The tobacco leaf harvester consists of a low rigid body wide enough to pass between two rows of plants. The vehicles has an automatic steering system, and on a level with the front wheels is a drive unit, with adjustable speed. A conveyor belt extends over the back half of the body from the driver's seat. On one side above the conveyor belt is a piercing machine, which threads the stalks of the leaves together with a continuous cord or successive strands. A flexible belt, equal in length to the rows of plants, is wound over a reel pivot mounted at the back of the vehicle. The belt unrolls as the vehicle travels, and a hoist rewinds the belt after the vehicle has come to the end of a row.
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