AU2005244530A1 - Prunning using SG prunning machine - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: Name of Applicant: F T Spagnolo Pty Ltd Actual Inventor(s): Fred Spagnolo Address for Service and Correspondence: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA i i y-iB) Invention Title: PRUNING USING SG PRUNING MACHINE Our Ref: 761817 POF Code: 308420/308420 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): -1- 6006q

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-2- SPRUNING USING SG PRUNING MACHINE

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This is a divisional application of Australian Patent Application 2005202725, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Field of the Invention n The present invention relates to a method of pruning using a pruning machine.

More particularly, the invention relates to a method of pruning trellised vines, fruit trees or other vegetation.

Background to the Invention Pruning is a necessary part of most commercial fruit and plant harvesting enterprises. Pruning at particular points in a plant's growth cycle results in optimized production of fruit or other harvestable matter.

Manual pruning of vines is a particularly time consuming and labour intensive process. Accordingly, machines have been developed to prune vines and thereby increase overall efficiency. Unfortunately, due to the fact that trellised vines are grown along support wires the orientation of the vines themselves and the presence of support wires and support posts make them extremely difficult to successfully prune mechanically.

When pruning vines, it is critical that no damage occurs to the main trunk of the vines or the cordons which extend along the support wires. If they are damaged during pruning there will be reduced harvest or the possibility that the vine will actually die. During pruning it is only the canes which extend from the cordons which should be removed. One of the problems with current mechanical pruning machines is that they may damage the cordons or may themselves be damaged when they strike the support posts which support the support wires.

Another problem is that some machines cannot cut both below and above a cordon wire without damaging the cordon or the vine trunk. Some machines which are designed to protect cordons while they cut have mechanically driven JB W:UOHMSPECJCGSG Pruning Mache AU div 3doc1 14 December 2005

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-3- (guard plates which rotate against vine trunks or cordons when they come into U contact with them, at the same time causing the pruning machinery to separate a, so as to avoid cutting the vine trunks or cordons. However, these machines may damage the vine trunks or cordons if the rotational speed of the guard plates does not match the speed at which the machine is moving forward, or if the vine Strunks or cordons are not centrally located relative to the machine. The present invention seeks to provide an improved pruning machine which addresses at least some of the abovementioned problems.

0 10 Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a method of pruning a row of vegetation, the row including first and second substantially horizontal support wires, the first support wire located above the second support wire, the support wires being held in place by posts, with trunks of plants arranged at intervals along the row and cordons of plants trained along the support wires, the method including: applying a first pruning apparatus below the first support wire to prune non-required vegetation extending below the first support wire, simultaneously applying a second pruning apparatus above the second support wire to prune non-required vegetation extending above the second support wire, thereby pruning a window in the vegetation between adjacent trunks or posts.

In a preferred arrangement, the first and second pruning apparatus are both applied from a first side of the row of vegetation, and a third pruning apparatus is applied from an opposing side of the row of vegetation, separation between the third pruning apparatus and the first pruning apparatus being variable such that in normal use the third pruning apparatus horizontally overlaps with the first pruning apparatus but is vertically offset by a small distance, but the first and third pruning apparatus separate when they encounter a trunk, cordon or post, allowing the trunk, cordon or post to pass through the machine uncut.

JB W JOHNkSPECJCGSG Pruning Machine AU dlv 3.doc 14 December 2005 -4-

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o More preferably, the arrangement further includes applying a fourth pruning a, apparatus from the opposing side fo the row of vegetation, separation between the fourth pruning apparatus and the second pruning apparatus being variable such that in normal use the fourth pruning apparatus horizontally overlaps with O the second pruning apparatus but is vertically offset by a small distance, but the second and fourth pruning apparatus separate when they encounter a trunk, cordon or post, allowing the trunk, cordon or post to pass through the machine uncut.

Preferably one or more protective plates are mounted above and/or below pruning apparatus and rotatable freely, such that when a protective plate encounters a trunk, cordon or post it causes its pruning apparatus to move outwardly from the row of vegetation, so that the trunk, cordon or post is not cut.

The protective plate or plates which rotate freely relative to the shaft on which they are located provide an advantage in operation of the pruning machine.

When a protective plate touches a trunk, cordon or post, the plate abuts against the obstacle and rolls around the obstacle, drawing with it the pruning assembly. This avoids damage to the trunk, cordon or post, whereas a plate driven by a motor would tend to draw the trunk, cordon or post in towards the running apparatus. The result is that pruning can occur safely and effectively without relying on the skill and judgement of the operator to intervene to prevent damage to vines.

The pruning apparatus may have any suitable shape and configuration. One known suitable shape is a reciprocating cutter bar which has blades moving backwards and forwards in a linear sawing motion. Another suitable shape is a rotating pruning apparatus which operates in a manner similar to a circular saw.

Preferably, the arrangement includes additional pruning apparatus so that nonrequired vegetation above the first support wire and below the second support JB W:UOHNkSPECJCGISG Pruning Machine AU div 3.doc 14 DeceDer 2005 0 wire can also be pruned. In situations where there are more than the first and second support wires it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that additional pruning apparatus may be incorporated.

Preferably, a pruning apparatus or multiples thereof are additionally provided to 0 enable pruning of non-required vegetation extending substantially horizontally from the support wires. Thus, such a set of additional pruning apparatus would enable pruning of vegetation in a plane extending substantially parallel to the plane of the vertically-spaced support wires.

Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a pruning machine in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of a pruning apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a front view of a pruning machine similar to that shown in Figure 1 but additionally including multiple protective plates.

Figure 4 illustrates two halves of a guard cage arranged to be attached about a pruning apparatus.

Figure 5 illustrates the guard cage shown in Figure 4 attached to the shaft of a pruning assembly.

Figure 6 illustrates apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention being used in pruning a row of trellised vines.

JB W:JOHNkSPECJCG\SG Pruning Machine AU div 3.doc 14 Decembff 2005 -6- Figure 7 is an aerial view of a pruning machine but additionally including means for separating the pruning apparatus.

Detailed Description O Figure 1 illustrates schematically a pruning machine 10 which is arranged to be mounted to a tractor or the like so that it can be traversed along a row of vines or other vegetation. To simplify the Figures, details of the connection of the pruning machine 10 to a tractor or the like are not illustrated. However, it should be appreciated that the pruning machine 10 is connected by a movable arm 12 to a tractor or the like so that when the pruning machine 10 is not in use and the tractor is moving from one location to the other, the pruning machine 10 can be pivoted by some form of drive to a location in front of or at the rear of the tractor.

The connection of the pruning machine 10 to the tractor is also such that the vertical height of the pruning machine 10 relative to the ground can be varied.

The pruning machine 10 includes an inverted u-shaped support frame 14 which is arranged to be connected to a tractor or the like via connection arm 12. A pair of pruning assemblies 16 are each pivotally mounted to the rear side of the support frame 14 by means of upper and lower support arms 18, 20. Mounted in bearings 22 on the distal end 18a, 20a of each of the support arms 18, 20 is a drive shaft 24. Drive shaft 24 has a longitudinal axis extending substantially parallel to the arms 12a of the inverted u-shaped support frame 14. Drive shaft 24 is arranged to be rotated by a hydraulic drive 25. To simplify the Figures the hydraulic fluid lines of the hydraulic drive 26 have not been illustrated.

Mounted on each drive shaft 24 are four spaced pruning apparatus 26.

Although four apparatus 26 are shown in Figure 1 more or less pruning apparatus 26 may be mounted thereon.

Extending parallel to the drive shaft 24 and mounted on the proximal end 18b, of the support arms 18, 20 is a secondary support member 28.

JB W IOHN\SPECJCGSG Pruning Machine AU dWv 3.doc 14 December 2005 -7- U~o As shown in Figure 2, each pruning apparatus 26 works as a pruning mechanism and includes a first pruning plate 40 mounted on the drive shaft 24.

The first pruning plate 40 has a set of blades 42 located thereon. Blades 42 extend and protrude outwardly of the outer edge of the pruning plate 40. A O second pruning plate 44 is clamped to a collar 45 which is mounted on the drive shaft 24 coaxially aligned with the first pruning plate 40. A second set of blades 46 are located on the second pruning plate 44 and protrude outwardly from the edge of the second pruning plate 44. In operation, the first pruning plate 40 is fixed and the second pruning plate 44 rotates so that a scissor-like cutting action is formed there between. In this manner, the blades 42, 46 can be used to prune vegetation. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, second pruning plate 44 is able to rotate in either the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.

This facilitates even usage of both aspects of the serrations present on blades 46 and aids with the release of foliage which may become trapped between pruning plates 40 and 44. Preferably, the direction of rotation of second pruning plate 44 can be alternated between clockwise and counter-clockwise by way of a switch or lever, at the discretion of the operator.

The pruning plates may be of any suitable size. An especially suitable size for the pruning plates is a diameter of about 350mm, with 12 blades being installed around the perimeter of each plate. In this arrangement, every second blade may be removed from the rotating plate in order to give a different cutting effect.

Another suitable size is a diameter of about 250mm, with 8 blades being installed around the perimeter of the plate.

The first pruning plate 40 is prevented from rotation by an arm 48 which at one end 48a is connected to the underside of the first pruning plate 40 and at the other end 48b is connected to the secondary support member 28. The vertical position of the arm 48 on the secondary support member 28 is variable to correspond to the variable position of each pruning apparatus on the drive shaft 24.

JB WUJOHN\SPECJCG\SG Pruning Machine AU dN 3.doc U4 December 20D5

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-8- The pruning apparatus 26 of the respective drive shafts 24 are arranged thereon so that, for example the lowermost pruning apparatus 26 on the left _hand side draft shaft 24 is located just below the height of the lowermost pruning apparatus 26 on the right hand side drive shaft 24. This staggered O arrangement of the pruning apparatus 26 as shown in Figure 1, enables effective overlap between the blades 42, 46, of adjacent pruning apparatus 26 so as to ensure complete pruning of vegetation above or below a support wire n 0 Figure 1 shows the horizontally extending support wires 50 which support the cordons of a vine to be pruned. To enable the canes to be trimmed from the cordons the pruning apparatus 26 of the pruning machine 10 must be spaced along the length of the drive shaft 24 at appropriate intervals. As is shown in Figure 1, a first pruning apparatus 26 is positioned on each of the drive shafts 24 so that it is vertically above the lowermost support wire 50, a second pruning apparatus 26 is located vertically below the intermediate support wire 50, a third pruning apparatus 26 is positioned above the intermediate support wire 50 and a fourth pruning apparatus 26 is located below the uppermost support wire 50. It will thus be appreciated that because of the arrangement of the pruning apparatus 26 relative to each of the support wires 50 it will be possible to clear all non-required vegetation from between adjacent vertically spaced support wires 50. In this manner, a window of cleared non-required vegetation will be formed between each of the adjacent support wires Although not illustrated in Figure 1, additional pruning apparatus 26 may be provided to trim canes which extend downwardly from the lowermost support wire 50 and upwardly from the uppermost support wire 50. Additionally, in one preferred embodiment, additional pruning apparatus 26 mounted on a drive shaft having a longitudinal axis positioned substantially horizontally, may be mounted on the support frame 14. Such additional pruning apparatus would JB W:JOHNSPECJCG\SG Pruning Machine AU div 3.doc 14 December 2005 1 Senable pruning of canes extending substantially horizontally from the support U wires.

_In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, a sliding arm 150 is pivotally attached at one end 150a, to upper and lower arms 18, 20, midway between the first Spruning plate 40, and the secondary support member 28. The other end 150b of the arm 150 contains a slot 151 through which a pin 152, which is attached to a Sfixed support 153, is free to slide. Pin 152 acts as a sliding hinge forming a movable joint between arm 150 and support 153, allowing opening and closing of pruning assembly 16. Support 153 is attached to rod 154, which is connected to piston 155, which is moveable within cylinder 157, mounted on top of the support frame 14. As illustrated in Figure 7, cylinder 157 is filled with oil and the apparatus is in its normally extended position in normal working mode).

Pruning apparatus 26 can separate upon contacting an obstacle such as a vine trunk or support post, independently. As the pruning assembly comes into contact with the obstacle, pruning apparatus 26 separate by pivoting at joint 158 causing arm 150 to move. As arm 150 moves, slot 151 at end 150b of arm 150 slides along pin 152, without movement of support 153, or movement of piston 155 inside cylinder 157. When the pruning machine has passed the obstacle, the blades return to their normal working position by way of a spring (not shown) which otherwise maintains the position of pruning apparatus 26 relative to pruning machine 10 when pruning apparatus 26 is in the normal working position.

In the pruning machine 10 shown in Figure 3 the pruning apparatus 26 are located at different positions on their respective drive shafts 24. In addition, two protective plates 62 are mounted on each of the drive shafts 24. The protective plates 62 are positioned so that they are either side of the support wire 50 and in between the pruning apparatus 26. The protective plates 62 are mounted on collars 64 (similar in configuration to collars 45) so that they spin freely about the drive shaft 24. Typically, the protective plates 62 comprise a flat disc which JB W:'JOHNSPECJCG\SG Pruning Machine AU div 3.doc 14 December 2005 may have a rubber edging on the periphery thereof. The purpose of the protective plates 62 is to ensure that the pruning assemblies open when they a) come into contact with fixed vertical supports or vine trunks. Additional protective plates 62 may be added to the drive shafts 24 as required.

SFigure 4 illustrates a guard cage 70 for mounting about each of the pruning apparatus 26. The pruning apparatus 26 as shown in Figure 5 does not include any blades 42, 46. The guard cage 70 is formed in two halves so that it may easily be bolted to the collar 45. The guard cage 70 is defined by an upper and a lower circular frame 74, 76. Extending between the upper and lower frame member 74, 76 are a plurality of blade guards 78 which are shaped so that the cutting blades may rotate freely within the guard 70. The blade guards 78 may either be oriented substantially vertically or, as illustrated in Figure 5, may be inclined with respect to the vertical. The purpose of the guard cage 70 is to prevent damage of a support post or other obstacle if the pruning apparatus 26 inadvertently contacts therewith. If contact with an obstacle by the guard cage occurs the guard cage will simply pass around the obstacle without any damage thereto. Additionally, the guard cage 70 protects the blades 42, 46 from damage. Clearly, the guard cage 70 must allow proper feed of vegetation into the pruning apparatus 26. By selecting an appropriate spacing between adjacent blade guards 78 and orienting the blade guards angularly, as illustrated in Figure 5, the possibility of a vertically oriented fence post passing between adjacent blade guards can effectively be precluded, without significantly reducing the feed of vegetation into pruning apparatus 26.

The pruning machine 10 illustrated in the Figures is arranged to prune vines wherein the support wires are spaced substantially vertically one above the other. However, some vines are grown on a v-trellis and accordingly there is a need for a mechanism by which such vines can be pruned. An embodiment of the present invention can be adapted so that the pruning assemblies 16 and/or the support frame is capable of being tilted to accommodate the angled support wires. Alternatively, the support 12 extending from the tractor or the connection JB W.QOHNSPECJCG\SG Prwnkg Mwhine AU drv 3.dwc 14 December 2005 r -11- O thereto may be capable of rotation so as to enable the orientation of the drive U shafts 24 of the pruning assemblies 16 to be angled and thereby enable pruning of the v-trellis.

The embodiment of the invention described herein is seen to be particularly Sadvantageous because it effectively and efficiently prunes vegetation such as vines which are supported on support wires. Additionally, the machine is advantageous because it is arranged so that it does not cause damage to the cordons, other parts of the vine or to the support posts.

Throughout this specification we have used the term "support wires" to refer to the supports on which the vine or other vegetation is grown. Clearly, other forms of supports are envisaged and the present invention should not be limited by the use of the term "support wires". Additionally, the pruning machine has been described as having hydraulic drives to drive the drive shafts 24 and the connection to the tractor. Clearly other forms of drive motors are applicable.

Although the described preferred embodiment incorporates a pair of pruning assemblies 16 it will be appreciated that a pruning machine 10 having a single pruning assembly 16 may be desired is some situations.

Referring now to Figure 6, there is shown apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention, for use in pruning a row of trellised vines. Support posts 100 have extending between them support wires 107. In the embodiment illustrated, there are three wires, although this is an arbitrary number. The vines consist of vine trunks 102, cordons 105 which have been trained to extend along support wires 107, and canes 110 which extend between, above or below cordons 105.

During pruning it is desirable to remove canes 110 without damaging trunks 102, cordons 105, posts 100, or the blades of the pruning apparatus. In order to accomplish this, the apparatus of the present invention provides sets of pruning JB W:JOHNSPECJCG\SG Pruning Machine AU div 3.doc 14 December 2005 -12- O apparatus 26 which can be fixed at suitable heights for cutting canes without cutting cordons, and protective plates 62 and/or cages 70 which serve two main purposes, namely to guard cordons 105 and to prevent damage to posts 100, trunks 102 and the vertical parts of cordons 105. This latter purpose is achieved by the pruning machine (which consists of two pruning assemblies, Sone on each side of the row of vines, although for the sake of clarity only one is illustrated in Figure 6) opening up when the protective plates or guard cages come to a post or vine trunk to allow the post or trunk to pass through the machine uncut. This also results in matter above a vine trunk (namely the 0 10 vertical parts of cordons) remaining uncut.

As can be seen in Figure 6, the apparatus is effective in cutting "windows" in the vegetation. In Figure 6, the pruning machine is moving from left to right down the row of vines, leaving behind cut ends of canes 112. Cut canes may protrude horizontally as well as vertically, and Figure 6 shows additional vertically oriented sets of pruning apparatus 115 trailing behind the pruning machine, spaced a little to either side of the cordons, in order to cut any canes or vegetation extending horizontally outwards from the support wires, thereby resulting in a tidier pruning job.

It is to be understood that various alterations, additions and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the invention.

JB W:UOHMSPECJCGZSG Pmrning Machine AU dkv 3.dc1 14 December 2005

Claims (4)

1. A method of pruning a row of vegetation, the row including first and second substantially horizontal support wires, the first support wire located above the second support wire, the support wires being held in place by posts, Swith trunks of plants arranged at intervals along the row and cordons of plants trained along the support wires, the method including: applying a first pruning apparatus below the first support wire to prune non-required vegetation extending below the first support wire, 0 10 simultaneously applying a second pruning apparatus above the second support wire to prune non-required vegetation extending above the second support wire, thereby pruning a window in the vegetation between adjacent trunks or posts.

2. A method of pruning a row of vegetation according to claim 1, in which the first and second pruning apparatus are both applied from a first side of the row of vegetation, and a third pruning apparatus is applied from an opposing side of the row of vegetation, separation between the third pruning apparatus and the first pruning apparatus being variable such that in normal use the third pruning apparatus horizontally overlaps with the first pruning apparatus but is vertically offset by a small distance, but the first and third pruning apparatus separate when they encounter a trunk, cordon or post, allowing the trunk, cordon or post to pass through the machine uncut.

3. A method of pruning a row of vegetation according to claim 2 further including applying a fourth pruning apparatus from the opposing side fo the row of vegetation, separation between the fourth pruning apparatus and the second pruning apparatus being variable such that in normal use the fourth pruning apparatus horizontally overlaps with the second pruning apparatus but is vertically offset JB W:UOHNkSPECJCGXSG Pruning Machine AU div 3.doc 14 December 2005 -14- o by a small distance, but the second and fourth pruning apparatus separate 0 when they encounter a trunk, cordon or post, allowing the trunk, cordon or post to pass through the machine uncut.

4. A method of pruning a row of vegetation according to any one of claims 1 Sto 3 wherein one or more protective plates are mounted above and/or below pruning apparatus and rotatable freely, such that when a protective plate encounters a trunk, cordon or post it causes its pruning apparatus to move n outwardly from the row of vegetation, so that the trunk, cordon or post is not cut. DATED: 6 December 2005 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent Attorneys for: F T SPAGNOLO PTY LTD. JBW:JOHN\SPECJCG\SG Pruning Machine AU div 3.doc 14 December 2005