Sugar Cane Flow

The gathering disks, on each side of the topper, gather cane tops and feed them to the topper severing disk, in center of the topper. The crop dividers then separate the rows of down or tangled cane. The power knockdown rollers push the cane forward and down to the optimum angle for feeding into the harvester. The base cutters cut the bottom of the stalk. The butt-lifter roller then sends up cane into feed rollers that regulate the speed of the cane, which determines length of the billet cut by the chopper. The chopper cleanly cuts even billets by slicing the cane between two opposing blades and dropping them into the elevator basket. From there, the billets are delivered to the elevator. Meanwhile, the primary extractor fan extracts debris, leaves, and dirt from the cane and directs it onto the ground behind the harvester. The elevator system delivers the cane to a container system either to the rear, left-hand or right-hand side of the harvester. As cane falls from end of elevator into the transport, the secondary extractor fan (if equipped) removes remaining loose material in the final stage of the process. This debris is directed away from the field transport and harvester by the rotating hood of the secondary extractor.