Roundwood stump processor

Claim 2

A grasping and feeding unit for a tree harvesting machine comprising a. a frame adapted for connection to the tree harvesting machine; b. a pair of housings movably mounted in parallel and oriented substantially vertically on said frame; c. tree grasping and feed rollers mounted on each of said housings and projecting normally therefrom; d. first motor means for reciprocating said housings toward and away from one another; e. second motor means for rotating said housings from an open position in which said housings receive a tree bole therebetween to a closed position in which the grasping and feeding rollers embrace said tree bole; and f. third motor means for actuating said grasping and feeding rollers to advance said tree bole outwardly of the unit.

Claim 3

A grasping and feeding unit according to claim 1, including means on said frame for severing a tree from its stump.

Claim 4

A grasping and feeding unit according to claim 1 including means on the housings for debranching the tree bole as it is advanced outwardly by the grasping and feeding rollers.

Claim 5

A grasping and feeding unit for a tree harvesting machine comprising: a. a frame adapted for connection to said harvesting machine; b. a pair of vertically oriented housings; c. support shafts in said frame and slidably carrying the housing thereon in spaced relation; d. first motor means associated with the housings and the shafts for effecting reciprocal movement of the housings toward and away from one another; e. each housing of said pair having a first group of debranching cutters and feed rolls extending i), radially outwardly of said housing and toward the other housing of said pair, ii), and a second group of cutters and feed rolls extending radially outwardly from the housing and normal to said first group whereby, with said housings in an open position, a tree may be engaged by the first group and between said second group of cutters and feed rolls; f. second motor means for rotating said housings inwardly toward one another to a closed position whereby said first and second groups of cutters and feed rolls lie normal to one another and embrace said tree; g. tree shearing means mounted on said frame; and h. third motor means for rotating the debranching cutters and feed rolls to draw a severed tree downwardly between said housings and the debranching cutters and past the shearing means.

Claim 6

A grasping and feeding unit for a tree harvesting machine comprising: a. a frame adapted for connection to said harvesting machine; b. a pair of vertically oriented housings; c. support shafts in said frame and slidably carrying the housing thereon in spaced relation; d. first motor means associated with the housings and the shafts for effecting reciprocal movement of the housings toward and away from one another; e. each housing of said pair having a first group of debranching cutters and feed rolls extending i), radially outwardly of said housing and toward the other housing of said pair, ii), and a second group of cutters and feed rolls extending radially outwardly from the housing and normal to said first group whereby, with said housings in an open position, a tree may be engaged by the first group and between said second group of cutters and feed rolls; f. second motor means for rotating said housings inwardly toward one another to a closed position whereby said first and second groups of cutters and feed rolls lie normal to one another and embrace said tree; g. tree shearing means mounted on said frame; and h. third motor means for rotating the debranching cutters and feed rolls to draw a severed tree downwardly between said housings and the debranching cutters and past the shearing means.

Claim 7

A grasping and feeding unit according to claim 4 wherein the tree shearing means is mounted on said frame below said vertical housings for severing a tree from its stump while the tree is held by and between said groups of cutters and feed rolls.

Claim 8

A grasping and feeding unit according to claim 4 wherein the first group of debranching cutters and feed rolls on each housing are positioned at elevations different from that of a), the second group of cutters and rolls on the same housing and b), the first group of cutters and rolls on the other housing of the pair thereof.