Tree harvester

Claim 2

In a tree harvester of the class comprising a tree cutting and delimbing unit which first severs a tree trunk after effecting a gripping embrace of the tree and then draws the trunk through the unit to effect delimbing, a plurality of trunk gripping pulling-rollers effecting said draw, characterised in that said rollers have gripping surfaces which are longitudinally and circumferentially concave relative to their rotary axes, said delimbing unit including at least two trunk-holding arms at least partially embracing said trunk, and a delimbing knife attached to at least one of said arms for movement therewith, said delimbing knife having a concave inner surface, said rollers being so journalled between the ends of said arms as to span the same.

Claim 3

A tree harvester having generally linear support means and tree holding, cutting and delimbing means projecting from said support means, including arms adapted and designed to embrace said tree over surface portions of said tree which are on the side remote from said support means, means operatively associated with said arms for moving said tree longitudinally, and means in the form of at least one axially angulated circumferentially concavely conical and truncated positioning roller adapted and designed partially to embrace said tree over the side area thereof which is closest to said support means, an axial plane of said roller co-inciding with the horizontal axis of said means for moving said tree whereby, as viewed in plan, said tree is seen to be embraced over spaced surface portions around it's circumference, for maintaining said tree substantially uniformly spaced from and parallel to said support means during the cutting and delimbing thereof.

Claim 4

A tree harvester having generally linear support means and tree holding, cutting and delimbing means projecting from said support means, including arms adapted and designed to embrace said tree over surface portions of said tree which are on the side remote from said support means, means operatively associated with said arms for moving said tree longitudinally, and means in the form of at least one axially angulated circumferentially concavely conical and truncated positioning roller adapted and designed partially to embrace said tree over the side area thereof which is closest to said support means, an axial plane of said roller co-inciding with the horizontal axis of said means for moving said tree whereby, as viewed in plan, said tree is seen to be embraced over spaced surface portions around it's circumference, for maintaining said tree substantially uniformly spaced from and parallel to said support means during the cutting and delimbing thereof.

Claim 5

The invention according to claim 2 in which said means for moving said tree is in the form of at least two spaced rollers positioned alternately on either side of a vertical plane axially bisecting said support means and said tree and at least two of said positioning rollers,

Claim 6

The invention according to claim 3 in which said positioning rollers are stub-shafted to supporting brackets projecting from said support means at differing radial angles, the axies of the said positioning rollers intercepting as viewed in plan whereby said positioning rollers are substantially oppositely directed to embrace said tree around the same arcuate surface portion thereof but at differing positions on the length thereof.