Woodworking – Special-work machine – Combined
Patent
1997-08-05
1999-02-02
Bray, W. Donald
Woodworking
Special-work machine
Combined
144 2413, 144336, 144330, 144343, A01G 2308
Patent
active
058652299
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tree harvester, forest processor, for felling, limbing and cross-cutting tree trunks, comprising an assembly which includes a tree-limbing head and a tree-felling head and which is carried by a boom system, wherein the limbing head and the felling head can be detachably connected together and are commonly foldable about a point on the boom system in a tree-felling mode.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A tree harvester of this kind is known, for instance, from Swedish Patent Specification 8600948-7 publication number 463 067). The limbing head and the felling head of this earlier known tree harvester can be connected detachably to one another and the assembly is mounted as a unit for pivotal movement about a pivot point at one end of an arm system to a tree-felling position in which the limbing head and the felling head are able to commonly grip the tree to be felled. The arm system includes at least one fixed first boom and a second boom which can be moved longitudinally in relation to the fixed boom, e.g. telescoped, wherein the limbing head is attached to the further boom and the felling head is attached to the fixed, first boom. The limbing head and the felling head are mutually separated when the second boom is extended out from the first boom, and the tree is limbed by moving the limbing head away from the felling head with the trunk of the tree held firmly by the gripping claws of the felling head. The axially movable second boom is moved in the longitudinal direction of the first boom with the aid of pivot arms.
One drawback with the aforesaid known arrangement is that very long booms and pivot arms are required in order to obtain an acceptable length of movement between the limbing head and the felling head in conjunction with a tree limbing and cross-cutting operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tree harvester which affords more effective movement between the limbing head and the felling head.
This object is achieved with an inventive tree harvester that has the features set forth in the following claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be now be described in more detail with reference to a non-limiting embodiment thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the boom system of an inventive tree harvester and shows a boom-carried tree-felling assembly in an upwardly drawn position;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to the view of FIG. 1 but shows the felling assembly extended to a tree-felling position; and
FIG. 3 illustrates the boom system of the inventive tree harvester with the boom system extended, and also shows other components and details with the boom system suspended from a schematically indicated crane arm.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is thus a side view of an inventive boom system and shows the fixed boom 10 on which there is mounted an attachment 11 to which a so-called tower structure 12 having a rotator 13 is attached, said rotator being supported by a crane arm 14 attached to a forest tractor not shown. The tower structure, rotator and crane arm are shown in FIG. 3, but not in FIG. 1. One end of the fixed boom 10 carries the felling assembly, which is comprised of a limbing head 15 and a felling head 16. Although FIG. 1 shows the limbing head 15 connected with the felling head 16, it will be understood that these two parts of the assembly can be separated from one another as shown in FIG. 3. The fixed boom 10 has the form of a box-profile of essentially rectangular cross-section.
The limbing head 15 typically includes a pair of trunk gripping claws which can be positioned slightly away from the trunk when moving the limbing head axially along the tree, so that the tree can be limbed by moving the limbing head along the trunk. The limbing head has a locking pin 17 intended for insertion into a corresponding opening in the felling head, so as to enable the two heads to
REFERENCES:
patent: 3443611 (1969-05-01), Jorgensen
patent: 4823849 (1989-04-01), Unosen
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