All terrain lumber collection and stacking apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus for picking up, stacking and bundling lumber, that comprises: a drive means, a conveyor assembly having a receiving bin and a conveyor, a stacking assembly operatively connected to the conveyor assembly, and having an unscrambling hopper, a row conveyor, a stacking bin and a bundling assembly a discharge platform, and a grapple assembly that picks up lumber pieces from the ground and deposits them into the receiving bin, and that also picks up bundles of lumber produced by the stacking assembly, for movement to a secondary location. The apparatus can be used on a variety of different terrains, including inclines and declines and can pick up lumber from a wide radius around the apparatus and from a number of ground conditions including rocky, muddy and wet ground.

1 . An apparatus for picking up, stacking and bundling lumber, comprising:
 (a) a drive means,   (b) a conveyor assembly that comprises a receiving bin and a conveyor,   (c) a stacking assembly operatively connected to the conveyor assembly, and that comprises an unscrambling hopper, a row conveyor, a stacking bin and a bundling assembly   (d) a discharge platform,   (e) a storage area connected alongside the stacking assembly and sized to accommodate and carry on the apparatus several bundles of lumber in side by side relation, and   (f) a grapple assembly including an arm extending upwardly from the apparatus and a grapple on an outboard end of the arm, the grapple including at least two fingers sized and connected by a pivotal connection such that the fingers can be opened and closed to pick up lumber pieces therebetween and the arm being pivotally moveable to deposit the lumber pieces into the receiving bin and to move a bundle of lumber between the discharge platform and the storage area.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the drive means is a vehicle and the grapple assembly is mounted to the vehicle. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the conveyor assembly, stacking assembly and discharge platform are on a trailer that is pulled by the vehicle. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the storage area is positioned on the trailer. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a means of raising and lowering the conveyor assembly. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a pivoting arrangement for tilting the stacking assembly relative to a chassis of the apparatus to provide for substantial leveling of the stacking assembly when operating on uneven ground surfaces. 
     
     
         9 . A method of picking up, stacking and bundling lumber, comprising:
 (a) providing an apparatus that comprises:
 (i) a conveyor assembly that comprises a receiving bin and a conveyor; 
 (ii) a stacking assembly operatively connected to the conveyor assembly, and that comprises an unscrambling hopper, a row conveyor, a stacking bin and a bundling assembly; 
 (iii) a discharge platform, 
 (iv) a storage area provided on the apparatus, the storage area having a planar upper surface sized to accommodate a bundle of lumber thereon; and 
 (v) a grapple assembly including an arm extending upwardly from the apparatus and a grapple on an outboard end of the arm, the grapple including at least two fingers connected by a pivotal connection such that the fingers can be opened and closed to grip a piece of lumber between the fingers, 
   (b) picking up loose lumber with the grapple and moving the grapple with the arm to deposit the loose lumber into the receiving bin,   (c) conveying the loose lumber along the conveyor to the stacking assembly, where the lumber is stacked and bundled into a bundle of lumber and deposited onto the discharge platform,   (d) operating the grapple to pick up the bundle of lumber from the discharge platform and to transfer the bundle of lumber to the storage area, and   (e) moving the apparatus over ground terrain with the bundle of lumber stored on the storage area.   
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for picking up, stacking and bundling lumber, comprising:
 (a) a drive vehicle comprising a grapple assembly,   (b) a trailer pulled by the drive vehicle that comprises:
 (i) a conveyor assembly further comprising a receiving bin and a conveyor, 
 (ii) a stacking assembly operatively connected to the conveyor assembly, further comprising an unscrambling hopper, a row conveyor, a stacking bin and a bundling assembly, and 
 (iii) a discharge platform, 
   wherein the grapple assembly comprises a grapple sized to pick up lumber and a bundle of lumber,   and wherein the grapple assembly is sized to pick up lumber from a ground surface, to deposit said lumber into the receiving bin, and to pick up a bundle of lumber deposited onto the discharge platform.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising a storage area on the trailer. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein the grapple assembly is sized to pick up a bundle of lumber and deposit the bundle of lumber in the storage area. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising a mast assembly for raising and lowering the conveyor assembly. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further comprising a pivoting arrangement for tilting the stacking assembly relative to a chassis of the trailer to provide for substantial leveling of the stacking assembly when operating on uneven ground surfaces. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15  further comprising means for adjusting the length of the unscrambling hopper. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16  further comprising means for adjusting the length of the unscrambling hopper. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 15  further comprising means for adjusting the length of the stacking bin. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 16  further comprising means for adjusting the length of the stacking bin. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 15  further comprising means for adjusting the width of the stacking bin. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 16  further comprising means for adjusting the width of the stacking bin. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the arm is pivotally mounted to rotate about a substantially vertical axis on the apparatus about 360 degrees. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the arm includes a first length including a first end mounted for lateral extension from the apparatus and an opposite end and a second length pivotally connected to the opposite end for further lateral reach by the arm, the second length defining the outboard end to which the grapple is connected. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the drive means is integral with a frame carrying the conveyor assembly. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 9  wherein after transferring the bundle of lumber to the storage area, the method further comprises operating the apparatus to create a second bundle of lumber on the discharge platform. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26  further comprising operating the grapple to move the second bundle of lumber to the storage area. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising operating the grapple to remove the bundle of lumber from the storage area and to move the bundle of lumber to a secondary location.