The invention relates to a harvesting machine for harvesting elongated plants, for example such as green asparagus, wherein the harvesting machine, moving in a direction of travel, is provided with at least one in-feed device with which a plant is to be fed into the harvesting machine, at least one gripping device following the in-feed device with which the plant fed in is to be gripped, as well as at least one separating device with which a part of the gripped plant to be harvested is to be separated from another part of the plant.

A device for harvesting asparagus growing from a asparagus field that includes a frame displaceable over the asparagus field by a drive means in which frame is at least provided with cutting means for cutting the asparagus to be harvested close to the surface of the field, and stabilizing means for stabilizing the asparagus relative to the cutting means.

The present application relates to selective harvesting of agricultural objects, such as asparagus spears. One described example relates to a harvester that includes at least one set of independently controllable cutter arm assemblies that rotate about a common axis to harvest individual asparagus spears.

The present application relates to selective harvesting of agricultural objects, such as asparagus spears. One described example relates to a harvester that includes at least one set of independently controllable cutter arm assemblies that rotate about a common axis to harvest individual asparagus spears.

An asparagus harvester includes a chassis movable over a bed of growing asparagus. Spears above a selected height are severed at the ground by a severing assembly. A conveyor receives from a pick-up apparatus and conveys away asparagus spears severed by the severing assembly. The severing assembly includes a severing blade carried by a plunger mounted in a pneumatic cylinder. Conduits couple the pneumatic cylinder to a source of air under pressure through a valve unit operable for actuating the pneumatic cylinder to repeatedly fire and withdraw the plunger for repeatedly moving the severing blade back-and-forth along a stroke path between a raised set position and a lowered severing position proximate to the ground. A heater mounted proximate to the valve unit is configured to sufficiently heat the valve unit to enable the valve unit to operate in the presence of an ambient temperature sufficiently low to impair its operation.

An asparagus harvester includes a chassis movable over a bed of growing asparagus. Spears above a selected height are severed at the ground by a severing assembly. A conveyor receives from a pick-up apparatus and conveys away the severed asparagus spears to bin. In one embodiment, counter-rotating rollers of the pick-up apparatus have interfering members configured to disable the severed asparagus spears when being engaged and lifted by and between them from passing outwardly from between their trailing ends. In another embodiment, a partition in the bin cooperates with it to define a confined volume open to receive severed asparagus spears from the conveyor. A drive assembly actuates to displace the bin relative to the partition to increase the confined volume to enable it to accept more severed asparagus spears each time a sensor senses severed asparagus spears at a fill level of the confined volume.

The invention relates to a harvesting machine for harvesting elongated plants, for example such as green asparagus, wherein the harvesting machine, moving in a direction of travel, is provided with at least one in-feed device with which a plant is to be fed into the harvesting machine, at least one gripping device following the in-feed device with which the plant fed in is to be gripped, as well as at least one separating device with which a part of the gripped plant to be harvested is to be separated from another part of the plant.