Tree harvester

Abstract

A tree harvester in which the tree is engaged by an articulating boom, felled by a fell shear on the boom and fed into a buck shear on the machine which bucks the tree into sections which are stored in a sling on the machine. After the sling is filled, the machine deposits the sections at a pickup location.

We claim: 
     
       1. A tree harvester comprising: a base;   a buck shear mounted on said base for bucking a tree into sections;   upwardly facing means for engaging a tree moving through said buck shear;   an articulating boom having inner and outer arms mounted on said base;   means on said outer arm for grasping a tree;   downwardly facing means mounted on said boom for engaging a tree moving through said buck shear when the boom is retracted;   means for extending said boom and operating said grasping means to engage a tree and for retracting the boom to retracted position in which the tree is engaged by said upwardly and downwardly facing means;   said upwardly and downwardly facing means together with said grasping means aligning the tree for movement through the buck shear; and   means for feeding the tree through said buck shear.   
     
     
       2. The tree harvester of claim 1 wherein the grasping means delimbs the tree as it is moved therethrough. 
     
     
       3. The tree harvester of claim 1 in combination with means for swinging said grasping means in a vertical plane, a fell shear supported from the boom in one position to fell a tree and in another position after the tree has been felled in which the shear does not engage the tree as the grasping means and felled tree are swung in a vertical plane. 
     
     
       4. The tree harvester of claim 1 in combination with: means for swinging said grasping means in a vertical plane;   a fell shear;   support means including a lost motion connection supporting said fell shear from the boom;   said support means and said fell shear being in an out-of-the-way position when the lost motion connection is in extended position to permit the tree to be swung in a vertical plane by the grasping means after the tree has been felled with the lost motion connection in retracted position.   
     
     
       5. The tree harvester of claim 1 in combination with means for swinging said grasping means in a vertical plane; a fell shear;   spaced supports extending upwardly from said fell shear;   and a lost motion connection between the spaced supports and boom with the plane of the supports extending perpendicular to the plane of the boom permitting the tree to be felled with the lost motion connection in retracted position and the tree to be swung in a vertical plane between the supports by the grasping means without interference from the fell shear when the boom is raised and the lost motion connection extended.   
     
     
       6. A tree harvester comprising: a mobile base;   a buck shear mounted on said base for bucking a tree into sections;   upwardly facing roller means for engaging a tree moving through said buck shear;   an articulating boom having inner and outer arms mounted on said base;   means on the free end of said outer arm for grasping a tree,  said grasping means mounted for swinging movement in a vertical plane;   downwardly facing roller means mounted on said inner arm for engaging a tree moving through said buck shear when the boom is retracted;   means driving at least one of said roller means to move a tree through said buck shear;   power means for extending said boom and operating said grasping means to engage a tree and swing it in a vertical plane and for retracting the boom to retracted position in which the tree is engaged by said upwardly and downwardly facing roller means; and   said roller means and said grasping means aligning the tree for movement through the buck shear.   
     
     
       7. A tree harvester comprising: a base;   a boom mounted on said base;   means mounted on said boom for swinging movement in a vertical plane for grasping a tree;   power means for swinging said grasping means;   a fell shear;   means supporting the fell shear from the boom in a position to fell a tree and in another position after the tree has been felled in which the shear does not engage the tree as the grasping means and felled .[.shear.]. .Iadd.tree .Iaddend.are swung in a vertical plane; and   said supporting means positioning the shear vertically below the butt end of the felled tree after the tree has been felled and the boom has been raised.   
     
     
       8. The tree harvester of claim 7 wherein a crowder is carried by the boom and urges the fell shear toward a tree in response to positioning of the grasping means in a position to grasp the tree. 
     
     
       9. The tree harvester of claim 7 wherein the grasping means provides means for delimbing a tree and is provided by an anvil and a pair of crank arms pivoted to opposite sides of the anvil and urged toward tree-grasping position by a fluid motor means pivoted between the arms, and means for moving a tree through the grasping means. 
     
     
       10. A tree harvester comprising: a base;   a boom mounted on said base;   means mounted on said boom for swinging movement in a vertical plane for grasping a tree;   power means for swinging said grasping means;   a fell shear;   means supporting the fell shear from the boom in a position to fell a tree and in another position after the tree has been felled in which the shear does not engage the tree as the grasping means and felled tree are swung in a vertical plane; and   said support means including a lost motion connection providing for the change in position of the shear relative to the boom.   
     
     
       11. The tree harvester of claim 10 wherein the support means includes spaced supports and said lost motion connection is between the shear and boom with the plane of the supports extending perpendicular to the plane of the boom permitting the tree to be felled with the lost motion connection in retracted position and the tree to be swung in a vertical plane between the supports by the grasping means without interference from the fell shear when the boom is raised and the lost motion connection extended. 
     
     
       12. The tree harvester of claim 10 wherein the support means includes spaced supports hinged to the boom to permit movement of the supports relative to the shear in the same plane and said lost motion connection is between the shear and boom with the plane of the supports extending perpendicular to the plane of the boom permitting the tree to be felled with the lost motion connection in retracted position and the tree to be swung in a vertical plane between the supports by the grasping means without interference from the fell shear when the boom is raised and the lost motion connection extended. 
     
     
       13. A tree harvester comprising, a base, a boom mounted on said base, means mounted on said boom for swinging movement in a vertical plane for grasping a tree, power means for swinging said grasping means, a fell shear, means supporting the fell shear from the boom in a position to fell a tree and in another position after the tree has been felled in which the shear does not engage the tree as the grasping means and felled tree are swung in a vertical plane, wherein the fell shear includes an anvil and a shear blade with the cutting edge beveled, and an upright plate on the anvil positioned to engage the tree to resist cocking of the shear relative to the tree due to the forces acting on the beveled blade. 
     
     
       14. A tree harvester comprising: a mobile base;   a buck shear mounted on said base for bucking a tree into sections;   upwardly facing roller means for engaging a tree moving through said buck shear;   an articulating boom having inner and outer arms mounted on said base;   means on the free end of said outer arm for grasping a tree;   said grasping means mounted for swinging movement in a vertical plane;   downwardly facing roller means mounted on said inner arm for engaging a tree moving through said buck shear when the boom is retracted;   means driving at least one of said roller means to move a tree through said buck shear;   a fell shear;   support means for the fell shear including space supports and a lost motion connection between the shear and boom with the plane of the supports extending perpendicular to the plane of the boom permitting the tree to be felled with the lost motion connection in retracted position and the tree to be swung in a vertical plane between the supports by the grasping means without interference from the fell shear when the boom is raised and the lost motion connection extended;   power means for extending said boom and operating said grasping means to engage a tree and after the tree has been felled for retracting the boom to retracted position in which the tree is engaged by said upwardly and said downwardly facing roller means; and   said roller means and said grasping means aligning the tree for movement through the buck shear. .Iadd. 15. A mobile tree processor comprising a vehicle, an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom mounted on the vehicle, a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle, tree-cutting means carried on the free end of said reach boom for cutting a standing tree, grapple means carried on the free end of said reach boom above said tree-cutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90° so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and located generally longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism but spaced therefrom, delimbing means carried by said vehicle for removing branches from said cut tree, said delimbing means including only one pair of pivotal arcuate blades, each blade having a cutting edge thereon, and means between said delimbing means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said delimbing means to remove branches therefrom and simulatenously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 16. A mobile tree processor comprising,   a vehicle;   an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom;   first means mounting said main boom at one end on said vehicle for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis;   said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said main boom;   a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle for severing trees into selected lengths;   tree shear means carried on said reach boom for cutting a standing tree;   grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90° so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and positioned generally longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism;   power means for pivoting said grapple means;   delimber means movably mounted on the vehicle and including knife for removing branches from said cut tree;   means between said knife means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and   collector means movably mounted on the vehicle for receiving the processed trees. .Iaddend..Iadd. 17. A tree harvester as defined in claim 16 wherein said cradle, in an unloading position, is disposed rearwardly of the position at which the cradle is located during loading thereof. .Iaddend..Iadd. 18. A tree harvester as defined in claim 17 wherein said cradle is a bottom dump type permitting unloading logs collected therein by dumping the same vertically downwards. .Iaddend..Iadd. 19. A mobile tree processor comprising,   a vehicle;   an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom;   first means mounting said main boom at one end of said vehicle for pivotal movement about a first axis;   said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said main boom;   a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle;   tree-cutting means carried on said reach boom comprising a shear for cutting a standing tree;   grappler means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90° so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position;   power means for pivoting said grapple means;   a delimber unit movably mounted on said vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree;   tree feed means movably mounted on said vehicle and located at a position between said knife means and said vertically disposed shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and   collector means movably mounted on the vehicle for receiving the processed   
     
     
        trees. .Iaddend..Iadd. 20.  A mobile tree processor comprising, a vehicle;   an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom;   first means mounting said main boom at one end on said vehicle for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis;   said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to said main boom;   a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle;   tree-cutting means carried on said reach boom for cutting a standing tree;   grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means, for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90° so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and located generally longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism;   power means for pivoting said grapple means;   a delimber unit movably mounted on said vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree;   tree feed means movably mounted on the vehicle and located at a position between said knife means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of the tree to said vertically disposed shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and   collector means movably mounted on said vehicle for receiving the processed   
     
     
        trees. .Iaddend..Iadd. 21.  A mobile tree processor comprising, a vehicle;   an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom;   first means mounting said main boom at one end on said vehicle for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis;   said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said main boom;   a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle for severing trees into selected lengths;   tree shear means carried on said reach boom for cutting a standing tree;   grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90° so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and positioned generally longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism;   power means for pivoting said grapple means;   delimber means mounted on the vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree;   means between said knife means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and   collector means mounted on the vehicle for receiving the processed trees.   
     
     
        .Iaddend. .Iadd. 22.  A tree harvester as defined in claim 21 wherein said cradle, in an unloading position, is disposed rearwardly of the position at which the cradle is located during loading thereof. .Iaddend..Iadd. 23. A tree harvester as defined in claim 22 wherein said cradle is a bottom dump type permitting unloading logs collected therein by dumping the same vertically downwards. .Iaddend..Iadd. 24. A mobile tree processor comprising, a vehicle;   an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom;   first means mounting said main boom at one end on said vehicle for pivotal movement about a first axis;   said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to the other end of said main boom;   a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle;   tree-cutting means carried on said reach boom comprising a shear for cutting a standing tree;   grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90° so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position;   power means for pivoting said grapple means;   a delimber unit mounted on said vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree;   tree feed means mounted on said vehicle and located at a position between said knife means and said vertically disposed shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of said cut tree to said shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and   collector means mounted on the vehicle for receiving the processed trees. .Iaddend..Iadd. 25. A mobile tree processor comprising,   a vehicle;   an articulated boom assembly including a main boom and a reach boom;   first means mounting said main boom at one end on said vehicle for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis;   said reach boom having one end pivotally connected to said main boom;   a vertically disposed shear mechanism mounted on said vehicle;   tree-cutting means carried on said reach boom for cutting a standing tree;   grapple means carried on said reach boom above said tree-cutting means, for grappling a standing tree severed by said tree-cutting means, said grapple means being pivotal through an angle of approximately 90° so that a tree after it is cut by said tree-cutting means can be tilted from its generally vertical position into a generally horizontal position and located generally longitudinally of said vehicle in substantial alignment with said vertically disposed shear mechanism;   power means for pivoting said grapple means;   a delimber unit mounted on said vehicle and including knife means for removing branches from said cut tree;   tree feed means mounted on the vehicle and located at a position between said knife means and said shear mechanism for pulling the cut tree relative to said knife means to remove branches therefrom and simultaneously feeding a desired length of the tree to said vertically disposed shear mechanism, whereby said shear mechanism severs successive bolts from said cut tree after the delimbing thereof by said delimbing means; and collector means mounted on said vehicle for receiving the processed trees. .Iaddend.