AU2021107262A4 - A pruning machine with dual blade cordon cutters - Google Patents

Abstract

A pruning machine is disclosed for pruning a row of plants including grape vines where the pruning machine comprises a pruner and a pruning frame connected to a vehicle including tractor upon which the pruner is connected. The pruner comprises at least one wandering cutter wherein the or each wandering cutter comprises at least two rotating cutters and a guidewheel, co-located on a common, vertical axis wherein the at least one wandering cutter is located on either side of the row of plants and is adapted for pivotal motion in the horizontal plane such that the wandering cutters can pivot away from obstacles of a certain diameter including trunks and any posts the plants are grown on or near; and wherein the or each wandering cutter is mounted on a pivoting cordon cutter arm and wherein the cordon cutter arm pivots relative to a cordon cutter mounting bracket which is slidably engaged to a mounting post and wherein the working position of the wandering cutters can be adjusted via manipulation of the mounting bracket to allow the tilt angle of the or each wandering cutter to be adjusted and/or allow the or each wandering cutter to be rotated in the horizontal plane relative to mounting bracket. OgFA i i-) I 1 of 56 Ln c0 $ C) NN 00 000 r'4 C)N C)N .*

Description

1 of 56

Ln

c0

$ C)

NN 000 r'4

C)N

C)N 00

.*

AUSTRALIA Patents Act, 1990 ORIGINAL INNNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION

APPLICANT: STEPHEN, Benjamin Robert

INVENTOR: STEPHEN, Benjamin Robert

ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: Maxwells Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys Pty Ltd PO Box R1466 Royal Exchange Sydney, NSW, 1225

INVENTION TITLE: A PRUNING MACHINE WITH DUAL BLADECORDONCUTTERS

DIVISIONAL OF: AU 2021 209 175 - 26 July 2021

The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to the applicant:-

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention lies in agricultural machinery and in particular

tractor driven mechanical pruning devices for pruning plants grown in a row

including grapevines.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Mechanical pruners mounted on tractors and harvesters are known the

art. They have traditionally included saws and cutters that operate to cut the

vines of grapes grown on trellises trained on posts and wires. It is the posts and

wires and the vertical trunks of the vines that pose the greatest difficulties when

mechanically pruning with a tractor driven pruner as the saws and cutters need

to avoid cutting the trunk of the vines which may or may not be near a post of

the trellis the vines are grown on. This is particularly exacerbated in vineyards

with poor trellis systems with sagging or leaning trellis and general

inconsistencies throughout the vineyard.

Prior art pruning devices utilise arrangements of hydraulic rams and struts to dynamically adjust the position of the cutters to avoid cutting the trunks

and cordons whilst cutting the thinner cords of the vine which must be removed

before the next year's crop. Often the cutters on the prior art machines lack

independent freedom of movement. This results in sections of the vineyard not

being pruned correctly or missed entirely.

Also, prior art machinery can be complicated pieces of machinery which

require a significant degree of constant maintenance including due to trellis

damage and broken wires. Such maintenance includes greasing via a plurality

of grease points often more than once a day. Further, such machines can be

difficult to adapt for different vineyard conditions including varying degrees of

maturity of the vines which affect the way they interact with the pruner. In

particular, young vines need to be protected from the devices more than older vines which have thicker trunks. Changing parts on a mechanical pruner to adapt the pruner to new conditions can cause considerable downtime.

Another problem with prior art pruners is that of bird nesting which is

when there is a significant build-up of canes and leaves that accumulate on the

saws and cutters which forces the driver to continually stop and remove the

accumulated plant material.

A further problem with prior art pruners is that the height of the saws are

often needed to be adjusted for different conditions/cordon heights in the one

vineyard and also to account for cordon undulation.

A still further problem with prior art pruners is that unless powered

sufficiently they will not be able to cut the next year's growth at the same place

it was previously cut as the vines and canes grow thicker every year. This

causes the canopy to expand over a number of years until such time as

contractors are required to bring in heavy cutting machinery to get the vineyard

back to a manageable state which is expensive plus this operation comes at

the expense of budwood for the next year.

Prior art pruners also suffer from the problem of pitch in that when a

heavy implement is held out at a distance from the tractor, the tractor leans

towards the device causing the once vertical saws and cutters to no longer be

parallel with the vertical posts. This leads to unnecessary contact with the posts

and wires and trunks of the vines if the operator is not careful.

It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate at least some of the

deficiencies of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a pruning

machine for pruning a row of plants the pruning machine comprising a pruner and a pruning frame connected to a vehicle including tractor upon which the pruner is suspended, wherein the pruner comprises: - at least two side cutter modules, with at least one module on each side of the plants to be pruned and wherein each module comprises a plurality of cutters mounted vertically in a bank of cutters; - at least one mulching head wherein the mulching head comprises: -a front cutting module; -a rear cutting module; wherein each of the front and rear cutting modules of the mulching head comprise banks of cutters adapted to cut the tops of the plants and wherein the rear cutting module is set lower than the front cutting module; - at least two wandering cutters each comprising a rotating cutter and a guidewheel, co-located on a common, vertical axis wherein the wandering cutters are located on either side of the row of plants and are adapted for pivotal motion in the horizontal plane such that they pivot away from obstacles of a certain diameter including trunks and any posts the plants are grown on or near; and wherein the pruner is adapted to dynamically adjust the height of the front and rear cutting modules independently of the side cutter modules and at least two wandering cutters whilst the pruner is in motion. Preferably the front cutting module comprises a single row of cutters mounted in a bank of cutters and the rear cutting module comprises at least two rows of cutters mounted vertically on top of each other. More preferably the front and rear cutters move up and down simultaneously under the dynamic control of the operator who operates a single control to raise or lower the cutters. Still more preferably the pitch angle of the front cutter can be adjusted manually. Preferably the rear cutters have guards to deflect the debris ejected from the rear cutters away from the operator.

Preferably the distance between the at least two side cutter modules can be varied by up to 500mm dynamically by the operator using a controller. More preferably the two side cutter modules are mounted on side cutter mounting assemblies which are pivotally mounted to slide engagement members which are in turn actuated in a sliding motion by hydraulic cylinders. Still more preferably the side cutter modules are adapted to operate at distances of between 200mm and 1000mm between the modules. Preferable the tilt angle of the side cutters can be independently manually adjusted. More preferably the manual adjustment is facilitated by a tie rod connected to the slide engagement member and the side cutter mounting assemblies. Preferably the side cutter modules further comprise bumpers which can be adjusted in location up and down the side cutter modules. Preferably the height at which the at least two wandering cutters operate can be set independently of each other. Preferably there are at least four wandering cutters mounted on either side of the pruner adapted to prune plants grown in rows on posts and dual trellis wires with an upper and lower cordon, the first set of opposing wandering cutters for cutting under the bottom cordon and the second set to cut plant material other than the trunk in the inter-cordon region and wherein the height of each of the wandering cutters can be set independently of each other. More preferably each wandering cutter is mounted on a pivoting cordon cutter arm. Still more preferably, the cordon cutter arm pivots relative to a cordon cutter mounting bracket which is slidably engaged to a mounting post. Preferably the working position of the wandering cutters of claim can be manually adjusted via manipulation of the mounting bracket. More preferably the mounting bracket has slotted apertures for receiving bolts and wherein the slotted apertures permit the mounting bracket to be rotated relative to the cordon cutter arms.

Still more preferably the mounting bracket is adapted to allow the tilt angle of the wandering cutter to be adjusted manually. Preferably each cordon cutter arm is connected to a hydraulic cylinder which when actuated, causes the wandering cutting head to retract out of the working area of the pruner. Preferably the machine is adapted to retract each of the wandering cutting heads from their working positions simultaneously through the provision of a single command via a controller. Still more preferably the mounting posts also support the side cutting modules and wherein raising the side cutting modules also raises the attached wandering cutting heads simultaneously. Preferably the pruning frame includes a telescoping post comprising an outer post and an inner post and a horizontal mounting post from which the pruner is suspended. More preferably the outer post is connected to the tractor via an adaptor which allows for the outer post to be securely connected to the tractor in a way that compensates for any lean generated by the offset weight of the pruner, resulting in a perpendicular post. Preferably the guidewheel is secured to the wandering cutter via a guidewheel hub and wherein the guidewheel hub has tabs that correspond to notches in the guidewheel hub such that when it is desired to remove a guidewheel the guidewheel can be detached from the guidewheel hub and rotated into a removal position where the guidewheel can be slid over the guidewheel hub and any flailing blades of the wandering cutter which have been pivoted to facilitate the removal of the guidewheel. Preferably the pruner is suspended using a dual axis pivot which facilitates the pivoting of the pruner in the side to side plane and also allows the pruner to pivot backwards. Still more preferably there is a hydraulic cylinder that causes the pruner to tilt which can accommodate off vertical plants or off vertical trellises that the plants may be grown on.

Preferably there is further provided attached to the dual axis pivot, a breakaway cylinder which absorbs the shock of impacts as the pruner pivots backwards after hitting an obstacle and wherein when the cylinder is energised after the obstacle has been removed, causes the pruner to return to its operating position. Preferably the pruning machine further comprises a hydraulic power pack connected to the PTO.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures exemplify the invention wherein: Fig 1 is a front left perspective view of the pruning machine attached to a

tractor;

Fig 2 is a rear left perspective view of the pruning machine of Fig 1

attached to a tractor;

Fig 3 is a rear right perspective view of the pruning machine of Fig 1

attached to a tractor;

Fig 4 is a front right perspective view of the pruning machine of Fig 1

attached to a tractor; Fig 5 is a front view of the pruning machine of Fig 1 attached to a tractor;

Fig 6 is a rear view of the pruning machine of Fig 1 attached to a tractor;

Fig 7 is a left hand side view of the pruning machine of Fig 1 attached to a

tractor;

Fig 8 is a right hand side view of the pruning machine of Fig 1 attached to

a tractor;

Fig 9 is a top view of the pruning machine of Fig 1 attached to a tractor;

Fig 10 is a perspective view of the pruning module of Fig 1;

Fig 11 is a front left perspective view of the pruning machine of Fig 1;

Fig 12 is a front view of the pruning machine of Fig 1;

Fig 13 is a left hand side view of the pruning machine of Fig 1;

Fig 14 is a rear view of the pruning machine of Fig 1;

Fig 15 is right hand side view of the pruning machine of Fig 1;

Fig 16 is a bottom view of the pruning machine of Fig 1;

Fig 17 is a top view of the pruning machine of Fig 1;

Fig 18 is a front right perspective view showing an under-cordon and an inter-cordon cutters which are freely mounted with adjustable vertical

movement;

Fig 19 a front view of the pruning module showing all of the cutters and

the mulching head in a fully lowered position;

Fig 20 is a rear view of the pruning module in the position shown in Fig

19;

Fig 21 is a side view of the pruning module in the position shown in Fig

19;

Fig 22 is a front view of a pruning module showing the mulching head in a

fully raised position;

Fig 23 is a rear view of the pruning module in the position shown in figure

22;

Fig 24 is a right hand side view of the pruning module of Fig 22;

Fig 25 is a perspective view of a joystick controller of the pruning

machine;

Fig 26 is a rear view showing the cordon cutters;

Fig 27 is a perspective view of a right hand side under cordon cutter with

a single flail disc;

Fig 28 is a top view of the cutter from Fig 27;

Fig 29 is a bottom view of the cutter from Fig 27;

Fig 30 is a perspective view of a dual flail disc cordon cutter;

Fig 31 is side view of the dual flail disc cordon cutter of Fig 30;

Fig 32 shows an opening cylinder which is used to pivot the cordon cutters;

Fig 33 shows opening hydraulic cylinder in a closed state (a) and an open

state (a);

Fig 34 shows the gas strut from an alternate perspective; Fig 35 shows rotation plate assembly upon which the cordon cutter are

mounted;

Fig 36 is another view of the rotation plate assembly of Fig 35;

Fig 37 is a still further view of the rotation plate assembly of Fig 35;

Fig 38 depicts a guide wheel in a working position;

Fig 39 depicts the guide wheel in a removal position where the guide

wheel is rotated relative to the disc;

Fig 40 depicts a guide wheel for use in vineyards with established vines a

guide wheel for use in vineyards with young vines;

Fig 41 depicts the full range of movement of the wandering cutters represented on a grape vine with posts;

Fig 42 depicts rear mulching section of the mulching head;

Fig 43 depicts the hydraulic raise/lower cylinder on one side of the

mulching head which are used to raise and lower the mulching head;

Fig 44 depicts the mulching head in the raised position;

Fig 45 depicts the mulching head in the lowered position;

Fig 46 depicts the front mulching section of the mulching head;

Fig 47 depicts a portion of the pruning head frame of the pruning module

that the side cutters and mulching head are mounted and which has hydraulic

means for expanding the frame horizontally such that the mounted side cutters

and associated cordon cutters can be moved towards or away from the vines

and trellis;

Fig 48 depicts a left rear view of the pruning head frame; Fig 49 is the mast adapter plate with rotational positioning;

Fig 50 is further view of the mast adapter plate;

Fig 51 is a rear view of the mast adapter plate;

Fig 52 is a front view showing the tilt cylinder which positions the pruning module depending on the slope of the vineyard via the joystick;

Fig 53 is a close up view of the tilt cylinder which is attached to both the

pruning head frame and cross slide beam, allowing the pruning frame to be

tilted as desired by the operator;

Fig 54 is a rear view showing the tilt cylinder and cross cylinder and

breakaway cylinder and the vertical raise cylinder;

Fig 55 is a rear view of the breakaway cylinder which allows the pruning

module to break away due to impact;

Fig 56 is a right hand side perspective view of the cylinders of Fig 55.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Reference is now made to Figures 1 to 17 which depict pruner 10.

Pruner 10 is shown in Figs 1 to 9 attached to a tractor 12 which has mounted to

its three point linkage, hydraulic power pack 14. It should be noted that the

pruner 10 can be mounted on vehicles other than tractors such as a

mechanical grape harvester which have drive wheels and a hydraulic oil

supply.

The pruner 10 is mounted on the tractor 12 by way of a pruner mounting

assembly 16 which itself is comprised of a chassis subframe 18 and chassis

brace 20 which connect to an adaptor assembly 22 which connects to the

chassis subframe 18. The pruner mounting assembly 16 further comprises an

outer mast 24 connected to the adaptor 22 and the inner mast 26 and inner

mast assembly 27 and cross slide beam 28. The pruner 10 is pivotally mounted to cross slide beam 28 at dual axis pivot 30. This allows the pruner 10 to pivot laterally (pendula motion) with rearward linear motion. This allows the pruner

10 to hit an object and breakaway in a rearward direction which prevents

damage to the pruner and the trellis system. The inner mast 26 telescopes

inside the outer mast 24 and is connected to the inner mast assembly 27 which

in turn houses the connection to the cross slide beam 28. In operation the

inner mast 26 can be raised and lowered relative to the fixed outer mast 24.

This causes the pruner 10 to be raised and lowered via its connection to the

cross side beam 28. This lifting function is provided by lifting cylinder 32. The

range of motion provided by the assembly of inner and outer masts is 900mm

in the embodiment described in the attached figures.

Pruner mounting assembly 16 further comprises a number of shields and

guards which protect the operator and the tractor from damage from flying

debris. These are best shown in Fig. 3 where the bonnet protector 5 is shown

which made from a replaceable clear polycarbonate material. Also shown in the

front panel protector 56 which is adjacent the pruner 10 and which is made

from stainless steel for added protection. Additional clear polycarbonate panel

58 is incorporated into the tractor shield 60 which includes a windscreen and

operator shield 62 which is laser cut from steel to provide protection to the

operator. The polycarbonate panel 58 provides visual access to the working

parts of pruner 10.

The hydraulic power pack 14 is an assembly of components including an

300L oil supply reservoir 44 and associated hydraulic pumps 46 that pump

160L/minute. The hydraulic power pack 14 further comprises a thermo fan 48

and 2 micron breather 50. The hydraulic power pack 14 also has connected to

it, counterweights 52.

The adaptor assembly 22 can be best seen in Figs 49 to 51 where there

is shown the chassis subframe 18 connected to chassis adaptor 34 via an

adaptor plate 36 which itself adapted to engage a slotted receiving plate 38.

The procedure for connecting the adaptor assembly so the outer mast 24 is

mounted vertically (without any lean due to the offset weight of the pruner 10) is

to do the following. Firstly, the pruner 10 is extended on the cross slide beam

28 to its most distal position (fully extended working position) which causes the

tractor 12 to lean slightly. This lean is compensated by the adaptor plate

assembly. It does this by allowing small rotational movement between the

adaptor plate 36 and slotted receiving plate 38 which has slotted apertures 40.

Fine control over the rotation is provided by the tie rod adjuster 42. There is

(not shown) a central pin extending from the slotted receiving plate 38 which

engages with the adaptor 34 for initial locating and retention which is

subsequently refined using the bolts and the tie rod adjuster 42.

Pruner 10 is generally comprised of a head frame assembly 100 which is best depicted in Figs 47 and 48. The head frame assembly 100 is mounted via

the tilt pivot 31. Head frame assembly 100 has mounting flange 106 for the

mulching head assembly 102 and side cutter mounting assembly 108 for

clamping the left and right hand side cutter assemblies or modules 104. Side

cutter mounting assemblies 108 are connected to the width adjustment slide

110 via roller plate assemblies 112. The side cutter mounting assembly 108 are

pivotally connected to the roller plate assemblies 112 via pivot 114. Roller plate

assemblies 112 slide along the width adjustment slide 110 and are actuated in

position by width adjusting cylinders 116. This sliding movement can extend

and contract 500mm between the assemblies 108. Additional variation in the

distance between assemblies 108 can be achieved by replacing the side cutter

mounting assemblies 108 with assemblies (not shown) that are offset further from each other allowing a total distance of between 200mm and 1000mm between the assemblies 108. Tie rod adjuster 115 adjusts the angle of the side cutters by way of angling the side cutter mounting assemblies 108. Hose guards 118 and shield 120 are made from stainless steel and protect the hydraulic hoses from damage.

Right and left side cutter assemblies 104 are comprised of high speed

cutters 122 which are enclosed in side cutter stainless steel guards 124. Side

cutter assemblies 104 further comprise bumpers 126 which are mounted in

bumper vertical positioning mounts 128 wherein the bumpers 126 which guide

the vines into the pruner 10. The right and left side cutter assemblies 104

further comprise a side cutter mounting post 130 which are retained in the

clamps of side cutter mounting assemblies 108. They are joined to the side

cutter assemblies 104 via plates (not shown) at either end of the side cutter

assemblies 104.

Under cordon cutter assembly 132 and inter-cordon cutter assembly 134 are depicted in Fig 18. These are sometimes known as wandering cutters. In

Fig 18 it can be seen that the under cordon cutter assembly 132 has a single

cutting mechanism located on its upper side whilst the inter cordon cutter is

represented with a dual cutting assembly which has cutters on its upper and

lower side. Either of the dual blade assemblies from the inter cordon cutter

assembly 134 can be removed at any time. Further, the vertical spacing

between the upper and lower cutters (as shown in Figs 30 to 32) can be

adjusted. The adjustments can be made in number of ways including but not

limited to adding larger or smaller drive hubs to which the cutter assemblies

132 are attached. As shown in Fig 26, the under cordon cutter assemblies 132 has a motor

mounted directly under the blade assembly of the under cordon cutter 132.

However so to provide a maximum range of unfettered motion, the motor

167 for the inter-cordon cutter assembly 134 is located adjacent the cutter in the cordon arm 156 and the power is transmitted by way of a belt or similar

such as a chain (not shown).

The under cordon cutter assembly 132 and inter-cordon cutter assembly 134 assembly are both mounted on the side cutter mounting post 130 via

rotation plate assemblies 136 which are better shown in Figs 18, 36 and 37.

The rotation plate assemblies 136 are comprised of a slide adjuster 138 which

is comprised of slides 140 which are welded to slide plate 142. Slide adjusters

138 are in turn connected to the rotation plate 144 via bolts that engage

boltholes 146 and 147. Bolt hole 146 is a slotted bolt hole that allows for some

rotational movement between the slide adjusters 138 and the rotation plate 144

which is achieved via tilt adjuster bolt 148 and strike 150. Rotation plate 144

has slotted holes 152 which allow the rotation plate to be connected to the

cordon mounting plates 154 of the cordon cutters at different angles allowing

the attached cordon cutter assemblies 132 and 134 to rotated in and out of the

working area of the pruner 10 to provide for different working widths as shown

in Fig 41 where the configurations shown in A and B diagrams indicate the full

extent of motion available when adjusting the rotation plate 144. There are only

four bolts per cordon cutter assemblies 132 and 134 that need to be loosened

in order to manipulate the position of the cordon cutter assemblies which

makes the reconfiguration of the pruner 10 more efficient when compared to

prior art machinery. The cordon cutter assemblies 132 and 134 can be raised

and lowered up and down the side cutter mounting post 130 almost without any

limitation through the use of slide locking bolts (not shown) which fit into screw

holes 141 in slides 140. As there are no set bolt positions or the like, the cordon

cutter assemblies 132 and 134 can occupy any position on the mounting post

130. In alternate embodiments, the slide 140 can be manoeuvred up and down

mounting post 130 by a mechanical, electrical or hydraulic actuation.

Each cordon cutter is able to be located at vertical and horizontals

positions independent of each other. Further, the whole cordon cutter

assemblies can be removed quickly and easily by removing the bolts located in

bolt holes 146 and 147.

Fig 18 depicts the right hand cutter assembly which includes the under

Corden cutter assembly 132 and inter cordon cutter assembly 134. As shown

in the figure, cordon mounting plates 154 are pivotally connected to cordon

cutter arms 156 which pivots on the central axis of the rotation plate via a

bearing 155 (shown in Fig 33). The control strut 158 provides a bias towards an

open state which is depicted in Fig 18. Control strut 158 is protected by a strut

protector 164 which prevents damage to the strut and also prevents

accumulation of material and debris which could prevent the operation of the

control strut 158. When the guide wheels 160 encounter an obstacle the guide wheel 160

will guide the associated cutting blades 162 away from the obstacle and the

gas strut is used to return the guide wheel 160 to its normal operating position

after the obstacle has been passed. This provides the ability for the cordon

cutters to walk in and out of the working area and pass safely the trunks and

posts of the vines that are being pruned as depicted in Fig 26.

Referring to Fig 31 there is shown a inter cordon cutter 134 which shows

the blade rotor 163 followed by the guidewheel 160 connected to a guide hub

170 and also a nylon bumper 157. Nylon bumper 157 is employed to prevent

blade clash.

Referring to Fig 27 there is depicted an under cordon cutter assembly

132 which has a hydraulic motor 166 which drives a shaft (not shown) that in turn is connected to blade hub 168 which the flailing blades 162 are attached.

The guide wheel 160 does not move with the shaft but is able to rotate relative

to the cordon arm 156. The guide wheel 160 is attached to the guidewheel hub

170 by way of four bolts located in the bolt holes 172 in hub 170 which

correspond with bolt holes 171 in the guide wheel 160 (see Fig 29). The guide

wheel 160 can be located above or below the guide wheel hub 170. Hub 170

runs on a Teflon bearing with nylon guides. Referring to Fig 33 which shows

the underside of under cordon cutter assembly 132 there is depicted a

hydraulic ram 174 mounted between the cordon mount 154 and the cordon arm

156 which causes the cordon arm and associated cutter to pivot when actuated

as shown in the figure when states (A) and (B) are compared. This allows an

operator to simultaneously retract all cordon cutters in one operation as shown

in Fig 41 when drawings B and C are compared where B shows the hydraulic

ram in a fully closed position and C shows it in a fully open position where

measure Z is up to 1000mm.

Guide wheel 160 is shown in Fig 38 in its working position whereby the

guide wheel 160 is bolted to the guide wheel hub 170 in the position shown.

Referring to Fig 39, the bolts have been removed and the guide wheel is

rotated into the position shown in the figure. When in this position the blade hub

locating tabs 176 can pass through the corresponding guide wheel notches 178

and slid over the blades when rotated (dotted lines). Further, once blades 162

are rotated perpendicular to their working position, the guide wheel 160 can be

slid over the blades and blade rotor and be successfully removed without

removing any blades. This facilitates a quick interchange between guide

wheels. Figs 40 (A) shows the guide wheel 160 as noted in other figures. Fig

40 (B) shows a guide wheel 161 adapted for younger trees and vines.

Referring to Fig. 44 which shows the mulching head assembly 102 attached to the head frame assembly 100 via the mulching head mounting

flanges 106. Mulching head assembly 102 is itself comprised of a front cutter

180 and rear cutter 182. Front cutter 180 is adapted to remove longer material,

leaving shorter material to pass through and be cut by the rear cutter 182. This

results in less long material on the ground, and also very little build up of

material on the pruner 10 leading to reduced bird nesting. Front cutter 180 is

best depicted in Fig 46 which shows the row of cutters 184 mounted via pivot

186 on the mulching head attachment flange 106.

Fig 42 depicts the rear cutter 182. The rear cutter 182 features a plurality

of cutters 188, in this particular embodiment depicted there are four single

plane cutters that overlap. In use these cutters cause debris to be ejected from

the rear of the rear cutter 182 such that deflection plates 190 are used to

redirect the debris away from the tractor and operator. The rear cutter has two

mounting plates 192 for mounting the rear cutter 182 onto the mounting flange

106 of the head frame assembly 100 via upper linkage 194 and lower linkage

196.

In use, the front cutter 180 and rear cutter 182 are connected to the

head frame assembly 100 via the flange 106 and actuated by hydraulic cylinder

198. When the cylinder 198 is retracted as depicted in Fig 24 and 44, the rear

cutter 182 is fully raised. When the cylinder 198 is extended, the rear cutter 182

becomes lowered and as well as simultaneously pivoting the front cutter as

shown in cross section in Fig 21. Such adjustments to the levels of the front

and rear cutters can be made dynamically whilst in use. Tie rod adjuster 200

can be used to made fine control adjustments to the angle of the front cutters

180.

Referring to Fig 52 there is depicted the pruner 10 suspended from the cross slide beam 28 via dual axis pivot 30. Tilt cylinder 202 is connected to

both the dual axis pivot on cross slide beam 28 and also the header frame

assembly 100 such that in use the tilt cylinder can be actuated to cause the

pruner 10 to tilt from the vertical and this can be done dynamically whilst in use.

Referring to figure 54 there is depicted the cross slide cylinder 204 which

actuated the cross slide beam 28 so that it slides through the inner mast

assembly 27. The cross slide cylinder 204 can extend the pruner 720mm of

travel. Additional length can be provided in the length of the cross slide beam

28 which will extend the reach of the pruner 10.

Referring to Fig 55 and 56 there is depicted a breakaway cylinder 206

which is connected to the slide beam 28 at point 208 and to the dual axis pivot

30 at point 210. In use, when an object is encountered by the pruner 10 and it

cannot pass through the pruner, the bottom part of the pruner 10 can pivot

backwards on pin 212 causing the breakaway cylinder 206 to extend, effectively acting like a shock absorber. Once the entanglement is cleared the

cylinder is energised by the provision of a control signal from the operator and

retracted bringing the head of the pruner 10 into working position.

Referring to Figure 25 there is depicted a joystick controller 214 which is

adapted to control the pruner 10 during use. Firstly button 216 turns the

hydraulic motors and cutters on and off. The emergency stop button 218 shuts

down all of the powered systems including the cutters. Button 220 tilts the

pruner 10 to the left and button 222 tilts the pruner 10 to the right. Head reset

button 224 resets the position of the pruner 10 using the breakaway cylinder

206. Toggle 226 raises and lowers the mulching head 102. Whilst toggle 228

adjusts the width between the side cutter assemblies 104. The joystick 230 can

be pushed forward and pulled back to raise and lower the mast and whole pruner 10. And the joystick 230 when pulled to the left or right causes the cross slide to extend or retract, moving the entire pruner 10 with it. Joystick controller

214 also features a trigger button (not shown) which can be set to momentarily

open the cordon cutters or alternatively hold them open until instructed to bring

them back into the working area of the pruner 10.

The skilled reader will appreciate that the present pruner 10 has been

described using flailing cutter blades operated at high speeds. However the

invention is not limited to these types of blade assemblies for the cutting

function. The skilled reader will appreciate that other cutting apparatus can be

employed to cut the plant material. For instance, high speed rotating saws can

be used instead of the flailing cutters. To maintain peak operating

performance, no more than 400 revolutions at the PTO is required to operate

the pruner 10 effectively. At such low PTO speeds, there are significant fuel

savings. In terms of speed, the pruner 10 can safely and accurately prune a

row of vines at speeds of up to 4 km/hr.

The preferred embodiment has been described with respect to an

embodiment for grape vines. However the invention has wider scope than just

as a grape pruner. Other crops grown in rows such as kiwifruit, olives,

pomegranates, citrus and stone fruit can also be pruned using the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention has industrial applicability in the field of

agricultural machinery.

Claims (5)

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A pruning machine for pruning a row of plants the pruning machine

comprising a pruner and a pruning frame connected to a vehicle including

tractor upon which the pruner is connected, wherein the pruner comprises at

least one wandering cutter wherein the or each wandering cutter comprises at

least two rotating cutters and at least one guidewheel, co-located on a

common, vertical axis wherein the at least one wandering cutter is located on a

side of the row of plants and is adapted for pivotal motion in the horizontal

plane such that the or each wandering cutter can pivot away from obstacles of

a certain diameter including trunks and any posts the plants are grown on or

near; and wherein the or each wandering cutter is mounted on a pivoting

cordon cutter arm.

2. The pruner of claim 1 wherein the distance between the at least two

rotating cutters can be adjusted to suit vineyard conditions.

3. The pruning machine of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the at least one

guidewheel and at least two rotating cutters are adapted such that the at least

one guidewheel can be slid over at least one of the at least two cutters so as to

allow the at least one guidewheel to be replaced without first removing the at

least one cutter.

4. A pruning machine according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein there are

at least two wandering cutters and wherein each wandering cutter is located on

either side of the row of plants and wherein the height of each of the at least

two wandering cutters can be set independently of each other and wherein

each at least two wandering cutters can pivot independently of each other.

/08/21

5. The pruning machine of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein there are at least four wandering cutters, with at least two mounted on either side of the

pruning machine adapted to prune plants grown in rows on posts and dual

trellis wires with an upper and lower cordon, the lower set of opposing

wandering cutters for cutting under the bottom cordon and the upper set to cut

plant material other than the trunk in the inter-cordon region and wherein each

of the at least two wandering cutters on either side can pivot independently of

each other.

Dated this 2 5 th day of August 2021

STEPHEN, Benjamin Robert Patent Attorneys for the Applicant MAXWELLS PATENT & TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS PTY LTD

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