The invention relates to maintenance equipment used in trimming and removal of discarded tree and brush matter in a field location.
The need to transport a wood chipper unit to a job site on a separate trailer creates many problems which can be solved by the present invention. These problems include the cost and maintenance of the trailer itself, increased labor costs due to the physical handling of the trailer and safety issues related to the towing activity and field use of the trailer.
Vegetation and in particular trees, coexist with modern infrastructure throughout the world. In the pursuit of this coexistence, it often becomes necessary to trim, prune or remove this vegetation in order to eliminate interference with the infrastructure surrounding said vegetation. When it becomes necessary to trim, prune or remove said vegetation, it is common practice to move what is commonly referred to as wood chipping equipment to the job site and to perform an operation on-site to chip the trimmed wood and vegetation debris into smaller fragments that can more easily be transported and disposed of. This chipping process reduces bulky branches and debris into a much smaller form factor, and allows the resultant chips to be more tightly packed in a storage container, reducing storage and transportation effort and costs.
Prior to this invention, wood chipping equipment brought to the job site has been mounted on an independent trailer assembly, incorporating its own frame, axles and wheels. The trailer requires being towed behind a utility type truck in order to reach the job site. In some cases, the trailer itself may contain a storage container structure, commonly referred to as a “dump box”. In other cases, the utility type truck towing the trailer may be equipped with a dump box. In either case, the dump box is used to store the chipped remains of the trees and vegetation that have been trimmed, pruned or removed at the job site. The wood chipping equipment that is mounted on the trailer contains a chute assembly attached to the wood chipping equipment that is used to direct the flow of the chipped remains from the chipping equipment to the dump box through an opening in the wall of the dump box. It should be noted that when the dump box is mounted on the utility type truck and the chipper equipment is mounted on the towed trailer, it is often necessary for the job attendant to reposition the trailer from the tow vehicle and reposition it in order to insure consistency in the level of the chipped remains in the dump box in order to maintain proper balance of the load.
The dump box is typically enclosed on all sides and contains top, bottom and side surfaces. Each of these surfaces may contain openings used for various procedures and purposes and the surfaces may be solid, or may use a soft tarp type material for covering the surface. These surfaces are provided to ensure that the chipped remains do not blow out of the dump box when it is in motion and to facilitate the emptying of the contents of the dump box.
Prior art teaches that the dump box may contain on one side a hinge assembly that sits between the dump box and the frame of the dump box and the utility type truck or the trailer it is mounted on. The dump box can be emptied of its contents by using the hinge assembly to tip the dump box at various, controlled angles to one side or the other of the utility type truck or trailer that it is mounted on. Thus the contents of the dump box can be dispersed to the passenger or drivers side of the utility type truck or the trailer, depending on the design of the dump box. This hinged tilting motion is provided by hydraulic equipment mounted under the dump box and controlled by the job attendant. In some cases when the dump box is mounted on the utility type truck, it may be tilted to the rear of the truck to unload its contents but it should be noted that when this arrangement is used, it becomes necessary for the job attendant to unhitch the trailer with the chipping equipment in order to keep the trailer clear of the debris being unloaded from the dump box. This is another example of the inefficiency of trailer mounted chipping equipment as it adds time and effort to the work of the job attendant.
These maintenance type operations are performed on both public and private lands. Both government agencies and private companies/individuals responsible for this effort may maintain their own equipment and labor for providing the service. In other cases, they may subcontract the work to outside firms or individuals who maintain their own equipment and crews and perform the desired work for the agency. Time and cost are major contributors to the outcome of this decision and thus, the time and cost advantages of this invention can greatly influence the outcome of these decisions.
Advantages enjoyed by the application of this invention include but are not limited to:
With regard to the preferred embodiment of this invention, the disclosed integration of the wood chipper onto the utility type truck eliminates the disadvantages associated by the requirement to tow a separate trailer on which the wood chipper is mounted and associated with prior art techniques and apparatus.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the wood chipper integration onto the utility type truck eliminates the need to tow a separate trailer behind said truck in order to get the wood chipper to the jobsite. The wood chipper is mounted to the back of the frame of the utility type truck and the dump box is mounted between the cab of the truck and the wood chipper. The dump box has an opening in the rear surface that allows the chute assembly mounted on the wood chipper to exhaust its chipped output into the dump box.
In another preferred embodiment of this invention, the dump box is pivotally mounted on the utility type truck and allows for sideways tilting between and upright normal position and a tilted unloading position, or any angles between the defined limits. This sideways tilting operation is enabled by hydraulic rams mounted below the dump box and this tilting operation is controlled remotely by the job attendant.
In another preferred embodiment of this invention, one side surface of the dump box defined as having a dump door may be located on either the driver or passenger side of the utility type truck. This is the surface that moves closer to the ground during the sideways tilting operation of the dump box. In this embodiment, the dumping door surface is not a single door, but rather a two door arrangement located in a horizontal manner from the front of the dump box to the rear of the dump box. Thus these two doors will be referred to as the “Upper Dump Door” and “Lower Dump Door” for purposes of this disclosure.
The upper horizontal dump door occupies some portion of the total vertical height of the dump door opening and is hinged at the top of the door opening and is not itself latched to the front and rear surface of the dump box. The lower horizontal dump door occupies the balance of the dump door opening vertical height and is hinged at the bottom of the door opening. Mechanical latching mechanisms are used on the lower dump door to secure it to the dump box when in the full upright position and during transport. The lower dump door also includes a raised edge on its upper surface that overlaps the bottom edge of the upper door and is used to hold the upper door tight against the edges of the dump box during transport.
The upper dump door is not mechanically controlled. During the sideways tilting operation used in emptying the content of the dump box, natural gravity is used to cause the upper dump door to move away from the unhinged edges of the dump box at an angle determined by gravity and the current tilt angle.
The lower dump door contains mechanical apparatus at one or both ends of the lower dump door which only allows said lower door to move down to a defined angle during the sideways tilting operation. While that angle can be variable, the lower dump door is typically allowed to open only to the angle whereby it is relatively level with the floor surface of the dump box itself, even when the dump box itself is in the tilted position. This limitation of the allowable opening angle enables the lower dump door to be used as a physical extension of the dump box floor, which allows the contents being dumped from the dump box to be physically deposited away from the utility type truck. This eliminates the need to manually clear the debris away from the utility type truck.
In another embodiment of the dump box defined by this disclosure its design allows the dump box to have a variable width, whereby the lower width of the dump box is the widest and the width diminishes higher up on the dump box. This feature allows for greater visibility by the driver of the utility type truck and may also increase the aerodynamics of the dump box. In addition, the larger lower width of the dump box promotes a lower center of gravity and may also provide a lower height profile to the dump box.
In another embodiment of the dump box defined by this disclosure its design allows the dump box to have a sloping roof panel whereby either the front or back panel of the dump box is lower than the opposite panel which can create a lower center of gravity for the vehicle and may also provide a lower profile as well as a more aerodynamic profile, reducing wind resistance and increasing fuel economy.
In another embodiment of this invention, the dump box may contain a side door in the dump box side surface opposite the side of the dump box containing the upper and lower dump doors. This door may also cover a closet type arrangement existing inside the dump box and used for storage purposes. This side door may also incorporate a ramp type arrangement for loading and unloading of equipment into this closet type area.
In another embodiment of this invention, the dump box may contain an open top surface, covered only by a removable soft cover, which allows larger waste items to be inserted into the dump box.
In another embodiment of this invention, the floor panel of the dump box may be fixed within the dump box but slanted from a higher dimension where attached to the side panel opposite the panel including the dump door and a lower dimension where attached to the side panel incorporating one or more doors used for dumping the contents of the dump box. This fixed slanted floor panel arrangement enhances the dumping of the dump box contents by using downward gravity achieved by the slanted floor assembly to make it easier for job attendants to empty the contents. The dump box, when incorporating this fixed slanted floor assembly may also include another secondary fixed floor assembly that is flat in height when measured between the two side panels of the dump box and is mounted under the fixed slanted floor assembly. This secondary flat floor assembly can provide a floor surface for use of the space between itself and the slanted fixed floor assembly that can be used for storage of equipment and said storage space may be accessible from a door panel mounted in the side panel of the dump box opposite the dumping doors.
In another embodiment of this invention, the dump box may have a pivoting adjustable floor surface panel and at least one piston assembly mounted directly or indirectly between the bottom surface of said adjustable floor surface panel and the frame of a utility type truck, such that said piston assembly can raise the side of the floor surface panel on the opposite side of said side panel containing one or more dumping doors, positioning the adjustable floor surface panel at a downward slanted angle toward the side panel containing said dumping door and allowing the contents of said dump box to be discharged out said dumping door mounted in said side panel of said dump box.
These and other embodiments of this invention will become apparent in the following description of the present invention.
The following descriptions describe the various embodiments of the invention where like objects are numbered the same.
Although only a few embodiments have been disclosed in detail above, other embodiments are possible and the inventors intend these to be encompassed within this specification. The specification describes specific examples to accomplish a more general goal that may be accomplished in another way. This disclosure is intended to be exemplary, and the claims are intended to cover any modification or alternatives which might be predictable to a person having ordinary skill in the art. For example, other sizes and thicknesses can be used.
Those of skill in the art would further appreciate that the various illustrative components, assemblies, and methods described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in multiple ways. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of components, assemblies, and methods, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the exemplary embodiments.
Also, the inventor(s) intend that only those claims which use the words “means for” are intended to be interpreted under 35 USC 112, sixth paragraph. Moreover, no limitations from the specification are intended to be read into any claims, unless those limitations are expressly included in the claims.
Where a specific numerical value is mentioned herein, it should be considered that the value may be increased or decreased by 20%, while still staying within the teachings of the present application, unless some different range is specifically mentioned. Where a specified logical sense is used, the opposite logical sense is also intended to be encompassed.
The previous description of the disclosed exemplary embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these exemplary embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
The present application is related to provisional application No. 62/352,563 filed Jun. 21, 2016, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62352563 | Jun 2016 | US |