Vegetation cutting apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for cutting vegetation comprising a driving mechanism having a shaft rotatable about an axis; a cutting element holder mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith providing an outer peripheral surface and a cutting element passage opening through the peripheral surface on opposite sides of the axis defining a centrifugal force induced direction of cutting element movement, the cutting element passage providing a threading section and a receiving section of smaller dimension, the junction between the threading and receiving sections comprising an abutment; an unspooled generally flexible finite length non-metallic cutting element removably positioned in the receiving passage section and eccentrically disposed relative to the axis and having a cutting end portion extending outwardly of the holder and an enlargement on an end opposite from the cutting end portion engaging the abutment; and means preventing movement of the cutting element from the receiving passage section in the centrifugal force induced direction comprising the enlargement on the cutting element and the abutment in the passage; the holder comprising means defining a cutting element inserting and removing path communicating with the receiving passage section for inserting and removing the cutting element from the receiving of passage section while the holder is attached to the shaft, the removing means including means for removing the cutting element along the removing path by the application of a single force on the cutting element in a direction opposite to the centrifugal force induced direction.