Abstract:
An apparatus for removing obstructions caused by both high and low lying vegetation, the apparatus including a conventional industrial type vehicle, such as a tractor or backhoe loader, a swing frame swingably connected about a substantially vertical axis on the vehicle, an arm, such as backhoe boom, pivotally connected about a substantially horizontal axis on the swing frame, a telescoping boom connected with the arm, means of detachably connecting the telescoping boom with the arm and cutting means mounted about a first end of the telescoping boom. The apparatus is supported, powered and controlled using the standard attachments, power systems and controls of a conventional industrial-type vehicle.

Description:
[0001]     The present application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 10/699,421, filed Oct. 31, 2003. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a device and method for trimming trees. More particularly, the invention relates to a detachable telescoping tree trimming attachment that is connectable with a boom such as a backhoe boom and can be powered and operated by a power system and controls, respectively, that are integral with an industrial vehicle to which the boom is connected.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0003]     To prevent vegetation from obstructing roads, utility lines and the like, various devices have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,575 to Trout and U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,142 to Manno each describes a tree-trimming rotary saw attachment mounted to the end of a dipperstick of a conventional backhoe assembly. The attachments are designed to engage vegetation at ground level but can also engage elevated vegetation that falls within the limited reach of the assembly. These attachments however are ineffective for clearing obstructions caused by tall trees and the like.  
         [0004]     Another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,070 to Boyum et al., describes a tree-trimming apparatus that is capable of reaching beyond the limited reach of attachments like those described by Trout and Manno. The reach of the apparatus is extended by combining a telescoping boom having a rotary saw attached to the end thereof, a modified flat bed truck having a rotatable turntable mounted thereto and a pedestal pivotally mounted to the turntable. The telescoping boom is pivotally mounted on the pedestal and controlled from an operator&#39;s station mounted on one side of the pedestal. The apparatus is powered by a hydraulic system partially supported by the turntable. One shortcoming of the Boynum et al. apparatus is its complexity. For example, the apparatus relies on the rotatable turntable for imparting lateral movement to the telescoping boom. In practice, this arrangement often leads to breakdowns of the apparatus because of the unreliability of the complicated assembly in the turntable used to operatively connect those portions of the hydraulic system that rotate with the telescoping boom to those that do not.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention is directed to a device for removing obstructions caused by both high and low lying vegetation, the device being supported, powered and controlled using the standard attachments, power systems and controls of a conventional industrial-type vehicle. The device generally includes a boom such as the telescoping boom described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,070 to Boynum et al., which patent is incorporated herein by reference, a cutting means mounted on an end of the boom and means of connecting the telescoping boom with a boom of the industrial-type vehicle, such as to the type of boom typically mounted to a backhoe, tractor, backhoe loader or material handling truck.  
         [0006]     More particularly, the present invention is directed to a tree trimmer including in combination with an industrial vehicle, a swing frame swingably connected about a substantially vertical axis on the industrial vehicle, an arm pivotally connected about a substantially horizontal axis on the swing frame, a telescoping boom connected with the arm, means of detachably connecting the telescoping boom with the arm and cutting means mounted about a first end of the telescoping boom. The arm can be any piece capable of pivotally connecting with the swing arm, supporting the telescoping boom and connecting with the means of detachably connecting with the telescoping boom. For example, the arm can include a pair of parallel beams connected to one another with crosspieces and having a first pair of aligned boss&#39;s at one end of the arm, one on each beam, for connecting with the swing frame and a second pair of boss&#39;s for connecting with the means of detachably connecting the telescoping boom with the arm.  
         [0007]     The present invention is further directed to a telescoping boom support including a top side capable of receiving and fixing therein a telescoping boom modified for trimming vegetation, a bottom side, opposing lateral sides, a front end, a rear end, a first mounting piece in close proximity to the front end, the first mounting piece being adapted to connect about a free-end of a boom arm and a second mounting piece in close proximity to the rear end, the second mounting piece being adapted to connect about an end of the boom arm adjacent to and supported by an industrial vehicle. By “close proximity” it is meant that the mounting pieces are situated nearer to their respective ends of the support than they are to the center of the support. A pair of reels and a pair of rollers complementary thereto can be used in combination with telescoping boom support. The pair of reels provide a means of storing hydraulic conduit in a retractable and extendable manner while the pair of rollers provides means of guiding the hydraulic conduit into the telescoping boom. The placement of each of the pair of reels and each of the pair of rollers can be any place in relation to the telescoping boom support that allows for the retracting and extending of conduit out of and into the telescoping boom when the boom itself is retracted and extended and that does not hinder the movement of the telescoping boom support relative to any vehicle with which the telescoping boom support may be connected.  
         [0008]     The present invention is further directed to a tree trimming apparatus detachably connected with an arm, such a backhoe boom, and including a telescoping boom assembly having cutting means mounted to an end thereof. Preferably, the boom assembly and arm are connected in such a way as to prevent linear relative movement between the arm and the boom assembly, in other words, any movement between the arm and assembly that results in either the arm or the assembly following a straight line or path. Thus, it is anticipated that the arm and assembly can be connected in such a way as to allow some relative movement there between but not a linear movement. For example, the telescoping boom assembly and arm can be pivotally attached about an axis running parallel to either the boom or the attachment so that the attachment can be hydraulically pivoted from side-to-side. This way, the angle of the cutting means can be changed relative to a limb to be cut. More preferably, the boom assembly and arm are connected in such a way as to prevent all relative movement there between.  
         [0009]     The present invention is further directed to a method of converting an industrial vehicle into a tree trimming apparatus. Thus, the present invention allows a vehicle, such as a backhoe loader, a tractor, a backhoe, a material handling truck or any other suitable mobile support, to be fitted with a tree trimming attachment according to the present invention thereby enabling the vehicle to be used to cut elevated vegetation. It is preferred that the vehicle include an integral power source, such as a gasoline or diesel powered internal combustion engine, an integral hydraulic system and an integral set of controls of the type generally used for controlling an intact backhoe boom assembly, i.e., a backhoe boom, dipperstick and bucket combination. By “integral” it is meant the kind of power source, hydraulic system and set of controls that are typically installed in the vehicle during its manufacture and/or were originally designed for powering and controlling conventional attachments such as a typical backhoe assembly. Thus, in the present invention, an integral control lever typically used to curl a backhoe bucket can be used to hydraulically activate the cutting means of the present invention, while another integral control lever typically used to curl the backhoe dipperstick can be used to hydraulically extend and retract the telescoping boom of the present invention.  
         [0010]     The present invention is also directed to a method of trimming trees including providing a vehicle having an arm such as a backhoe boom or any other suitable boom-like extension connected thereto, attaching a telescoping boom assembly to the arm, imparting cutting motion to a cutting means associated with the telescoping boom assembly and contacting the cutting means to vegetation to be cut. Preferably, the telescoping boom assembly and cutting means are powered and controlled by a power system, hydraulic system and a set of controls that are operatively connected to one another and integral with the vehicle. It is further preferred that the vehicle include outriggers so that the cutting angle of the cutting means can be changed by raising and lowering the outriggers. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a side plan view of a tree-trimming apparatus according to the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention mounted on a backhoe boom of a tractor in a raised and a horizontal orientation.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is top plan view of  FIG. 1   
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the tree-trimming apparatus of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a side plan view of the tree-trimming apparatus of  FIG. 1  mounted on the backhoe boom.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the tree-trimming apparatus of  FIG. 1  taken generally along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the tree-trimming apparatus of  FIG. 1  taken generally along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     A tree trimming apparatus in accordance with the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-6 , where like features of the invention share like numbering. The apparatus depicted therein generally includes a tractor  10 , a backhoe support frame  12 , a swing frame  14 , a backhoe boom  16  (excluding a dipperstick and a bucket) and a tree-trimming attachment  18 .  
         [0018]     Tractor  10 , backhoe support frame  12 , swing frame  14  and backhoe boom  16  are each of a type well-known in the art. Thus, tractor  10  includes, among other things, an integral hydraulic system consisting of a number of hydraulic pumps  11  powered by an internal combustion engine and controlled by a set of levers  15 . Backhoe support frame  12  includes conventional stabilizers  20  and  22  at opposite transverse ends thereof and upper and lower sets of horizontal plates  24  and  26  respectively, at the rear end of frame  12 . Swing frame  14  includes upper and lower arms  28  and  30  respectively, adapted to engage upper and lower sets of plates  24  and  26  of support frame  12 . Received in vertically aligned holes provided in the arms  28  and  30  and plates  24  and  26  are upper and lower pins  32  and  34  about which swing frame  14  is selectively swingable by means of a pair of swing cylinders  36  and  38  connected between backhoe support frame  12  and swing frame  14 . Swing frame  14  further includes a rearward projection  40  to which backhoe boom  16  is attached by a horizontal transverse pivot pin  42  about which backhoe boom  16  is selectively vertically pivotable. For the purpose of vertically pivotable backhoe boom  16 , there is provided a power-extendable and retractable linkage defined by an extendable and retractable hydraulic actuator  44  having its cylinder end directly pivotally connected to backhoe boom  16 , as at  46 , and having its rod end connected to swing frame  14 , as at  48 .  
         [0019]     Attached to backhoe boom  16  is tree-trimming attachment  18 . Tree-trimming attachment  18  generally includes a boom coupler  50  having a boom cradle  52  for restraining a cylindrical telescoping boom  54  therein, a backhoe boom connecting portion  56  for detachably connecting attachment  18  with backhoe boom  16  and opposing lateral sides  58  and  60  extending between and permanently connecting boom cradle  52  and backhoe boom connecting portion  56 .  
         [0020]     More particularly, boom cradle  52  forms a substantially U-shaped, elongate metal plate having a length sufficient to support and fixedly hold there against telescoping boom  54 . Boom cradle  52  is supported along its entire length at its lower boundary by backhoe boom connecting portion  56  and along its opposing side boundaries by lateral sides  58  and  60 , respectively. Boom cradle  52  further includes metal straps  62 ,  64  and  66  which are removably attached to aligned sets of flanges  68 ,  70  and  72  on lateral sides  58  and  60 , by sets of bolts  74 ,  76  and  78 . Metal straps  62 ,  64  and  66  extend across telescoping boom  54  securing boom  54  within boom cradle  52 . In the event telescoping boom  54  becomes inoperable for whatever reason, metal straps  62 ,  64  and  66  are easily removed, along with telescoping boom  54 , so that another boom can be seated within boom cradle  52 .  
         [0021]     Backhoe boom connecting portion  56  is positioned adjacent to the length of boom cradle  52  and forms a substantially flat, rectangular, metal plate. Opposite cradle  52 , portion  56  includes a front mounting boss  80  as illustrated in  FIG. 6  and a rear mounting boss  82  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Front mounting boss  80  includes a pair of aligned, spaced apart tubes  84  and  86  that are adapted to receive and connect with a forward mounting boss  88  permanently fixed to backhoe boom  16 . Forward mounting boss  88  comprises a solitary tube having a length suitable to fit between and in alignment with tubes  84  and  86 . Front mounting boss  80  and forward mounting boss  88  are connected using a pin  90 . Rear mounting boss  82  on the other hand includes a single tube  92  adapted to be received by and connected with a rearward mounting boss  94  permanently fixed backhoe boom  16 . Rearward mounting boss  94  includes two aligned openings that are spaced-apart a sufficient distance to receive there between rear mounting boss  82  in an aligned orientation. Rear mounting boss  82  and rearward mounting boss are connected with a pin  96 . Thus, tree-trimming attachment  18  is attached to backhoe boom  16  at forward mounting boss  88 , i.e., the site typically used for pivotally attaching the dipperstick to backhoe boom  16 , and at rearward mounting boss  94 , i.e., the site typically used for pivotally attaching a hydraulic actuator to backhoe boom  16 . This way, boom coupler  50  and backhoe boom  16  are removably attached such that relative movement between boom coupler  50  and backhoe boom  16  is prevented.  
         [0022]     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 2-4 , boom coupler  50  also includes a pair of reels  98  and  100  and a pair of rollers  102  and  104 , respectively, complementary thereto. Reels  98  and  100  are detachably fixed to brackets  106  and  108  respectively of respective lateral sides  58  and  60  with nuts and bolts. Reels  98  and  100  provide a means of storing hydraulic conduit in a retractable and extendable manner. Similarly, rollers  102  and  104  are detachably fixed to brackets  110  and  112  respectively of respective lateral sides  58  and  60  with nuts and bolts. Rollers  102  and  104  provide means of guiding the hydraulic conduit into telescoping boom  54 .  
         [0023]     Telescoping boom  54  is similar to the telescoping boom described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,070 to Boynum et al. Thus, boom  54  includes, among other things, an inner boom member  114  telescopically mounted inside an outer boom member  116  and a hydraulic motor  118  for imparting boom retracting and extending movements thereto. Mounted at an end of inner boom member  114  is a cutting assembly  120  consisting of a circular saw  122  powered by a hydraulic motor  124 . Hydraulic motors  118  and  124  are supplied with fluid under pressure from the plurality of pumps. A block  126  is attached to inner boom member  114  adjacent cutting assembly  120  for limiting the retracting movement of inner boom member  114 .  
         [0024]     In use, cutting motion and boom extending and retracting motion are imparted to circular saw  122  and telescoping boom  54 , respectively, by manipulation of set of levers  15 . In the preferred embodiment of tree-trimming attachment  18 , the lever  17  of set of levers  15  typically used to control movement of the backhoe bucket, when such is attached to backhoe boom  16 , is used to selectively activate circular saw  122 , while another one of the levers  19  of set of levers  15  typically used to control the backhoe dipperstick is used to extend and retract telescoping boom  54 . Thus, the hydraulic conduit that is typically used to supply fluid under pressure to control the bucket when it is attached to backhoe boom  16 , is operatively connected with lever  17 , circular saw  122  and hydraulic motor  124  when tree-trimming attachment  18  is attached. Similarly, the hydraulic conduit that is typically used to supply fluid under pressure to control the dipperstick when it is attached to to backhoe boom  16 , is operatively connected with lever  19 , hydraulic motor  118  and inner boom member  114  when tree-trimming attachment  18  is attached.  
         [0025]     While the preferred embodiment of the tree trimming apparatus has been described in detail above, various modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, while the tree trimming attachment illustrated above is connected with a particular design of backhoe boom, it is understood that certain backhoe booms, including yet to be manufactured backhoe booms, may not be attachable to the tree trimming attachment. Thus, it is anticipated that a substitute boom can replace such backhoe booms or, in the alternative, the mounting boss&#39;s of the backhoe boom connecting platform can be repositioned accordingly. Further, while the invention calls for a single cutting means, it is understood that multiple cutting means can be incorporated into the tree trimming attachment. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than above-described.