JPH01117726A - Pruning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a pruning device safely operatable at a high place with a normal tool such as a hand saw or the like constituted so as to use a rotary cutter driven by a driving power source and an anvil for engaging the cutter to a large branch during pruning and holding it. CONSTITUTION: This pruning device is constituted as the following. That is, the pruning device is provided with a handle element 11, a driving shaft 10 extended in the longitudinal direction of the element 11 and a means for pivotally supporting the driving shaft 10 freely rotatably inside the handle 11. Also, the pruning device is provided with a cylindrical rotary cutter 29 extended from one end of the handle 11 in an axial direction, an anvil element provided with a supporting part 38 fixed to one end of the element 11 and separately extended parallelly to the longitudinal direction axial line of the handle 11 and an engaging part 48 of large branch 47. Then, the element 29 is provided with a pruning edge part 32 and the part 32 is projected from the outer peripheral surface of the cutter 29 and arranged parallelly to the axial line of the cutter 29. Also, the part of the pruning edge 32 is provided with a projection corner part to the outer peripheral surface of the cutter 29 and the device for pruning the large branch of a tree and a shrub or the like is constituted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a new and effective improvement in tree pruning equipment, particularly for those operating at heights above that which a normal person can reach with normal tools such as a handsaw. It relates to a tree pruning device designed to.

[Prior Art and Problems] Conventionally, removal of high branches has been carried out using a chainsaw by a worker standing on a ladder, a lifted packet device, or the like. Alternatively, a manual or powered device with a scissor-like shearing device at the upper end of a relatively long handle has been used. In some cases, manual or power saws are attached to relatively long handles. Also known are chainsaw-type devices mounted on relatively long handles.

All these methods are laborious, tiring, time consuming and generally have a high rate of failure.

Working on ladders or in lifted packets is dangerous because equipment such as chainsaws is difficult to control unless used under ideal conditions.

OBJECTS AND EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention improves upon current equipment by using a rotary cutter driven from a power source and an anvil that engages and holds the limb while the cutter shears the limb. It overcomes its inherent drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, together with a handle element, a drive shaft extends longitudinally through the handle, means for rotatably supporting the drive shaft within the handle, and a drive shaft extending from one end of the handle. a cylindrical rotary cutter element affixed to extend axially; and a support portion affixed to said one end of said handle element and extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said handle. with an anvil element containing.

a branch engaging portion extending outwardly and downwardly from the outer end of the support portion toward the one end of the handle element, the rotary cutter element having at least one shearing edge portion, which portion The shearing edge portion projects from the outer circumferential surface of the cutter element and is disposed substantially parallel to the axis of the cutter element, and the shearing edge portion includes a protruding corner extending along the outer circumferential surface of the cutter element. Similar bough pruning devices are provided.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail. Identical numbers indicate corresponding parts each time.

An elongate drive shaft 10, shown in the accompanying figures, is rotatably journalled within an elongate handle assembly 11 and can have any suitable length according to design parameters.

The lower end of drive shaft 10 passes through and is supported in a bearing 13 adjacent one end 12 of the handle assembly.

Figures 8 and 9 show a casing 14 with an upper handle 15 and a lower handle 16, which can carry a power source 17, which can be a small gasoline engine. can. A fuel tank 18 is placed within the casing.

The lowermost end of the drive shaft 10 can be operatively connected to the output of a power source, for example by a bevel gear 19.

If a remote power source is used, such as a gasoline engine mounted on a sled or backpack (not shown), power is provided to the lower end 12 of the drive shaft 1o inside the casing by means of a conventional flexible drive cable 21. communicated. A Bowden cable 22, which also runs from the housing to the power source, connects the rotational speed control of the drive shaft to either the handle grip 1.5 or 16.

Of course, a power source can operate the hydraulic-motor assembly. This assembly is not shown in the accompanying drawings as it is conventional, and in order to facilitate the support and operation of the apparatus by a single worker, adjacent to the shaft end 12 a
A stub handle 23 can protrude from the handle assembly 11.

FIG. 1 also shows the upper end 24 of the handle assembly 11;
The drive shaft 10 is journalled in a further bearing assembly 2.5 arranged inside a sleeve 26 which engages and is secured over this upper end. The bearing assembly 25 rests within the upper end 24 on a shoulder 28 as shown.

The upper end of the drive shaft 10 is socket-shaped, into which the lower end 28 of the cylindrical rotary cutter element 29 engages. This socket portion is configured to receive a correspondingly shaped spigot portion 30 of the cutter element 29. The cylindrical cutter element 29 is held by an upper bearing 44 and a cap assembly 31 and is connected from the drive shaft 10 to the upper end of the handle assembly. It protrudes above the sleeve 26.

This rotary cutter element 29 comprises at least one longitudinal edge section 32 consisting of a projection 33 relative to its outer circumferential surface 34 . This shearing edge portion is a rotary cutter element 29
parallel to its longitudinal axis 34A.

The shearing end 35 of the shearing edge portion 32 protrudes slightly from the outer circumference 34 of the cutter element 29, as it will be appreciated that the cutter element rotates in the direction of the arrow 36. The length of the projection determines the shear depth per revolution of the device.

An anvil assembly 37 is provided, consisting of a support bar 38 secured to the distal end 26 of the handle assembly 11 by screws or bolts 39. Of course other fastening methods can also be used.

The support bar 38 extends from the distal sleeve 26 of the handle assembly 11 parallel to the longitudinal axis 34A of the cutter element 29 as shown in FIG.

Extend slightly apart.

FIG. 3 shows a preferred cross-sectional shape of this support bar, which cross-section increases in width from an edge 40 parallel to the plane of the cutter element 29 towards an outer edge 41; Eliminates wood ends and prevents twigs or branches from becoming blocked between the cutter element and the support bar.

The distal end 42 of the support bar 38 is provided with a dowel 43 having an aperture or hole 43' in which a second bearing 44 is removably held, and the cutter element 29 is The distal end 29A is held in the usual manner.

A guide bar 45 projects downwardly and outwardly from the armrest 43 towards the distal end 26 of the cutter element 29 and terminates at a distance from this distal end 26 .

The angle of the inner side a46 of this branch engaging portion 45 is approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis 34A of the cutter element 29.

As shown in FIG. 4, this inner edge 46 is rounded;
Engages the limb 47 at the beginning of the shearing action.

This rounded or smooth 946 is important because if this edge is not rounded and the
If the cutter element is relatively sharp or channel-like as described in No. 3, the device will tend to dig into the relatively soft bark of the branch and block the cutter element by a wedge action. be.

In operation, as shown in FIG.
5 is hooked onto a large branch 47 protruding from a trunk 48.

Since the shearing edge 35 of the cutter element 29 is parallel to the axis of the handle assembly, no self-feeding action occurs as the cutter element rotates in the direction of arrow 36, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,933. This is different from the fact that the helical cutter element rejects branches or limbs or pulls down the cutter element, creating a potential blockage.

The rotation speed of the cutter element is preferably 9000 rpm or more. This is because the shearing action increases rapidly as centrifugal force is applied to the wood end and dislodges it from the cutter element. When a small gasoline engine is used as the power source.

9000-12000 rpm is obtained.

In practice, it is preferable that the rotational speed reaches 20*OOOrpm, and if the cutter element is precisely placed on the branch 47 and pulled slowly into engagement with the branch, it will be possible to achieve the precision as shown in FIG. A curved cut 49 is obtained. To obtain such rotational speeds, use lightweight electric motors such as those used in routers or disk sangurs.

If the shearing edge 35 of the cutter element protrudes 5/-1000' from the outer circumferential surface of the cutter element and the cutter element
．． If it rotates at OOOrpm, the shear is approximately 1
．． The speed would be 4 inches/second.

If the cutter element were to be rotated in the direction of arrow 36, the cutter element must be positioned relative to the branch end 48A of the trunk 48, since the shearing edge of the cutter element is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the branch 47. 50, which means first shearing a portion 48A of the trunk 48 of the branch 47 adjacent to which branch point. This initial shear point is indicated by the numeral 51 in FIG.

Approximately 5/-10 per revolution as the cutter element rotates
Cutting 00' tends to shatter the outer layer of the limb opposite the junction with the trunk. This is indicated by the number 52.

Thus, a smooth surface 53 perpendicular to axis 1150 is formed, and burrs or shatters occur on the end faces of branches sheared from section 48A, reducing the possibility of disease damage to section 48A or the tree itself by conventional shear compound treatment. .

Since the shearing edge of the cutter element is perpendicular to the axis of the branch, no self-feeding action occurs and therefore no undesirable occlusion occurs between the owaza and the inclined surface 46 of the branch engaging portion 45. Therefore, only mild pressure is required by the operator to continuously engage the shear edge with the branch.

FIG. 10 shows a preferred method of supporting the outer end of rotary cutter element 29 within aperture 43', bearing 44.
is retained within a resilient damper 54, which normally retains the outer spigot end 29A.

This damper 54 is provided to prevent the bearing 44 from being fitted into the upper end of the anvil 37 and rotating.

Furthermore, in order to prevent unnecessary axial loads on the bearing 44, a small shoulder 55 is provided at the bottom of the aperture 43', the bore of which is larger than the diameter of the cutter element 29.

A cap assembly 56 is provided. The assembly includes a cylindrical cap 57, which has an aperture 43'.
The shoulder 58 of the cap 57 engages in the upper end 59 from above downward, abutting the elastic bushing 54 and the shoulder 58 of the cap 57 surrounding the aperture 43'. Ball bearings 60 are fitted into the side walls of the cap 57, projecting approximately one-third of their diameter into the upper end side walls of the aperture 43' and in the position shown in FIG. , these ball bearings cannot move inwardly because of the button-cam assembly 61, which consists of a button 62 having a mating shank 63 engaged downwardly through a cap 57; In the position shown in FIG. 10, it is held in the lowest position by a compression spring 64, which surrounds the shaft 63 and touches the lower surface of the cap 57.
Retainer shoulder 65 extending around the lower end of shaft portion 63
It acts between the upper surface of the To remove the cap assembly, pull the button 62 upwardly against the action of the spring 64, disengaging the retaining shoulder 65 from the ball bearings 60 and moving them inwardly into the aperture 43'. It is removed from the recess 66 on the side. This allows the cap assembly 56, and therefore the resilient bushing 54 and bearing 44, to be withdrawn and thus the cutter element to be removed from the cap assembly for sharpening and/or replacement.

The ball bearings are retained within the inner surface of the cap 57 by a mating action (not shown).

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of the upper end of an assembly of a pruning device according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cutter element along line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the support member along line 4--4 of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the guide bar taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing the portion of the branch being sheared by the cutter element of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 1; FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the lower end of the handle of the device of the present invention showing the internal power source; FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, but with flexibility when using a remote power source; FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the support structure for the outer end of the cutter element. 10., Drive shaft, 11. ,,handle assembly. 29., cutter element, 32. ,, shear edge, 3836
．． Support bar, 44. ,, bearing, 45. ,. Guide bar (branch engagement part), 47. ,, large branch, 48°1.
Trunk, 48A, Branch side part, 49. ,,cut,54
．． ,, damper, 55. ,, Shoulder 5700. Cap, 60. ,, ball joint, 62. ,. button, 65. ,,Shoulder.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A handle element, a drive shaft extending longitudinally through the handle, means for rotatably supporting the drive shaft within the handle, and a drive shaft extending longitudinally through the handle; an anvil including a cylindrical rotary cutter element fixedly extending therethrough and a support portion fixedly attached to the one end of the handle element and extending substantially spaced apart parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle; a branch engaging portion extending outwardly and downwardly from the outer end of the support portion toward the one end of the handle element, the rotary cutter element having at least one shearing edge portion; an edge portion protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the cutter element and arranged substantially parallel to the axis of the cutter element, and wherein the shearing edge portion includes a projecting corner relative to the outer circumferential surface of the cutter element. Equipment for pruning branches of trees, shrubs and the like. 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the shearing edge portion engages the bifurcation side of the branch at right angles to the axis of the branch. 3. The cross-sectional shape of the support portion of the anvil element increases in width from the side adjacent to the cutter element toward the outer side, thereby facilitating the removal of wood ends during use of the device. Device according to paragraph 1 or paragraph 2. 4. Claims 1, 2 or 3, including means disposed at the joint between the support portion and the rim-engaging portion for bearing support for the outer end of the cutter element. equipment by any of the following. 5. an elongated substantially cylindrical support handle with a power source; a drive shaft extending within the handle and operatively connected to the power source at one end of the handle; and rotating the drive shaft within the handle. a cylindrical cutter element removably affixed to the distal end of the drive shaft adjacent the other end of the handle; and a cylindrical cutter element affixed to the other end of the handle element; an anvil element including a support portion extending substantially spaced apart parallel to the axis of the handle; and an anvil element extending outwardly and downwardly from an outer end of the support portion toward the other end of the handle, but extending parallel to the axis of the handle. a branch engaging portion terminating spaced from the end, said cylindrical cutter element having at least one shearing edge portion projecting from an outer circumferential surface of said cutter element relative to its axis; A device for pruning trees, shrubs and the like, characterized in that the cutting edge portion includes shearing tips extending in parallel and located at corners projecting from the outer surface of the cutting element. 6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the tip of the shearing edge portion engages at right angles to the axis of the branch to be sheared, on the side of the branch near the bifurcation point. 7. The cross-sectional shape of the support portion of the anvil element increases in width from the side adjacent to the cutter element towards the outer side, thereby facilitating the removal of wood ends during use of the device. Apparatus according to paragraph 5 or paragraph 6. 8. The cross-sectional shape of the support portion of the anvil element increases in width from the side adjacent to the cutter element toward the outer side, thereby facilitating the removal of wood ends during use of the device. Apparatus according to any of paragraphs 5, 6 or 7. 9. The means includes a bearing disposed within the seam, the outer end of the cutter element being supported in the bearing, and the means includes means for removably retaining the bearing within the seam. The retaining means includes a hole formed within the seam, a shoulder disposed adjacent an inner end of the hole and engaging the bearing, and a shoulder engaging an outer surface of the bearing to prevent rotation of the bearing. and a cap assembly disposed within the outer end of the aperture, the cap assembly having resilient means for moving relative to the end of the cap. a retainer having a retainer, a tripping means that engages with an inner surface of the hole, and a cam means on the retainer that is removably engaged with the tripping means and is removably disposed by the resilient means. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 8. 10. A device according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein said branch engaging portion includes a convex branch contact surface along one edge thereof.