JPH0468890B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a pruning machine, and more particularly, to a pruning machine that can quickly and easily knock down branches located high above the ground without leaving any knob-like protrusions.

[Conventional technology]

In the field of forestry, in order to obtain high-quality straight-grained wood with no knots, upper branches and leaves are left during the tree growing process.
Pruning work is carried out to knock off the lower branches. This pruning operation requires that the branches be completely removed from their bases along the trunk without leaving knob-like protrusions on the trunk surface. This is because if the protrusions are left, curved growth rings will be formed to cover the protrusions, which will reduce the quality of the timber for construction. In traditional pruning work, workers used machetes to knock down branches. In this work, in order to completely knock down the branches from the base, the machete must be carried along the trunk and at the base of the branches, a difficult task that must be carried out while holding the branches while climbing on top of the tree. This work is extremely difficult and dangerous, and
It was necessary to climb each tree, which was inefficient and caused severe fatigue for the workers, making it impossible to continue working for long periods of time. Additionally, a branch cutting machine has also been proposed in which a rotary saw blade is rotated by a power source to cut branches, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-23158. However, it is not possible to properly position the rotary blade on the trunk surface, and there is still dissatisfaction with workability. In other words, the pruning machine disclosed in the above publication is configured to be used by moving the rotary blade laterally while applying guides located above and below the rotary blade to the trunk surface. When cutting a branch in the horizontal direction in this way, the problem is that the rotary blade being cut gets caught in the cut by the contact between the left and right sides of the branch, and the rotary blade becomes fixed and cannot cut the branch any further. There is.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Heavy branches with a certain thickness should be cut from top to bottom, as seen in traditional machete pruning. As long as you cut the branch from top to bottom, the tip of the branch will fall under its own weight, and the knife will not get caught in the cut. In the pruning machine disclosed in the above publication, guides are located above and below the rotary blade, and therefore the rotary blade cannot be moved up and down. The present invention was devised under the above circumstances, and involves moving a rotary blade rotated by power from top to bottom along the surface of the trunk to form a knob-shaped branch. To provide a pruning machine capable of cutting from top to bottom without leaving any protrusions, and configured to conveniently cut even thin branches.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, the pruning machine of the present invention takes the following measures. A cover that covers the front upper surface of the rotary blade is attached to the tip of the operation tube to which the rotary blade is attached, and the front edge of this cover is biased so that it is adjacent to the front edge of the rotary blade and covers the lower surface of the rotary blade. A first guide part is provided which is located in substantially the same plane as the lower surface of the rotary blade, and a second guide part which is located in substantially the same plane as the lower surface of the rotary blade and extends in the direction of the operating tube is provided at the rear of the rotary blade. Further, the cover is provided with a cutout having a predetermined width extending from the front edge of the cover in the radial direction of the rotary blade. The notch is formed to a width that allows a small twig that can be cut even if the rotary blade is pressed upwardly from below to fit therein.

[Effect]

When the rotary blade is pressed against the surface of the trunk while leaning the operation tube or the second guide part diagonally against the branch to be cut, the first guide is located in almost the same plane as the lower surface of the rotary blade. Since the rotary blade and the second guide portion abut the trunk surface above and below the rotary blade, the rotary blade is positioned very close to and parallel to the trunk surface. Then, when you pull the operating tube downward, the operating tube or second guide section is placed against the branch to be cut, so the operating tube or second guide section acts as a ruler and slides the branch, and the rotary blade It moves from top to bottom while the movement trajectory is defined in the direction of the edge of the operation tube or second guide part. At this time, the rotary blade moves parallel to and close to the surface of the trunk as described above, so that the branch is neatly cut without leaving any knob-like protrusions from the base.
Furthermore, since the rotary blade cuts into the branch from above, there is no problem in which the rotary blade bites into the cut end and becomes fixed due to the weight of the branch. Moreover, in the present invention, a notch with a predetermined width extending in the radial direction of the rotary blade is provided on the front edge of the cover including the first guide portion. The width of this notch is such that a thin branch cannot fit inside. Therefore, a thin branch is cut by the rotary blade within the notch by pushing the operating tube upward while applying it to the entrance of the notch.

【effect】

As described above, the branching machine of the present invention has the following features:
The position of the rotary blade relative to the trunk surface can be set at the optimal position to cut the branch without leaving any knob-like protrusions, and the second guide part or operating tube can be rotated by sliding it over the branch to be cut. Since the locus of movement of the blade can be defined, anyone can easily cut thick branches without leaving knob-like protrusions. Moreover, thin branches can be easily cut off by introducing the branch into the notch of the cover without performing the above-mentioned operation. From the above, according to the pruning machine of the present invention, tree pruning work can be performed efficiently without requiring skill or great effort.

[Explanation of Examples]

Embodiments of the pruning machine of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an entire example of a pruning machine 1 according to the present invention. The engine 2 for driving this pruning machine 1 is
It is supported by a backpack frame 3 configured to be carried on the worker's back. The backpack frame 3 has a generally L-shape when viewed from the side, and includes a horizontal portion 3b on which the engine 2 is placed and a vertical portion 3a on which the back pad 4 is attached. The engine 2 is supported in the horizontal part 3b so as to be rotatable around a substantially vertical axis, and a shoulder strap 5 is supported in the upper and lower parts of the vertical part 3a.
Both the upper and lower ends of are attached. A shoulder rest butt 6 is attached to this shoulder band 5. The output of engine 2 is the flexible tube 7
A rotating shaft attached to the tip of the operating tube 8 via a flexible transmission shaft (not shown) inserted therein or a rigid transmission shaft 9 inserted into the operating tube 8 connected to the tip of the flexible tube 7. blade 10
It is designed to transmit and rotate this. In this example, the distal end 7a of the flexible tube 7 and the proximal end 8a of the operating tube 8 are removably connected, and a rigid power transmission shaft ( When the auxiliary pipe 11 (not shown) is inserted through the intervening connection,
The entire length of the rigid operating tube 8 is extended. FIGS. 2 and 3 show details of the tip of the operating tube 8, which is the essential part of the present invention and is equipped with the rotary blade 10. A gear housing 12 is provided at the tip of the operation tube 8.
A pair of umbrellas connects the rotary blade support ring 13 supported almost orthogonally to the operation tube 8 and the rigid transmission shaft 9 inserted into the operation tube 8. They are connected by gears 14 and 15. A rotary blade 10 is attached to the tip of the support shaft 14. In addition, in this example, the transmission shaft 9
As a result, the rotary blade 10 becomes approximately parallel to the operation tube 8, but the intersection angle between the power transmission shaft 9 and the rotary blade support shaft 13 is at right angles. It is possible to select the above various angles. In addition, as a support structure for the rotary blade 10 with respect to the rotary blade support shaft 13, as clearly shown in FIG. It is advantageous to use a large-diameter mounting washer 16 that backs up a relatively large area (right side in the figure), since it is possible to suppress vibration of the rotary blade 10 as much as possible during high-speed rotation. The branching machine of the present invention further provides the following means at the tip of the operating tube 8 to which the rotary blade 10 is attached, so that the rotary blade 10 can be easily cut along the trunk surface. This allows it to be guided to the base. First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base 18a is fixed to the flange 17 provided on the gear housing 12, and a substantially fan-shaped cover 18 that extends forward along the upper surface of the rotary blade 10 is attached. In addition, the arcuate front edge 18 of this cover 18
b is biased downward, and an arc-shaped first guide portion 19 is provided on the lower surface of this biased portion, adjacent to the front edge of the rotary blade 10 and located in substantially the same plane P as the lower surface 10a of the rotary blade 10. is forming. Although the first guide portion 19 does not need to be arcuate, it needs to have a certain length in the lateral direction, in other words, a width in a direction perpendicular to the operating tube 8 . In the illustrated example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first guide portion 1
The central angle of the arc formed by 9 is 180° divided by 90° to the left and right, but this central angle is
It may be 180° or less. Further, in the illustrated example, the rear edge 18c extending in the radial direction of the cover 18 is hollowed out in a concave shape, and by letting the branch being cut escape into this hollowed out part, even fairly thick branches can be cut without any trouble. ing. Next, at the rear of the rotary blade 10, a second guide portion 20 is provided, which is located in substantially the same plane P as the lower surface 10a of the rotary blade 10 and extends in the direction of the operating tube 10. For this purpose, for example, a strip plate-shaped member 21 having a width slightly wider than the thickness of the operating tube 8 is attached so that at least its front edge 21a or the lower surface in the vicinity thereof is facing the above-mentioned surface P.
It is configured by attaching it to the operating tube 8 via a plurality of stays 22 so that it is located inside the tube.
Note that this second guide portion 20 can also be constructed using a rod. Furthermore, a notch 23 extending in the radial direction is formed at a proper portion of the front edge 18a of the cover 18, and has a width that allows a thin branch B, for example, a branch B having a diameter of about 10 mm, to enter therein. The depth of this notch 23 is
The position may be determined so that the deepest portion 23a is located radially inward from the periphery of the rotary blade 10 by the diameter of the twig. Note that if the entrance part of this notch 23 is cut obliquely to form an expanded guide part 23b, the thin branch to be cut can be easily cut through this notch 2.
This is advantageous because it makes it easier to introduce it into the 3rd generation. In addition, in the illustrated example, in addition to the above basic configuration,
The following configuration has been added. That is, the rotary blade 1
A branch guide portion 24 is provided which is located close to the upper side surface 10b of the branch A and which can come into contact with the branch A that is being cut. This branch guide part 24, during cutting of a branch,
In addition to defining the moving direction of the rotary blade 10 and serving as a ruler for smoothly moving the rotary blade 10, the branch guide portion 24 effectively supports the shearing force generated when the rotary blade 10 cuts a branch. , serves to increase the cutting efficiency of the rotary blade 10. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the branch guide portion 24 extends from the vicinity of the center of the rotary blade 10, that is, the gear housing 12, to the vicinity of the periphery of the rotary blade 10 in the direction in which the operating tube 8 extends, and It is made of an appropriate material so that both sides thereof have a shape in plan view that slightly protrudes from the lateral side of the operation tube 8, and further, the lower surface 25a is located parallel to the upper surface 10b of the rotary blade 10 with a slight gap therebetween. It is constituted by a member 25 formed by. In this member 25, a mounting portion 26 formed by expanding the front upper surface is fixed to a mounting seat 27 formed on the lower surface of the barrel of the gear housing 12 using screws 28, and the upper surface of the rear end is fixed to the mounting seat 27 formed on the lower surface of the barrel of the gear housing 12. Second guide part 2
It is mounted by fixing to a mounting seat 29, which is formed by biasing the front end of 0, using screws 30. Next, we will explain how to use the pruning machine 1 shown in the drawing in the fourth section.
This will be explained with reference to the figures. Figure 4 is a side view of the tree showing the situation immediately before cutting a relatively thick branch A that should be cut from top to bottom and a relatively thin branch B that can be cut from bottom to top. be. First, when cutting a thick branch A, the edge of the second guide part 20 is placed against the branch A while the rotary blade 10 is pressed against the surface of the trunk. At this time, since both the first guide part 19 and the second guide part 20 are located in substantially the same plane P (FIG. 2) as the lower surface 10a of the rotary blade 10, the first guide part 19 and the second guide part 20 When both of the two guide parts 20 come into contact with the trunk surface, the rotary blade 10 is automatically positioned close to and parallel to the trunk surface. The contact point of the first guide part 19 and the second guide part 20 with respect to the trunk surface is the branch A to be cut.
When the rotary blade 10 is on the side line passing vertically
takes the optimum position for cutting branch A from the root without leaving a knob-like protrusion. When the operation tube 8 is pulled down from this state in the direction of arrow Q in FIG. 2. It moves downward along a trajectory defined by the edge of the second guide part 20. and rotary blade 10
As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 4, the cut is made at the base of branch A, and eventually branch A is completely severed without leaving any knob-like protrusions. Before and during cutting, the rotary blade 10 is prevented from contacting the trunk surface by the first guide part 19 and the second guide part 20, so the rotary blade 10 swings and the cutting edge comes into contact with the trunk. It does not cause any damage to the trunk. Further, in this example, since the branch guide part 24 is provided, this branch guide member 24 slides onto the branch A being cut, which is separated from the second guide part 20, and thus the cutting of the branch A is completed. Until then, the rotary blade 10 moves along a trajectory defined by the branch guide 24. Thereby, the rotary blade 10 performs a stable cutting action. Next, when cutting thin branch B, cover 1
The operating tube 8 is pushed upward while introducing the branch B to be cut into the notch 23 provided at the front edge of the operating tube 8. Of course, the first guide part 19 formed by using the front edge of this cover 18 is made to come into contact with the trunk surface. Since said notch 23 is not very wide, the first guide part 19 which will have a cutout will not be impaired in its ability to position the rotary blade 10 with respect to the stem surface. Therefore, the branch B introduced into the notch 23 is cut by the rotary blade 10 within the notch 23 without leaving any knob-like protrusions from its base.
completely disconnected. In addition, in FIG. 4, the operating tube 8 is tilted to the right to cut the branch A, but conversely, it is tilted to the left, that is, the left edge of the second guide 20 is placed against the branch A. It is also possible to cut branch A in this manner. In this way, the pruning machine of this example can completely cut the branches at the lower left, lower right, and upper twigs of the rotary blade 10 from their roots, making the pruning work more efficient. It can be done.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of the pruning machine of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the essential parts of the present invention at the tip of the operation tube of the above embodiment, Fig. 3 is a plan view of what is shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation and usage of the above embodiment. be. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Pruning machine, 8...Operation tube, 10...Rotary blade, 18...Cover, 19...First guide part, 2
0...Second guide part, 23...Notch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Attach a cover to the tip of the operation tube to which the rotary blade is attached, which covers the front upper surface of the rotary blade, and deviate the front edge of this cover so that it is adjacent to the front edge of the rotary blade and below the rotary blade. A first guide part is provided that is located in a plane that is substantially the same as the side surface, and a second guide part is provided at the rear of the rotary blade that is located in a plane that is substantially the same as the bottom surface of the rotary blade and that extends in the direction of the operating tube. A pruning machine characterized in that the cover is further provided with a notch of a predetermined width extending from the front edge of the cover in the radial direction of the rotary blade.