Peanut digger-shaker-inverter with hydraulic motors in lieu of bevel gears
A digger-shaker-inverter for harvesting rooted plants includes a plurality of row units, with each row unit comprising first and second carrying belts spaced to grip opposite sides of vines on the rooted plants. A first pulley drives the first carrying belt and a second pulley driving the second carrying belt. A first hydraulic motor is mounted to selectively cause rotation of the first pulley, and a second hydraulic motor is mounted to selectively cause rotation of the second pulley. A supply line connected to a tractor's hydraulic system provides hydraulic fluid to the first and second hydraulic motors, which are connected in daisy-chain fashion with an outlet of one connected to an inlet of the second, and the outlet of the second of the hydraulic motors connected to an inlet for a hydraulic motor of another row unit.
1 . A digger-shaker-inverter configured to be connected to and pulled by a tractor when harvesting rooted plants, the digger-shaker-inverter including a plurality of row units, each row unit comprising:
first and second carrying belts spaced to grip opposite sides of vines on the rooted plants;
a first pulley driving the first carrying belt;
a second pulley driving the second carrying belt;
a first hydraulic motor mounted to selectively cause rotation of the first pulley, the first hydraulic motor including a first hydraulic fluid inlet and a first hydraulic fluid outlet, the first hydraulic fluid inlet connected to a supply line for receiving hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic system of the tractor; and
a second hydraulic motor mounted to selectively cause rotation of the second pulley, the second hydraulic motor including a second hydraulic fluid inlet and a second hydraulic fluid outlet, the second hydraulic fluid inlet connected by a connecting line to the first hydraulic fluid outlet for receiving hydraulic fluid from the first hydraulic motor and the second hydraulic fluid outlet connected to a return line for returning hydraulic fluid that is fluidically coupled to the hydraulic system of the tractor.
2 . The digger-shaker-inverter of claim 1 , wherein the supply line connected to the hydraulic system of the tractor provides hydraulic fluid to the first and second hydraulic motors.
3 . The digger-shaker-inverter of claim 2 , wherein the connecting line carries hydraulic fluid from the first hydraulic fluid outlet of the first hydraulic motor to the second hydraulic fluid inlet of the second hydraulic motor.
4 . The digger-shaker-inverter of claim 3 , wherein the return line carries hydraulic fluid from the second hydraulic fluid outlet of the second hydraulic motor for a first of the plurality of row units to the first hydraulic fluid inlet of the first hydraulic motor for a second of the plurality of row units.
5 . The digger-shaker-inverter of claim 3 , wherein the return line carries hydraulic fluid from the second hydraulic fluid outlet of the second hydraulic motor for a first of the plurality of row units to the hydraulic system of the tractor.