Moveable Tobacco Curing Frames

Moveable (or portable) curing frames offer the tobacco grower another option for successfully reducing labor and costs for producing air-cured tobacco. Reducing labor and costs is essential to continuing profitable tobacco production. Two designs that use the cantilever-beam concept for supporting two rails of stick tobacco on a central beam are shown and explained in this publication. Further details of construction and covering are shown in the following drawings

Stick Holder and Deposition Device

The present invention is directed to a device for positioning a stick relative to a harvesting aid. The stick holder mounts a stick relative to an operator positioned on a harvesting aid. The stick holder is designed to adjust the height and angle of the stick relative to the operator. In addition, a plant holding trough is provided adjacent to the stick holder to retain the harvested crops prior to a loaded stick being discharged from the stick holder

Monitoring the Dynamics of Scaled Vehicles Using a Sonic Digitizer

Certain dynamic stability characteristics of an alternate method of mounting a front-end loader to a farm tractor were compared to those of a conventionally mounted front-end loader operating on a specified terrain. One objective of the study was to determine if the alternate method of mounting a front-end loader resulted in better stability characteristics and, in turn, safer operation than a conventional front-end loader. Another objective was to determine if a three-dimensional sonic digitizer could monitor the motion of the scale model tractor-loader systems accurately enough to perform a comparison between the systems. This article describes the second objective of the study. A battery-powered, 1/4 scale model tractor-loader was used to perform experimental tests. Both tractor-loader systems were operated on two slopes and on random combinations of two sinusoidal bump heights, two load weights, two loader heights, and two velocities. Three replications were performed of each test condition. A three-dimensional sonic digitizer was utilized to monitor the motion of the scale model tractor-loader systems. The sonic digitizing system made it possible to record position of the tractor-loader systems versus time at levels of frequency and accuracy faster than any previous methods of obtaining this type of data. This greater number of observations allowed systems to be statistically compared, which was not possible with previous data collection systems. The digitizing system was able to locate each sound emitter accurately. Elapsed time between emitter firing sequences may have resulted in the measured roll and front axle rotation angles to be less than actual peaks

Dynamic Stability of Two Tractor Front-End Loader Systems

A one-quarter scale model tractor and loader were designed, fabricated, and used in an experiment to evaluate two tractor-loader configurations relative to stability using roll angle as the means of assessment. The nonconventional loader system consisted of a conventional loader attached to a steerable carrier which in turn was attached to the tractor by the front axle and drawbar of the tractor. The stabilizing axle for the non-conventional loader system was the front axle as opposed to the conventional system in which the stabilizing axle was the rear axle. The experiment showed that the non-conventional loader had an inherent advantage in stability as assessed by roll angle. The roll angle was smaller at higher velocity than at lower velocity because the tires underwent greater deformation at the higher velocity than at the lower velocity

Cultivating Attachment for Crop Harvester Support Vehicle

A cultivator for attachment to a crop harvester including at least one tool frame member with soil tilling tools adjustably mounted relative thereto. A shaft is provided rotatably mounted relative to a support frame of the crop harvester. An actuating member is operatively connected to the shaft and the support frame for selectively imparting rotation to the shaft. A link is operatively, pivotally connected between the tool frame member and the support frame for guiding the frame member and the soil tilling tools between a raised position out of engagement with a ground surface and a lowered position into engagement with the ground surface. A connecting member is operatively connected to the shaft and the frame member for translating rotational motion of the shaft into rotatable, vertical motion of the tool frame member and the soil tilling tools about the link pivotally mounted to the support frame to selectively raise and lower the frame member and the soil tilling tools

Transplanter Mounting Attachment for a Harvester

A transplanter mounting attachment for attachment to a crop harvester including a pivot shaft operatively connected for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally with respect to a support frame of a crop harvester. A rotating sleeve substantially orthogonally disposed with respect to the pivot shaft and rotatably mounted relative thereto. A connecting shaft substantially orthogonally disposed with respect to the pivot shaft and rotatably mounted relative thereto. At least one transplanter attaching assembly operatively connected to the rotating sleeve and being raised or lowered upon rotary motion being imparted to the rotating sleeve. Wheels are provided which are operatively connected to the connecting shaft for engaging the ground surface to support the transplanter attaching assembly. The transplanter attaching assembly is free to rotate about substantially horizontal axes which extend substantially parallel and perpendicular to the support frame of a crop harvester

Curling Burley Tobacco from an Automated Harvesting System

If burley tobacco can be successfully cured at high density under waterproof covers in the field, a producer can expand production without the necessity of building new curing barns and can thereby more easily justify investment in the automated burley tobacco harvesting system (Wells et al., 1990a, b). Curing under waterproof covers in the field and curing on frames in the barn were evaluated over three curing seasons using two varieties (KY 14 and TN 86), two plant densities (32 and 43 plants/m2, 3 and 4 plants/ft2), position of tobacco on the frame (four levels ranging from edge to center) and stalk position (bottom, middle and top). Conventionally cured tobacco was used as the standard of comparison and grade index was used as the assessment of quality. Averaged over a three-year period, burley tobacco cured in the field over sod and under waterproof covers and conventionally cured tobacco were of equal quality (56.0 and 55.8 grade index, respectively) and were both superior to tobacco cured on frames in the barn (52.0). During the dry curing season, burley tobacco cured under the covers had a higher grade index (54.9) than that cured conventionally (43.5) or on frames in the barn (43.7) but during the moderately wet and wet curing seasons, conventionally cured burley tobacco had a higher grade index (62.3 and 61.5, respectively) than that cured under covers (58.9 and 54.2, respectively) or on frame in the barn (59.0 and 53.4, respectively). During the wet curing season, leaf tips near the sod in the field and near the concrete in the barn cured dark red resulting in a lowered grade index. Burley tobacco from the automated harvesting system is better cured outside under waterproof covers than cured in a barn

Moveable Curing Frames

Low cost, low labor, moveable, sturdy, dependable and easily covered -- is this an ideal curing structure? Can it be done? Seeking such a design is the aim of ongoing studies using the cantilever-beam concept for supporting two rails of stick tobacco on a central beam

Wind Drag on Burley Tobacco Plants

Drag coefficient and center of resistance to wind forces were determined for four varieties of burley tobacco at three stages of growth and using wind velocities ranging from about 3 to 17 m/s. Drag coefficients determined ranged from about 0.024 at the highest velocity to about 0.081 at the lowest velocity. Stage of growth and wind velocity had significant effects on drag coefficient. Variety did not have a significant effect on drag coefficient. Mean center of resistance varied from 42.3 percent of the distance from bottom leaf to top leaf at the early stage of growth to 71.2 percent at harvest stage. Center of resistance was significantly affected by variety, stage of growth, and wind velocity