Claims
- 1. A method of controlling a generally horizontal wood material comminuting machine having a generally longitudinally disposed frame with spaced apart side walls having front and rear ends, a crosswisely extending rotatably mounted rotor shaft having a rotor with a periphery comprising comminuting members movable with said rotor in a path of rotation, a crosswisely extending anvil carried on said frame to coact with said comminuting members and reduce said material, a drive for moving said rotor shaft and rotor in a path of rotation past said material support surface, a feed works connected with said frame in front of said rotor including a power-driven feed member having a generally horizontal axis extending generally parallel to said rotor axis mounted above said support surface, support arms pivoted on said frame rearwardly of said feed member pivotally carrying said feed member for swinging vertical movement toward and away from said material support surface, and a grate assembly downstream from said anvil supported by said frame adjacent said path of comminuter rotation to embrace a portion of said rotor path downstream from said anvil, including:a. providing a disengagable torque limiting device; and b. connecting said device between a drive sheave at one end of said rotor shaft and a plate fixed on said rotor shaft, said torque limiting device comprising a series of ball receiving circumferentially spaced wells in one of said plate and sheave, and a series of balls urged normally by spring-pressed plunger members partly into said wells in shaft driving position, there being plunger housings carried by the other of said plate and sheave in which said plungers are slideable between an operative position maintaining said balls in shaft driving position in said wells and an inoperative position in which said plungers are forced to an inoperative position by said balls to disengage said drive from said plate and rotor shaft when said rotor shaft is prevented from rotating by foreign material jams.
- 2. A generally horizontal wood material comminuting machine comprising:a. a generally longitudinal frame with front and rear ends and spaced apart side walls; b. a transversely extending rotatably mounted rotor shaft comprising a rotor with a periphery of comminuting members moving in a path of rotation; c. an anvil plate assembly including a transversely extending anvil pivotally carried on said frame above said rotor shaft to coact with said comminuting members in reducing said material; d. a feed works connected with said frame forwardly of said rotor including a material support surface on which said material is supported and a power-driven feed member having a generally horizontal axis extending generally parallel to said rotor axis mounted above said support surface for engaging said material and feeding it along said support surface towards said rotor; e. a drive for moving said rotor shaft and rotor in an uphill path of rotation upwardly past said material supply surface; f. supports pivoted on said frame rearwardly of said feed member carrying said feed member for swinging vertical movement toward and away from said material support surface; g. a grate assembly downstream from said anvil comprising a series of crosswisely extending curvilinear grate plates supported by said frame adjacent said path of comminuter rotation and including an upper grate; and h. a grate retainer housing fixed to said anvil plate for pivotal movement therewith releasably holding said upper grate in position when said anvil is in operative position.
- 3. The machine of claim 2 wherein said anvil operatively comprises a generally vertically disposed plate and a disengageable link is provided which is connectable between said supports and said anvil plate assembly when said feed member is in a raised position to permit the weight of the descending feed member to assist swinging of said anvil plate and grate retainer housing to a raised inoperative position.
- 4. The machine of claim 3 wherein said link includes a fluid pressure operated cylinder which is actuatable to assist said swinging movement of said anvil plate and grate retainer housing to raised inoperative position and to control return swinging to operative position.
- 5. A method of operating a generally horizontal wood comminuting machine having a generally longitudinally disposed frame with front and rear ends and spaced apart side walls, a crosswisely extending rotatably mounted rotor shaft on said frame mounting a rotor having a periphery comprising comminuting members movable in a path of rotation, a crosswisely extending anvil plate carried on said frame above said rotor shaft to coact with said comminuting members in reducing said material movable from a generally vertical operative position to a raised position, a feed works connected with said frame forwardly of said rotor including a material support surface on which said material is supported and a power-driven feed roll member having a generally horizontal axis extending generally parallel to said rotor axis mounted above said support surface for feeding material along said support surface towards said rotor, a drive for moving said rotor shaft and rotor in an uphill path of rotation upwardly past said material support surface, a support assembly pivoted on said frame rearwardly of said feed roll member pivotally carrying said feed roll member for swinging vertical movement toward and away from said material support surface, a grate assembly downstream from said anvil comprising a series of crosswisely extending curvilinear grate plates supported by said frame adjacent said path of comminuter rotation and including an upper grate, a grate retainer housing for releasably holding said upper grate in operative position fixed to said anvil to pivot therewith, and a link carried by one of said feed member support assembly and said anvil plate and grate retainer assembly which is connectable between them, comprising:a. raising said feed member roll to an upper position; b. connecting said link disengageably between said support assembly and said anvil plate and retainer housing assembly; and c. lowering said feed member roll from raised position to permit its weight to assist swinging movement of said anvil plate upwardly to inoperative position and said retainer housing upwardly to an inoperative position permitting removal of said upper grate.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said link is provided as a double-acting fluid pressure actuated cylinder and said cylinder is actuated to assist in raising said anvil plate and retainer housing and in controlling its descent to operative position.
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/716,532 filed Nov. 20, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,579.
This application claims the priority of provisional application Ser. No. 60/170,043 filed Dec. 10, 1999, which is identically entitled. This invention relates particularly to machines known commercially as “wood hogs” for recycling heavy wood material, such as old railroad ties, the heavy pallets used widely in industry, the structural timbers which remain from the demolition of old buildings, heavy wood scrap, and many other such items. Horizontally fed machines of this character are in wide use and a machine of this type is the subject of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,771,953 and 5,713,525, which are owned by the applicant's assignee and are incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (18)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0212194 |
Apr 1987 |
DE |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Bibbigard Safety Element Torque Limiters pp. 12-14. |
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/170043 |
Dec 1999 |
US |