Remote controlled slack pulling log skidding carriage

Claim 1

In a log carriage for use with a log skidding machine, said carriage adapted to be suspended from a skyline and including a rigid housing defining the outer surface of said carriage, a skyline sheave rotatably mounted in said housing with the perimeter of said skyline sheave adapted to be mounted on and rollable along a skyline, a drag line sheave rotatably mounted in said housing with the perimeter of said drag line sheave adapted to support a drag line, and a line lock for automatically locking said carriage alternately to said skyline and said drag line, the improvement comprising: a slack-pulling sheave rotatably mounted in said housing; a hydraulic motor cooperatively engaged with said slack-pulling sheave for rotating said slack-pulling sheave about its centroid; at least one accumulator for storing and dispensing hydraulic fluid; a feed tube connecting said at least one accumulator to said hydraulic motor for directing hydraulic fluid from said at least one accumulator to said hydraulic motor for driving said hydraulic motor; an accumulator valve in communication with said feed tube for selectively starting or stopping the flow of hydraulic fluid from said at least one accumulator to said hydraulic motor; a hydraulic clutch fixedly attached to said housing and being operative to force said drag line to frictional engagement with said slack-pulling sheave; a clutch tube extending from said hydraulic clutch to a point on said feed tube intermediate said accumulator valve and said hydraulic motor, said clutch tube directing hydraulic fluid from said at least one accumulator to said hydraulic clutch; a reservoir in communication with said hydraulic motor for receiving hydraulic fluid from said hydraulic motor; a recharge tube extending from said reservoir to a point on said feed tube intermediate said accumulator valve and said at least one accumulator; and a recharge pump in communication with said recharge tube and cooperatively engaged with said skyline sheave, whereby rollable movement of said skyline sheave along said skyline causes rotation of said skyline sheave and whereby rotation of said skyline sheave operates said recharge pump to urge the hydraulic fluid from said reservoir to said at least one accumulator thereby recharging said at least one accumulator.