Cultivator

Claim 1

A CULTIVATOR FOR CULTIVATING AROUND ONE SIDE OF A TREE TRUNK COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING FRAME; AN ELONGATED CARRIAGE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME; MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID FRAME TO A TRACTOR FOR TRANSLATING SAID FRAME IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THE LINE OF TRAVEL OF SAID TRACTOR; AN ELONGATED CULTIVATOR HEAD JOURNALED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS ON SAID FRAME FOR ROTATION RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS; A FIRST CULTIVATOR DISC JOURNALED ON SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF; A SECOND CULTIVATOR DISC JOURNALED ON SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD ADJACENT THE OTHER END THEREOF; A POWER TAKE-OFF CARRIED BY SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD FOR DRIVING SAID DISCS; FIRST LATCHING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME ADJACENT THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE ENDS OF SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD; A FIRST MATING LATCHING MEANS MOUNTED AT ONE END OF SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD FOR DETACHABLY LOCKING SAID ONE END TO SAID FIRST LATCHING MEANS; A SECOND MATING LATCHING MEANS MOUNTED ON THE OTHER END OF SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD FOR DETACHABLY LOCKING SAID OTHER END TO SAID FIRST LATCHING MEANS; FIRST PRESSURE-RESPONSIVE LATCH-RELEASING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD AND OVERLYING ONE SIDE OF SAID FIRST CULTIVATOR DISC FOR RELEASING THE SAID FIRST MATING LATCHING MEANS AT THE OTHER END OF THE CULTIVATOR HEAD IN RESPONSE TO THE IMPACT OF SAID FIRST PRESSURERESPONSIVE MEANS WITH A TREE TRUNK DURING THE FORWARD TRANSLATION OF SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD; SECOND PRESSURE - RESPONSIVE LATCH - RELEASING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD AND OVERLYING THE DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID SECOND CULTIVATOR DISC FOR RELEASING THE SAID SECOND MATING LATCHING MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE IMPACT OF SAID SECOND PRESSURERESPONSIVE LATCH-RELEASING MEANS WITH A TREE TRUNK DURING THE FORWARD TRANSLATION OF SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD; AN INDENTED ARCUATE LATCHING MEMBER FIXED TO SAID FRAME LATERALLY THEREOF AND PARALLELING THE LOCUS OF THE ENDS OF SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD; THIRD MATING LATCHING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID ONE END OF THE CULTIVATOR HEAD ADJACENT SAID LOCUS FOR DETACHABLY ENGAGING SAID ARCUATE LATCHING MEMBER; FOURTH MATING LATCHING MEANS SIMILARLY MOUNTED ON SAID OTHER END OF SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD FOR DETACHABLY ENGAGING SAID ARCUATE LATCHING MEMBER; MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY BIASING SAID THIRD AND FOURTH LATCHING MEANS IN THEIR RETRACTED POSITIONS; THIRD LATCH-RELEASING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD OPPOSITE SAID FIRST LATCH-RELEASING MEANS AND OVERLYING SAID FIRST CULTIVATOR DISC, SAID THIRD LATCHRELEASING MEANS FUNCTIONING TO LOCK ONE OF SAID THIRD OR FOURTH MATING LATCHING MEANS ON SAID ARCUATE LATCHING MEMBER IN RESPONSE TO THE CONTACT OF SAID THIRD LATCH-RELEASING MEANS WITH THE TRUNK OF A TREE DURING THE ROTATION OF SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD; AND A FOURTH LATCH-RELEASING MEANS SIMILARLY MOUNTED ON SAID CULTIVATOR HEAD OPPOSITE SAID SECOND LATCH-RELEASING MEANS AND OVERLYING SAID SECOND CULTIVATOR DISC.