Timber harvesting and transporting method, system and apparatus

Claim 1

A METHOD OF HARVESTING AND TRANSPORTING TIMBER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A UNITARY DIRECTIONAL TREE FELLING, DELIMBING, TOPPING AND LOG MOVING APPARATUS, UTILIZING SAID APPARATUS TO CUT A TREE ADJACENT THE GROUND WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY EXERTING A PUSHING FORCE ON SAID TREE AT A POINT SPACED ABOVE THE CUTTING POINT, SAID FORCE BEING EXERTED IN A DIRECTION TO FELL SAID TREE IN A DESIRED LOCATION, UTILIZING SAID APPARATUS TO REMOVE THE LIMBS ON THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID FELLED TREE AND SEVER THE TOP AND TO THEREAFTER REMOVE THE REMAINDER OF THE LIMBS TO PROVIDE A LOG, UTILIZING SAID APPARATUS TO GRASP SAID LOG ADJACDENT THE BUTT END TO MOVE THE SAME TO A LOCATION ADJACENT A SUPPORTING CRADLE AND DEPOSIT SAID LOG ON SAID CRADLE, DIRECTIONALLY FELLING AND DELIMBING ADDITIONAL TREES AND DEPOSITING ADDITIONAL LOGS ON SAID CRADLE TO FORM A BUNCH OF LOGS OF THE DESIRED SIZE WITH THE BUTT ENDS SUBSTANTIALLY IN ALIGNMENT, PROVIDING A SELF-LOADING AND UNLOADING PRE-HAUL VEHICLE, LOADING SAID BUNCH OF LOGS AS A UNIT BY SKIDDING THE SAME LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID CRADLE ONTO SAID VEHICLE FROM THE REAR TOWARD THE FRONT TO POSITION THE BUTT ENDS OF SAID LOGS ADJACENT THE FRONT OF SAID VEHICLE AND WITH THE TOP ENDS OF SAID LOGS PROJECTING FROM THE REAR OF SAID VEHICLE, PROVIDING A FINAL HAUL ROAD VEHICLE HAVING A BUCKING SAW APPARATUS MOUNTED THEREON FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT, MOVING SIAD PRE-HAUL VEHICLE TO A POSITION AT ONE END OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE WITH THE TOP ENDS OF SAID LOGS OVERHANGING A PORTION OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE, EJECTING SAID LOGS AS A UNIT LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID PRE-HAUL VEHICLE ONTO SAID ROAD VEHICLE WITH THE BUTT ENDS OF SAID LOGS DISPOSED AT SAID ONE END OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE, UTILIZING SAID SAW APPARATUS TO CUT SAID LOGS INTO PREDETERMINED LENGTHS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE, UTILIZING SAID PRE-HAUL VEHICLE FROM THE SECOND BUNCH OF LOGS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE FROM THE OPPOSITE END WITH THE BUTT ENDS OF SAID SECOND BUNCH OF LOGS DISPOSED AT SAID OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE, UTILIZING SAID SAW APPARATUS TO CUT SAID SECOND BUNCH OF LOGS INTO PREDETERMINED LENGTHS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE, UTILIZING SAID PRE-HAUL VEHICLE TO LOAD A THIRD BUNCH OF LOGS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE FROM SAID ONE END WITH THE BUTT ENDS OF SAID THIRD BUNCH OF LOGS DISPOSED AT SAID ONE END OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE AND UTILIZING SAID SAW APPARATUS TO CUT SAID THIRD BUNCH OF LOGS INTO PREDETERMINED LENGTHS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE TO COMPLETE LOADING THEREOF.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF HARVESTING AND TRANSPORTING TIMBER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A UNITARY DIRECTIONAL TREE FELLING, DELIMBING, TOPPING AND LOG MOVING APPARATUS, UTILIZING SAID APPARATUS TO CUT A TREE ADJACENT THE GROUND WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY EXERTING A PUSHING FORCE ON SAID TREE AT A POINT SPACED ABOVE THE CUTTING POINT, SAID FORCE BEING EXERTED IN A DIRECTION TO FELL SAID TREE IN A DESIRED LOCATION, UTILIZING SAID APPARATUS TO REMOVE THE LIMBS ON THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID FELLED TREE AND SEVER THE TOP AND TO THEREAFTER REMOVE THE REMAINDER OF THE LIMBS TO PROVIDE A LOG, UTILIZING SAID APPARATUS TO GRASP SAID LOG ADJACDENT THE BUTT END TO MOVE THE SAME TO A LOCATION ADJACENT A SUPPORTING CRADLE AND DEPOSIT SAID LOG ON SAID CRADLE, DIRECTIONALLY FELLING AND DELIMBING ADDITIONAL TREES AND DEPOSITING ADDITIONAL LOGS ON SAID CRADLE TO FORM A BUNCH OF LOGS OF THE DESIRED SIZE WITH THE BUTT ENDS SUBSTANTIALLY IN ALIGNMENT, PROVIDING A SELF-LOADING AND UNLOADING PRE-HAUL VEHICLE, LOADING SAID BUNCH OF LOGS AS A UNIT BY SKIDDING THE SAME LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID CRADLE ONTO SAID VEHICLE FROM THE REAR TOWARD THE FRONT TO POSITION THE BUTT ENDS OF SAID LOGS ADJACENT THE FRONT OF SAID VEHICLE AND WITH THE TOP ENDS OF SAID LOGS PROJECTING FROM THE REAR OF SAID VEHICLE, PROVIDING A FINAL HAUL ROAD VEHICLE HAVING A BUCKING SAW APPARATUS MOUNTED THEREON FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT, MOVING SIAD PRE-HAUL VEHICLE TO A POSITION AT ONE END OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE WITH THE TOP ENDS OF SAID LOGS OVERHANGING A PORTION OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE, EJECTING SAID LOGS AS A UNIT LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID PRE-HAUL VEHICLE ONTO SAID ROAD VEHICLE WITH THE BUTT ENDS OF SAID LOGS DISPOSED AT SAID ONE END OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE, UTILIZING SAID SAW APPARATUS TO CUT SAID LOGS INTO PREDETERMINED LENGTHS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE, UTILIZING SAID PRE-HAUL VEHICLE FROM THE SECOND BUNCH OF LOGS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE FROM THE OPPOSITE END WITH THE BUTT ENDS OF SAID SECOND BUNCH OF LOGS DISPOSED AT SAID OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE, UTILIZING SAID SAW APPARATUS TO CUT SAID SECOND BUNCH OF LOGS INTO PREDETERMINED LENGTHS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE, UTILIZING SAID PRE-HAUL VEHICLE TO LOAD A THIRD BUNCH OF LOGS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE FROM SAID ONE END WITH THE BUTT ENDS OF SAID THIRD BUNCH OF LOGS DISPOSED AT SAID ONE END OF SAID ROAD VEHICLE AND UTILIZING SAID SAW APPARATUS TO CUT SAID THIRD BUNCH OF LOGS INTO PREDETERMINED LENGTHS ON SAID ROAD VEHICLE TO COMPLETE LOADING THEREOF.