Harvester bucket
View Patent ↗A harvester includes a conveyor having molded conveyor buckets. The conveyor includes a continuous first chain and a continuous second chain extending parallel to the first chain. Parallel spaced apart rods extend between the chains. Each bucket includes a front wall, a rear wall higher than the front wall, opposed sides connecting the front wall and the rear wall and a bottom portion connecting the front wall, the rear wall and the opposed sides. The front wall includes a mounting portion configured to extend over a rear wall of an adjacent bucket and one of the rods when assembled in a conveyor. The mounting portion is a lip in a first embodiment, an insert in a second embodiment and an upper portion of the front wall folded over in a third embodiment.
1. A harvester comprising:
a harvesting assembly;
a conveyor assembly for collecting harvested produce, the conveyor assembly comprising:
a continuous first chain;
a continuous second chain extending parallel to the first chain;
a plurality of parallel spaced apart rods extending between the chains; and
a plurality of buckets, each bucket comprising:
a first wall,
a second wall spaced apart from the first wall and extending higher than the first wall,
opposed sides connecting the first wall and the second wall, a bottom portion connecting the first wall, the second wall and the opposed sides, the sides having upper edges, the upper edges extending at an oblique angle to the first wall and the second wall, and
a lip formed in the first wall and projecting outward and downward from the first wall mounting on one of the rods and extending over an upper edge of the second wall of an adjacent bucket;
the conveyor assembly including a horizontally extending portion, wherein the molded buckets passing along the horizontally extending portion are supported on the rods so that the first and second walls are at an oblique angle to horizontal.