PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To devise a hitch assist device so that suspension of hitching operation can be surely avoided, the suspension being caused by twining of tomato stems and branches around the hitch assist device or by residing of masses of tomato branches and leaves on the hitch assist device.SOLUTION: In the tomato harvester, masses P of tomato branches and leaves are raised from the ground by a hitching device (1) and cut down by a bottom cutter (C). The masses of the tomato branches and leaves so cut down are hitched by the hitching device and a hitch assist device (2), and are transferred to a tomato separation unit (4) using a lift conveyor (3). Tomato fruits are separated by a tomato separation unit, with the separated tomatoes sorted into hard quality tomatoes and defective tomatoes by a tomato quality sorter (5), and with the sorted hard quality tomatoes subjected to visual inspection to select good quality tomatoes. The hitch assist device (2) includes a chain conveyor which uses conveyor chains (21) composed of chains (22) on both left/right sides and of a large number of lateral rods (23) installed between the chains on both sides.
