Patent Application
20240224896
The present disclosure relates to the extraction and removal of tree stumps, roots, or large wood debris, and in particular, to tree stump removal attachment assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,946 A (Labounty) discloses heavy duty wood cutting shear attachments of a large scale for connection to a boom structure of a hydraulic excavator for cutting tree stumps and the like. The wood cutting shear includes a swingable jaw and a stationary jaw. The swingable jaw has a C-shaped frame with a knife like cutting blade affixed therein. The stationary jaw includes a stump supporting section having a blade receiving slot with a width of approximately the thickness of the cutting blade. Besides slicing through a stump placed between the jaws, the knife like blade may cooperate with the stump supporting section to shear portions of the stump being sliced. Shortcomings include a lack of an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging the stump, a lack of a vertically oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,814,152 A (Pallari) discloses an device for the combined removal and crushing of tree stumps which is adapted to be attached to the jib of a work machine, said device including a downwardly extending hook for stump removal, rearwardly extending arms for supporting the removed stump, the arms being spaced apart to provide a gap between and a rotatable cutting blade aligned with the gap and arranged to split the supported stump. Shortcomings include a lack of an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging the stump, a lack of a vertically-oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,146,628 B2 (Tucker) discloses a shear type tree cutter assembly adapted to be mounted on a four wheel field vehicle. The assembly includes an anvil with a concave section for supporting the trunk of a tree. The blade portion has a convex portion that cooperates with the concave section of the anvil to shear the tree. The blade and anvil section also may include a straight portion useful for pruning brush and small limbs. Shortcomings include a lack of an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging the stump, a lack of a vertically oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,985 (Pallari) discloses a stump lifting and crushing device for mounting to an end of a bucket arm of a digging machine. In one example, the device includes stump lifting hooks and a bit pivotally closable with a counter bit for crushing stumps therebetween. The bit has an elongated narrow cutting surface which cooperates with an aligned counter surface provided by the counter bit. The counter surface extends transversely across the width of the cutting surface of the bit. The closing movement of the bits is limited by the cam-like engagement of a following member of the bit with a stop member of the counter bit. Shortcomings include a lack of an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging the stump, a lack of a vertically oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,836 B2 (Cook) discloses an device that lifts, secures, splits and/or crushes tree stumps or other materials, particularly wooden materials and other materials that may be present at an excavation site. The device is characterized in part by a two pivot point design. A first pivot point allows for the pivotable operation of an engaging unit which grabs and lifts the tree stump. The engaging unit further acts as a durable and secure support member for the tree stump during the splitting and crushing process. The second pivot point allows for the pivotable operation of a cutting device which facilitates splitting and crushing of the stumps. Shortcomings include a lack of an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging the stump, a lack of a vertically oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,440 B1 (Mueller) discloses an excavation attachment for a powered loader, e. g., skid steer loader, front end loader, etc. The attachment provides considerably greater leverage for removal of stumps, large imbedded concrete blocks and stones, etc., from the underlying surface. The attachment includes a transverse cylinder or drum with one or more tines extending generally radially therefrom. The attachment is secured to a conventional front end loader, skid steer loader, etc., and the tines inserted beneath the object to be moved. A second embodiment includes one or more hydraulically actuated tines opposed to the fixed tines, for use as a grappler device. Shortcomings include a lack of an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging the stump, a lack of a vertically oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,477 A (Weaver) discloses a tree-removing device designed for mounting on a land vehicle such as a conventional bulldozer or tractor and having a bulldozer-type blade fitted with a power blade for cutting the roots of a tree and a tree jack for levering the tree from the ground after the roots are cut. The power blade is characterized by a frame pivoted to the bulldozer-type blade and a vertically-adjustable blade carrier mounted in the frame and internally fitted with a hydraulically-operated blade which may be extended into the ground from the blade carrier to cut the roots of a tree by operation of the land vehicle. The tree jack includes a jack frame pivoted to the land vehicle bulldozer-type blade and a mast extensibly attached to the jack frame, which jack frame is fitted at one end with a foot for engaging the tree. The mast includes hydraulic cylinders for both engaging the tree and causing the mast to pivot, thereby jacking the tree from the earth by operation of the jack frame foot. Shortcomings include a lack of an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging the stump, a lack of a vertically oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,520,306 B1 (Berge) discloses a tree and stump remover, suitable for use on skid-steer or similar vehicles. In one example, the remover has a coupling operative with standard bucket mounts. Forward and generally centrally protruding from the coupling is a knife with teeth, serrations, or hooks. In alternative embodiments, the teeth, serrations, or hooks may move relative to each other, or be fixedly mounted. Knife support plates extend the width of the device, and are provided for engagement with the base of a tree. In one preferred embodiment, additional smaller spikes extend adjacent to and spaced from the knife, which further facilitate cutting roots and toppling a tree in a single movement. A process of removing trees and stumps using the preferred device includes cutting the roots extending away from the stump or tree from at least a first side, lifting or toppling the remaining root bundle, and shaking or piercing the root bundle to release dirt retained therein. Shortcomings include a lack of a vertically-oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,938,153 B1 (Gregory, Jr.) discloses a shear attachment for use with different types of motorized vehicles. In some embodiments, the attachment is generally provided with an upper cutting jaw, a lower receiving jaw and a plurality of teeth along the upper surface of the lower jaw to grip an object while it is being cut between the upper and lower jaws. A single actuator may be used to move the cutting jaw between open and closed positions. The shear may be pivoted about a horizontal axis with respect to its mounting bracket to facilitate cutting at different angles. The shear is removably coupled to the vehicle using a universal hitch. The efficient design of the shear makes it durable, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to operate. Shortcomings include a lack of an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging the stump, a lack of a vertically-oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,610,698 B2 (May) discloses an device for extracting plant species of varying heights and varying diameters adapted to be mounted on a conventional land vehicle includes a frame and an extracting member rigidly attached to and extends outwardly from a bottom edge of the frame. The extracting member includes a first elongated extracting portion having a knife-like free end, a pair of second extracting portions each positioned adjacent a respective edge of the first elongated extracting portion and having a cutting edge formed generally perpendicular to the respective edge of the first elongated extracting portion, and a pair of third extracting portions each connecting an end of the cutting edge of the second extracting portion with a respective end of the bottom edge of the frame. A pair of elongated member are attached to the rear surface of the frame for attaching it to the land vehicle. Shortcomings include a lack of a vertically-oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a lack of a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art or forms part of the general common knowledge in the relevant art.
The following presents a simplified summary of the general inventive concept(s) described herein to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is not intended to restrict key or critical elements of embodiments of the disclosure or to delineate their scope beyond that which is explicitly or implicitly described by the following description and claims.
A need exists for a tree stump removal attachment assembly that provides improvements over the known art. This includes, for example, an elongated straight single fork portion for piercingly engaging a stump, a vertically oriented cutting blade having a concavely shaped cutting edge bounded by two pointed ends, and a mounting plate allowing multiple lateral mounting positions.
In accordance with a first aspect, there is provided a tree stump removal attachment assembly for use on a hydraulic work vehicle, comprising: a tree stump removal device, comprising: an elongated single fork portion for piercingly engaging the ground under the tree stump and to push at least a portion thereof out of the ground; a vertically-oriented cutting blade positioned at a designated distance from an end of the single fork portion, the cutting blade comprising a concavely-shaped sharp cutting edge bounded at two ends thereof by protruding pointed ends; a hydraulic ram coupled to a hydraulic circuit of the work vehicle and mechanically coupled to the cutting blade, so as to move the cutting blade up and down to grab or cut said at least a portion of said tree stump; and a mounting plate removably attachable to one or more arms of the work vehicle having a vertically-oriented rectangular body comprising a front surface and at least one pair of attachment members for removably securing the tree stump removal device thereto so as to have the tip of the single fork portion extending opposite and perpendicularly to the front surface.
In one embodiment, the hydraulic ram comprises a first end and a second end; and wherein the tree stump removal device further comprises: a L-shaped frame, the L-shaped frame comprising an elongated horizontal portion and an elongated vertical portion, wherein: the horizontal portion has a tapered end defining said single fork portion, and comprises a centrally aligned slot therein located at said designated distance and sized to receive therethrough said cutting blade; the vertical portion having hingedly coupled thereto proximate an upper end thereof the first end of the hydraulic ram; and a blade-receiving member configured to removably receive and secure thereto the cutting blade, the blade-receiving member hingedly coupled to the horizontal portion of the frame at a first location proximate an end of the slot located away from said single fork portion, the blade-receiving member further hingedly coupled to the second end of the hydraulic ram; wherein during operation the hydraulic ram is linearly extended or retracted to move the blade-receiving portion and the cutting blade downwardly or upwardly around an horizontal axis at said first location.
In one embodiment, each attachment member of said at least one pair of attachment members is an elongated member extending away perpendicularly from the front surface of the body of the mounting plate to removably secure, at least in part, the tree stump removal device on the mounting plate.
In one embodiment, the vertical portion of the frame further comprising: a hanger portion located proximate an upper end of the vertical portion on a side facing away from said single fork portion, the hanger portion extending outwardly and downwardly and configured to downwardly engage an upper edge of said mounting plate to hang the L-shaped frame on said front surface; and a locking block on a side facing towards said single fork portion, proximate the bottom of the vertical portion; wherein each attachment member of each pair of said at least one pair of attachment members of the mounting plate are horizontally spaced so as to fittingly receive therebetween the vertical portion of the L-shaped frame, and vertically positioned so as to be located proximate the top of the locking block upon the L-shaped frame being hanged on the mounting plate; and comprise at an end thereof a co-aligned locking hole configured to fittingly receive therethrough a locking bolt.
In one embodiment, the blade-receiving member is hingedly coupled to the horizontal portion of the L-shaped frame via a pair of parallel lower hinge plates extending upwardly from two opposite lateral sides of the horizontal portion; the first end of the hydraulic ram is hingedly coupled to the vertical portion of the L-shaped frame via a pair of parallel upper hinge plates located proximate an upper end thereof and extending from lateral sides of the vertical portion towards said single fork portion; and the second end of the hydraulic ram is hingedly coupled to the blade-receiving member via two parallel ram mounting plates located on opposite lateral sides thereof.
In one embodiment, the attachment assembly further comprises: one or more reinforcement members coupled to the vertical portion and the horizontal portion of the L-shaped frame.
In one embodiment, the reinforcement members are raised walls extending from the lateral sides of the horizontal portion and coupled to each of the lower hinge plates and the base of the vertical portion.
In one embodiment, the attachment assembly further comprises: one or more lower reinforcement members affixed to a bottom surface of the horizontal portion of the L-shaped frame and along a length thereof.
In one embodiment, the attachment assembly further comprises: a gripping nose member coupled to an end of said blade receiving member, the gripping member comprising a downwardly oriented portion having an end comprising a plurality of downwardly-oriented teeth at the end thereof; and a gripping plate affixed on a top surface of the horizontal portion of the L-shaped frame, between said slot and the end of the single fork portion, comprising a plurality of upwardly-oriented teeth; and wherein the gripping nose and the gripping plate are configured to secure at least a portion of the tree stump therebetween upon the blade-receiving member being lowered.
In one embodiment, at least one pair of attachment members is located proximate a lateral edge of the mounting plate surface to allow the single fork portion to be moved proximate a vertical obstacle.
Other aspects, features and/or advantages will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Several embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided, by way of examples only, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:
Elements in the several figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be emphasized relative to other elements for facilitating understanding of the various presently disclosed embodiments. Also, common, but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in commercially feasible embodiments are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present disclosure.
Various implementations and aspects of the specification will be described with reference to details discussed below. The following description and drawings are illustrative of the specification and are not to be construed as limiting the specification. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various implementations of the present specification. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of implementations of the present specification.
Furthermore, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the implementations described herein. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts that the implementations described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the implementations described herein.
In this specification, elements may be described as “configured to” perform one or more functions or “configured for” such functions. In general, an element that is configured to perform or configured for performing a function is enabled to perform the function, or is suitable for performing the function, or is adapted to perform the function, or is operable to perform the function, or is otherwise capable of performing the function.
When introducing elements of aspects of the disclosure or the examples thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The term “exemplary” is intended to mean “an example of.” The phrase “one or more of the following: A, B, and C” means “at least one of A and/or at least one of B and/or at least one of C.”
The tree stump and root removal attachment assembly described herein provides, in accordance with different embodiments, different examples of a tree stump and root removal device and mounting plate which can be removably secured to the arms of a an hydraulic work vehicle, and used to remove and shear tree stumps, roots or large wood debris.
As illustrated in
With reference to
The elongated horizontal portion 206 is substantially flat and straight and tapers at the end 208 thereof to define a single fork portion 210 designed for piercingly engaging the ground under the roots of a tree stump. The single fork portion 212 extends at a designated length 212 in front of a centrally aligned slot 214 on the horizontal portion 206, so as to be able to lift the stump and move it around. The slot 214 is designed to receive therethrough a vertically-oriented cutting blade 216 used for shearing or cutting. In this example, the end or tip 208 of the single fork portion 210 is shown to be slightly rounded but other embodiments may use a more substantially pointed end instead. However, the thickness and strength of the single fork portion 212 should be such that the device can piercingly engage the ground and support thereon a tree stump, roots or large wood debris without being damaged or deformed. The length of the single fork portion 212 may vary but is typically long enough so as to fully secure and lift the stump after engagement. The horizontal portion 206 further comprises extending upwardly from the lateral sides thereof a pair of vertically-aligned lower hinge plates 218, each comprising a respective co-aligned mounting hole 302.
The vertical portion 204 of the frame 202 comprises proximate the upper end 220 thereof, on a rear side facing away from the horizontal portion 206, a bracket-like hanger portion 112 extending away perpendicularly and downwardly. The hanger portion 112 is configured to be downwardly slidingly engageable with an upper edge 114 of a mounting plate 110 (shown in
The blade receiving member 226 is removably hingedly coupled to the two lower hinge plates 218. The blade receiving member 226 comprises a lower mounting hole 306 at a lower end 308 thereof, the lower end 308 being slidingly inserted in-between the two lower hinge plates 218, and hingedly secured thereto by means of a bolt 228 (for example a 1 inch grade 8 bolt or other fastener) inserted in the co-aligned mounting holes 302 (on both lower hinge plates 218) and 306. The blade receiving member 226 further comprises on the upper lateral sides thereof, either extending therefrom or coupled thereto, two parallelly aligned ram mount plates 230. The two ram mount plates 230 comprise co-aligned ram mounting holes 310 (one shown for example in
The vertically-aligned cutting blade 216 is removably affixed to the blade receiving member 226, so as to be detachable to be easily replaced or re-sharpened. In this example, the cutting blade 216 is removably secured to the blade receiving member 226 by engaging the upper portion 312 of the blade in a centrally-aligned and vertically-oriented slot on a side 314 of the blade-receiving portion. The inner cavity 316 formed inside the blade receiving member 226 by the slot is schematically illustrated via the dotted lines 316 of
In some embodiments, the cutting blade 216 comprises a substantially concavely-shaped sharp cutting edge 240 bounded on each side by two protruding pointed ends 242a and 242b (shown for example in
The hydraulic ram 236 is a double-acting hydraulic cylinder comprising a cylindrical body 246 having thereon two ports 248 for connecting the ram 236 to hydraulic lines (as illustrated for example in
In some embodiments, to increase the strength of the frame 202 and prevent bending or deformation of the horizontal portion 206, reinforcement gusset plates or brackets may be included. In the illustrated example of
In some embodiments, a grapple nose member 322 and grip plate 324 may also be provided on the device 108. As illustrated in
Each pair of attachment members 406, 118 or 408 comprise a co-aligned locking hole (for example hole 116 in
The skilled person in the art will appreciate that different materials may be used to manufacture the attachment assembly 102 (including each part described above). Typically, these are made of strong and resistant materials that can sustain the forces caused by the removal of tree stumps or roots, for example tool steel or the like.
As illustrated in
As a non-limiting example only, as will be appreciated by the skilled person in the art, to remove a tree stump, roots or large wood debris, the attachment assembly 102 may be used as follows:
With reference to
While the present disclosure describes various embodiments for illustrative purposes, such description is not intended to be limited to such embodiments. On the contrary, the applicant's teachings described and illustrated herein encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, without departing from the embodiments, the general scope of which is defined in the appended claims. Information as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described object of the present disclosure, the presently preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and is, thus, representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present disclosure. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiments and additional embodiments as regarded by those of ordinary skill in the art are hereby expressly incorporated by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Various changes and modifications in form, material, workpiece, and fabrication material detail may be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the appended claims, and as may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, are also encompassed by the disclosure.
