Abstract:
The tree and post remover is a removably attachable accessory for an operating vehicle, such as a skid-steer machine, tractor, or similar working machine having hydraulic power output. The tree and post remover has a mounting plate having a fixed jaw assembly extending therefrom and a movable jaw assembly captured and sliding laterally within the fixed jaw assembly. A hydraulic strut resides within the movable jaw assembly, and has one end attached to the movable jaw assembly and its opposite end attached to the fixed jaw assembly. Actuation of the hydraulic strut drives the movable jaw assembly toward or away from the fixed jaw assembly to close or open the jaws relative to one another. Each jaw assembly preferably includes a plurality of individual jaw members, opposite jaw members meshing with one another to allow the jaws to close upon objects of relatively small diameter.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/282,149, filed Dec. 22, 2009. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to powered machinery used for landscaping, construction, and the like, and particularly to a tree and post remover that provides a hydraulically actuated attachment for tractors, skid-steer vehicles, and the like, for removing trees, posts, poles, and the like from the ground. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Prior to the development of powered machinery, the removal of articles embedded in the ground (especially trees, brush, and other natural objects having root structures) required considerable manual labor if the article was to be removed in its entirety, as opposed to merely cutting it off at the surface. The development of powered machinery to assist in the removal of trees, posts, poles, and other articles embedded in the ground, has greatly facilitated such projects. 
         [0006]    The development of such powered machinery was generally directed to relatively large equipment for clearing relatively large areas, with the equipment being capable of removing relatively large diameter trees, posts, poles, and the like. As power systems (particularly auxiliary hydraulic systems) became more compact and efficient, such devices were developed for smaller equipment, e.g., tractors, skid-steer machines, etc. In fact a great many different hydraulically powered attachments have been developed for use on skid-steer machines, as well as tractors and other utility vehicles, some of which are adapted for pulling or removing trees, brush, posts, etc. from the ground. 
         [0007]    The present inventor is aware of certain such devices that have been developed in the past, using different principles of operation. Some such devices are not pullers or extractors, but rather rely upon hydraulic power to drive a pair of opposed blades together to cut or shear the object, leaving the remainder of the object in the ground. Others actually pull the object from the ground, but use different mechanical principles, such as pivoting jaws and multiple hydraulic systems. 
         [0008]    Thus, a tree and post remover solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The tree and post remover comprises an accessory for a skid-steer machine, tractor, or other similar operating vehicle having hydraulic power output. The tree and post remover is removably attachable to such machines by means of the standard, conventional attachment fixtures provided with such machines. The attachment or backing plate includes a fixed jaw structure extending forwardly therefrom and a movable jaw structure captured and sliding laterally within the fixed jaw structure. A hydraulic strut actuator resides within the movable jaw structure, and has one end connected to the movable jaw structure and an opposite end connected to the fixed jaw structure. Actuation of the hydraulic strut drives the movable jaw structure toward or away from the fixed jaw structure to close or open the two jaws relative to one another. 
         [0010]    Each jaw structure preferably includes a plurality of individual jaw members, each of the members preferably having a concave, semicircular internal radius or gripping edge to conform more accurately to the usual circular cross-sectional shape of a tree and/or most poles and posts. The gripping edge or internal radius of each jaw member includes a plurality of teeth extending therefrom for better grip of an object grasped therein. One side (e.g., the fixed jaw side) preferably includes one more jaw member than the opposite side. In this manner, the jaw members of the side having fewer members may be aligned with the spaces between the opposite jaw members, thereby allowing the overlapping portions of the fixed and movable jaw members to pass between one another. This allows the concavities of the opposing jaw members to approach one another more closely, thereby allowing the device to grasp smaller diameter trees, posts, and poles for their removal. 
         [0011]    These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a tree and post remover according to the present invention, showing the device operatively installed on a skid-steer vehicle. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the components of the tree and post remover according to the present invention, showing details and assembly thereof. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the tree and post remover according to the present invention, showing the jaws open. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a front elevation view of the tree and post remover according to the present invention with its jaws open. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the tree and post remover according to the present invention, showing the jaws closed. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a front elevation view of the tree and post remover according to the present invention with its jaws closed. 
       
    
    
       [0018]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    The tree and post remover is a device for removing trees, posts, poles, and the like from their placement in the ground. The tree and post remover is configured for removable attachment to a skid-steer machine, tractor, or other conventional operating vehicle having conventional hydraulic power available for accessories. The movable jaw assembly of the tree and post remover is hydraulically actuated from the operating vehicle, by the hydraulic system of the vehicle. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is an environmental front perspective view of a conventional skid-steer machine or vehicle V having the tree and post remover  10  mounted thereon. The tree and post remover  10  may be adapted for removable attachment to a conventional tractor or the like having a three-point hitch attachment, or to other suitable operating vehicles as desired. All such vehicles conventionally include a hydraulic system and means for providing hydraulic power to various accessories and attachments when installed, e.g., loading buckets for skid-steer machines, etc., and the tree and post remover  10  makes use of such conventional vehicle hydraulic power for its operation. 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  provides an exploded perspective view of the tree and post remover  10 , illustrating its various components. The tree and post remover  10  includes a mounting plate  12 , with the plate  12  serving as an attachment device for removably securing the tree and post remover  10  to the operating vehicle V as well as serving as a base for the attachment of other components. The mounting plate  12  has a front side  14  to which the other components of the device are attached, and an opposite rear side  16  (seen in edge view in  FIGS. 3 and 5 ) that includes structure for removably securing the tree and post remover  10  to the operating vehicle V. 
         [0022]    A fixed jaw assembly  18  is permanently and immovably affixed (e.g., welded) to the front side  14  of the mounting plate  12 . The fixed jaw assembly includes elongate, parallel upper and lower guides, respectively  20   a  and  20   b,  that extend laterally across the front side  14  of the mounting plate  12 . Each of the guides  20   a,    20   b  is preferably formed of heavy steel plate and includes a fixed jaw member, respectively  22   a  and  22   b,  formed integrally therewith and extending outwardly therefrom, with there preferably being a third fixed jaw member  22   c  therebetween. 
         [0023]    A movable jaw assembly  24  includes elongate, parallel upper and lower slides, respectively  26   a  and  26   b,  that slide laterally between the upper and lower guides  20   a,    20   b  of the fixed jaw assembly  18 . Each of the movable jaw slides  26   a,    26   b  is preferably formed of heavy steel plate and includes a movable jaw member, respectively  28   a  and  28   b,  formed integrally therewith and extending outwardly therefrom and generally laterally opposite the fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c  when the movable jaw assembly  24  is installed within the upper and lower guides  20   a,    20   b  of the fixed jaw assembly  18 . 
         [0024]    An actuator  30  is installed between the two slides  26   a  and  26   b , to drive the movable jaw assembly  24  laterally across the front side  14  of the plate  12  relative to the fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c.  The actuator  30  is preferably a conventional double acting telescoping hydraulic strut having a first or cylinder base end  30   a  pivotally attached between the distal ends of the two guides  20   a,    20   b  of the fixed jaw assembly  18  by a bolt or pin  32 , and an opposite rod end  30   b  affixed to an attachment web  34  that is in turn affixed between the two guides  20   a,    20   b  adjacent the upper and lower fixed jaw members  22   a,    22   b  extending therefrom. Alternative actuation means may be provided as desired, e.g., a hydraulically or electrically driven threaded screw jack assembly, etc. 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  provides a top plan view of the tree and post remover  10  showing the two jaw assemblies  18  and  24  open, i.e., with the fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c  and the movable jaw members  28   a  and  28   b  spread apart from one another. This configuration results when the actuator  30  is operated to retract the rod and its end  30   b  to the left in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . As the cylinder base end  30   a  of the actuator  30  is immovably affixed relative to the mounting plate  12  and fixed jaw assembly  18 , the retraction of the rod and rod end  30   b  to the left (in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ) draws the movable jaw assembly  24  to the left as well, thereby moving the jaws  28   a  and  28   b  to the left and away from the fixed jaws  22   a  through  22   c.    
         [0026]    The fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c  and the movable jaw members  28   a  and  28   b  each have gripping edges configured particularly for gripping objects having generally circular cross sections, such as trees and most poles and posts, although they are quire capable of gripping objects having other shapes as well. In the top plan view of  FIG. 3  only the uppermost fixed jaw member  22   a  and uppermost movable jaw member  28   a  of the various jaw members are visible, but it will be understood that all of the fixed jaw members are essentially identical to one another, as are both of the movable jaw members. The fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c  are each formed with an arcuately concave gripping edge  36  having a plurality of teeth  38  extending therefrom, with the movable jaw members  28   a,    28   b  being similarly configured with concave gripping edges  40  and teeth  42 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a front elevation view of the tree and post remover  10  with the jaws open as shown in  FIG. 3 , to show further details. The two jaw members  28   a,    28   b  of the movable jaw assembly  24  are not coplanar with the upper and lower jaw members  22   a  and  22   b  of the fixed jaw assembly. This is due to the movable jaw members  28   a,    28   b  being extensions of the plates comprising the two slides  26   a,    26   b  of the movable jaw assembly  24 , with the two movable jaw members  28   a,    28   b  being separated by a gap  44  corresponding to the spacing provided between the two slides  26   a,    26   b  to house the actuator  30  therebetween. 
         [0028]    Similarly, the upper and lower fixed jaw members  22   a,    22   b  are extensions of their respective guide plates  20   a  and  20   b,  which plates are separated from one another by a gap sufficient to allow the slides  28   a,    28   b  of the movable jaw assembly  24  to slide therebetween. This gap or space provides sufficient room for the third intermediate fixed jaw member  22   c , with fixed jaw members  22   a,    22   c  and  22   b,    22   c  being separated by gaps  46 . The movable jaw members  28   a,    28   b  are actually aligned with these two gaps  46  between the fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c,  thus allowing portions of the fixed jaw members and movable jaw members to overlap one another slightly when the jaws are completely closed, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
         [0029]    The gaps  46  between the three fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c  are established by the thicknesses of the plates forming the jaw members and the guides  20   a,    20   b,  and their separation from one another. Their separation is established by their attachment to the mounting plate  12 , with additional rigidity provided by spacer plates  48  between the fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c.  An additional spacer plate  50  is provided at the bases of the fixed jaw members, with this plate  50  also serving as a retainer to hold the two slides  26   a,    26   b  between the two guides  20   a  and  20   b . Similarly, the slides  26   a,    26   b  and jaw members  28   a,    28   b  of the movable jaw assembly are held in rigid relationship to one another by a spacer plate  52  therebetween, with the opposite distal ends of the slides  26   a,    26   b  being spaced from one another by the rod end attachment web  34  therebetween. Additional attachment security for the fixed jaw assembly  18  may be provided by a series of upper and lower gussets or braces  54  normal to the mounting plate  12  and guides  20   a,    20   b.    
         [0030]      FIGS. 5 and 6  of the drawings are similar to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , but respectively show a top plan view and a front elevation view of the tree and post remover  10  with the jaws closed. This is accomplished by providing hydraulic power to the actuator  30  to extend the strut, moving the distal rod end  30   b  away from the cylinder base end  30   a.  As the cylinder base end  30   a  is captured immovably between the distal ends of the two guides  20   a  and  20   b,  the actuator will force the two slides  26   a,    26   b  to move to the right by means of the attachment of the rod end  30   b  to the rod end attachment web  34  affixed between the distal ends of the slides  26   a,    26   b.  As the movable jaw members  28   a,    28   b  are extensions of the slides, the two movable jaw members  28   a,    28   b  will close upon the fixed jaw members  22   a  through  22   c , or more accurately, will close toward the gaps  46  between those fixed jaw members. The result is essentially as shown in  FIG. 6 , if no object is placed between the fixed and movable jaw members to impede the closure of the fixed jaw members. 
         [0031]    The tree and post remover  10  may be adapted or configured for removable attachment to a wide variety of different operating vehicles, as noted further above. The exemplary mounting plate  12  described herein provides removable attachment to a skid steer machine similar to that illustrated in  FIG. 1 . One type of attachment means used with such machines comprises vertical pins P actuated by levers L (shown in broken lines in  FIGS. 3 through 6 ), with the pins P extending through passages  56  in the rearwardly angled lower edge  58  of the mounting plate  12 . The completed assembly of the tree and post remover  10  to the operating vehicle V, and the operation of the vehicle V and tree and post remover  10  in the removal of a tree from its site in the ground, are shown generally in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. 
         [0032]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.