Roofing removal process and machine

Claim 5

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a blade having sharpened forward and rearward edges and being mounted on said frame for horizontal reciprocating movement in response to operation of said engine at speeds in accordance with engine speed, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, and power delivery means on said frame for delivering power to said drive wheel from said engine independently of power delivery to said blade by said engine and for selectively driving said drive wheel in forward drive and in reverse drive.

Claim 6

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a blade having sharpened forward and rearward edges and being mounted on said frame for horizontal reciprocating movement in response to operation of said engine at speeds in accordance with engine speed, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, and power delivery means on said frame for delivering power to said drive wheel from said engine independently of power delivery to said blade by said engine and for selectively driving said drive wheel in forward drive and in reverse drive.

Claim 7

A roof remover in accordance with claim 3 wherein said power delivery means includes a control lever movable between neutral, forward drive and reverse drive conditions, and means operable, when said lever is in a reverse drive condition, for returning said lever to neutral upon removal of a manually applied force acting in opposition to said lever returning means.

Claim 8

A roof remover in accordance with claim 3 wherein said power delivery means includes a control lever movable between neutral, forward drive and reverse drive conditions, and means operable, when said lever is in said forward drive condition, for releasably retaining said lever in a selection position.

Claim 9

A roof remover in accordance with claim 3 wherein said power delivery means includes a pivotally mounted control lever movable between neutral, forward drive and reverse drive conditions, and means operable, when said lever is in a reverse drive condition, to prevent pivotal movement of said lever in one plane from rearward drive condition to forward drive condition.

Claim 10

A roof remover in accordance with claim 3 wherein said power delivery means includes a guide member having therein a slot with communicating laterally offset legs, a lever pivotally mounted with respect to said guide member and extending through said slot, means biasing said lever in the direction toward the end of one leg adjacent said other leg, and means biasing said lever along its pivotal axis toward said one leg.

Claim 11

A roof remover in accordance with claim 3 including means for selectively driving said blade by said engine independently of the operation of said drive wheel by said engine.

Claim 12

A roof remover in accordance with claim 8 wherein said means for selectively driving said blade by said engine includes an endless belt and a device mounted on said frame and including components movable between a first position effecting braking of said belt and a second position in non-braking relation to said belt, said second position effecting tensioning of said belt to afford effective power delivery thereby.

Claim 13

A roof remover in accordance with claim 9 wherein at least some of the said components are biased to said first or belt braking position and including a control handle having an over-center mounting affording movement between a belt tensioning position and a belt braking position, whereby to effectively overcome said biasing means when said handle is in said belt tensioning position.

Claim 14

A roof remover in accordance with claim 3 including a parallel bar linkage pivotally connected about vertically spaced pivots to said frame on the other side of said blade from said drive wheel and including a rearwardly located link and a caster wheel mounted from said link for swinging about an axis perpendicular to said pivots and for Rotation about an axis parallel to said pivots.

Claim 15

A roof remover in accordance with claim 11 and further including spring means connected to said frame and to said link for retaining said caster wheel in position.

Claim 16

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a blade mounted on said frame for horizontal reciprocating movement in response to operation of said engine at speeds in accordance with engine speed and adapted for removing roofing material, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, and power delivery means on said frame for delivering power to said drive wheel from said engine independently of power delivery to said blade by said engine and for selectively driving said drive wheel in forward drive and in reverse drive, said power delivery means including a hydrostatic transmission unit including means for providing neutral, forward drive and rearward drive conditions and for controlling the rate of forward and rearward drive independently of the speed of said engine.

Claim 17

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a blade mounted on said frame for horizontal reciprocating movement in response to operation of said engine at speeds in accordance with engine speed and adapted for removing roofing material, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, and power delivery means on said frame for delivering power to said drive wheel from said engine independently of power delivery to said blade by said engine and for selectively driving said drive wheel in forward drive and in reverse drive, said power delivery means including a hydrostatic transmission unit including means for providing neutral, forward drive and rearward drive conditions and for controlling the rate of forward and rearward drive independently of the speed of said engine.

Claim 18

A roof remover in accordance with claim 13 wherein said power delivery control means includes a disconnect switch interposed between said drive wheel and said hydrostatic transmission unit.

Claim 19

A roof remover in accordance with claim 13 wherein said power delivery means includes a control lever movable between neutral, forward drive and reverse drive conditions, and means operable, when said lever is in a reverse drive condition, for returning said lever to neutral upon removal of a manually applied force acting in opposition to said lever returning means.

Claim 20

A roof remover in accordance with claim 13 wherein said power delivery means includes a control lever movable between neutral, forward drive and reverse drive conditions, and means operable, when said lever is in said forward drive condition, for releasably retaining said lever in a selection position.

Claim 21

A roof remover in accordance with claim 13 wherein said power delivery means includes a pivotally mounted control lever movable between neutral, forward drive and reverse drive conditions, and means operable, when said lever is in a reverse drive condition, to prevent pivotal movement of said lever in one plane from rearward drive condition to forward drive condition.

Claim 22

A roof remover in accordance with claim 13 wherein said power delivery means includes a guide member having therein a slot with communicating laterally offset legs, a lever pivotally mounted with respect to said guide member and extending through said slot, means biasing said lever in the direction toward the end of one leg adjacent said other leg, and means biasing said lever along its pivotal axis toward said one leg.

Claim 23

A roof remover in accordance with claim 13 including means for selectively driving said blade by said engine independently of the operation of said drive wheel by said engine.

Claim 24

A roof remover in accordance with claim 19 wherein said means for selectively driving said blade by said engine includes an endless belt and a device mounted on said frame and including components movable between a first position effecting braking of said belt and a second position in non-braking relation to said belt, said second position effecting tensioning of said belt to afford effective power delivery thereby.

Claim 25

A roof remover in accordance with claim 20 wherein at least some of the said components are biased to said first or belt braking position and including a control handle having an over-center mounting affording movement between a belt tensioning position and a belt braking position, whereby to effectively overcome said biasing means when said handle is in said belt tensioning position.

Claim 26

A roof remover in accordance with claim 13 including a parallel bar linkage pivotally connected about vertically spaced pivots to said frame on the other side of said blade from said drive wheel and including a rearwardly located link and a caster wheel mounted from said link for swinging about an axis perpendicular to said pivots and for rotation about an axis parallel to said pivots.

Claim 27

A roof remover in accordance with claim 22 and further including spring means connected to said frame and to said link for retaining said caster wheel in position.

Claim 28

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a blade mounted on said frame for horizontal reciprocating movement in response to operation of said engine at speeds in accordance with engine speed, said blade being U-shaped and including a web and an upstanding leg at each end of said web, said web and said legs including forwardly and rearwardly located cutting edges, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, and means on said frame for driving said drive wheel by said engine independently of operation of said blade by said engine.

Claim 29

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a blade mounted on said frame for horizontal reciprocating movement in response to operation of said engine at speeds in accordance with engine speed, said blade being U-shaped and including a web and an upstanding leg at each end of said web, said web and said legs including forwardly and rearwardly located cutting edges, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, and means on said frame for driving said drive wheel by said engine independently of operation of said blade by said engine.

Claim 30

A roof remover in accordance with claim 24 wherein said drive wheel driving means includes a hydrostatic transmission unit including means for providing neutral, forward drive and rearward drive conditions and for controlling the rate of forward and rearward drive independently of the speed of said engine.

Claim 31

A roof remover in accordance with claim 24 including means for selectively driving said blade by said engine independently of the operation of said drive wheel by said engine.

Claim 32

A roof remover in accordance with claim 24 including a parallel bar linkage pivotally connected about vertically spaced pivots to said frame on the other side of said blade from said drive wheel and including a rearwardly located link and a caster wheel mounted from said link for swinging about an axis perpendicular to said pivots and for rotation about an axis parallel to said pivots.

Claim 33

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a throttle control connected to said engine, a blade mounted on said frame for reciprocating movement, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, a parallel bar linkage pivotally connected about spaced pivots to said frame and on the other side of said blade from said drive wheel and including a rearwardly located link, a caster wheel mounted from said link for swinging about an axis perpendicular to said pivots and for rotation about an axis parallel to said pivots, a hydrostatic transmission unit mounted on said frame and including a pump driven by said engine, an output shaft connected to said drive wheel and means including a lever movable between neutral, forward drive and reverse drive conditions to control the rate and direction of movement of said drive wheel independently of the speed of said engine, and means for releasably driving said blade by said engine independently of the operation of said drive wheel by said engine and including an endless belt and a device mounted on said frame and including components movable between a first position effecting braking of said belt and a second position in non-braking relation to said belt, said second position effecting tensioning of said belt to afford effective power delivery thereby.

Claim 34

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a throttle control connected to said engine, a blade mounted on said frame for reciprocating movement, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, a parallel bar linkage pivotally connected about spaced pivots to said frame and on the other side of said blade from said drive wheel and including a rearwardly located link, a caster wheel mounted from said link for swinging about an axis perpendicular to said pivots and for rotation about an axis parallel to said pivots, a hydrostatic transmission unit mounted on said frame and including a pump driven by said engine, an output shaft connected to said drive wheel and means including a lever movable between neutral, forward drive and reverse drive conditions to control the rate and direction of movement of said drive wheel independently of the speed of said engine, and means for releasably driving said blade by said engine independently of the operation of said drive wheel by said engine and including an endless belt and a device mounted on said frame and including components movable between a first position effecting braking of said belt and a second position in non-braking relation to said belt, said second position effecting tensioning of said belt to afford effective power delivery thereby.

Claim 35

A roof remover in accordance with claim 28 wherein said power delivery control means includes a clutch interposed between said drive wheel and said hydrostatic transmission unit.

Claim 36

A roof remover in accordance with claim 28 wherein said blade has forwardly and rearwardly located cutting edges.

Claim 37

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a blade mounted on said frame for horizontal reciprocating movement in response to operation of said engine at speeds in accordance with engine speed, said blade having forward and rearward cutting edges, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, and power delivery means on said frame for selectively driving said drive wheel in forward drive and in reverse drive.

Claim 38

A roof remover comprising a frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a blade mounted on said frame for horizontal reciprocating movement in response to operation of said engine at speeds in accordance with engine speed, said blade having forward and rearward cutting edges, a drive wheel mounted on said frame, and power delivery means on said frame for selectively driving said drive wheel in forward drive and in reverse drive.

Claim 39

A roof remover in accordance with claim 31 including means for selectively driving said blade by said engine independently of the operation of said drive wheel by said engine.

Claim 40

A roof remover in accordance with claim 32 wherein said means for selectively driving said bladE by said engine includes an endless belt and a device mounted on said frame and including components movable between a first position effecting braking of said belt and a second position in non-braking relation to said belt, said second position effecting tensioning of said belt to afford effective power delivery thereby.

Claim 41

A roof remover in accordance with claim 33 wherein at least some of said components are biased to said first or belt braking position and including a control handle having an over-center mounting affording movement between a belt tensioning position and a belt braking position, whereby to effectively overcome said biasing means when said handle is in said belt tensioning position.

Claim 42

A roof remover in accordance with claim 31 wherein said power delivery means comprises a hydrostatic transmission unit including means for providing neutral, forward drive and rearward drive conditions and for controlling the rate of forward and rearward drive independently of the speed of said engine.

Claim 43

A roof remover in accordance with claim 35 wherein said power delivery control means includes a clutch interposed between said drive wheel and said hydrostatic transmission unit.