FR2888087A1 - Plants pruning and shredding device for maintaining access to e.g. roads, has rotors with radial blades driven in rotation in opposite directions, so that blades move in space separating rotors and drive inside plants to be cut or shredded - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a shredding head (1) arranged at an end of a steerable arm carried by a tractor machine to move along the plants to be treated. The head has housing (10) with two parallel end plates (11, 12) between which are mounted two juxtaposed rotors (13, 14) with parallel axes. The rotors have radial blades (15) driven in rotation in opposite directions (F, R), such that the blades move in a space (16) which separates the rotors and drive inside the plants to be cut and shredded.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for pruning and grinding

vegetation.

  The maintenance of forest and other road and forest approaches requires regular pruning operations, which in turn generate vegetation crushing operations to enable the removal and transport of the resulting waste.

  Pruning operations are generally carried out by means of chainsaws or the like, carried manually or mounted on tractors, while grinding is subsequently carried out by means of vegetable crushers.

  Traditional manual cutting tools or brushcutters are also used, but they are ineffective as soon as the branches exceed a certain section.

  Pruning is a slow operation, and when it comes to treating tall hedges or trees along traffic lanes, it can lead to slowdowns.

  In addition, the grinding being an operation independent of that of pruning, this increases the aforementioned drawbacks.

  The object of the present invention is to remedy these various drawbacks by proposing a device for pruning and grinding the vegetation, making it possible not only to carry out these two operations simultaneously, but also to realize it at a rate never before attained to date. .

  The device for pruning and grinding the vegetation according to the invention comprises a grinding head disposed at the end of a steerable arm itself carried by a tractor capable of moving along the vegetation to be treated, said head comprises a housing comprising two parallel flanges between which are mounted two rotors juxtaposed parallel axes, equipped with radial knives and adapted to be rotated in opposite directions, so that the knives of said rotors move in the space which separates said rotors and drives vegetation therein for the purpose of cutting and grinding it.

  According to an additional feature of the device according to the invention, one of the two flanges, the one intended to be placed closer to the vegetation, is largely indented.

  According to another additional feature of the device according to the invention, one of the flanges, the one intended to be placed farthest from the vegetation, is extended by a baffle adapted to contain and guide said vegetation to the rotors.

  According to another additional characteristic of the device according to the invention, the rotors each comprise a body in the form of a cylinder of relatively large diameter from which the knives protrude.

  According to another additional feature of the device according to the invention, it is provided with scraper means integral with the housing, which is in the form of combs between the teeth from which the knives pass.

  According to another additional feature of the device according to the invention, the steerable arm is adapted to be secured to a tractor, and it is at least two, preferably at least three, degrees of freedom, so as to allow to place the grinding head according to different orientations and at different heights.

  The advantages and characteristics of the device according to the invention will emerge more clearly from the description which follows and which refers to the appended drawing, which represents a non-limiting embodiment thereof.

  In the accompanying drawing: - Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a portion of the device for pruning and grinding the vegetation according to the invention.

  - Figure 2 shows a schematic view from another angle of the same device.

  FIG. 3 represents a schematic perspective view of the same device.

  With reference to these figures it can be seen that a device for pruning and grinding the vegetation according to the invention comprises a head 1 mounted at the end of an articulated arm 2, visible in FIG.

  The head 1 comprises a housing 10 comprising two flanges 11 and 12 which enclose and hold two rotors 13 and 14 of parallel axes which each comprise a cylinder body provided with radial knives 15, and separated by a space 16 in which the knives 15 evolve .

  The two rotors 13 and 14 are rotated in the direction of arrows respectively F and R, so as to cause the vegetation in the space 16, and to carry out its grinding in the housing 10.

  The head 1 also comprises scraper elements 17 integral with the housing 1, and which extend between the knives 15 to come into substantially contact with the bodies of the rotors 13 and 14.

  The head 1 has at each of its ends, that is to say on either side of the rotors 13 and 14, an opening 18 20 for the discharge of the ground material.

  The articulated arm 2, which in this case is secured to the flange 12, moves the head 1 relative to the vegetation, and in particular so that the flange 11 remains substantially parallel to the direction of movement and vegetation. The articulated arm 2 has several degrees of freedom, at least two, preferably three.

  It is thus possible to treat vertical plant walls such as hedges or the like, but also horizontal surfaces, by moving the head 1 flange 11 parallel to the ground.

  It will be noted, as is more particularly visible in Figure 3, that the flange 11, is widely indented to allow increased penetration into the vegetation, unlike the flange 12 thus containing the projections.

  In Figure 3 we can also see that the flange 12 is extended forward, that is to say on the side of which the knives 15 emerge, a deflector 19 adapted to contain and guide the vegetation.

  The articulated arm 2 mainly comprises a movable arm 20 in pendular displacement and secured to the head 1 facing the rotor 14, and a jack 21 whose end is secured to the head 1 facing the rotor 13, and which is intended, according to its elongation or its shortening, to vary the inclination of the head 1.

  The arm 20 is doubled by a drive shaft 22 which transmits the movement to the rotor 14, while a transmission shaft 23 allows the rotor 13 to be driven.

Claims (6)

  1) device for pruning and grinding vegetation characterized in that it comprises a grinding head (1) disposed at the end of a steerable arm (2) itself carried by a tractor capable of move along the vegetation to be treated, said head comprises a housing (10) comprising two parallel flanges (11, 12) between which are mounted two rotors (13, 14) juxtaposed parallel axes, equipped with radial knives (15) and adapted to be rotated in opposite directions (F, R), so that the knives (15) of said rotors (13, 14) move in the space (16) between said rotors (13, 14) and bring vegetation to it for cutting and grinding.   2) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that one (11) of the two flanges (11, 12), that intended to be placed closer to the vegetation, is largely indented.   3) Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that one (12) of the flanges (11, 12), that intended to be placed away from the vegetation, is extended by a deflector (19). ) able to contain and guide said vegetation towards the rotors (13, 14).   4) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotors (13, 14) each comprise a body in the form of a cylinder of relatively large diameter which protrude the knives (15).   5) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is provided with scraper means (17) integral with the housing, being in the form of combs between the teeth which pass the knives (15).   6) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the steerable arm (2) is provided adapted to be secured to a tractor, and it is at least two, preferably at least three degrees of freedom , so as to allow the grinding head (1) to be placed in different orientations and at different heights.