Dehider

Claim 2

A flaying tool having two blades in contact with one another, said blades being movable relative one to the other on a common blade axis, said tool comprising a first housing and a second housing a first blade gear shaft and a second blade gear shaft, one of said blades being mounted on said first shaft and the other of said blades being mounted on said second shaft, said first shaft being fixed to said first housing and said second shaft being fixed to said second housing, first bearings between said blade and said first shaft and second bearings between said second blade and said second shaft, and a grease system for at least one of said shafts, said system comprising a bore in said shaft, the exterior end of said bore being connectable with a grease injecting apparatus exterior of said housing, and the inner end of said bore being connected to said bearings and an interior cavity defined between two blades so that grease injected into said shaft's bore supplies grease for said bearings and for said interior cavity.

Claim 3

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 1, the inner end of said bore being connected to one of said bearings for connecting said one bearings to said interior cavity, said bore permitting grease to be directly injected into said bearings and exhausted from said bearings into said interior cavity.

Claim 4

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 2, said tool comprising a separate grease system for each of said shafts.

Claim 5

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 2, one of said blades comprising a port coaxially disposed relative to said blade's periphery, said port being of a larger diameter than the diameter of said shaft on which said blade is mounted, said blade's inner periphery cooperating with the outer race of said one bearings to provide an annular exhaust port defined by the inner and outer races of said bearings into said interior cavity defined by said blades.

Claim 6

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 2, said one bearings comprising an inner bearing and an outer bearing on said shaft, said inner and outer bearings being spaced one from another, and said bore in said shaft opening into said inner and outer bearings in the space defined therebetween.

Claim 7

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 1, said tool comprising a connector connecting said blade to its respective shaft, said connector being operable to release each blade to its respective shaft without removing said connector from connected relation with that shaft.

Claim 8

A flaying tool having two circular blades mounted on a common axis, said blades being in contact one with another during relative motion therebetween, said tool comprising a left housing and a right housing, a left blade gear assembly connected to said left housing and a right gear assembly connected to said right housing, one of said blades being connected with said left assembly and one of said blades being connected with said right assembly, said gear assemblies being separate one from the other, an alignment pin coaxially aligned with one blade and connected to that one of said blade gear assemblies for said one blade, structure defining a bore coaxially aligned with the other blade and connected to that other of said blade gear assemblies for said other blade, said pin and said bore being received in assembled relation to maintain coaxial alignment of said blades upon assembly of said left and right housings, but not preventing axial disassembly of said housings, and connector means for connecting said left and right housings in assembled relation, said connector means being located beyond the periphery of said circular blades and not being coaxially aligned with said blades.

Claim 9

A flaying tool having two circular blades mounted on a common axis, said blades being in contact one with another during relative motion therebetween, said tool comprising a left housing and a right housing, a left blade gear assembly connected to said left housing and a right gear assembly connected to said right housing, one of said blades being connected with said left assembly and one of said blades being connected with said right assembly, said gear assemblies being separate one from the other, an alignment pin coaxially aligned with one blade and connected to that one of said blade gear assemblies for said one blade, structure defining a bore coaxially aligned with the other blade and connected to that other of said blade gear assemblies for said other blade, said pin and said bore being received in assembled relation to maintain coaxial alignment of said blades upon assembly of said left and right housings, but not preventing axial disassembly of said housings, and connector means for connecting said left and right housings in assembled relation, said connector means being located beyond the periphery of said circular blades and not being coaxially aligned with said blades.

Claim 10

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 7, said connector means comprising at least one bolt structured to immobily connect said left and right housings, said bolt being located beyond the periphery of said blades.

Claim 11

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 8, said connector means comprising at least two bolts, said bolts being disposed on a bolt line generally perpendicular to the axis of said tool.

Claim 12

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 7, said connector means comprising a sleeve integral with one of said housings, said sleeve defining a foot section having a first abutment surface, and a heel section integral with the other of said housings, said heel section having a second abutment surface adapted to cooperate with said first abutment surface when said housings are assembled for preventing swinging motion of one housing relative to the other about said blade axis.

Claim 13

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 10, said abutment surfaces being disposed generally perpendicular to the axis of said tool.

Claim 14

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 7, said tool further comprising spring means interposed between at least one of said gear assemblies and its respective housing, said spring means functioning to spring bias said blades into contact one with another during use of said tool.

Claim 15

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 12, said spring means being in the nature of a corrugated spring washer.

Claim 16

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 12, each of said blade gear assemblies comprising a blade gear shaft fixed to said housing, a blade drive gear fixed to said blade, and bearings between said drive gear and said shaft, said bearings being slidable relative to said shaft, thereby permitting easy disassembly of said drive gear and blade from said housing.

Claim 17

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 14, each of said blade gear assemblies comprising a connector connecting said blade to said blade drive gear, said connector being operable to release said blade from its blade drive gear without removing said connector from connected relation with that blade drive gear.

Claim 18

A flaying tool having first and second blades in contact with one another, said blades being movable relative one to the other on a common blade axis, said tool comprising a left housing and a right housing, said housings being assembled one with the other to establish a head within which said blades are carried, a first blade gear connected to said first blade and a second blade gear connected to said second blade, each of said drive gears being spaced from its respective blade by a spacer sleeve, a first gear shield interposed between said first blade gear and said first blade, and a second gear shield interposed between said second blade gear and said second blade, each of said blade shields being immobilized relative to said housing, each of said blade shields defining a port adapted to cooperate with a related spacer sleeve for preventing significant flow of foreign matter therebetween, and each of said blade shields including a flange at the inner ends thereof adapted to cooperate one with the other to establish a sealed cavity within which said blades move when said tool is assembled, said shields cooperating to prevent significant flow of foreign matter in the blade cavity as defined by said shields from flowing into the housing cavity as defined by said housings.

Claim 19

A flaying tool having first and second blades in contact with one another, said blades being movable relative one to the other on a common blade axis, said tool comprising a left housing and a right housing, said housings being assembled one with the other to establish a head within which said blades are carried, a first blade gear connected to said first blade and a second blade gear connected to said second blade, each of said drive gears being spaced from its respective blade by a spacer sleeve, a first gear shield interposed between said first blade gear and said first blade, and a second gear shield interposed between said second blade gear and said second blade, each of said blade shields being immobilized relative to said housing, each of said blade shields defining a port adapted to cooperate with a related spacer sleeve for preventing significant flow of foreign matter therebetween, and each of said blade shields including a flange at the inner ends thereof adapted to cooperate one with the other to establish a sealed cavity within which said blades move when said tool is assembled, said shields cooperating to prevent significant flow of foreign matter in the blade cavity as defined by said shields from flowing into the housing cavity as defined by said housings.

Claim 20

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 16, each of said flanges being outwardly directed relative to the periphery of said blades.

Claim 21

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 16, said tool further comprising first and second blade gear assemblies, said first blade gear assembly incorporating said first blade gear and being mounted on one of said housings, and said second blade gear assembly incorporating said second blade gear and being mounted on the other of said housings, first and second double gear assemblies, said first double gear assembly being connected to one of said housings and said second double gear assembly being connected to the other of said housings, and a pinion gear assembly connected to one of said left and right housings, said blade gear assembly, said double gear assembly and said pinion gear assembly all being disposed in said housing cavity as defined by said housings and, thereby, protected against significant flow of foreign matter that may be in the blade cavity from entering into said housing cavity.

Claim 22

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 17, said tool further comprising spring means interposed between at least one of said blades and its respective housing, said spring means continuously biasing said blades into contact one with the other, the width of said spacer sleeve permitting relative motion between its associated shield and its associated blade in response to said spring means.

Claim 23

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 19, each set of blade, blade gear, and spacer sleeve being immobily connected one with the other, said tool further comprising a first blade gear shaft and a second blade gear shaft, one of said blades being mounted on said first shaft and the other of said blades being mounted on said second shaft, said first shaft being fixed to said left housing and said second shaft being fixed to said right housing, and first bearings between said first blade and said first shaft and second bearings between said second blade and said second shaft, said bearings being slidably received on said shaft, thereby permitting relative axial motion between said shaft and said blade in response to said spring means.

Claim 24

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 16, said tool further comprising connector means for connecting said first and second gear shields in assembled relation with said left and right housings, respectively, said connector means immobily fixing each of said shields to its respective housing.

Claim 25

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 21, said connector means comprising at least one screw by which said shield is fixed to its respective housing.

Claim 26

A flaying tool as set forth in claim 16, said tool comprising a connector connecting said blade to said blade gear, said connector being operable to release said blade from its blade gear without removing said connector from connected relation with that blade gear.