a sod harvester having a sod hold down with at least one free wheeling elastic belt that maintains a downward pressure on sod slabs carried on a conveyor belt with the free wheeling elastic belt moving in unison with the conveyor belt through frictional engagement between sod slabs on the conveyor belt and the free wheeling belt or between the conveyor belt and idler pulleys , which rotationally support the elastic belt , to enable the hold down to prevent or inhibit slippage of the sod slabs on the conveyor belt during sod slab transfer thereon .