CA2085181A1

CA2085181A1 - Portable cutting apparatus

Info

Publication number: CA2085181A1
Application number: CA 2085181
Authority: CA
Inventors: Michael Lopic
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-12-13
Filing date: 1992-12-11
Publication date: 1993-06-14
Also published as: EP0546496A3; SI9200354A; EP0546496A2; AU3010992A

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The invention refers to a portable cutting apparatus for organic stalky waste materials originating in a home-farm (a croft) and a household, which has a feeding orifice and a rotary multiple-knife cutter roller (cutter block) cooperating with a sta-tionary pressure plate. The apparatus comprises a chopping head (1) and a recep-tacle (5), disconnectably interconnected by means of a clamp (6), the receptacle (5) being at least partly covered by the chopping head (1). In stand-by manner a first microswitch (27) is activated. The drive of the cutter roller (21) is activated by the ac-tivation of a second microswitch (10), whose activation depends on the swinging posi-tions of a flap (15) struck by a workpiece. In addition to an embodiment driven by an electric motor (battery), a manually driven apparatus is foreseen. Next to a chopping part (2) of the chopping head (1), a free-admittance part (3) is preferably foreseen.
In an embodiment with the latter part being lower than the former one, the height difference is bridged by a handle (8), the receptacle (5) being equipped with an own handle (7). In an embodiment with the heights of said parts being essentially equal, it is foreseen that a carrying handle (35) of the receptacle as the only gripping element of the cutter also interconnects the chopping head (1) and the receptacle (5).

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Description

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' Portable cutting apparatu~

~nt. Cl.: B 02 C 18/~6 The invention relates to a portable cutting apparatus for cutting organic stalky waste materials originating in a home-farm (a croft) andlor in a household - having a ~eed ing orifice and a rotaIy multiple-edge cutter roller (cutter block) cooperating with a stationary pressure plate.
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A cutting apparatus of the kind set forth abolre is known from ~uropean patent specification EP 469 380 A1. A cutter roller operates like a milling cutter and cooperates with a constructionally complicated arrangement of an aluminum counter~ fe as well as an additional arrangement of a device for removing cut pieces, which might not haYe been able to come out from the hollows between the running cutters in good time.

A~s prior art there has also been considered German patent specification DE 30 36 235 A1 relating to a hand-operated device for cutting garden and/or household waste materials, which device, however, can be attached to an electri~ dnll as a dri~ing motor.
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Proceeding from a machine as set forth in the introductory section, it is an airn of the present invention to achieve that the cutting apparatus will not require more or con-siderably more work from the housewife than she would have by throwing the same waste into the garbage container, thus eliminating the need ~or temporarily collecting such waste and processing the accumulated material as well as making possible a prompt cutting of the waste. ( onsequently, the cutting machine becomes an everyday household appliance and is available to the housewife at any moment.

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The object of the invention is linked to the supposition that the diameter of stems to be cut has a reasonable upper limit. This upper limit of the diameter is supposed to be at approx. 20 mm, which size is also normally considered for the use of gardening shears and should comprise the main par~ of all e~ected stalky organic waste.

It was surprisingly found that the organic decomposi~ion abili~,r of wood chaff is not weakened if cutting by mi33ing is replaced by cutting by chopping, where the bindings between fibers are always broken anyway.

According to the invention, the above object is attained in such a manner that a port-able cutting apparatus comprises a chopping head and a receptacle, the latter being disconnectably bound to and covered by the chopping head, wherein a drive for the multiple-knife cutter roller is accommodated, which drive is connected to an electri-cal ba~tery for supplying a motor. I~ the chopping head a i;rst microsu itch is incor-porated in front of the receptacle, the first microswitch being automatically activated when combining the chopping head and the receptacle, to which end at least one outer clamp is foreseen, whereat to the first microswitch a second microswitch is CDn-nected in series, which is activated and by which the electric motor drive of the cutter roller is started on the basis of a swinging movement of a yieldingly supported swin-gable flap, which swinging movement is initiated by entering a sta3ky waste workpiece into the chopping head. The swingable, yieldingly supported f3ap is arranged over the cutter roller and comprises a first plate section, which with a stationary wall plate forms a shaft being substantially convergent or, in the extreme position (by passing a specific position with a steady clearance of the shaft), divergent in the direction of en-tering the workpiece, and a second plate section, which with the stationary wa31 plate forms a shaft being divergent in the direction of the proceeding of the workpiece.
The above-mentioned outer clamp is arranged over the Srst microswitch and is em-bodied as a two-armed lever, whose upper arm is pressed by a spring away from a housing of the choppirlg head and whose lower arm is terminated by a projection adapted to cooperate with an outer overhanging part of the receptacle and thus, at assembling the chapping head and the receptacle, the projection automatically snaps below the overhanging part and when the receptacle is removed, it shields the first microswitch. The chopping head is composed of a chopping part preferably 30catedat one end of a generally oblong construction of the shopping head, and of a free-admittance part located next to one of its longitudinal sides, with the handle of the ..::

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chopping head being located essentially in a vertical plane of the system, through the center of mass. The free-admittance part of the chopping head is lower than the chopping part, the difference of heights being bridged ~y the handle. In an areabelow the handle or behind or next to it a slot-~pe hole is arranged in ~he housing of the chopping head for a direct, non-cutting transfer of small waste material into the receptacle. The electric rechargeable battery is arranged in the area of the free-admittance part of the chopping head.

In a manually driven ernbodiment a shaft of a small gear wheel of a reducing gear ex-tends to the left and/or to the right of the handle through the housing of the chop-ping part of the chopping head and is a~ its outer end provided with a winch for a manual driving of the cutter roller.

The invention also foresees an embodiment, wherein the heights of the chopping part and the free-admittance part of the chopping head are rnutually essentiallyequal, said parts being connected to the receptacle by means of a carrying handle of the receptacl~.

There follows a detailed description of the embodiments of captioned cutting ap-paratus, where either electrical or manual drive of the worl~ng organ is foreseen.
The invention is in no way aimed to be limited to the embodiments shown in the at-tached drawings, wherein show:

Fig. 1 a three-dimensional representation of an electrically driven portable cutting apparatus of the invention, in stand-by state, Fig. 2 an upper, autonomous unit, i.e. a chopping head of the cutting apparatus of Fig. 1, put on the i loor, Fig. 3 an orthogonal elevational view of a cross-section taken along line 3-3 of the chopping head of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 an orthogonal elevational view of a cross-section taken along line 4-4 of the chopping head and a receptacle of the cutting apparatus of Fig. 1, . . . ; ~ . . .

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Fig. 5 the receptacle of the cutting apparatus of Fig. 1, Fig. la a three-dimensional representation of a manually driYen portable cutting ap-paratus of the invention, in stand-by condition, Fig. 2a an upper, autonomous unit, i.e. a chopping head of the cutting apparatus of Fig. la, put on the floor, Fig. 3a an orthogonal elevational view of a cross-section taken along line 3a-3a of the chopping head of Fig. 2a, and Fig. 6 an electrically driven portable cutting apparatus as a modi~lcation of the cut-ting apparatus of Fig. 1.

Figs. 1~5. A portable cutting apparatus comprises a chopping head 1, which has achopping part 2 and, optionally, a Eree-admittance part 3, which is not obligatory for the inl/ention, as well as a soclcet frame 4. The chopping head 1 is adaptably put on a bucket-type receptacle S and connected to the latter by means of a spring-loadedclamp 6~ which is a single one if at the side of the chopping head 1 another diametri-cally opposi~e coupling device (not shown), sensibly a yet simpler one, is foreseen, or two of them are foreseen if in comparison to said simpler coupling device the clamp 6 of the invention is considered to be preferable, and there can also be foreseen a number of such clamps. The receptacle 5 advantageously has a swingably attached handle 7 (engaging only one hand), not ~xcluding thereby the possibility of an em-bodiment with two handles (engaging two hands).

The chopping part 2 of the chopping head 1 is constructed to receive and to chopstally waste materials, the free-admittance part 3 of the chopping head 1 is con-structed to trans~er organic waste materia]s which need not to be cut to the recep-tacle 5, and the receptacle 5 is foreseen to receive and to transport the prepared remains of organic materials, i.e. the materials that have been subjected to chopping, as well as the ones that do not need to be chopped.

The free-admittance part 3 of the chopping head 1 is lower than the chopping part 2 and the e~sting di~erence of heights is bridged by a stiff handle 8, which serves both --. . , ,, . ~ . . , ,.. .: . ~ .

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s to ~ansport the whole cutting apparatus (or only the chopping head 1, respectively) as well as to possibly hold the apparatus in the course of its functioning, or to support the user a$ putting the stally materials into the apparatus. Hence the handle 8 is preferably arranged essentially along a medium longitudinal vertical plane of the cut-ting apparatus (near to the center of mass of the apparatus).

l~he chopping part 2 of the chopping head 1 is positioned transversely to the longi-tudinal orientation of the cutting apparatus. In a roof wall of the chopping part 2 a slot-like orifice 9 is foreseen, whose length extends over ~he substantial extension of the choppin~ part 2 transversely to the longitudinal orientation of the portable cut-ting apparatus and whose width is deterrnined by the greatest thickness of stems to be processed. At least a part of the roof wall around the orii ice 9 is advantageously tilted down to the ori~lce 9 so as to resemble a hopper.

Coinciding with the long edge of the orifice 9 that is positioned farthest from the free-admittance part 3 of the chopping head 1 and below the roof wall of the chop-ping part 2 of the chopping head 1, a mantle surface of a ver~ical, preferably rectan-gular flat wall plate 1û is positioned, the said mantle surface essentially directly abut-ting upon the said edge. In its upmost area the said plate is provided with a pair of mutually coaxial trunnions 11, whose axis extends in parallel with main mantle planes of the wall plate 10. The wall plate 10 is, by means of trunnions 11, freely swingably suspended on two vertical housing walls (front walls) of the chopping part 2, directly abutted upon said plate 10.

The height of the wall plate 10 occupies the prevailing part of the inner height of the chopping head 1 measured beneath the orifice 9. In the housing inte~ior of the chop-ping part 2 of the chopping head 1, next to $he lower area of the wall plate 10, a traverse 12 is fixed, which suppor~s a position-adjusting support assembly 13 for the wall plate 10. In a simple embodirnent as shown, said support assembly 13 is a screw w~th a jam nut, which, however, does not exclude possibilities of using other ap-proaches lcnownperse, particularly e.g. an eccentric drive or a ca~ drive.

In front of the wall plate 10, at the side of the chopping part 2 abutting upon the free-admittance part 3 of the chopping head 1, a ~lap-switch assembly 14 is arranged beneath the roof wall of the chopping part 2. Said assernbly is composed of a flap 15 :. .. ,.. , ........ .
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which is - analogously to the wall plate 1û - freely swingably suspended beneath ths roof wall of the housing of the chopping par$ 2 by means of a pair of its trunnions 16.
The flap 15 comprises two plate sections: a first plate section 15' integrated with said trunnions 16 and a second plate section 15" connected to a free end of the afore-mentioned section 15', the two plate sections enclosing an angle of approx. 120.

Preferably in the area of the corner between the plate sections 15', 15" of the i lap lS
and possibly at other points of ~e extension by height of the i lap 15, a pressure agent 17 is incorporated, suitably retained in position and guided, which agent is a spring in the simple embodiment as shown. By the action of said agent, the flap 15 is steadily pressed out of its stable hinging position into contact with the wall plate 107 which, as a result of said action, is also steadily pressed to its own support assembly 13. In such a position the wall plate 10 and the i~ap 15 mutually form a wedged convergent inlet shaft A in the area between the orifice 9 and their contacting line P and a wedged divergent transitory shaft B in the area below their contacting line P.

In the area of its trunnion section on the side oriented away from the wall plate 10, the flap 15 is provided with an arcuate cam 18, which is arranged coaxially with the trunnions 16 and extends over an arc of approx. 90 or more. In front of said arcuate cam 18, a second electrical microswitch 19 is stably arranged in the housing interior of the chopping part 2 of the chopping head 1, which microswitch is suitably of the kind with a roller. The latter is arranged so as to reside directly ;n front of the ter-minal edge of the arcuate cam 18 (the electrical circuit is broken) if the flap 15 con-tacts the wall plate 10, and to reside on the arcuate cam 18 (the electrical circuit ;s closed) if the Elap 15 is di~placed from the wall p]ate 10. The arcuate length of the ar-cuate cam 18 is determined so as to guarantee that the roller of the microswitchremains retained on the arcuate cam 18 even when the flap lS is extremely dislocated (when the shaft A becornes divergent).

~e free end of the flap 15 resides at a height of approx. 2/3 of the height of t~e wall plate 10 measured down ~om the orifice 9.

In the housing interior of the chopping part 2 of the chopping head 1 under the flap 15 and in the clearance between the wall plate 10 and a vertical parti~ion wall of the chopping part 2, which partition wall separates the chopping part from the ~ee-.. . ............... . .

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. . . . .. -admittance part 3 of the chopping head 1, there is arranged on a through-shaft 20 a chopping cutter roller 21, which is known per se and is ~astened to the said shaft and whose diameter essentially occupies all the above-mentioned clearance. The axis of rotation of the shaft 20 and of the cutter roller 21, respectively, resides at a height a little above the free edge of the wall plate 10. The wall plate 10 is, by its support as-sembly 13, reasonably approached to the cutter roller 21 and serves as a chopping-block for suppor~ing the stem material. Since the wall plate 10 is exposed to wear and tear, it is made of a wear-resistant material.

As far as the driving of the cutter roller 21 is concerned, the respective solution does not exceed the scope of the prior art, hence a detailed disclosure thereof is con-sidered to be superfluous. In order to realize the basic aim of the invention, i.e. to make a portable cutting apparatus as a household device, it is foreseen according to the invention that in the free-adrnittance part 3 of the chopping head 1 a chamber tnot shown in detail) is arranged for installing a r~chargeable electrical (e.g. 12 V; 6 Ah) battery 22 for supplying a (e.g. 120 W) motor (not shown), which in the repre-sentation according to Fig. 3 resides, together with an appropriate reducing gear (not shown either), in a separate compartment of the housing of the chopping part 2 be-hind a vertical wall - below the drawing plane.

In a suitable embodiment of the chopping head 1, said chamber for the installation of the battery 22 is foreseen next to and along a slot-~pe hole 23, which in the given case is situated in the area directly below or below and/or next to the handle 8.

It is clear that when using a rechargeable batte~y such as battery 22, an appropriate electrical terminal (not shown) is arranged at a suitable location on the chopping head housing for connecting to an electrical recharging device; possibly there can also be foreseen a reversing switch for altering the direction of the rotation of the cutter roller 21 as well as indicators or checking devices, everything in accordance with the currentlyvalid safety regulations.

The socket part of the housing of the chopping head 1 should provide a sufficient ri~idity. For manu~c~uring reasons and other reasons mentioned f~rther below, the above-mentioned socket frame 4 is foreseen to increase the rigidity.

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As shown in Fig. 3 and represented in detail in Fig. 4, said clamp 6 is substantially an uprigllt two-armed lever, whose upper arm 6' is pressed away from the housing ofthe chopping head 1 by a spAng 25 and whose lower arm 6" is termina~ed by a projection 26 for automatic snapping when assembling.

In the area of t~e lower arm 6" of the clamp 6, a housing wall of the chopping head 1 is, next to the socket frame 4, extended outwardly so as to form, on one hand, a sup-port for said lower arm 6" of the clamp 6 and, on the other hand, ~ogether with said socket frame 4, a compartment C, where a first electrical microswitch 27 is stably ar-ranged, providing an operational "stand-b~' character of the apparatus. Said micro-switch 27 is ~ the type with a pressure button oriented vertically downwards.

In a suitable embodiment7 the number of compartments C is equal to the number ofthe clamps 6~ whereas a single microswitch 27 may be sufflcient. It is important that at removing the receptacle S from the chopping head 1, the microswitch 27 is protected against accidental switching-on by the projection 26 of the clamp 6.

In order to make easier the pu~ting down OI the chopping head 1 when removed from the receptacle S (Fig. 2), suitably yielding stands 28 are incorporated from below into its socket frame 4 at appropriate points, which stands project from below the lower edge of the socket frame 4. In the given embodiment, the chopping head 1 is rectangular in plan view and the stands 28 are arranged in suitably adapted bear-ings 29 in each corner of the socket frame 4.

It is self-evident that the knife edges of the cutter roller 21 do not project below the lowest edge of the chopping head 1.

As evident from Fig. 4, a joint border of the receptacle 5 is profiled in a stepwise/bent manner and is in accord with the socket frame 4, the stands 28 thereof and the clamp 6 so that in the assembled state the stands 28 abut upon an inner upright surface of a wall 51 of the receptacle 5, an outer surface of the socket frame 4 is completely en-cased by an adapted part 511 of the receptacle 5, an upmost border part 5111 of the receptacle S retains the pressure button of the microswitch 27 in its pressed-in state (the electrical circuit is closed), and the projection 26 of the clamp 6 projects below an outer overhanging part 51V of the receptacle 5.

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g Separa~ed from the chopping head 1 (Fig. 5), the receptacle 5 in principle serves as an ordina~ bucket, i.e. to be emptied, it is transported independently from the chopping head 1. Essentially, it only difEers from an ordinary bucket by its joint bor-der, which is, according to the invention, specifically pro~l]ed and represents a bear-ing to accornmodate the socket frame 4 of the chopping head 1 and a pusher for switching the microsw~tch 27, which joint border, however, does not impede the emp~ing of the receptacle 5.

As to the f unctioning, the portable cutting apparatus in the assembled state as shown and disclosed stands still and there are no switches on the outside~ which could in-itiate an operation and thereby energy consumption. In order to start the apparatus, the llap 15 must be swung. This happens when a workpiece is inserted into and through the orifice 9. In principle, one's fingers cannot be inserted therethrough; if this should happen twhich means staTting the machine), the fingers carmot reach the dangerous sphere of the cutter roller 21.

The battery 22, the corresponding motor and the gear as well as the cutter roller 21 are chosen and mutually coordinated so as to achieve a normal functioning of a regularly used apparatus An overload-protection (no~ shown) for breaking electrical supply is foreseen in case the apparatus is used contrary to instructions.

At inserting a stem-like object (workpiece) into the inlet shaf~ A, the flap 15 is shifted from the wall plate 10 and the drive of the apparatus is started. From this moment on, the workpiece is steadily pressed against the wall plate 10 and thereby retained in position. In the course of progressive moving, the workpiece enters the transitory shaft B and hereafter the working area of the cutter roller 21. After a first knife of the cutter roller 21 has s~ruck the workpiece, the latter is being transversely cut and, at the same time, progressively drawn by the cutter roller ~1. In the meantirne there follows a second knife etc.

By being cut and drawn, the internal structure of the longitudinal fibers of cut pieces is altered (dislocated, i.e. tom) due to the spreading effect resulting from a wedged shape of knives, which positively ini luences the subsequent biological decomposition.

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Figs. la-3a. The above portable cutting apparatus of Figs~ 1-5 can also be embodied as a manually driven machine by removing all parts constitut;ng an electrical out~t and by some insigni~lcant constructional changes.

In the compartment encasing the motor and the gear at the electrically-operated machine, only a (suitably single-stage) reducing gear 30 is incorpora~ed, whose great gear wheel 30' is fixed on a shaft 31 of the cutter roller 21 and whose small gear wheel 30" (pinion) is fixed on a shaft 32~ which is arranged in an area above the cut-ter roller 21 by being shifted to the already mentioned partition wall be~ween two parts 2, 3 of the chopping head 1. On either front side (since the operators can be right- or left-handers) or in another appropriate manner, a winch 33 is ann~xed to the lastmentioned shaft 32 and the length of the winch 33 is determined so that it does not reach below the bottom level of the receptacle 5. The reducing gear 30 makçs it possible to turn the cutter roller 21 ~orward and backward and is advan-tageously dimensioned so as to realize two cutting strokes (one cutting stroke at moving/pressing the winch 33 downward and another at moving/drawing the winch 33 upward) per revolution of the winch 33.

As an awcilialy organ in this embodiment, preferably a single and alternative]y ~wo hinged footboards 34 are connected to the receptacle 5, onto which footboards the user can put his/her foot in order to relieve the strain on his/her hand holding the ap-paratus by its handle 8 in the course of chopping. Naturally, the footboard 34 and the winch 33 are arranged at the same side.

Finally, the handle 7 of the receptacle 5 of whatever embodiment disclosed above is advantageously constructed so as to make possible the carrying of the portable cut-ting apparatus as a whole.

Fig. 6. At the embodiments disclosed above two handles are foreseen: the handle 8 as a general handle of the machine and the handle 7 of the receptacle 5. On the other hand, the embodiment of Fig. 6 provides a single common arcuate handle 35, whichis appropriately rigid and incorporates three functions: the carrying of the apparatus, the mechanical interconnection of ~he electrically driven chopping head with thereceptacle, and the general "stand-by" ac~ivation of the electrical circuit.

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't 11 i The arcuate handle 35 is, as evident from the drawing, advantageously swingable to one side of the portable apparatus only. From the respective view there is also evi-dent the location of a wall socket 36 for anne~ng an electric cable (not shown) for recharging the battery.
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It is specii ic for this embodiment that the or~ice 9 and the slot-~rpe hole 23 are ar-ranged essential]y in the same level.

The invention foresees (irrespectively of the embodiment~ a receptacle of 20 liters and a total mass of the apparatus of approx. 8 kg or less (only approx. 4 l~g for the manually driven apparatus), which means that the cutting apparatus of the ;nvention can be classified as a household device. It is a practical result of said facts that the machine comes to the waste material and not vice ver~a. The drive of the cutter roller 21 is designed to realize 2-0.5 cuts per sec., ixrespectively of the si~e of the cutter roller 21.
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Claims

1. A portable cutting apparatus for organic stalky waste materials originating in a home-farm (a croft) and/or in a household - having a feeding orifice and a multiple-knife cutter roller (cutter block) cooperating with a stationary pressure plate, characterized in that it comprises a chopping head (1) and a receptacle (5), the latter being disconnectably bound to and covered by the chopping head (1), wherein a drive for the cutter roller (21) is accommodated, which drive is connected to an electrical battery for supplying a motor

2. The portable cutting apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that inthe chopping head (1) a first microswitch (27) is incorporated in front of the recep-tacle (5), the first microswitch (27) being automatically activated when combining the chopping head (1) and the receptacle (5), to which end at least one outer clamp (6) is foreseen, whereat to the first microswitch (27) a second microswitch (19) is con-nected in series, which is activated and by which the electric motor drive of the cutter roller (21) is started on the basis of a swinging movement of a yieldingly supported swingable flap (15), which swinging movement is initiated by entering a stalky waste workpiece into the chopping head (1)

3. The portable cutting apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the swingable, yieldingly supported flap (15) is arranged over the cutter roller (21) and comprises a first plate section (15'), which with a stationary wall plate (10) forms a shaft (A) being substantially convergent or, in the extreme position (by passing a specific position with a steady clearance of the shaft), divergent in the direction of en-tering the workpiece, and a second plate section (15''), which with the stationary wall plate (10) forms a shaft (B) being divergent in the direction of the proceeding of the workpiece.

4. The portable cutting apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized in that the clamp (6) is arranged over the first microswitch (27) and embodied as a two-armed lever, whose upper arm (6') is pressed by a spring (25) away from a housing of the chopping head (1) and whose lower arm (6'') is terminated by a projection (26) adapted to cooperate with an outer overhanging part (51V) of the receptacle (5), and thus, at assembling the chopping head (1) and the receptacle (5), the projection (26) automatically snaps below the overhanging part (5IV) and when the receptacle (5) is removed, it shields the first microswitch (27).

5. The portable cutting apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the chopping head (1) is composed of a chopping part (2) preferably located at one end of a generally oblong construction of the chopping head (1), and of a free-admittance part (3) located next to one of its longitudinal sides, with the handle (8) of the chop-ping head (1) being located essentially in a vertical plane of the system, through the center of mass.

6. The portable cutting apparatus according to Claim 5, characterized in that the free-admittance part (3) of the chopping head (1) is lower than the chopping part (2), the difference of heights being bridged (consumed) by the handle (8).

7. The portable cutting apparatus according to one of preceding Claims, charac-terized in that in an area below the handle (8) or behind or next to it, a slot-type hole (23) is arranged in the housing of the chopping head (1) for a direct, non-cutting transfer of small waste material into the receptacle (5).

8. The portable cutting apparatus according to one of preceding Claims, charac-terized in that the electric rechargeable battery (22) is arranged in the area of the free-admittance part (3) of the chopping head (1).

9. The portable cutting apparatus according to one of preceding Claims, charac-terized in that a shaft (32) of a small gear wheel (30'') of a reducing gear extends to the left and/or to the right of the handle (8) through the housing of the chopping part (2) of the chopping head (1) and is at its outer end provided with a winch (33) for a manual driving of the cutter roller (21).

10. The portable cutting apparatus according to whichever of preceding Claims, characterized in that the heights of the chopping part (2) and of the free-admittance part (3) of the chopping head (1) are mutually essentially equal, the parts (2, 3) being connected to the receptacle (5) by means of a carrying handle (35) of the receptacle (5).