Table Of ContentUTILISATION OF THU PRINCIPLE OF EXTIRPATION
IN THU HAhVESTINO OF SUGAR BEETS
By
Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger
van Heerden
A THESIS
ubmitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan
State College of Agriculture and Applied Science
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Agricultural Engineering
1951
I
TABLE OP CONTENTS
Historical Review
A. Early Developments 1
B. The Commercializing Era 15
Principles of Operation of Some Present-
Day Machines
A. American Machines 33
B. European Machines 42
Purpose of Investigation 51
procedure
A. Preliminary Design 54
E. Mathematical Aspects 58
C. Construction 65
D. Preparation of Test Crops 79
E. Testing and Results 82
Suggestions for Future Investigations 98
Ac kno\. lo dgmon ts 106
Literature Cited 107
References 109
II
LIST OF II>LUS T H A TIOICS
Pag©
A. Review of Machines
Pla te I Johnson (U.S.A. 1907) 3
Plate II Greyhound ( U . S . A . 192.'3) 5
Plate III L’Aevenir ( P r a n c e 1926) 6
Plate IV Prires and le I Iain t (Belgium 1926) 8
Pla te V Scott-Ursciiel (U*S.A. 1932) 11
Plate VI Borley (England 1937) 13
Plate VII C&tchpole ( E n g l a n d 1933) 14
Plate VIII International H a r v e s t e r (Mid
western Area, U .S. A . ) 34
Plate IX John Deere (Midwestern Area,
U.S.A.) 36
Plate X I.:&rbeet (7/estern Area, U.S.A.) 38
Plate XI Htrbeet Midget ('..estern Area,
U.S.A.) 39
Plate XII Scott-Ursclnel (Raste rn Area,
U.S.A.) 41
Plate XIII Catchpole (Eng lan d) 42
Plato XIV Koreau (France) 44
Plate XV Peter Stanton (England) 46
Plate XVI Rational ( D e n m a r k ) 48
Plate XVII Ruhlmann ( Franc e ) 50
Ill
Pag#
Design Drawings
Figure 1 Isometric Views of Preliminary
Design 55
Figure 2 Details of Some Ideas 56
Figure 3 Design Views and Sections 57
FIgure 4 (a) Mathenatlcal Analysis 59
Figure 4 (b) Dynamical Diagrams 61
Figure 4 (c) Selected Diagram 64
Figure 5 (a) and (b) Redesign Sketches 99
Figure 5 (c) and (d) Redesign Sketches 100
Figure 6 Isometric View of Hydraulic
Prescure-Lifter 104
Experimental Model
Plate 1 Left-Side View 68
Plate 2 Right-Side View 69
Plate 3 Plowing Unit 70
Plate 4 Pulling and Lifting Unit 72
Plate 5 Cutting Mechanism 75
Plate 6 Cutting Units and Front Guides 77
Plate 7 Front Guides 78
Plate 8 Section of Vegetable Land 81
Plate 9 Hydraulic Pressure Lifter 103
I. Historical Review
A. Early Developments
The problem of providing better machinery for sugar
beet production has been recognized as meritorious since
the early stages of the development of the sugar beet
Industry, due to the vital concern of both the producer
and the processor of this farm crop. Progress, however,
was almost stagnant during the period prior to 1930,
in spite of numerous attempts made by Inventors, sugar
companies, and experiment stations to mechanize the
planting, blocking, and harvesting of sugar beets.
The harvesting problem which is the only ooncem
of this investigation has received the most attention
and has proved to be extremely difficult to conquer.
Evidence of the objectionable factors encountered
during the first and most elementary step in the mecha
nization of the harvesting process was given by L, S,
Ware (12) who wrote in 1380 the following: "The extrac
tion of sugar beets may be accomplished by hands or by
machines; the latter being done by ploughs of various
descriptions. The machine frequently adopted in Germany
consists of several coupled curved prongs, penetrating
the soil much beneath the maximum depth attained by the
roots; the whole is drawn by horses or cattle. The ob
jection to this or any other similar method is the trac
tion made use of, the feet of the animals greatly
2
bruising the roots. -- But some device different from
anything up to the present adopted, such as steam
plowing, etc., could alone be used in the U.S.A."
One of the earliest attempts to Improve on the
hand handling of sugar beets was made by Gratton (2) of
Lincolnshire, England. A topping device was constructed
by him which consisted of a semicircular foot which was
placed on the root at the place where it was desired to
cut off the tops, a knife which was pressed down by a
handle at the side of a light piece of wood to whioh
the elements were attached, and a spring which pulled the
knife back.
Although the main concern of inventors up to 1925
was with the design of lifters alone, as is indicated
by the numerous variations of this type of implement
which were at this time on the American and European
markets, designs, with the aim of total mechanisation,
appeared as early as during the turn of the century.
Plate I shows a machine which was already in opera
tion in 1907. Myrick (7) described the performance of
it as follows: "This Invention of the Johnson Harvester
Company, Batavia, New York has now been so perfected as
to do its work most satisfactorily. It digs and lifts
the beets, cuts off the tops and delivers the topped
beets at the side of the row ready for factory or silo,"
3
Plate I. -- Sugar Beet Harvester Built
by the Johnson Harvester Company,
Batavia, Hew York, U.S.A. (In opera
tion in 1907.)
4
No further Information on the principle of operation was
given.
An invention which was received with a considerable
amount of enthusiasm appeared during the early twenties.
This machine (Plate II) was known as the "Grey
hound” sugar beet harvester and was developed by The
Banting Manufacturing Company, Toledo, Ohio.
The main features of this machine consisted of two
elements. The one was the topper which consisted of a
pov.er driven tread belt and a power driven revolving bell
disk cutting unit. This unit severed the crown from the
beets while the roots remained in the ground. The other
was the lifter which raised the beets after they had
been topped, cleaned them of dirt and carried them to a
conveyor belt at the rear, whence they were dumped on
the ground in heaps.
Contemporaries of the "Greyhound” harvester were the
"L*Aevenir” and the "Priris le Hant."
Hie "L*Aevenir" (Plate III) was developed in Prance
by Monsieur Jean Moreau and operated as follows. The
topping mechanism consisted of a drum which rude vertically
on a horizontal cutting disk, the height of the latter
being adjustable In relation to the working position of
the drum.
The topper was brought in position for cutting by
Plate II. -- The Greyhound Sugar
Beet Harvester. (U.S.A. 1925).
6
Plate III. -- The L' Aevenir Sugar
Beet Harvester. (France 1926.)
