US3291167A

US3291167A - Positive drive chain saw attachment

Info

Publication number: US3291167A
Application number: US347412A
Authority: US
Inventors: Billie J Varden
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-02-26
Filing date: 1964-02-26
Publication date: 1966-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-13

Description

Das. H, W66 B. J. VARDEN lym? PosTTTvE DRIVE CHAIN sAw ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 26, 1964 2 sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 13, 1966 B. J. VARDEN 3,291,16?

POSITIVE DRIVE CHAIN SAW ATTACHMENT INVENTOR. 2% BYz'ZZze .I/deze MWA. YD

United States Patent 3,291,167 POSITIVE DRIVE CHAIN SAW ATTACHMENT Billie J. Varden, P.0. Box 43, Calera, Ala. Filed Feb. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 347,412 10 Claims. (Cl. 143-32) This invention relates to saw attachments for a portable -chain saw power unitt of conventional construction. More specifically, the invention :provides a ground-supported chain saw attachment having positive drive means therein for operating 'a lcom/entional chain saw in a variety of selective positions for the purposes of brush and stump cutting, log bucking and hedge trimming.

Other devices intended 'for the above indicated uses have been. proposed in the past, but all of them have serious shortcomings. 'Some require modification of the power un-it employed, others require the .use of special Y carts or other devices .to support the entire unit, and all require that the saw itself be secured in a horizontal or vertical plane without provision for selective engagement within either plane. A still more serious shortcoming to the 4above devices concerns the drive means employed. Hydraulic ram and belt and pulley devices have been proposed for driving a chain saw located a substantial distance away from the power source, but employment o-f such means involves a relatively high degree `of power loss due to a characteristic lack of residual torque in such devices. It is imperative that power loss in such devices be held to a minimum and that lthe amo-unt of residual torque be as high as possible. These ends can be best accomplished by use of a positively driven gear train and therefore the primary object of this invention is to provide a positive drive cha-in saw attachment Ifor a portable power unit employing gear train means for transmission of power from the Ipower unit to the chain saw.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chain saw attachment for a portable power unit adapted to perm-it use of a vertically disposed chain saw, a horizontally disposed chain saw, or both, for a hedge trimming or log bucking, `brush cuttin and hedge trimming and brush cutting, respectively. l

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a chain saw attachment for use with a conventional, portable chain saw power unit, so constructed as to require a minimum of modification `of the .power unit for use therewith.

Still another object of the invention is to lprovide a ground supported chain saw attachment `for use with a por-table power unit, said attachment adapted to employ -a variety of conventional chain saws.

Finally, it is an object of this Iinvention to provide a chain saw attachment for a portable power unit that can be `readily disconnected from said power uni-t, said attachment being of light weight material, simple construction, and low in cost of manufacture.

These and other objects of the invention will be-come readily apparent by reference -to the following specification and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is -a side elevational view of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 3*-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 Iis a section taken on staggered lines 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a partial section taken on lines 5--5 of FIGUR-E 3;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged partial side view taken from the lower right hand portion of FIGURE l, showing a vertical chain saw in place on the invention;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged partial section taken on lines 7-'7 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 8 is a partial plan view of the -underside of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings by reference characters, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a portable, hand manipulatable, internal combustion power uni-t 1t) of Ithe type commonly used with chain saws with the invention 12, secured thereto, comprising a tubular support arm 14, saw drive housing l16, and ground supp-ort means comprising a lforked brace 18 with a freely rotating wheel 20 secured thereto. Power yunit 10 is provided with conventional hand grips 22 and 23. Flubular support 14 is secured to unit 10 by a support flange 24, adjacent the drive shaft 26 of unit 10. It may Ibe noted here that the chain saw, commonly used with the Ipower unit 10, has been removed thereby exposing drive shaft 26 as well as

bolts

28 and 29, formerly used to secure a chain saw blade support to the device. Thus flange 24 may conveniently be secured to unit 10 through

bolts

28 and 29 by nuts 30. Additional bracing 32 may be employed to assure rigid attachment of ange 24.

Tubular support 14 may -be of any desired length and is angled forwardly `and downwardly of `unit i1() to saw drive housing 16 where lit is threadably received in sleeve 34 of upper casting 36 lof housing 16 (FIGURE 3). Housing 16 is formed of the upper casting 36 and a lower casting 38. "Il-he two castings are held together by a series .of bolts 40, .through outer

peripheral flanges

42 and 44 of

castings

36 and 38, respectively, `and nuts 46. One lpair of bolts and nuts indicated by 40a and 46a, may conveniently be employed for attaching wheel brace 18 to the rear of housing 16. Upper casting 36 is provided with a vertical chain saw support 48 while lower casting y38 has a horizontal chain saw support 52, integral therewith.

The direct drive means previously referred to can be more clearly understood by reference to FIGURES 1, 3, 4 and 7. Drive shaft 26 of power unit 10 is equipped with a protruding bevel gear 54. A mating bevel gear 56 is attached to a second rotating drive transmission 58, mounted within tubular support and riding on bearings 60 secured within sleeve 62 of flange 24, and bearings 64 secured within sleeve 34 of casting 36. A pin 66 is used to maintain gear 56 in proper attitude on shaft 58. Gear 54 is held on s'haft 26 of power unit 10 in simil-ar manner. If desirable, a suitable cover (not shown) may be used to enclose

gears

54 and 56 by securing the same to a backing plate 68, located on sleeve 62 behind gear 54.

The lower end of shaft 58 extends into casing 36 and is equipped with a third bevel bear 70, held thereto by pin 72, as indicated in FIGURE 3. Lower casing 38 of saw drive housing 16 is provided with a horizontally disposed plate 74 having asecond transmission shaft 76, integral therewith. Plate 74 is rotatably positioned by bearings 7S therebeneath, while shaft 76 is held by bear- 1ngs 80 within sleeve 82, bearings 80 further secured to casing 38 by retaining cover S4 with bolts 86. Bevel gear 7G, meshes with gear plate 74, thereby causing rotation of transmission shaft 76. A sprocket wheel 88, secured to the lower end of shaft 76 by a pin 90, is used to drive a chain saw 92 which is disposed about wheel 88 and a horizontal chain saw blade 94, secured to horizontal `chain saw support 52 through a spacer plate 95 by bolts 96. Preferably, chain saw 92 and blade 94 will be that saw and blade initially removed from the conventional position on power unit 10 as previously discussed.

As mentioned above, chain saw support 52 is integral with lower casing 38. As shown in FIGURE 2, support 52 is in the form of an outer lower flange with respect to 3 casing 38 and extends through substantially a 180 arc, as indicated in FIGURE 8. Saw support 52 is provided with a series of bores 98 for selectively positioning saw blade 94 thereon. Thus chain saw 92 may be mounted on housing 16 in any one of a variety of positions within a horizontal plane.

FIGURES 3 and 4 disclose a horizontally disposed transmission shaft 100 secured within housing 16 to upper casing 36, and driven by gear plate 74 through bevel gear 102 positioned on a horizontal shaft 100 by pin 104. Bearings 106 and 107, mounted in

opposed sleeves

108 and 109, respectively, assure rotation of shaft 100. A vertical sprocket wheel 110 is attached to the projecting end of shaft 100 by a pin 112. Vertical chain saw support 48 is secured to upper casing 36 inwardly of Wheel 110, as by welding or any suitable means. A vertical saw blade 113 is secured to support 48 through spacer plate 114 by bolt-s 116 and nuts 118. A chain saw 120 is then disposed about sprocket wheel 110 and saw blade 112. Vertical chain saw support 48 is in the form of .a flat circular plate extending through approximately a quarter arc, as indicated in FIGURE 6 so as to allow saw blade 112 to be selectively positioned thereon through a plurality of bores 122.

In normal operation, horizontal chain saw 92 will be used for cutting brush while vertical chain saw 120 will be employed for cutting logs into small lengths or for trimming hedges, shrubs and the like. While it is conceivable that both the horizontal and vertical saws could be used simultaneously, it is more practical that either one or the other be employed alone, in which case the single chain saw and blade unit, conventionally provided with and subsequently removed from power unit 10, would be mounted either vertically or horizontally on the invention.

To operate the device, it is only necessary to hold power unit 10 by hand grips 22, pushing the attached invention over the ground or, as when cutting logs with the vertical saw, holding the device by locking wheel 20 and pivoting the device up and down about the axle of wheel 20.

While the specific embodiment of the invention as shown and described herein discloses the invention as having mountings for both a horizontal and a vertical chain saw, it may be prefer-able to rearrange or otherwise modify the parts within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. For use with a portable, internal combustion power unit having grips for'an operator an-d a power take-off, an attachment for brush cutting comprising a support arm, secured to said unit adjacent said power take-off and angled forwardly and downwardly of said unit, a chain saw drive housing secured to said arm at the lower end thereof, a wheeled support for said attachment secured to said saw drive housing, lrearwardly thereof, a pair of sprocket wheels extending from said saw drive housing, one disposed horizontally therebeneath, the other disposed vertically therebeside, gear train means for driving said sprocket wheels from said power unit through said support arm and saw drive housing, an arcuate depending skirt attached to the forward end of said housing having a plurality of bores therein, an .arcuate flange secured adjacent said vertically disposed sprocket wheel and also having a plurality of bores therein, a horizontal chain saw holder, selectively engageable with said horizontal skirt as by bolts, a vertical chain saw holder selectively engageable with said arcuate flange, and at least one chain saw for mounting about said horizontal wheel and holder and about said vertical wheel and holder.

2. For use with a portable internal combustion power unit having grips for an operator and a power take-off, an attachment for brush cutting comprising a support arm, securable to said unit adjacent said power take-off and angled forwardly and downwardly of said unit, a chain saw drive housing secured to said arm at the lower end thereof, a wheeled ground support for said attachment secured to said saw drive housing, rearwardly thereof, a horizontally disposed sprocket wheel located beneath said saw drive housing, a gear train for driving said sprocket wheel from said power unit through said arm and housing, an arcuate depending skirt having a plurality of bores therein attached to the forward end of said saw drive housing, .a horizontally disposed chain saw holder selectively engageable with said skirt as by bolts through said bores and a chain saw disposed about said sprocket wheel and said saw holder for horizontal cutting.

3. For use with a portable, internal combustion power unit having grips for an operator and a power take-off, an Iattachment for bucking logs comprising a support arm, securable to said unit adjacent said power take-off and angled forwardly and downwardly of said unit, a chain saw drive housing, secured to said arm at the lower end thereof, a wheeled ground support for said attachment secured to said saw drive housing, rearwardly thereof, a vertically disposed sprocket wheel located on said housing, parallel to a plane drawn through the vertical axis of symmetry of said wheeled support, a gear train for driving said sprocket wheel from said power unit through said arm and housing, an arcuate vertical flange having a plurality of bores therein secured adjacent said sprocket wheel, a chain saw holder selectively engageable with said flange as by bolts through said bores, and a chain saw arranged about said sprocket wheel and chain saw holder for vertical cutting.

4. For use with a portable, hand manipulatable, internal combustion power unit, a positively driven chain saw attachment comprising a support arm, a saw drive housing adapted to operatively support two chain saws, at least one chain saw, and a wheeled support located rearwardly of and secured to said saw drive housing, said support arm locatable adjacent the power take-off of said power unit and angled forwardly and downwardly of said unit thereby allowing said wheeled support to be beneath said power unit, said saw drive housing located at the lower end of said support arm, said chain saw disposable on said housing, said chain saw operable by ygear train means from said power unit through said support arm and saw drive housing, said support arm comprises an outer tubular member and a dnive shaft located concentrically therein, one end of said tubular member in threaded union with said power unit rigidly secured thereto,the ends of said drive shaft extending beyond the limits of said tubular member to said power take-off `and into said saw drive housing, said drive housing comprising an upper hollow casting for supporting a vertically disposed chain saw and having an outer peripheral flange, said upper casting having a threaded lbore adjacent said flange for receiving said tubular member, and a lower casting for supporting a horizontally disposed chain saw, having an outer, peripheral flange coincident with said upper peripheral flange and secured thereto as by bolts.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said upper casting is provided with a sprocket wheel driven in a vertical plane from said gear train, a vertical mounting plate adjacent said sprocket wheel, a vertical chain saw support secured to said mounting plate and a chain saw operatively secured on said sprocket wheel and said saw support.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said vertical mounting plate extends through an arc, from the vertical and is provided with a plurality of bores for selectively engaging said chain saw support, as by bolts.

7. The device of claim 4 wherein said lower casting is provided with a lower sprocket wheel, driven in a horizontal plane beneath said castingy from said gear train, a horizontal mounting plate adjacent said lower sprocket wheel, a horizontal chain saw support secured to said horizontal mounting plate and a chain saw operatively secured on said lower wheel and said horizontal support.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said horizontal mounting plate extends through an farc, beneath said outer, circular flange and is provided with a plurality of bores for selectively engaging said chain saw support there- `around as by lbolts.

9. The device of claim `4 wherein said gear train means comprises a drive shaft having bevel 'gears at each end, secured within said support `arm and geared to said power take-off and to Ia freely rotating, horizontally mounted wheel located in said lower casting, a second bevel gear located in said upper casting, operable Iby said wheel, a horizontal power shaft secured to said bevel ygear and to said housing, extending therethrough, a sprocket wheel mounted on the outer exposed end of said shaft for driving `a vertically mounted chain saw mounted on said housing.

10. The device of cl-airn 4 wherein said gear train means comprises a drive shaft rotating within said support arm, operable Iby said power take-off, a horizontally 6 mounted gear plate within said lower casting7 driven by said drive arm, and a pair of axles, powered by said `gear plate, extending through said housing `and having sprocket wheels mounted on their exposed, outer ends, one sprocket wheel for driving a horizontal chain saw, the other for driving 4a vertical 4chain saw, and at least 'one chain saw secured on said saw housing, adjacent one of said sprocket wheels.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,348,588 5/1944 Aroneau. 2,645,254 7/ 1953 Van Ausdall. 2,765,822 10/ 1956 Smith.

FOREIGN PATENTS 612,981 1/1961 Canada. 93 6,606 12/ 1955 Germany.

DONALD R. SCHRAN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. FOR USE WITH A PORTABLE, INTERNAL COMBUSTION POWER UNIT HAVING GRIPS FOR AN OPERATOR AND A POWER TAKE-OFF, AN ATTACHMENT FOR BRUSH CUTTING COMPRISING A SUPPORT ARM, SECURED TO SAID UNIT ADJACENT SAID POWER TAKE-OFF AND ANGLED FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY OF SAID UNIT, A CHAIN SAW DRIVE HOUSING SECURED TO SAID ARM AT THE LOWER END THEREOF, A WHEELED SUPPORT FOR SAID ATTACHMENT SECURED TO SAID SAW DRIVE HOUSING, REARWARDLY THEREOF, A PAIR OF SPROCKET WHEELS EXTENDING FROM SAID SAW DRIVE HOUSING, ONE DISPOSED HORIONTALLY THEREBENEATH, THE OTHER DISPOSED VERTICALLY THEREBESIDE, GEAR TRAIN MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SPROCKET WHEELS FROM SAID POWER UNIT THROUGH SAID SUPPORT ARM AND SAW DRIVE HOUSING, AN ARCUATE DEPENDING SKIRT ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD END OF SAID HOUSING HAVING A PLURALITY OF BORES THEREIN, AN ARCUATE FLANGE SECURED