Guess what

[KYDan]

I saw this recently while on vacation and thought it was fascinating. I thought it would be fun to share with everyone as it is a custom modified machine. Some of you may have already seen it and know what it is, but for those that don't it will be a difficult task. At least I think it would be as I would not have or could not have figured it out if I had not seen it where it was located.

 

[creekbend]

Is it a blower system of some type? Perhaps for straw? Just guessing.

 

[CliffordK]

I'm guessing some kind of a picker. But, I'm having troubles trying to figure out what one would be picking at a consistant height, maybe 2' or 3' off the ground, and planted in rows.

Perhaps detasseling corn?

But, I think the corn tassels are dropped to the ground rather than being sent to a bin.

Could it be missing a cutting head?

 

[KYDan]

It does have a cutter, but it is not visible.

 

[namyessam]

Harvest alfalfa seed?

 

[KYDan]

You are pretty close, but that is not what it is used for. A little hint for everyone one is, it is custom fabricated from a harvester and a tobacco sprayer.

 

[SanDucerro]

I've seen some machines like this used to harvest garpes.

 

[KYDan]

OK, it is located in the Charleston, S. C. area at the only tea plantation in the U.S. It cuts the top 5-6" from a tea plant. The plant is in the camellia family. It wasn't in operation while we were there, but they were using and old Ford 3000 or perhaps 4000 on what looked like stilts with a rotary 3 point hitch cutter to mow the tops of the plant as they only use new leaves for tea. The next cutting will be with the unique harvester. Innovative bunch.

 

[mjncad]

I was going to guess that it is used in rice paddies.

 

[KYDan]

It is an interesting process and according to their brochures the only mechanized tea harvesting operation in the world. All of them in Asia utilize massive numbers of laborers.

 

[RBA50]

That's so they only pick the best leaves, right size, color, etc. This results in the highest quality teas. Mechanically harvested tea is used for real low grade teas.

 

[KYDan]

Not according to these guys, it's just a more efficient method when you don't have $1 a day labor. Most of their process is mechanized and efficient. The tour included their entire process.

 

[two_bit_score]

Pea picker.

 

[RBA50]

Are they selling tea bags or packages of loose tea leaves? Either way, they are not getting the best quality from their tea plants. Asian tea masters tell their pickers what to look for each morning depending on the type of tea they are producing that day. What size, color, etc of leaf to pick. High quality tea is made from hand selected leaves, tea bags made to be plopped in nuked water are from the leaves that don't make the grade for the good stuff.

 

[stuckmotor]

You are pretty close, but that is not what it is used for. A little hint for everyone one is, it is custom fabricated from a harvester and a tobacco sprayer.

They have tobacco harvesters now? I must be getting old.

 

[KYDan]

? I have no idea, I don't drink tea. I simply was interested in the unique equipment they had fabricated and was sharing it with the forum. The harvester was created from a harvester and a tobacco sprayer, not a tobacco harvester.