Device for removing vines from sweet potato and the like

摘要

A vine removal device comprises a frame and a pair of spaced-apart vine agitators movably carried by the frame so as to form a vine-feeding maw or throat between the vine agitators. A driven vine-cutter is movably carried by the frame and driven relative to the frame, and is disposed in registration with the maw to receive and cut vines fed into the maw by the vine agitators. One or more drive mechanisms are drivingly coupled to the vine-cutter and the vine agitators to drive the vine-cutter and the vine agitators. The vine agitators capture the vines and feed them into the maw, where the vines are cut into mulch by the vine-cutter. A vine removal implement may comprise a plurality of the vine removal devices arranged in side-by-side relation to traverse along a series of sweet potato rows.