Multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus and processing method

Abstract

The Multipurpose Leaf Crop Harvesting Apparatus and Processing Method will accomplish seven steps in one pass of the combine harvester. This apparatus and processing method harvests leaf crops and is configured to perform multiple processing operations, including fractionation of the leaf crop, leaf maceration, leaf sizing, elevating the leaf fraction to a transport vehicle, and stem conditioning, cutting and windrowing, in a single pass through the crop field. These steps are accomplished using a header unit, an adapter feeder macerator and a forage harvester vehicle, expeditiously removing the leaf fraction from the field. Following leaf fraction harvesting, the leaf fraction is processed by densification into forage feed products. The processed leaf fraction can be combined with other feeds to make up customized feed rations. The stem fraction is also processed. The present invention can also be used to harvest grass crops.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus, comprising:
 (a) a harvesting apparatus header unit attachable to an adapter unit which is configured to attach to a forage harvester vehicle, housing   (b) a stripper rotor rotatably housed within said header unit having a plurality of radially arranged stripper fingers affixed thereto;   (b) said harvesting apparatus header unit having an adjustable crop deflector movably attached thereto; and   (c) said harvesting apparatus header unit housing an auger and having a top hood;   wherein said harvesting header unit is attached to a forage harvester vehicle and said stripper fingers are capable of stripping leaf crop leaves from the leaf crop stems and are arranged radially on said stripper rotor and when said stripper rotor rotates, said stripper fingers fractionate the leaf crop by stripping the leaf crop leaves off the leaf crop stems and transporting the leaf fraction into the radius underside of said adjustable crop deflector and through the center of said harvesting apparatus header to an auger, thereby removing the leaf fraction from the leaf crop field by elevating the leaf fraction onto a transport vehicle upon the first harvesting pass though the leaf crop field.   
     
     
         2 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said adapter unit houses a feeder macerator unit. 
     
     
         3 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of stripper fingers arranged radially and located on said stripper rotor are supported by a support member and include a contoured stripper finger end. 
     
     
         4 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of stripper fingers include Shelbourne-type stripper fingers, hay tine-type stripper fingers, and sweeper brush-type stripper fingers, depending upon the type of leaf crop, hay crop or grass crop to be harvested. 
     
     
         5 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 2 , further including an adapter feeder macerator capable of leaf maceration operations, wherein said feeder macerator adapter variably macerates the leaf fraction generating a macerated leaf fraction prior to elevating the leaf fraction onto a transport vehicle. 
     
     
         6 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 5 , further including an adapter feeder macerator capable of leaf maceration operations, wherein said feeder macerator adapter macerates the leaf fraction when the leaf crop is being harvested by the leaf crop harvesting apparatus. 
     
     
         7 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 5 , further including an adapter feeder macerator capable of leaf maceration operations, wherein said feeder macerator unit does not macerate the leaf fraction when the leaf crop is being harvested, and further wherein the maceration step occurs at a processing facility after the harvested leaf fraction is elevated onto transport vehicles during the harvesting pass, and directly and expeditiously transported to that processing facility. 
     
     
         8 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein said macerated leaf fraction is sized generating a macerated and sized leaf fraction prior to elevating said macerated and sized leaf fraction onto a transport vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said macerated and sized leaf fraction is elevated onto a transport vehicle in one harvesting pass through a leaf crop field and thereby directly and expeditiously removed from the leaf crop field in one harvesting pass. 
     
     
         10 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said harvesting apparatus header unit housing said stripper rotor, said stripper fingers, and said adjustable crop deflector, further includes a height adjustable crop deflector having crop deflector guide rollers to enable upward and downward height adjustment of said adjustable crop deflector to maximize leaf fractionation by deflecting the crop into an optimal position angle prior to contact with said stripper rotor, depending on the crop to be harvested. 
     
     
         11 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein removing the leaf crop leaf fraction from the leaf crop field upon the first harvesting pass, further includes processing the remaining in-field stem fraction by stem conditioning of the leaf crop stems, and stem cutting of the leaf crop stems followed by stem windrowing of the leaf crop stems resulting in in-field stem fraction windrows composed of aggregates of the conditioned cut leaf crop stems. 
     
     
         12 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein said resulting in-field stem fraction windrows composed of aggregates of the conditioned cut leaf crop stems are bailed and removed from the leaf crop field. 
     
     
         13 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said harvesting apparatus header unit attachable to an adapter feeder macerator and conventional harvester combine vehicle, is configured to be capable of performing the following operations in one pass through a leaf crop field:
 a) leaf crop stripping of the leaf crop leaves from the leaf crop stems, thereby generating a leaf crop leaf fraction;   b) leaf crop leaf fraction maceration;   c) leaf crop leaf fraction sizing;   d) elevation of said leaf crop leaf fraction onto a transport vehicle;   e) leaf crop stem conditioning, leaf crop stem cutting and leaf crop stem windrowing;   wherein said harvesting apparatus header unit enables the direct and expeditious removal of the leaf crop leaf fraction from the crop field upon harvest of the leaf crop simultaneously with all of the harvesting operations performed.   
     
     
         14 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the crop harvested is alfalfa and said harvesting apparatus header strips the alfalfa leaves from the alfalfa stems, thereby fractionating the alfalfa leaves in one harvesting pass and leaving the remaining alfalfa stems standing in the field. 
     
     
         15 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the wherein the crop harvested is a grass crop and said harvesting apparatus header strips the grass seed head from the grass stem, thereby fractionating the grass seed head in one harvesting pass and leaving the grass stems standing in the field. 
     
     
         16 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the wherein the rotation speed of the stripper rotor can vary in revolutions per minute during harvesting operations, depending on the type of crop to be harvested. 
     
     
         17 . The multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the wherein the height adjustable crop deflector includes a height adjustable crop deflector which acts to position the leaf crop for optimal stripping of the leaf crop leaves from the leaf crop stems, depending on the leaf crop to be harvested and removed from the leaf crop field. 
     
     
         18 . A method for making a multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus, comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a harvesting apparatus header unit attachable to an adapter unit which is configured to attach toy a forage harvester vehicle, housing   (b) providing a stripper rotor rotatably housed within said header unit having a plurality of radially arranged stripper fingers affixed thereto;   (b) providing said harvesting apparatus header unit having an adjustable crop deflector movably attached thereto; and   (c) providing said harvesting apparatus header unit housing an auger and having a top hood;   wherein said harvesting header unit is attached to a forage harvester vehicle and said stripper fingers are capable of stripping leaf crop leaves from the leaf crop stems and are arranged radially on said stripper rotor and when said stripper rotor rotates, said stripper fingers fractionate the leaf crop by stripping the leaf crop leaves off the leaf crop stems and transporting the leaf fraction into the radius underside of said adjustable crop deflector and through the center of said harvesting apparatus header to an auger, thereby removing the leaf fraction from the leaf crop field by elevating the leaf fraction onto a transport vehicle upon the first harvesting pass though the leaf crop field.   
     
     
         19 . A method for harvesting a leaf crop and processing a harvested leaf crop using the multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 18 , comprising the steps of:
 a) harvesting a leaf crop by stripping the leaf crop leaves off of the leaf crop stems thereby generating a leaf crop leaf fraction and a leaf crop stem fraction and elevating said leaf fraction onto a transport vehicle using a multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus having a forage harvester vehicle an adapter feeder macerator and a harvesting header unit configured to perform multiple harvesting operations in one pass through a crop field, wherein said multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus enables the removal of the leaf crop leaf fraction from the crop field upon harvest of the leaf crop during the first harvesting pass through the leaf crop field; and   b) transporting the leaf fraction elevated onto a transport vehicle directly to a processing plant and   c) densifying the leaf fraction upon arrival at said processing plant, thereby generating a densified leaf crop leaf fraction for further processing into densified leaf crop leaf fraction products;   wherein the transporting and densifying processing steps are taken expeditiously after harvesting and removal of the leaf crop leaf fraction.   
     
     
         20 . The method of harvesting a leaf crop and processing a harvested leaf crop using the multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein said maceration step is performed at a processing plant after said transport to a processing plant. 
     
     
         21 . The method of harvesting a leaf crop and processing a harvested leaf crop using the multipurpose leaf crop harvesting apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein said step of densifying the leaf fraction upon arrival at said processing plant includes drying a macerated leaf crop leaf fraction or a whole leaf non-macerated leaf crop leaf fraction.