US3763905A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tree harvester
Assignee: Logging Dev Corp
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Filing: 1971-11-30
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Granted: 1973-10-09
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Expires: 1991-11-30
Abstract
Abstract A mobile self-propelled tree processing machine which includes an extendible and retractable boom pivotally mounted on an articulated vehicle and having a felling head assembly attached to the free end of the knuckle boom. The felling head includes a grapple and shear assembly mounted on a common frame. Attached also to the vehicle is a tree processing assembly or package which includes a delimber of the stripper type, a shear, and tree feed means interposed therebetween and secured to a common frame which is connected to the vehicle by a pair of arms vertically movable for selectively moving the processing assembly relative to a cradle also attached to the vehicle and for receiving logs discharged from the processing assembly. The processing assembly is vertically movable to minimize vertical drop of processed logs onto those previously deposited in the cradle. The cradle is movably mounted on the vehicle to facilitate dumping the same. The tree processing assembly is of a side feed type whereby a tree may be inserted laterally into all of the units simultaneously, and in order to effect this, the delimber includes stripper arms pivotally mounted on a pair of jaw members pivotally secured to a frame. The delimber further is constructed in such a manner that means is provided to bias the arms to engage a tree with selected arms interconnected by resilient means allowing relative movement of the arms relative to one another. The delimber further is constructed in such a manner and includes means for biasing the arms together and holding the jaws formed by a pair of pivot levers to a closed position and also to an open position and is accomplished by resilient means in combination with an over-centre lever assembly.
Inventors
- 👤 D Benedetto
- 👤 D Hamilton
- 👤 J Boivin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 16:00
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01G; A01G23/00; A01G23/02; A01G23/08; A01G23/083; A01G23/085
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
274 words
A mobile tree processor comprising: a. a vehicle; b. an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom; c. first means mounting said main boom at one end for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis; d. second means mounting said first means on said vehicle for rotation about a general vertical axis, said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said main boom; e. a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vertical for severing trees into selected lengths; f. tree shear means carried on said reach boom for cutting a standing tree; g. grapple means carried on said reach boom above said treecutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90* so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and positioned generAlly longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism; h. power means for pivoting said grapple means; i. delimber means movably mounted on the vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree; j. means between said knife means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and k. collector means movably mounted on the vehicle for receiving the processed trees.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
274 words
A mobile tree processor comprising: a. a vehicle; b. an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom; c. first means mounting said main boom at one end for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis; d. second means mounting said first means on said vehicle for rotation about a general vertical axis, said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said main boom; e. a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vertical for severing trees into selected lengths; f. tree shear means carried on said reach boom for cutting a standing tree; g. grapple means carried on said reach boom above said treecutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90* so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and positioned generAlly longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism; h. power means for pivoting said grapple means; i. delimber means movably mounted on the vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree; j. means between said knife means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and k. collector means movably mounted on the vehicle for receiving the processed trees.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
A tree harvester as defined in claim 1 wherein said cradle, in an unloading position, is disposed rearwardly of the position at which the cradle is located during loading thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A tree harvester as defined in claim 2 wherein said cradle is a bottom dump type permitting unloading logs collected therein by dumping the same vertically downwards.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
266 words
A mobile tree processor comprising: a. a vehicle; b. an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom; c. first means mounting said main boom at one end for pivotal movement about a first axis; d. second means mounting said first means on said vehicle for rotation about a second axis, said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said main boom; e. a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle; f. tree-cutting means carried on said reach boom comprising a shear for cutting a standing tree; g. grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90* so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position; h. power means for pivoting said grapple means; i. a delimber unit movably mounted on said vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree; j. tree feed means movably mounted on said vehicle and located a position between said knife means and said vertically disposed shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and k. collector means movably mounted on the vehicle for receiving the processed trees.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
266 words
A mobile tree processor comprising: a. a vehicle; b. an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom; c. first means mounting said main boom at one end for pivotal movement about a first axis; d. second means mounting said first means on said vehicle for rotation about a second axis, said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said main boom; e. a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle; f. tree-cutting means carried on said reach boom comprising a shear for cutting a standing tree; g. grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90* so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position; h. power means for pivoting said grapple means; i. a delimber unit movably mounted on said vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree; j. tree feed means movably mounted on said vehicle and located a position between said knife means and said vertically disposed shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and k. collector means movably mounted on the vehicle for receiving the processed trees.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
277 words
A mobile tree processor comprising: a. a vehicle; b. an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom; c. first means mounting said main boom at one end for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis; d. second means mounting said first means on said vehicle for rotation about a general vertical axis, said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to said main boom; e. a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle; f. tree-cutting means carried on said reach boom for cutting a standing tree; g. grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means, for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90* so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and located generally longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism; h. power means for pivoting said grapple means; i. a delimber unit movably mounted on said vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree; j. tree feed mEans movably mounted on the vehicle and located at a position between said knife means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of the tree to said vertically disposed shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and k. collector means movably mounted on said vehicle for receiving the processed trees.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
277 words
A mobile tree processor comprising: a. a vehicle; b. an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom; c. first means mounting said main boom at one end for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis; d. second means mounting said first means on said vehicle for rotation about a general vertical axis, said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to said main boom; e. a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle; f. tree-cutting means carried on said reach boom for cutting a standing tree; g. grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means, for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90* so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and located generally longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism; h. power means for pivoting said grapple means; i. a delimber unit movably mounted on said vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree; j. tree feed mEans movably mounted on the vehicle and located at a position between said knife means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of the tree to said vertically disposed shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and k. collector means movably mounted on said vehicle for receiving the processed trees.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-08 | 1977-04-09 | 1977-10-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-08 | 1981-04-09 | 1981-10-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-08 | 1985-04-09 | 1985-10-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |