WO1988001130A1

WO1988001130A1 - Mobile device for cutting slim-trunked vegetation, such as thicket, bush vegetation, juvenile forest, energy forest, bamboo, reed etc.

Info

Publication number: WO1988001130A1
Application number: PCT/SE1987/000362
Authority: WO
Inventors: Willy Torsten Filip Nyman; Evert Einar Vallentin Andersson
Original assignee: Willy Torsten Filip Nyman; Andersson Evert Einar Vallenti
Priority date: 1986-08-19
Filing date: 1987-08-18
Publication date: 1988-02-25
Also published as: SE460633B; SE8603484L; SE8603484D0

Abstract

The device includes a rigid frame (1), supporting at least one rotor (8), which by means of a drive motor (14) is rotatable about an axis (9) which in the intended functional position of the device extends substantially perpendicularly with respect to the ground surface. The rotor (8) is provided with at least two symmetrically arranged, radially protruding knives (12), which, when the rotor (8) is rotated, cooperate for cutting action together with one or several bed plate knives (18), which are rigidly attached to the frame (1) on the side thereof which is directed in the direction of movement of the frame (1) during cutting action. Each of the knives (12) forms a rigid, immovable portion of the rotor (8) and is preferably made integral with the rotor (8).

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION: MOBILE DEVICE FOR CUTTING SLIM- TRUNKED VEGETATION, SUCH AS THICKET, BUSH VEGETA¬ TION, JUVENILE FOREST, ENERGY FOREST, BAMBOO, REED

ETC.

The present invention relates to a mobile de- vice for cutting slim-trunked vegetation, such as thicket, bush vegetation, juvenile forest, energy forest, bamboo, reed etc.

Devices of the kind mentioned above have so far mainly been used for cleaning road beds, verges etc from bush vegetation and thicket. Known devices for this purpose usually include a motor driven rotor, the perifery of which being provided with a number - of articulately supported flails or chains, which, when the rotor is made to rotate during movement along the ground sector to be cleaned, through striking action brings about cutting of occurring bush vegetation and thicket. The device is then usually supported at the end of a vehicle mounted boom, by means of which said device is positioned at a certain distance above ground level during move¬ ment of the vehicle along the ground sector to be cleaned.

A serious disadvantage with the known devices is the appearent risk that one or several of the flails or the chains during the rotation get loose from the rotor and like a projectile is thrown out into the surroundings at a high velocity and in a direction which can not be predicted, and thus causes damage and accidents. Several serious near- accidents caused by devices of the kind mentioned have thus occurred, and due to this the known de¬ vices have not so far been approved by the author¬ ities, and the present use of said devices^" is made on the basis of an extemption from the side of the authorities.

The object of the present invention is to pro¬ vide a mobile device of the kind mentioned initial¬ ly, which renders possible a very efficient cutting of slim-trunl ed vegetation, such as thicket, bush vegetation, juvenile forest, energy forest, bamboo, reed etc, and wherein the risk for damage or acci¬ dents caused by rotor parts getting loose is avoid¬ ed, and which is of a simple design and renders possible cutting of vegetation having thicker truck dimensions than what has been possible by means of the known devices, at the same time obtaining an in¬ crease in the cutting capacity. The objects mention¬ ed above are obtained according to the present in¬ vention by means of a design in accordance with the appended claims.

The invention is described below with reference to an embodiment illustrated on the enclosed draw¬ ings, on which

Fig 1 is a schematic side view of a device ac- cording to the invention provided with two rotors, said device being supported at the end of a support¬ ing arm.

Fig 2 is a top view of the device illustrated in fig 1. Fig 3 is a top view of one of the rotors in¬ cluded in the device, and

Fig 4 is a top view of ^'the lower plate disposed below the two rotors.

The device, schematically shown in the figures, consists of a rigid frame 1, comprising an upper rigid supporting plate 2 and a lower rigid plate 3, both plates suitably being made of toughened steel. The upper supporting plate 2 and the lower plate 3 are rigidly interconnected by means of bolts 4 ex- tending through the upper base plate 2 and the lower plate 3, and by means of spacing sleeves 5 disposed between the plates and determining the distance be¬ tween the plates. On the upper side the upper sup¬ porting plate 2 is reinforced by means of two longi- tudinal reinforcing beams 6 which, suitably by weld¬ ing are connected with the plate, and a transverse beam 7 interconnecting the reinforcing beams 6 at one end of the frame 1. Rotatably mounted in the space formed between the upper supporting plate 2 and the lower plate 3 are two rotors 8 in the form of rigid plates having a thickness which is somewhat less than the distance determined by the spacing sleeves 5 between the upper supporting plate 2 and the lower plate 3. Each rotor 8 is rigidly connected to a rotor shaft 9 extending through the upper sup¬ porting plate 2 as well as through the lower plate 3. The rotor shaft 9 is mounted in bearings 10 on the upper side of the upper supporting plate 2 and in a bearing 11 at the under side of the lower plate 3. As particularly appears from fig 3, each rotor 8 has a circular basic form having four portions dis¬ posed symmetrically along the perifery and protrud¬ ing beyond the circular basic form and forming knives 12. The front egde of the knives 12 as seen in the direction of rotation, is suitably designed as a concave cutting edge 13. Like the upper sup¬ porting plate 2 and the lower plate 3, the rotor 8 is made of toughened steel. The center distance be¬ tween both rotors 8 is somewhat greater than the double radial distance between the center of the rotor 8 and the point of the cutting edge 13. Each end of the rotor shafts 9 which protrude above the upper supporting plate 2 is connected to the drive shaft of an hydraulic motor 14, which is supported on the upper side of the upper supporting plate 2 by means of attachment clamps 15 attached to the sup¬ porting plate 2. By means of hydraulic flexible hoses the hydraulic motors 14 are connected to a hydraulic power sourse. The upper supporting plate as well as the lower plate 3 have substantially the same shape and coin- side, in the area of the two rotors 8, substantially with the basic form of said rotors. On the side of the upper supporting plate 2 and the lower plate 3 which is directed in the travelling direction of the frame 1 during cutting, the plates 2 and 3 are pro¬ vided with protruding portions 16 and 17, which con¬ stitute concave bed plate knives 18 directed in a direction opposite the rotational direction of the rotor 8. The bed plate knifes 18 are designed so as to cooperate with the knives 12 of the rotor for cutting objects which are present between the cutting knife 13 and the bed plate knife 18 when the rotor is rotated. The protruding portions 16 and 17 on the upper supporting plate 2 and the lower plate 3, extend beyond the knife points L2 of the rotors 8, and are interconnected at this point by means of a bolt 4 and a spacing sleeve 5. The protruding portions 16 and 17 respectively, also form guide bars for guiding the slim-trunked vegetation to be cut in the direction of the working area of the knife 12 of the rotor 8 and in the direction of the bed plate knives 18. At both ends of the frame 1, the upper supporting plate 2 as well as the lower plate 3 suitably are provided with protruding por- tions 19, having a radius equal to or greater than the radial distance from the center of the rotor to the point 12 of the knife thereof. The protruding portions 19 thus form a protection against uninten- tional contact with the knives of the rotor at the end portions of the frame 1. Attached to the trans¬ verse beam 7 at one end of the frame 1 are two at¬ tachment lugs 20 for articulately attaching the frame 1 to a suitable carrier 22, as schematically indicated in dash-and-dot-lines in fig 1. The car¬ rier 22 may consist of the end of a vehicle mounted boom or the like. As appears in fig 1, a fitting 23 is further attached to the transverse beam 7, said fitting forming a lever, at the outer end of which a power means, e.g. a hydraulic cylinder 23, may be articulately attached, either directly or via links 24,^25. By means of the power means 23 the frame 1 may thus be made to swing into a desired angular position in the vertical direction with respect to the carrier 22, for adjusting the frame 1 substan¬ tially parallel with the ground surface in the ground sector to be treated. The frame 1 may thus by means of the carrier 22, and the vehicle on which the carrier 22 is mounted, be adjusted into a de- sired directional position with respect to the ground surface and may also be moved along the ground surface in a direction forward or rearward. Since the frame 1 and the rotors 8 mounted therein, may be brought to effect cutting when the frame 1 is moved into opposite directions, the upper supporting plate 2 and the lower plate 3 are symmetrically de¬ signed with respect to corresponding opposite sides and thus include protruding portions 16, 17 having bed plate knives 18 on one longitudinal side as well as on the opposite. As a protection for the hydrau- lie motors 14, protective covers 26 are removably attached to the upper supporting plate 2, as indi¬ cated in dash-and-dot-lines in fig 1.

When the device shall be used for cutting, the frame 1 is adjusted into a suitable position with respect to the ground surface of the ground sector in which the cutting shall be effected. The carrier 22 is then moved along the ground sector at the same time as a pressure medium is supplied to the hydrau- lie motors 14, which causes the rotors 8 to rotate during cutting of objects entering into the working area of the rotors 8 and the knives 12. Tests have shown, that the device according to the invention renders possible cutting of slim-trunked vegetation having a trunk diameter up to about 65 mm.

The invention described above with reference to an embodiment illustrated on the drawings, is not limited to the design disclosed, but may be subject to variations within the scope of the appended claims. The number of rotors may thus be increased and the frame 1 may thus form a long cutting sword having several rotors and a great working radius. This last mentioned embodiment may e.g. be suitable for cutting energy forest or at bamboo plants etc. Of course the device may also be provided with only one rotor for facilitating the reachability in narrow ground sectors.

Claims

1. Mobile device for cutting slim-trunked vegeta¬ tion such as thicket, bush vegetation, juvenale forest, energy forest, bamboo, reed etc, comprising a frame (1); at least one rotor (8) supported by the frame, said rotor by means of a drive motor (14) being rotatable about an axis (9), which in the in¬ tended fuctional position of the device entends substantially perpendicular with respect to the ground surface, said rotor (8) being provided with at least two, symmetrically arranged knives (12) protruding from the rotor, and which during the rotation of the rotor (8) provides cutting coopera- tion with one or several bed plate knives (18) firmly attached on the frame, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that each one of said knives (12) form a rigid portion of the rotor which is immovable with respect to the rotor and preferably is made as one integral portion of the rotor (8).

2. Device as claimes in claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the frame (1) is made double acting by providing two opposite sides of the frame (1) with said bed plate knives (18). 3. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that each rotor (8) consists of a rigid plate having circular basic form and at least two, symmetrically arranged portions which protrude beyond the circular basic form and are shaped as knives (12) and in that said frame in¬ cludes an upper rigid supporting plate (2) and a lower rigid plate (3), which are rigidly inter¬ connected at a distance between the plates, which substantially corresponds to the thickness of said rotor (8), preferably both plates (2,

3) being pro- vided with protrutions (16, 17), which form said plate knives (18) which cooperate with the knives (12) of the rotor (8) .

4. Device as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c - t e r i z e d in that the rotor shaft (8) which is rigidly connected to the rotor (8) extends through the upper supporting plate (2) as well as through the lower plate (3) and is supported in bearings for rotation at the under side of the lower plate and on the upper side of the supporting plate, and in that the drive motor (14) for each rotor (8) is supported on the upper supporting plate (2) .

5. Device as claimed in any of claims 1 - 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that two or several rotors (8) are arranged adjacent each other at a mutual spacing between the rotors (8), wh-ich is somewhat greater than the double distance between the center of the rotor and one of the knife points (12) thereof.

6. Device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that one end of the frame (1) is supported by a movable carrier (22) and is swingably connected to the carrier for adjusting the frame (1) into different inclined positions.