1985 Volume 46 Issue 4 Pages 471-478
Practical application of machines for harvest, pest control, fertilization and inter tillage is almost completed in the studies, done since 1961, on a riding type tea field wheel type working machine. But 30-45 times traveling a year in row spacing under these operations, ground contact pressure is a problem to be discussed. As the optimum plucking time is short, plucking is necessary even under wet weather condition. Against these problems the resolution is changing from wheel type to track type which is superior in lightweigt and low ground contact pressure. A track type tea pluckig machine is better than any other tea plucking machines in good uniformity of plucked tea bush surface, less loss in plucking tea leaf and large amount of plucked leaf. Plucked leaf are conveyed by wind pressure into a picking bag, so leaf is bruised. But if only bruised leaf is processed on the same day, there are no problems.
The running area per hour was about 10a/h in average.
