receiving the vegetables transported by the transport device, and an extension table portion for extending the mounting table portion rearward from the mounting table main body portion, The extension stand is supported by a support provided on a machine body so as to be movable at least rearward with respect to the placement stand main body so as to be spaced apart from the placement stand main body. A vegetable harvester characterized by (2) The extension base is rotatable about a rotation axis located on the left and right inner side of the placement base with the rotation axis extending in the up and down direction. The vegetable harvester according to (1) above. (3) The auxiliary seat is supported by the support portion, and the extension base portion is provided so as to be rotatable together with the auxiliary seat. The vegetable harvester according to (2) above. (4) The extension base is rotatably supported by a pivot portion provided on the support portion. A vegetable harvester as described in (2) or (3) above. (5) The auxiliary seat is supported by the pivot support portion so as to be rotatable about a common rotation axis with the extension base portion. The vegetable harvester according to (4) above. (6) The extension base portion and the auxiliary seat are engaged with each other so that the auxiliary seat rotates integrally with the extension base portion, and an engagement portion is switchable between the engagement state and the non-engagement state in which the engagement between the extension base portion and the auxiliary seat is released. The vegetable harvester according to any one of (3) to (5) above, (7) The extension base is provided so as to be engageable with the machine body. The vegetable harvester according to any one of (1) to (6) above, [Explanation of symbols]

[0182] 1. Vegetable harvester 2. Carrot (vegetable) 2a Vegetable body 3 Running body 6. Harvesting Section 7 Conveyor (transport device) 120 Container (storage vessel) 125 Auxiliary seat 130 Mounting platform 131 Container platform main body (loading platform main body) 132 Rear of container platform (extension platform) 133 Container setting section 160 Rotation support part (support part) 161 Support pipe 163 Support pipe section (axial support section) 200 Engagement part 203 Connecting pin 220 Locking pin 230 Locking part O1 Rotation axis

Claims

1. A vegetable harvester including a harvesting unit that pulls out vegetables from soil and harvests them, a conveying device that conveys the vegetables harvested by the harvesting unit, and a mounting platform for supporting a storage container that accommodates the vegetables conveyed by the conveying device, An auxiliary seat is provided at a rear position of the transport device, the mounting table portion includes a mounting table main body portion including a portion for positioning the storage container at a position for receiving the vegetables transported by the transport device, and an extension table portion for extending the mounting table portion rearward from the mounting table main body portion, The extension stand is supported by a support provided on a machine body so as to be movable at least rearward with respect to the placement stand main body so as to be spaced apart from the placement stand main body. A vegetable harvester characterized by

2. The extension base is rotatable about a rotation axis located on the left and right inner side of the placement base with the rotation axis extending in the up and down direction.

2. A vegetable harvester according to claim 1.

3. The auxiliary seat is supported by the support portion, and the extension base portion is provided so as to be rotatable together with the auxiliary seat.

3. A vegetable harvester according to claim 2.

4. The extension base is rotatably supported by a pivot portion provided on the support portion.

4. A vegetable harvester according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The auxiliary seat is supported by the pivot support portion so as to be rotatable about a common rotation axis with the extension base portion.

5. A vegetable harvester according to claim 4.

6. The extension base portion and the auxiliary seat are engaged with each other so that the auxiliary seat rotates integrally with the extension base portion, and an engagement portion is switchable between the engagement state and the non-engagement state in which the engagement between the extension base portion and the auxiliary seat is released.

4. A vegetable harvester according to claim 3.

7. The extension base is provided so as to be engageable with the machine body.

2. A vegetable harvester according to claim 1.

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