Wood chipper feed roller

Abstract

A feed system that is configured to more effectively grab and pull brush and tree materials into a chipper is provided. The system of the present disclosure is configured such that a large, heavy tree trunk can be continuously pulled into the chipper. The system includes two feed rollers one above the other in an offset arrangement.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A feed roller for a chipper, the roller comprising:
 a cylindrical body including a first end, a second end, and an outer surface;   a plurality of teeth on the outer surface arranged in axial rows wherein the teeth in adjacent rows are staggered such that they cooperate to define spaced apart gripping paths on the body.   
     
     
         2 . The feed roller of  claim 1 , wherein the teeth are directional. 
     
     
         3 . The feed roller of  claim 1 , wherein the teeth are arranged such that the spacing between the teeth in each row is larger than the width of each tooth. 
     
     
         4 . The feed roller of  claim 1 , wherein a line connecting the tip of the teeth in adjacent rows does not cross into the outer surface of the feed rollers. 
     
     
         5 . The feed roller of  claim 1 , wherein at least some teeth in one row are connected to a bar that extends across the surface of the cylindrical body. 
     
     
         6 . The feed roller of  claim 1 , wherein at least one tooth has a face that extends between about 0.5 to 2.0 inches from the outer surface in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the outer surface, and wherein the tooth has a width of between 3 to 5 inches. 
     
     
         7 . The feed roller of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of teeth includes an asymmetric side profile. 
     
     
         8 . The feed roller of  claim 7 , wherein the asymmetric side profile includes a top surface angled at between 45-65 degrees relative to a surface that extends generally perpendicularly away from the feed roller.