JPH0310829Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field]

This invention relates to a pruning machine, and more particularly, to a pruning machine that can quickly and lightly cut off tree branches without leaving any knob-like protrusions.

[Conventional technology]

In the field of forestry, in order to obtain high-quality straight-grained wood with no knots, upper branches and leaves are left during the tree growing process.
Pruning work is carried out to knock off the lower branches. This pruning operation requires that the branches be completely removed from their bases along the trunk without leaving knob-like protrusions on the trunk surface. This is because if the protrusions are left, curved growth rings will be formed to cover the protrusions, which will reduce the quality of the timber for construction. In traditional pruning work, workers used machetes to knock down branches. This process required the difficult task of repeatedly swinging the machete down the base of the branch along the trunk in order to completely knock the branch off from its base. This traditional process involves raising a machete with a certain amount of weight, aiming it at the base of the branch, and then bringing it down. It requires considerable skill to completely cut off the branch without damaging the trunk, and is difficult for inexperienced people to perform. It was difficult and dangerous work for him, and he was not able to withstand long hours of work. For example, in Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-23158,
A branch cutting machine has been proposed in which a rotary saw blade is rotated using power. However, with this conventional power-driven pruning machine, the rotary blade cannot be positioned correctly on the trunk surface, and there remains dissatisfaction in terms of workability. In other words, the pruning machine shown in the above publication is
The rotary blade is designed to be used by moving the blade laterally while applying U-shaped guides placed above and below the rotary blade to the surface of the trunk. In this case, there is a problem in that as the branch swings from side to side, the rotary blade being cut gets caught in the cut, and as a result, the rotary blade becomes fixed and cannot cut the branch any further.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

Heavy branches of a certain thickness should be cut from top to bottom, as in traditional machete pruning. As long as you cut the branch from top to bottom, the tip of the branch will fall under its own weight, so the knife will not get caught in the cut. In the branch cutting machine disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the pair of guide portions of the U-shaped guide are positioned above and below the rotary blade, so the branch must be cut laterally. This idea was devised under the above circumstances, and it is possible to position a rotary blade rotated by power so that it is parallel to the trunk close to the surface of the trunk with a simple operation. By moving the rotary blade positioned in this way from top to bottom, thick branches can be cut cleanly without leaving knob-like protrusions, and thin branches can also be conveniently cut. The objective is to provide a pruning machine that is

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention takes the following technical measures. In a branching machine equipped with a rotary blade at the tip of the operation tube, an upper cover is provided to cover the upper surface of the rotary blade, and a lower cover is provided to cover the lower surface of the rotary blade with a slight gap between the upper cover and the lower cover. A first cut for introducing a thick branch, which is provided with a branch guide edge that extends substantially along the operation tube and across the circumference of the rotary blade, and a radius of the rotary blade from the front edge of the cover. A second cut of a predetermined width is provided for introducing a twig extending in the direction.

[Effect]

In the branching machine of the present invention, the rotary blade is basically covered with an upper cover that covers the upper surface and a lower cover that covers the lower surface, and the above-mentioned first cut and second cut are provided. Parts are exposed. Since the lower cover is provided with a slight gap between the lower surface of the rotary blade and the lower cover, the rotary blade can be placed close to the trunk surface by simply touching the lower cover to the trunk surface. Positioned parallel to the surface. When cutting a relatively thick branch, the operating tube is pulled down so that the branch to be cut is placed against the branch guide edge formed in the first cut along the operating tube. The rotary blade moves downward while maintaining the relationship to the trunk surface defined by the lower cover as described above, i.e. close to and parallel to the trunk surface, thereby causing the branch to It is cut from top to bottom while being introduced into the first cut. Since the rotating blade moves in a plane close to the trunk surface, branches can be cut cleanly without leaving any knob-like protrusions. And the rotating blade is
Since the cut is made from above into the branch, there is no problem of the rotary blade biting into the cut end and becoming fixed due to the weight of the branch. On the other hand, in the present invention, a second notch of a predetermined width facing radially inward is provided on the front edge of the upper and lower covers that cover the rotary blade, so that thin branches can be introduced into this second notch. It can be easily cut by pushing up the operation tube while holding the handle. In this case as well, since the lower cover is applied to the trunk surface with a slight gap between the lower surface of the rotary blade, thin branches can be neatly cut from their roots. Thin branches require only a small amount of energy to cut, so you can cut them with the rotating blade from below without any problems. In addition, in the branch cutting machine of the present invention, the rotary blade is basically covered by an upper cover and a lower cover, so the chips generated when cutting branches are scattered around and can be thrown into the operator's face. To some extent, it can prevent you from getting infected.

【effect】

From the above, by applying the lower cover located close to the lower surface of the rotary blade to the surface of the trunk, anyone can easily position the rotary blade to cut branches without leaving any knob-like protrusions. It can be defined at an optimal position. When cutting a thick branch, a branch guide edge is formed at the first cut into which the thick branch should be introduced, so the branch to be cut is placed on this branch guide edge and the operating tube is pulled downward. This allows the rotary blade to be easily moved in a fixed direction. With these features, anyone can easily cut thick branches without leaving knob-like protrusions by using the pruning machine of the present invention. Furthermore, thin branches can be easily cut off from the base by pushing the operating tube upward so as to introduce the branches into the second notch provided at the front edge of the cover. As a result, by appropriately selecting the first cut and the second cut, tree pruning work can be done without requiring skill or great effort.
It can be done efficiently.

[Explanation of Examples]

Hereinafter, embodiments of the pruning machine of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an entire example of a pruning machine 1 according to the present invention. The engine 2 for driving this pruning machine 1 is
It is supported by a backpack frame 3 configured to be carried on the worker's back. The backpack frame 3 has a generally L-shape when viewed from the side, and includes a horizontal portion 3b on which the engine 2 is placed and a vertical portion 3a on which the back pad 4 is attached. The engine 2 is supported in the horizontal part 3b so as to be rotatable around a substantially vertical axis, and a shoulder strap 5 is supported in the upper and lower parts of the vertical part 3a.
Both the upper and lower ends of are attached. A shoulder pad 6 is attached to the shoulder band 5. The output of engine 2 is the flexible tube 7
Through a flexible transmission shaft (not shown) inserted through the flexible tube 7 or a rigid transmission shaft 9 inserted into the operation tube 8 connected to the tip of the flexible tube 7,
The signal is transmitted to a rotary blade 10 attached to the tip of the operation tube 8, and the rotary blade 10 is rotated. The operation tube 8 is provided with an operation grip 11 in a portion near the rotary blade 10 as shown in the figure so as to be able to knock down branches that are close to the operator. It can be 2 to 3 meters long and can be constructed so that branches at high places can be knocked down from the ground. Note that reference numeral 11a is a throttle lever for controlling the engine speed. The details of the tip of the operating tube 8, which is the main part of the present invention and is equipped with the rotary blade 10, are shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. A gear housing 12 is provided at the tip of the operation tube 8.
A pair of umbrellas connects the rotary blade support shaft 13 supported almost perpendicularly to the operating tube 8 and the rigid transmission shaft 9 inserted through the operating tube 8. They are connected by gears 14 and 15. A rotary blade 10 is attached to the tip of the support shaft 13. Note that in this example, the transmission shaft 9
As a result, the rotary blade 10 becomes approximately parallel to the operating tube 8, but the intersection angle between the power transmission shaft 9 and the rotary blade support shaft 13 is at right angles. It is possible to select the above various angles. In addition, as a support structure for the rotary blade 10 with respect to the rotary blade support shaft 13, as clearly shown in FIG. It is advantageous to use a large-diameter mounting washer 16 that backs up a relatively large area (right side in the figure), since it is possible to suppress vibration of the rotary blade 10 that rotates at high speed as much as possible. Further, an upper cover 17 that covers the upper surface 10b of the rotary blade 10, and a lower cover 18 that covers the lower surface 10a.
and is provided. The upper cover 17 basically consists of:
A substantially circular plate having an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rotary blade 10 is press-formed, and a first cut 19 and a second cut 20, which will be described later, are provided. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, this upper cover 17 has a flange 21 extending forward of the gear housing 12 and a mounting portion formed on the lower surface of a cylindrical body portion 22 extending rearward of the gear housing 12. seat 2
3 with screws 24 and 25, respectively. Then, the peripheral edge of the upper cover 17 is displaced downward, so that the lower surface 26a is aligned with the lower surface 10 of the rotary blade 10.
Flange 26 slightly displaced downward relative to a
is formed. The upper cover 17 is provided with a first cut 19 for introducing a thick branch A to be cut, and a second cut 20 for introducing a thin branch B to be cut. In this example, the notch 19 is formed in the gear housing 1 in a plan view as clearly shown in FIG.
2 and its cylinder body 22 or the right side of the operating tube 8 that further extends therefrom is formed by substantially hollowing out the right side of the operation tube 8 in a substantially inverted J shape. The first cut 19 has a branch guide edge 27 that extends substantially along the axis of the operating tube 8 and across the outer periphery of the rotary blade 10. This branch guide edge 27 is
While applying it to the branch A to be cut, it plays the main role as a ruler to essentially define the moving direction of the rotary blade 10, so the pulling direction of the operating tube 8 and the moving direction of the rotary blade 10 are made to match. For this reason, it is most preferable that it be parallel to the axis of the operating tube, but it may of course be slightly inclined with respect to the operating tube 8. Further, as shown in the illustrated example, the rear end portion of the upper cover 17 is slightly extended further rearward,
If the branch guide edge 27 is extended rearward, the range in which the branch A can be guided will be expanded, and the operability will be further improved. Furthermore, in this example, the branch guide edge 27
A vertical wall portion 27a is integrally formed by bending.
is formed so that the branch A to be cut can be more smoothly guided by this guide edge 27. Furthermore, the front edge 17a of the upper cover 17 has a thin branch B, for example, a branch B having a diameter of about 10 mm.
A second radially extending incision 20 is provided of a width that allows the introduction of a radial incision. The depth of this cut 20 is
The deepest part 20a is determined to be at a position radially inward from the periphery of the rotary blade 10 by the diameter of the twig. A flat lower cover 18 having a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the upper cover 17 in plan view is attached to the flange 26 at the peripheral edge of the upper cover 17 using screws 28 or the like. This lower cover 18 has a lower surface 26a of the flange 26 that corresponds to the lower surface 10 of the rotary blade 10.
As a result of being slightly displaced downward with respect to a, it is in a state in which it is extremely close to the lower surface 10a of the rotary blade 10. In this example, as shown in FIG.
However, the notches 19, 20 provided in the upper cover 17 and the notches 29, 30 provided in the lower cover 18 do not have to correspond completely, and may have slightly different shapes. There is no problem even if you do. In this case, the notch 1 of the upper cover 17
The overlapping portion of the space surrounded by 9 and 20 and the space surrounded by cuts 29 and 30 of the lower cover 18 becomes a substantial first cut and a second cut. Next, how to use the pruning machine 1 shown in the drawings will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. Figure 3 is a side view of the tree showing the situation immediately before cutting a relatively thick branch A that should be cut from top to bottom and a relatively thin branch B that can be cut from bottom to top. be. First, when cutting a thick branch A, the branch guide edge 27 of the first cut 19 is placed against the branch A while the lower cover 18 is placed against the trunk surface. By doing this, the rotary blade 10
is automatically positioned close to and parallel to the stem surface. At this time, the line of contact of the lower cover 18 with the trunk surface is the branch A to be cut.
When the rotary blade 10 is on the side line passing vertically
takes the optimum position for cutting branch A from the root without leaving a knob-like protrusion. When the operation tube 8 is pulled down in the direction of the arrow Q from this state, the branch A is guided by the branch guide edge 27 and introduced into the first cut 19 along a constant trajectory. Looking at this from the rotary blade 10 side, the rotary blade 10 has a branch guide edge 2
Using 7 as a ruler, move from top to bottom in a straight line. As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3, when the branch A to be cut completely enters the first cut 19, the branch A is neatly cut from the base. During this time, since the lower cover 17 is in contact with the surface of the trunk, the rotary blade 10 will not inadvertently scrape the surface of the trunk. Furthermore, when the rotary blade 10 is rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.
Since the branch is effectively supported, effective branch cutting can be carried out. Next, when cutting the thin branch B, the operating tube 8 is pushed upward while introducing the branch B to be cut into the second cut 20. Of course, at this time as well, the lower cover 17 is kept in contact with the surface of the trunk. Therefore, the rotary blade 10 is
An incision is made at the base of branch B, and this branch B is completely severed without leaving any protrusions.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of the pruning machine of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the essential parts of the present invention at the tip of the operating tube of the above embodiment, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tip of the operating tube, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the tip of the operating tube. 1...Pruning machine, 8...Operation pipe, 10...Rotary blade, 17...Upper cover, 18...Lower cover, 1
9, 29...first cut, 20,30...second cut.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a branching machine equipped with a rotary blade at the tip of the operation tube, an upper cover is provided to cover the upper surface of the rotary blade, and a lower cover is provided to cover the lower surface of the rotary blade with a slight gap between the upper cover and the lower cover. A first cut for introducing a thick branch, which is provided with a branch guide edge extending substantially along the operation tube and across the circumference of the rotary blade, on one or both of A pruning machine characterized by having a second cut of a predetermined width for introducing thin branches extending in the direction.