Ditching machine having floatingly mounted cutting head

Claim 2

IN A DITCHING MACHINE, A FRAME; MEANS SUPPORTING SAID FRAME FOR MOVEMENT OVER THE GROUND; A CUTTING HEAD EXTENDING VERTICALLY FROM SAID FRAME DOWNWARDLY TO A DITCHING LEVEL AND HAVING A CUTTING DEVICE FACING IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID MACHINE WHEN A DITCH IS BEING CUT; AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID CUTTING HEAD FLOATINGLY ON SAID FRAME AND COMPRISING VERTICALLY EXTENDING GUIDE MEANS ON SAID FRAME ENGAGEABLY BY SAID CUTTING HEAD FOR MAINTAINING SAID CUTTING HEAD AGAINST EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT LATERALLY OF SAID FRAME BUT WITH SUFFICIENT CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID GUIDE MEANS AND SAID CUTTING HEAD TO PERMIT LIMITED LATERAL FLOATING OF SAID CUTTING HEAD RELATIVELY TO SAID FRAME, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CUTTING HEAD AND TO SAID FRAME IN FRONT OF SIAD CUTTING HEAD WITH REFERENCE TO THE DIRECTION OF DITCHING MOVEMENT OF SAID MACHINE AND BEING SUBJECTED TO TENSION IN OPERATION FOR PULLING SAID CUTTING HEAD ALONG WITH SAID FRAME.

Claim 3

IN A DITCHING MACHINE, A FRAME; TWO DRIVABLE WHEELS JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAME RESPECTIVELY ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, ONE OF SAID DRIVABLE WHEELS HAVING A RELATIVELY SMOOTH CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE AND THE OTHER OF SAID DRIVABLE WHEELS BEING A SPIKE WHEEL COMPRISING A HUB AND A PLURALITY OF RADIAL SPIKES THE OUTER ENDS OF WHICH ARE GROUND ENGAGEABLE; A THIRD WHEEL JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAME AND SPACED FORE-AND-AFT THEREOF FORM SAID DRIVABLE WHEELS; AN AUXILIARY WHEEL HAVING A RELATIVELY SMOOTH CIRCUMFERENCE; MEANS MOUNTING SAID AUXILIARY WHEEL ON SAID FRAME FOR MOVEMENTS SELECTIVELY TO A RAISED POSITION CLEAR OF THE GROUND, ENABLING SAID DRIVABLE WHEELS AND SAID THIRD WHEEL TO ENGAGE THE GROUND, AND TO A LOWERED POSITION IN WHICH SAID AUXILIARY WHEEL ENGAGES THE GROUND ON THE SIDE OF SAID MACHINE ADJACENT SAID SPIKE WHEEL WHEREBY TO LIFT THAT SIDE OF THE MACHINE AND SAID SPIKE WHEEL TO DISENGAGE THE LATTER FROM THE GROUND, THE MACHINE THEN BEING SUPPORTED FOR TRANSPORT BY SAID DRIVABLE WHEEL HAVING THE RELATIVELY SMOOTH CIRCUMFERANTIAL SURFACE, SAID THIRD WHEEL, AND SAID AUXILIARY WHEEL.

Claim 4

IN A DITCHING MACHINE, A FRAME; TWO DRIVABLE WHEELS JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAME RESPECTIVELY ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, ONE OF SAID DRIVABLE WHEELS HAVING A RELATIVELY SMOOTH CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACE AND THE OTHER OF SAID DRIVABLE WHEELS BEING A SPIKE WHEEL COMPRISING A HUB AND A PLURALITY OF RADIAL SPIKES THE OUTER ENDS OF WHICH ARE GROUND ENGAGEABLE; A THIRD WHEEL JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAME AND SPACED FORE-AND-AFT THEREOF FORM SAID DRIVABLE WHEELS; AN AUXILIARY WHEEL HAVING A RELATIVELY SMOOTH CIRCUMFERENCE; MEANS MOUNTING SAID AUXILIARY WHEEL ON SAID FRAME FOR MOVEMENTS SELECTIVELY TO A RAISED POSITION CLEAR OF THE GROUND, ENABLING SAID DRIVABLE WHEELS AND SAID THIRD WHEEL TO ENGAGE THE GROUND, AND TO A LOWERED POSITION IN WHICH SAID AUXILIARY WHEEL ENGAGES THE GROUND ON THE SIDE OF SAID MACHINE ADJACENT SAID SPIKE WHEEL WHEREBY TO LIFT THAT SIDE OF THE MACHINE AND SAID SPIKE WHEEL TO DISENGAGE THE LATTER FROM THE GROUND, THE MACHINE THEN BEING SUPPORTED FOR TRANSPORT BY SAID DRIVABLE WHEEL HAVING THE RELATIVELY SMOOTH CIRCUMFERANTIAL SURFACE, SAID THIRD WHEEL, AND SAID AUXILIARY WHEEL.