An improved self-propelled floating dredging apparatus including a buoyant hull structure carrying a pilot house and engine compartment. The buoyant hull comprises a pair of longitudinally aligned parallel pontoons to provide flotation. A rigid boom structure extends forwardly from the medial portion of the hull structure and is adapted to pivot about a horizontal axis, from a horizontal position to a submerged position, in response to the action of a pair of power cylinders and an interconnecting linkage. A diesel engine in the engine compartment drives a centrifugal dredging pump and a hydraulic fluid pump. A hydraulically driven, steerable water jet propulsion assembly is mounted on a transom at the aft end portion of the hull structure. A hydraulically driven cable winch mechanism is also mounted on the hull structure. An improved hydraulically driven dredging head is mounted on the forward end of the boom structure and employs enlarged cylindrical surfaces carrying radially outwardly extending cutter blades journaled thereon for rotation about a horizontal axis. A notched cutter bar is mounted intermediate a rigid plate and the enlarged cylinders through which the cutter blades closely pass to shred weeds and other fibrous materials encountered by the dredging head.

Apparatus for directing flow of water passing an ocean floor dredge head into a downwardly direction, and deflecting water from directly impinging upon the dredge nozzle body. The invention comprises a dredge vehicle chassis from which is pivotally suspended a dredge nozzle body and a water-flow deflecting shield, forwardly of the nozzle. Both the nozzle body and the shield are substantially vertically elongated members suspended substantially by the top of each element from the vehicle chassis.

A turbidity control system for dredging operations wherein turbidity adjacent the dredge head is controlled by one or more operating characteristics of the dredging operation. The dredge head includes water jets for agitating, slurrying, loosening the material being removed and directing the material toward the dredge head and control apparatus regulating the water flow into the dredge head, the direction of the jets, the rate of water removal from the head, and the rate of dredge head advancement is adjusted in accord with the turbidity to permit dredging operations within acceptable environmental limits. A turbidity sensor may be mounted adjacent the dredge head to sense the extent of turbidity existing, and the sensor may be used to automatically operate the control apparatus.

An apparatus for assisting in the conveying of a crop that has been cut. The apparatus is designed to be installed in front of a conventional pick-up normally mounted on the platform of a combine, baler or the like. Initial engagement of the downed crop is by this auxiliary pick-up. This pick-up is substantially smaller in diameter than the conventional one, it is mounted so that it can be adjusted to handle various types of crops and land conditions, it has a tooth wear adjustment, the teeth are mounted in an outward spiral from the center to throw out rocks and dirt and the teeth are extremely easy to mount.

An auger type dredge head may be mounted on a dredge ladder in a selected angular position with respect to the ladder axis, for sweeping or fore and aft operation, and a selected angular position may be set and maintained with respect to the dredge barge. The head has movable shrouds on opposite sides of the auger, the shrouds carrying doors which open automatically to eject matter too large to be accommodated by the dredge suction pipe. The shrouds have sloping fins on their inner faces to aid in the movement of dredged material to a centrally located suction pipe inlet.