Method and machine for felling, debranching, collecting and bundling trees

Claim 2

A machine for felling, debranching, topping, collecting and bundling trees characterized by combination of a horizontally rotatable frame structure mounted on a support structure, a vertically rotatable longitudinally extending jib arranged on the frame structure, a gripping means for holding a tree standing on its roots and retaining said tree when it is felled, a first means for cutting the standing tree, a means for felling the tree when it has been cut, a means for debranching the felled tree and a means for feeding the tree during the debranching operation in its longitudinal direction through the debranching means, the first cutting means also being adapted to sever the portion of the tree which during its advancement has passed through the debranching means, a second cutting means for automatically cutting a tree at a predetermined minimum diameter of the portion of the tree which during its advancement has passed through the debranching means, a means for collecting the debranched trees or portions of trees, a means for bundling said trees or portions thereof by means of iron wire, bands, wires, chains or the like, and means for mechanically driving the aforementioned movable devices, the means for holding, cutting, felling, and debranching the tree being mounted on one end of the jib, the feed means being displaceable along the jib, and the collecting means and the bundling means being mounted on the frame structure adjacent each other.

Claim 3

The machine of claim 1, characterized in that the jib arranged for rotation on the frame structure comprises two beams presenting a box-shaped or tubular cross section, of which one beam is telescopically insertable in the other beam and supports at its free end the devices for holding, cutting, felling and debranching the tree and the drive means for said devices, the displaceable beam and the feed means being connected to a common drive means such as one or more hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic motors, electric motors or combustion motors, so that they move synchronously with each other and in opposite direction.

Claim 4

The machine of claim 2, characterized in that hydraulic pumps and oil containers connected to the free end of the displaceable beam are mounted on the feed means.

Claim 5

The machine of claim 1, characterized in that the tree-felling means is in the form of a yoke provided with a front and rear end and on which the debranching means the second cutting means, the holding means and the first cutting means are arranged in said order from the front end of the yoke, the yoke being rotatably arranged in the free end of the displaceable beam, partly in a vertical plane between a position parallel with the beam, in which the front end of the yoke is directed outwardly from the beam, and a substantially vertical position, in which the front end of the yoke is directed upwardly, and partly in a plane at right angles thereto.

Claim 6

The machine of claim 4, characterized in that the debranching means comprises two hydraulically driven gripping claws pivotally journaled on the yoke of the felling means and two longitudinally extending debranching chains, which comprise cutting tools which are pivotally secured together and the edges of which are turned towards the feed direction of the tree, each debranching chain being secured at its ends between the gripping end of respective gripping claws and an energy-storing means connected with the gripping claws for tensioning the debranching chains.

Claim 7

A machine of claim 5, characterized in that the holding means comprises two hydraulically driven gripping claws pivotally journaled on the yoke, and that both the gripping claws and the gripping claws of the debranching means are securely mounted on shafts, which are connected to respective drive means, each shaft also carrying two stationarily mounted wheels, between which two chains, bands, wires or the like are passed in the form of two inverted S: s and at their ends are connected to wheels for synchronous driving of the shafts and the gripping claws.

Claim 8

The machine of claim 5, characterized in that the holding means comprises two hydraulically driven gripping claws pivotally mounted on the yoke of the felling means, and that both these gripping claws and the gripping claws of the debranching means are securely mounted on shafts which are connected to respective drive means, each shaft also carrying a stationary mounted wheel and that an endless band is passed in the form of a figure eight while simultaneously twisting each band portion one-half turn between the wheels, the band being secured to both wheels for synchronous driving of the shafts and gripping claws.

Claim 9

The machine of claim 4, characterized in that the first cutting means comprises two cutting units which are arranged on either side of the cutting position of the tree and are securely connected to two parallel rotatably journaled shafts, which in turn are connected to one and the same source of energy for synchronous rotation, said cutting units each including a rotatably mounted drive wheel over which an endless saw chain is curved, the drive wheel being connected to a motor for driving the saw chain.

Claim 10

The machine of claim 8, characterized in that each cutting unit comprises a saw guide plate and a holder attached thereto, and direction changing wheels journaled for rotation on the holder, in addition to the drive wheel the saw chain also being curved over the direction changing wheels and that the axes of rotation of the units are journaled only on one side of the cutting units.

Claim 11

The machine of claim 9, characterized in that the number of wheels over which respective saw chains are curved and the drive wheel are at least three and that one, of the nondriving wheels is displaceably arranged in a radial direction relative to the remaining wheels.

Claim 12

The machine of claim 9, characterized in that the saw guide plate and the holder of each cutting unit forms a closed, triangular-shaped unit, in the corners of which are arranged the wheels over which the saw chains are passed.

Claim 13

The machine of claim 8, characterized in that the drive means of the saw chains and rotation shafts of the first cutting means are respectively connected to a first and a second hydraulic pump mounted on the feed means, the drive means of the rotation shafts being connected also to the pressure side of the first pump whereby an increase in working resistance of the saw chains causes an increase in pressure in the connection between the first pump and the drive member, this increase in pressure counteracting the movement of the drive means of the rotation shafts caused by the second pump.

Claim 14

The machine of claim 4, characterized in that the second cutting means comprises a cutting tool, the edge of which extends transversely of the direction in which the tree is advanced and is turned towards the tree and the direction of feed, the tool being movably arranged on the yoke of the felling means between an inactive and an active position, in which latter position it cuts the tree when it passes the tool during transport in the feed direction.

Claim 15

A machine of claim 13, characterized in that the tool is connected with one gripping claw of the debranching means and is moved by the same away from the feed path when the gripping claws are opened and towards the feed path when the gripping claws are closed synchronously with movements of the gripping claws.

Claim 16

A machine of claim 14, characterized by a catch member connected with one of the gripping claws of the debranching means and adapted to temporarily hold the Tool in an inactive position while the gripping claws are closed independent of the position of the gripping claw connected with the tool.

Claim 17

The machine of claim 1, characterized in that the first cutting means is arranged displaceably parallel with the feed direction of the tree between two end positions and can be locked in said end position.

Claim 18

The machine of claim 1, characterized in that the collecting means comprises an elongated loading plane which extends parallel with the frame structure or is slightly inclined upwardly to the feed direction, one or more loading members for transporting the debranched trunks transversely from the feed path in which they are fed longitudinally to the loading plane, and two or more catch members, the loading plane being pivotally mounted on the frame structure in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the trunks on the loading plane and at a lower level than the path along which the trunks are fed longitudinally, between a position obliquely downwardly directed to the ground and a substantially vertically upwardly directed position, the loading members being adapted to transport the debranched trunks or trunk portions crosswise onto the loading plane subsequent to said trunk or trunk portions being released from the feed means and the debranching means, and catch members being adapted to permit said crosswise transport of the trunks but automatically prevent the trunks or trunk portions from being returned from the loading plane to the frame structure.

Claim 19

The machine of claim 17, characterized in that the loading plane comprises at least two separated, parallel elongated holders, which extend transversely of the longitudinal direction of the jib, the holder situated nearest the yoke of the felling means being movably arranged on the frame structure at right angles thereto, whereby the loading plane formed by the holders can be rotated about a center line through the holder situated farthest away from the yoke.

Claim 20

The machine of claim 1, characterized in that the bundling means comprises a rotatably mounted supply reel on which the bundling medium for use in the bundling operation is stored, a guiding means to which the bundling medium is passed from the supply reel, a carrier or dog member adapted to pass the free end of the bundling medium from the guiding means across the transverse feed path of the trunks and crossing said path, a retaining means adapted to retain the free end on the bundling medium in the thus given position while the tree trunks are being advanced crosswise and collected a means for securing the free end of the bundling medium with the portion of the bundling medium issuing from the guiding means subsequent to collecting the trunks, a means for connecting together the thus connected portions of the bundling medium and a means for severing the portion of the bundling medium issuing from the guiding means between the said guiding means and the connecting position.

Claim 21

A machine of claim 19, characterized in that the bundling medium comprises an iron wire, wire, chain, a band or the like.

Claim 22

The machine claim 1, characterized in that the bundling means comprises a rotatably mounted supply reel on which iron wire intended for bundling purposes is stored, a guiding means through which the iron wire is passed on the supply reel, a rotatably mounted, double-arm rotor provided with a first and a second gripping means diametrically positioned and mounted in the periphery thereof, of which the first gripping means is provided with a cutting edge for automatically cutting the iron wire when it is held by the gripping means, a wire-guiding means provided with gripping means, the wire-guiding means being movably arranged immediately adjacent the guiding means and the gripping means of the rotor situated nearest the wire-guiding means with respect to the position of rotation of the rotor, and by means for mechanically driving the movable members of the bundling means, the wire-guiding meAns being arranged so that when it is activated it grips together with gripping means the iron wire projecting out from the guiding means and during continued movement passes it to the other gripping means of the rotor when this is adjacent the movement path of the wire-guiding means, the bundling means being arranged relative to the collecting means so that the wire passing between the guiding passage means and the rotor extends between the collecting means and the feed path of the wire and is carried by the tree trunks during their crosswise movement to the collecting means while simultaneously supplying wire from the supply reel and the wire-guiding means is adapted to reengage the portion of the wire projecting from the guiding means when the wire is fastened in the other gripping means of the rotor during movement from the starting position and fasten the wire in the first gripping means of the rotor when said gripping means, subsequent to being rotated by the rotor, is located adjacent the movement path of the wire guiding means, the wire being cut by the cutting edge of the gripping means of the rotor between said gripping means the guiding means after being secured and the rotor is made to rotate so that the wire is wound around the bundle and then drawn out of engagement with the gripping means of the rotor.

Claim 23

The machine of claim 21, characterized in that the rotor or wire-guiding means are displaceable in a direction transversely of the movement path of the wire-guiding means synchronously with rotation of the rotor between a first and a second position, the rotor in the first position being located between the guiding means and the movement path of the wire-guiding means with the second gripping means situated adjacent said movement path, and in the second position is located outside the movement path of the wire-guiding means, so that it extends between the guiding means and the rotor, with the first gripping means situated adjacent the movement path of the wire-guiding means.

Claim 24

The machine of claim 21, characterized in that the gripping means of the wire-guiding means and the rotor comprise wedge-shaped recesses in which the wire is clamped as a result of the wedging action of the recesses, the recesses of the rotor having a more pointed wedge shape than the recesses of the wire guiding means and thereby a stronger clamping action than the latter recess.