CZ310067B6 - An equipment and a method of applying pesticides to the surface of logs - Google Patents

Abstract

The presented solution provides an equipment for the application of pesticides to the surface of logs that contains a harvester head containing a base frame with an attached folding frame where the equipment for tree felling and transverse cutting of logs are mounted, as well as the equipment for delimbing of the stems of felled trees formed by delimbing knives (5,6) fit on the folding frame beam and/or swivel arms, a pull-through equipment (4), preferably in the form of two or more pull-through hydraulically driven rollers, wheels or belts, whereas the equipment further contains hydraulic jets (8 and 9) arranged on the arms on the opposite side to the blades of delimbing knives (5) and/or on the folding frame under the mounting of delimbing knives (6). The presented solution further describes a method of pesticide application to the surface of the logs using the specified equipment.

Description

Device and method for applying pesticides to the surface of dh'vi incisions

Field of technology

The present invention relates to a device and a method for applying pesticides to the surface of wood cuttings. The device is based on the harvester head.

Current state of the art

For fully mechanized drift harvesting, harvesters are used, which are equipped with a harvester head, usually located at the end of the hydraulic crane. With this head, harvesters are able to perform the following activities in particular: separating the above-ground parts of trees from the underground parts and placing them on the surface of the terrain (these two activities are collectively referred to as felling trees), further branching, measuring, cutting tree trunks into sections. In cooperation with the hydraulic crane, to which the head of the harvester is attached, the harvester can further place the produced cuttings of driftwood in suitable places. In addition, the heads of some harvesters are equipped with an application device for applying a urea solution to the surface of stumps created by felling a tree.

Harvesters are able to harvest both healthy trees and trees attacked by some harmful agent, e.g. bark beetle. Wood made from live trees infested with bark beetles can therefore be remedied by applying solutions of pesticides (insecticides) that kill bark beetles found in the cuttings, in all their stages of development. At the present time, this remediation takes place in landfills made from cuttings of wood infested with bark beetles, i.e. separately after the end of processing and storage of wood by a harvester. These dumps can be created either in the form of piles of wood placed along export lines, along which harvesters move when harvesting wood in forest stands, or they can also be located at the so-called removal places along the removal forest roads, where they are transported from the place of removal by another machine , i.e. by an export tractor (forwarder) or an export tractor set. Especially in the second case, there is a time delay of varying length between the produced wood cutting and its storage at the export location by the harvester and the sanitization of the cuttings with an insecticide solution. Sanitation of incisions with an insecticide solution is carried out manually, with the help of hand-held portable sprayers. It is an activity that is characterized by considerable labor, physical exertion, exposure of a person to potential contact with insecticides, and in addition, the fact that covering the cut with an insecticide solution is not ideal with this method of application, because those parts of the cut that rest on the surface of the soil are sprayed with insecticide only insufficiently or not at all. The current method of applying insecticides to the surface of cuttings attacked by bark beetles and harvested by a harvester is therefore characterized by the existence of a delay of several hours (or even longer) from the time the cuttings are made to their treatment with insecticide, incomplete coverage of the surface of the cuttings with insecticide, as well as the effort and risk of applying insecticide for humans. The effectiveness of the application of insecticides against bark beetles on cuttings is conditioned by the timeliness of the intervention (with delayed intervention, insects can fly out of the infested wood and attack other trees in the vicinity) and its quality (incomplete coverage of the wood surface can also cause bark beetles to fly out of untreated parts of the cuttings) .

Harvester heads are usually formed by a basic frame, which is connected with the help of a rotator to the end of the arm of the hydraulic crane of the harvester. A folding frame is attached to the base frame, in which devices for felling trees and cutting trunks into sections are stored (as a rule, this device is designed as a hydraulically controlled rotating guide blade equipped with an endlessly rotating hydraulically driven saw chain), as well as devices for branching the felled trunk Ch trees, formed by branching knives and a stretching device in the form of two or more stretching hydraulically driven cylinders, wheels or belts. The branching legs are of two types: fixed, mounted on the hinged frame beam, and movable, mounted on hydraulic swivels

- 1 CZ 310067 B6 controlled arms. The arms are fixed on the hinged frame on one side on the pivoting pins so that they move in a part of the circular surface located perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the harvester head, and thus also to the axis of the branched trunk. During the branching of trunks, these arms with branching legs are pressed against the surface of the branched trunks by the force created by the pressure of the primary hydromotors acting on the arms with branching legs. The constant pressure of the primary hydraulic motors ensures the copying of the trunk surface by the individual branching legs. The actual branching takes place by cutting off the branch with the branching knife, whereby the tree trunk is moved parallel to the longitudinal axis of the head by stretching cylinders or wheels. Branched, or the trunk, which is gradually cut transversely into individual incisions, moves from the rhizome (base of the trunk) to its tip in the head during stretching. Among other things, it is clear from the above that the copying of the trunk surface by the debranching knives ensures that the knife arms are at a constant distance from the surface of the processed trunk.

The application of insecticides to the surface of wood cuttings made by the harvester takes place with the help of a standard portable back-mounted sprayer with a manual or motorized suction device, or a tractor sprayer with a hose attachment. The application tool is connected by a pressure hose to a reservoir of insecticide solution usually carried on the worker's back (in the case of a tractor-mounted sprayer) and consists of a gun handle with a valve that controls the flow of the insecticide solution to the nozzle, which is located at the end of the tube attached to the gun handle . The application of the insecticide takes place when the worker with the spraying device passes along the treated incision(s) of the creeper(s) on the surface of the ground. At the same time, the nozzle is kept in such a position relative to the cut surface that the quality of its coverage with the insecticide solution is as good as possible. If the incisions lie on the surface of the ground or touch each other when treated with insecticide, the areas covered by the incision surface are covered with insecticide insufficiently or not at all.

The essence of the invention

The newly designed device for applying pesticides to the surface of the cuts made by the drive of the harvester head is based on a system of hydraulic nozzles located in suitable places on the back side of the arms (on the opposite side from the side of the blades) of the movable branching knives, or on the folding frame of the harvester head under the storage of the fixed branching knife . The nozzles are arranged in such a way as to ensure complete coverage of the surface of the trunk, processed by the harvester head, with the insecticide solution.

The device according to the invention thus includes a harvester head containing a basic frame, in which a hinged frame is fixed, in which devices for felling trees and tools for cutting trunks into incisions are placed, as well as devices for branching the trunks of felled trees formed by branching knives mounted on the beam of the hinged frame and/or on rotating arms, stretching devices, with an output in the form of two more stretching hydraulically driven cylinders, wheels or belts, moreover, the essence of the device lies in the fact that it also contains hydraulic nozzles arranged on the arms on the opposite side from the blade side of the branching legs and/or on folding frame under the storage of the branching legs.

The branching legs are of two types: fixed, mounted on the hinged frame beam, and movable, mounted on rotating hydraulically controlled arms. The arms are fixed on the hinged frame on one side on the pivoting pins so that they move in a part of the circular surface located perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the harvester head, and thus also to the axis of the branched trunk.

Advantageously, the hydraulic nozzles are fixed in a holder, in which a channel is created to feed the insecticide solution to the nozzles. Channels are then created in the holder for the supply of compressed air to the air nozzles, which are used to clean the surface of the hydraulic nozzles.

- 2 CZ 310067 B6

Brackets with hydraulic nozzles can also carry air nozzles and be fixed on the arms of the movable branching legs and on the beam of the folding frame in the vicinity of the fixed branching leg.

The nozzle holders are advantageously fixed in their places in a removable way, enabling, for example, their easy disassembly or replacement in the event of a malfunction.

Nozzles or nozzle holders are advantageously spaced at regular intervals, i.e. evenly with respect to the perimeter of the treated trunk, so that complete coverage of the surface of the branched trunk by spraying the insecticide solution is guaranteed. Advantageously, the device contains at least three nozzles.

The device may also contain a storage container for an insecticide solution. The storage tank for the insecticide solution is usually located in a suitable place on the harvester, the necessary excess pressure of the insecticide in the spraying device system is created in the usual way by a hydraulic pump or by air pressure above the level of the insecticide solution in the storage tank. Ensuring a constant, suitable position of the nozzles above the treated surface of the drive cuts is provided by the appropriate location of the nozzles on the arms of the branching knives and on the folding frame.

The device injects the insecticide solution into the nozzles, which scatter it on the surface of the trunk in synchronization with its branching: i.e., the insecticide solution is sprayed only when the trunk is stretched by the branching knife device, when the trunk is stopped, e.g. during a transverse cut when making a cut with wood, insecticide spraying does not take place. Dosing of the insecticide takes place automatically and is derived from the work movement of stretching the wood during its branching by the harvester head. The dosage of the insecticide can be adjusted as needed.

The method of applying pesticides to the surface of wood cuttings with the help of the device according to the present invention consists in the fact that during branching of wood and preparation of wood cuttings, the head of the harvester is sprayed with an insecticide by means of hydraulic nozzles during the time when the head of the harvester moves the trunk, while during the time when the head of the harvester the trunk does not move, spraying is not carried out by means of hydraulic nozzles. In other words, spraying by means of hydraulic nozzles takes place while the stretching device is in operation.

The invention is therefore based on the application of hydraulic nozzles for the application of a solution of an insecticidal agent to the surface of the wood cuttings located in the given time period in the stage of branching by stretching between the branching legs of the harvester head. The nozzles are placed in the required number (the appropriate total number of three nozzles can be used on the attached drawing documentation, there may be others) on the movable arms of the branching knives and on the folding frame above the fixed branching knife. The nozzles can advantageously be stored in metal cubes, forming their holders, covers and distribution of the insecticide solution at the same time. Channels with air nozzles are formed in the cubes. These air nozzles, into which compressed air is fed through channels from the air tank, located in a suitable place on the harvester, ensure that the hydraulic nozzles are cleaned of possible dirt particles as needed, thus maintaining the operability of the hydraulic nozzles even in the demanding conditions in which they are found. The insecticide solution is supplied to the nozzles by pressure hoses located at a suitable place on the head of the harvester and on the hydraulic crane, at the end of which the head is suspended. The solution of the protective insecticide is stored in the storage tank, the pressure of the insecticide in the distribution system is ensured by a pump driven from the power system of the harvester or by the overpressure of the air in the pressure tank of the insecticide. The valves, controlling the flow of insecticide through the nozzles in synchronization with the branching of the trunks by stretching, can work automatically. The valves that open and close the path of compressed air to clean the hydraulic nozzles for insecticide application are automatically opened for a short period of time when the harvester head stops stretching the trunk.

In contrast to the constructive method of applying insecticides to the surface of wood cuttings, separated in time from the phase of its production, moreover, carried out by motomanual, or manually by spraying the cutouts

- 3 CZ 310067 B6 of drift stored in dumps (heaps) with the help of portable back-mounted sprayers, the new solution is characterized by immediate, i.e. time-independent, spraying of the surface of the drift cutouts immediately upon their formation in the harvester head, and this is a device that is part of the mechanisms of the harvester head.

When using the new solution, the following will occur:

- elimination of the often very long period of time between the moment of making a cut by the head of the harvester and the application of the insecticide solution to the surface of the wood using a portable backpack sprayer or tractor-mounted sprayer with a hose attachment, and thus to ensure the timely protective intervention by spraying insecticide;

- improvement of the quality of covering the surface of the treated incision with a drift insecticide;

- increasing the effectiveness of suppressing the unwanted development of bark beetles;

- not affecting the harvester's work productivity by using the installed insecticide application device;

- increase in labor productivity and decrease in the consumption of live labor in the production of cuts treated with insecticide;

- improvement of hygienic conditions during the application of insecticide to the surface of the wood cut.

A similar technique for the integrated application of insecticidal substances during the production of tree cuttings in stands attacked by bark beetles is currently completely lacking in forestry. Given the current problems associated with suppressing the development of bark beetles, which have reached a catastrophic state in forestry, the proposed solution provides new effective, technically manageable and economically, ecologically and hygienically profitable possibilities.

Oblation of the drawing

The system of the device for applying pesticides to the surface of the cutouts of the drive-produced harvester heads is shown schematically in the drawings, where it shows:

Fig. 1 overall axonometric view of the harvester head equipped with a device for applying pesticides to the surface of the cutouts of the wood-made harvester heads, Fig. 2 side view of the harvester head with the installed device for applying pesticides to the surface of the cutouts of the wood-made harvester heads, Fig. 3 section A-A of the head of a harvester with an installed device for applying pesticides to the surface of the cut-outs of the wood-made harvester head (the number of three hydraulic nozzles for applying the insecticide solution is conveniently indicated), Fig. 4 section B-B of the harvester head with an installed device for applying pesticides to the surface of the cut-outs of the wood-made harvester head - cut head and bottom view of the hydraulic nozzles located on the arms of the movable branching legs and on the hinged frame in the vicinity of the fixed branching leg, Fig. 5 detail of the holder of the hydraulic nozzle for the application of the insecticide solution, located in a metal cube with channels for the supply of pressurized liquid (insecticide solution) and of compressed air for cleaning hydraulic nozzles from dirt being carried by air nozzles.

- 4 CZ 310067 B6

An example of the implementation of the invention

The system of the device for applying pesticides to the surface of the cutouts of the harvester head produced by wood will be described on the example of its use on a harvester head of standard construction, consisting of a basic and folding frame, mechanisms of movable and fixed branching knives, a cutting device, stretching rollers (wheels) and other structural parts, generally arranged in the form of a harvester head, which is not subject to protection.

An axonometric view of the harvester head with a mounted pesticide application system on the surface of the cut-outs made by the harvester head is shown in Fig. 1, where the base frame 1 is suspended on a rotator 11 connected to the not shown end of the arm of the hydraulic crane of the harvester. Holders with hydraulic nozzles 8 are placed on the movable arms of the branching legs 5 on the hinged frame 2, a hydraulic nozzle holder 9 is placed near the fixed branching leg 6, an insecticide solution is supplied to the surface of the base frame 1 and the hinged frame 2 through pipe and hose connections 10 hydraulic nozzles 8 and 9.

When branching the tree trunk 7, it is stretched in the direction from left to right between the movable and fixed branching legs 5 and 6, as a result of the action of the hydraulically driven stretching rollers or wheels 4 on the branched tree trunk.

Synchronous with the movement of the stretched tree trunk, the valve 14a activates the spraying of the surface of the trunk by hydraulic nozzles 8 and 9, which lasts until the movement of the trunk stretching between the branching legs 5 and 6 stops. head in the direction from right to left, spray nozzles 8 and 9 are not in operation. When interrupting the spraying of insecticide with hydraulic nozzles 8 and 9, these nozzles can be cleaned if necessary by a short-term stream of compressed air from air nozzles a and b according to Fig. 5. Opening and closing of the compressed air flow is ensured by valve 14b.

A side view of the harvester head with an installed device for applying pesticides to the cut surface of the harvester head is shown in Fig. 2, where the hydraulic nozzles 8 in the holders are fixed on the arms of the movable branching knives 5, the nozzle for the fixed knife 6 is fixed on the folding frame 2 in the vicinity of the fixed leg 6. The tube and hose lines of the insecticide solution and compressed air 10 are guided along the surface of the base 1 and the hinged frame 2.

An exemplary spatial arrangement of the hydraulic nozzles 8 and 9 with respect to the profile of the branched trunk 7 is shown in Fig. 3, whereby the nozzles 8 and 9 are positioned so that they make an angle of 120° from their axes. It is also clear from Fig. 3 that the projection of nozzles 8 and 9 above the surface of the trunk is constant and is derived from the places of their attachment. This ensures the uniformity of the trunk surface coverage with the insecticide solution sprayed by nozzles 8 and 9.

An exemplary spatial distribution of the hydraulic nozzles 8 and 9 is also shown in Fig. 4, in which the attachment of the nozzle holders 8 to the arms of the movable branching legs and the attachment of the nozzle 9 to the beam forming part of the folding frame 2 is clearly visible.

The detailed design of the hydraulic nozzle holder 8 and 9 can be seen from Fig. 5. Channels e are formed in the holder 12, through which compressed air is supplied to the air jets a and b to clean the hydraulic nozzles 8. In the holder 12, a channel d is also formed, which feeds the solution insecticide to the hydraulic nozzle 8, or 9. The holder 12 is fixed in its designated place with screw connections 13.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments explicitly mentioned and shown here, but also includes modifications of the embodiments described here.

- 5 CZ 310067 B6

Industrial usability

The invention can be used by both producers and users of harvesters. The invention can be used in forestry as a supplement to newly built harvester heads of standard design (working on the principle of debranching tree trunks by stretching them between movable and fixed legs that copy the surface of the branched trunk) in the case of felling trees attacked by bark beetles. The invention has a wide range of uses, because it is not tied to a specific type of harvesters and their heads and will help to solve the acute need to intensify and make the suppression of bark beetles in forest stands more efficient, especially in the case of its calamitous rust.

Claims (7)

1. Equipment for applying pesticides to the surface of wood cuttings, which includes a harvester head containing a base frame, a hinged frame attached to it, in which devices for felling trees and cutting trunks into cuts are stored, as well as devices for branching the trunks of felled trees formed by branching knives (5,6) mounted on the hinged frame beam and/or on the swivel arms, stretching devices (4), with an advantage in the form of two more stretching hydraulically driven cylinders, wheels or belts, characterized by the fact that it also contains hydraulic nozzles (8 and 9) arranged on the arms on the opposite side from the side of the blades of the branching legs (5) and/or on the hinged frame under the storage of the branching legs (6). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the hydraulic nozzles (8 and 9) are fixed in the holder (12), in which a channel (d) is created for supplying the insecticide solution to the nozzles (8 and 9), while in the holder ( 12) channels are also created for air supply (e) to the air nozzles (a, b) for cleaning the surface of the hydraulic nozzles (8 and 9). 3. Devices according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the holders (12) with hydraulic nozzles (8 and 9) further carry air nozzles (a, b) and are fixed on the arms of the movable branching legs (5) and on the support of the folding frame ( 2) near the fixed branch leg (6). 4. Devices according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the nozzle holders (12) are distributed evenly with respect to the circumference of the treated trunk (7) and arranged to completely cover the surface of the branched trunk by spraying the insecticide solution. 5. Devices according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized by the fact that the nozzle holders (12) are removably fixed. 6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by the fact that it is provided with valves for opening and closing the supply of insecticide to the hydraulic nozzles (8, 9), which are automatically controllable depending on the operation of the stretching device (4). 7. The method of applying pesticides to the surface of the drive cuttings with the help of a device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that when branching the trunk and preparing the cuttings, the drive head of the harvester, by means of hydraulic nozzles (8 and 9), sprays the insecticide only during the time when the head the harvester actively moves the trunk, while when the head of the harvester stops moving the trunk, the spraying through the hydraulic nozzles (8 and 9) is also interrupted.