Patent Abstract:
A novel tree trimming system includes a crane which lifts a wood working implement and a tree trimmer together over obstacles if necessary to a location where a tree is to trimmed. The tree trimmer may cut limbs and feed them directly into the wood working implement that is mounted just beneath him or may drop them to the ground or fasten them to holders that have been lifted with the tree trimmer by the crane. On the ground, a cart which may be motor driven by hydraulic motors or manually moved or pulled by another vehicle can be retracted to fit through ordinary garden gates. The retraction may include moving the wheels or tracker treads of the cart together and moving the hydraulic motor outside of the space between tractor treads so that the tractor treads may be moved closer together. Moreover, side members may be folded upwardly to compress material on the top of the cart and extensions moved in place at the front and end of the cart to increase load carrying capacity. A stump grinder includes an enclosure to control the chips and powder and a vacuum to pull the chips and powder into a container.

Full Description:
RELATED CASES 
       [0001]    This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/786,170 filed Apr. 11, 2007, entitled TREE AND STUMP TRIMMING AND REMOVAL SYSTEM by inventor, Todd Alan Mason. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to tree and tree stump trimming and removal systems including the chipping and grinding of tree parts and stumps and the attendant operations such as the clean up and final grading. 
         [0003]    It is known to use cranes and cherry pickers to aid in trimming trees. Moreover, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,140 B1, to mount both a cherry picker and a wood working implement on a truck for use in tree trimming and other lawn care. 
         [0004]    The use of a cherry picker and a wood working implement on a truck has some advantages but fails to address several problems related to tree trimming and removal and stump removal and trimming. Some of the shortcomings of cherry pickers are a result of their limited reach and degrees of freedom of motion. For example, as the vertical height of the boom increases the horizontal reach decreases. More specifically, this arrangement has several disadvantages, such as: (1) the cherry picker is not able to reach trees at some more distant locations such as in the back yard of a house; (2) it is difficult to reach some locations in a tree because of the limited freedom of motion of the cherry picker and the interference with branches; (3) the cherry picker cannot reach over some obstacles to reach a tree; (4) there is no cost effective provision for removing the tree limbs or portions of tree limbs that are trimmed from a tree in a more distant location such as a back yard; (5) there is no provision for removing tree stumps safely; (6) the cost of moving limbs that are trimmed and dropped to the ground to a truck and cleaning the ground beneath the tree is higher than it needs to be; (7) there is no provision for preventing or minimizing damage to landscape with low labor costs; and there is no provision for significantly reducing the labor needed for clean up for tree trimming operations and stump removal operations; and (8) because of the inability of the cherry picker to rotate its boom, much time is lost repositioning the cherry picker to reach and remove different limbs. 
         [0005]    It is also known to mount a wood working implement on a crane with provisions for moving tree trunks to the wood working implement. However, this apparatus has the disadvantage of having no provision for trimming and removing tree limbs and chipping them immediately. 
         [0006]    Wood working implements are known with a feedstock inlet, a chipping or shredding drum or disk and a feed drum. In these wood working implements, tree limbs or logs are fed into the inlet and the feed drum moves the limbs or logs to the chipping or shredding drum or disk. A prior art type of chipping or shredding drum or disk includes knives spaced to rotate with the drum or disk and chip the feedstock. This prior art type of wood working implement having knifes has several disadvantages such as being excessively subject to wear and requiring under some circumstances a relative slow rate of rotation of the chipping or shredding drum. Another prior art type of chipping or shredding drum includes hammers on the rotating drum that impact the feedstock while the feedstock is between the hammer and an anvil. This type of chipping or shredding apparatus has the disadvantage of being heavy, requiring a high torque motor, or under some circumstances, requiring a low rotational velocity and not providing uniform output chips. It is known to use saw discs with teeth mounted on the edge of the discs. The teeth have a substantially square cross section with corners shaped to cut into the wood. These teeth have not been adapted for chipping and grinding in the tree trimming environment. 
         [0007]    It is known to remove tree limbs and other disposable tree parts in a wheeled cart or the like. The prior art carts for this purpose have had the disadvantages of not being able to move a sufficient amount of material because of their narrow size or being expensive or difficult to use because of their excessive length and inability to easily balance loads using balanced leverage 
         [0008]    It is known to remove tree stumps by grinding the stumps in place. The prior art tree stump removers have a disadvantage in that they leave an excessive amount of wood chips or other parts of the stump at locations around the former stump. This causes an expensive loss of time in cleaning the area and introducing new dirt to fill the stump hole. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for tree care. 
         [0010]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for removing trees and parts of trees. 
         [0011]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for removing trees and parts of trees with minimum effect on the land surrounding the trees or parts of trees. 
         [0012]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel method for tree trimming at locations that are relatively inaccessible. 
         [0013]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a tree trimming technique that is applicable to sites in which all of the work is to be done at a location in which access is difficult, at sites where some of the work is to be done at a location that is relatively inaccessible and some that is readily accessible and at locations in which all of the work is to be done at a relatively accessible location. 
         [0014]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel wood chipping apparatus. 
         [0015]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel technique for trimming trees with a minimum amount of time and labor spent cleaning up the location after the tree has been trimmed. 
         [0016]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel apparatus for trimming trees and removing the limbs by chipping or carrying them from the site. 
         [0017]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel tree trimming technique which is particularly flexible to accommodate different locations and different types of work to be done at the location. 
         [0018]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel chipping drum and chipping tooth. 
         [0019]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel cart for removing tree parts. 
         [0020]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel technique for removing tree parts after tree trimming at a location in which all of the access routes are limited in width. 
         [0021]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel stump removal technique which reduces the time required to clean up the area after a stump has been removed. 
         [0022]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a novel tree trimming and removal system that increases the safety of workers. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0023]    The above and further features of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description when considered with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0024]      FIG. 1  is a simplified perspective drawing of a crane and wood working implement in accordance with an embodiment of an invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a simplified perspective view of a crane and wood working implement in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a wood working implement in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a simplified view of a cherry picker and wood working implement in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  is a simplified perspective view illustrating the use of a wood working implement suspended from a crane or cherry picker in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 6  is another simplified view of another embodiment illustrating the use of a crane in tree trimming; 
           [0030]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a carriage as may be used in accordance with the embodiment of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 8  is another embodiment of wood working implement and crane mounted tree trimmer station in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 9  is a simplified perspective view of another embodiment of the invention illustrating a use of a crane or cherry picker; 
           [0033]      FIG. 10  is a simplified perspective view of a wood working implement as used in one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 11  is a simplified perspective view another embodiment illustrating the use of a wood working implement to easily remove limbs of a tree; 
           [0035]      FIG. 12  is a simplified perspective view of a removal apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of  FIG. 11  illustrating another position in the use of the apparatus of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 13  is a simplified perspective view of an embodiment of apparatus for removing limbs or other debris utilizing a crane; 
           [0037]      FIG. 14  illustrates a different position of the apparatus of  FIG. 13  for removing limbs; 
           [0038]      FIG. 15  is a simplified perspective view of an apparatus for treating the ground after tree trimming to restore its appearance; 
           [0039]      FIG. 16  is a flow diagram illustrating the process of using the embodiments of the invention; 
           [0040]      FIG. 17  a flow diagram of a process for trimming and removal of trees and tree parts where the work is to be done to a tree or trees that are in an inaccessible location for tree trimming; 
           [0041]      FIG. 18  is a flow diagram showing a system for trimming and removal of trees and tree parts at inaccessible locations; 
           [0042]      FIG. 19  is a flow diagram illustrating the steps for trimming and removal of tree parts at inaccessible locations; 
           [0043]      FIG. 20  is a flow diagram illustrating the steps involved in trimming and removal of trimmed tree parts for locations which are partly accessible and partly inaccessible; 
           [0044]      FIG. 21  is a flow diagram illustrating the steps for trimming and removal of tree parts at locations that are entirely accessible; 
           [0045]      FIG. 22  is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of a novel chipper in accordance with the embodiment of the invention; 
           [0046]      FIG. 23  is a fragmentary perspective view of a novel chipping drum in accordance with the embodiment of the invention; 
           [0047]      FIG. 24  is a fragmentary simplified side view of the chipper of  FIG. 22 ; 
           [0048]      FIG. 25  is a simplified side view of the chipper of  FIG. 22 ; 
           [0049]      FIG. 26  is a simplified top view of the chipper of  FIG. 22 ; 
           [0050]      FIG. 27  is simplified perspective view of a novel cart for removing trimmed tree parts; 
           [0051]      FIG. 28  is a simplified, fragmentary exploded view of the cart of  FIG. 27 ; 
           [0052]      FIG. 29  is a fragmentary side elevational view of the cart of  FIG. 27 ; 
           [0053]      FIG. 30  is a fragmentary front view of another embodiment of cart; 
           [0054]      FIG. 31  is a fragmentary simplified bottom view of the cart of  FIG. 27 ; and 
           [0055]      FIG. 32  is a simplified fragmentary elevational view of a stump grinder or chipper in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0056]    In  FIG. 1 , there is shown a simplified perspective view of one embodiment of a system  10  for trimming and removing trees and stumps having a lift  12 , a tree trimmer station  14 , a typical obstacle  16  and a tree  18 . The tree trimmer station  14  may include a chipper or other wood working implement  20  and provide a place for a tree trimmer (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) stand. The lift  12 , the tree trimmer station  14  and the chipper or other wood working implement  20  are arranged so that the lift  12  positions the tree trimmer station  14  and the chipper  20  at a selected location. The lift  12  is able to position the tree trimmer station  14  and chipper  20  adjacent to a tree so that limbs may be removed by a tree trimmer who is on the tree trimmer station  14  and fed into the chipper  20  without the tree trimmer needing to leave the tree trimmer station  14  and without the lift  12  needing to move either the chipper  20  or tree trimmer station  14  to a new location such as to a vehicle before chipping wood. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the lift  12  may position the tree trimmer station  14  and chipper  20  over an obstacle such as the house  16  to obtain access to a tree such as that shown at  18  on the other side of the obstacle. In this specification, the words, “wood working implement” means chipper, grinder or abrader. 
         [0057]    In the preferred embodiment, the lift  12  is a crane with a telescoping boom and a winch and the chipper  20  is a drum type chipper. The crane is the preferred lift because it can provide the height and reach to pass above and beyond obstacles with a sufficiently long boom and yet lower the chipper and tree trimmer to a selected height for work on a tree with a winch. A drum type chipper is the preferred wood-working implement because of its relatively small size and ability to reduce limbs or portions of the trunk of a tree to chips in place. As shown in this view, the crane  12  may extend over the house  16  which is an obstacle between it and the tree  18  to permit a tree trimmer stationed in the tree trimmer station or mount  14  to cut limbs and drop them into the chipper  20  for chipping and collection below to avoid the need to pick up and cart limbs to the street. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a winch is not used. 
         [0058]    In  FIG. 2 , there is shown another embodiment of system  10 A for trimming and removing trees and stumps including a chipper mount  26  suspended from a crane winch load line  24  so that the tree trimmer (not shown in  FIG. 2 ) on a tree trimmer station or mount  14  may be lowered into position on a tree. With this embodiment, a chipper  20  and person can be moved to different elevations by the winch through the winch load line  24  and be moved different distances over an obstacle  16  by the crane  12 . 
         [0059]    In  FIG. 3 , there is shown a perspective view of the chipper  20  having a drive mechanism  30 , a feed inlet  32  for a chipper mechanism  28  and a discharge outlet  34 . With this arrangement, limbs may be fed into the inlet  32  to be chipped and chips dropped from the outlet  194  (not shown in  FIG. 3 , shown in  FIG. 22 ) at a location where the tree trimmer and the chipper are being moved for trimming the tree. In one embodiment, the person trimming the tree will stand on the drive mechanism  30  of the chipper  20  to cut limbs and feed them into the chipper feed inlet  32 . Between the feed inlet  32  and the outlet  34 , is a tooth drum section  36 , which in the preferred embodiment, utilizes teeth inserted into rotating drums to reduce the limbs fed into the feed inlet  32  to chips which may be more easily disposed of. 
         [0060]    In  FIG. 4 , there is shown another embodiment  10 B of a system for trimming and removing trees and stumps which utilizes a chipper  20  with a typical bucket  38  for a tree trimmer  40  and an hydraulic lift  42  mounted to a truck  44 . The hydraulic lift  42  may be operated by the trimmer  40  in the tree or by a person in a cab  46  of the truck  44 . In this embodiment, limbs may be reduced to chips by the chipper  20  that is also mounted near or adjacent to the bucket  38  so that the trimmer  40  can drop limbs in it. The sections of the logs that are remaining when the limbs are removed may be dropped in the bed  48  of the bucket truck  44 . Moreover, instead of chipping the limbs with a chipper  20  on the bucket  38 , limbs may be dropped into the bed  48  of the truck  44  for chipping at another location or within the truck. 
         [0061]    In  FIG. 5 , there is shown a simplified perspective view of a tree trimmer station  14 , a crane winch load line  24  and a tree trimmer  40 . The tree trimmer station  14  and the winch load line  24  are connected to permit the winch load line  24  and winch (not shown in  FIG. 5 ) to support and move the tree trimmer station  14 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , the tree trimmer station  14  includes a tree trimmer platform  60 , a chipper mount  26 A and chipper  20  with a tree trimmer guard  58  mounted vertically on top of the drive  30  of the chipper  20 . The tree trimmer platform  60  is directly supported by a winch load line  24  mounted to the chipper drive mechanism  30  by straps  62  and supported therefrom. A person  40 , who may be a tree trimmer or operator, is shown trimming limbs  56  from a log  54  for feeding into the feed inlet  32  to reduce the limbs to chips. The log  54  may then be dropped to the ground or loaded at a different location by moving the winch load line  24  at the end of a crane such as the crane  12  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0062]    In  FIG. 6 , there is shown still another embodiment of tree trimmer station  14 A. Unlike the tree trimmer station  14  of  FIG. 5 , the chipper  20  is not mounted adjacent to the tree trimmer station  14  but a branch holder  66  is mounted underneath the tree trimmer platform  60 . The operating platform  60  instead of being mounted to the chipper is mounted within a frame, which in the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , is a C-shaped support formed of steel channels and connected at its upper portion to a ring connected or welded by some other mechanism to the C-frame support  64 . The winch load line  24  engages the ring by the winch load line hook  100  to move it from place to place. 
         [0063]    With this arrangement, the tree trimmer  40  may remove limbs such as the limb  56  from a log such as the log  54  and drop the limb into the open top  68  of the branch holder  66 . A safety harness  42  may be worn by the tree trimmer to support him in the event of falling. The safety harness  42  may be fastened to the frame  64 , which is a C-channel in the embodiment of  FIG. 6  or directly to an extension of a ring  102  or to the winch load line  24  itself. The branch holder  66 , in addition to having the open top  68 , is enclosed by four sides  72 A- 72 D. (only  72 A and  72 B being shown in  FIG. 6 ). It has an openable bottom  70 , which in the preferred embodiment is hinged. The bottom may thus be opened to drop the branches in a truck or near a chipper or to carry them to a location where they can be fed into a chipper directly from the branch holder  66 . 
         [0064]    In  FIG. 7 , there is shown another view of the branch holder  66  with the frame  64 , which in the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , is a C-support, and the tree trimmer platform  60 . The branch holder  66  is shown with the bottom  70  being partly opened about a hinge  76  (not shown in  FIG. 7 , see  FIG. 6 ) and showing latch pins  74 B and  74 A exploded away. As best shown in this embodiment, the hinged bottom  70  may be closed to receive branches and the pins  74 A and  74 B utilized to hold the bottom in place. Limbs may then be dropped with small loose parts falling through a grating in the bottom  70  or through the sides  72 A- 72 D which are also in the form of a strong grate. In the preferred embodiment, the grate may be made of steel but could be made of any other sturdy material such as tarpaulin. 
         [0065]    In  FIG. 8 , there is shown still another embodiment of tree trimmer station  14 B including as its principal parts, a chipper mount  26 , a limb holder  66 , a tree trimmer platform  60 , a frame  64  and a chip containment bag  90 . A tree trimmer  40  wearing a safety harness  42  may stand on the trimmer platform  60 . The trimmer platform is supported on the C-support  64 , which is in turn supported a ring  102  and a winch load line  24  with its hook  100  engaging the ring  102 . However, as shown in this view, the chipper  20  is mounted to the C-support  64  by a chipper support with the feed inlet  32  being positioned to receive limbs trimmed by the trimmer  40  from a log  54  and the chip containment bag  90  positioned under the outlet of the chipped to collect chips. In this embodiment, chips may be collected in the chip containment bag  90  or be permitted to fall through the bottom  70  of the limb holder  66 . Similarly, logs  54  may be dropped into the limb holder so that a crane may remove them to a more convenient location or they may be dropped to the ground for later removal. If chips are permitted to fall to the ground, the chips may be spread over the ground. 
         [0066]    In  FIG. 9 , there is shown still another embodiment of tree trimmer station  14 C showing the tree trimmer  40  on the tree trimmer platform  60  within the frame  64 . The frame  64  is held by the winch load line  24 . In this embodiment, the frame  64  rather than being a C-support as in the embodiment of  FIG. 8  includes two sides, a bottom and a top. Along both sides extend hooks  80 A- 80 K on which limbs may be hung for removal by a crane to a more convenient location. 
         [0067]    In  FIG. 10 , there is shown a simplified perspective view of a chip collection system  128  for collecting chips or other debris including a tube  84  having one end mounted adjacent to the outlet of a chipper  20  to receive chips and an outlet end positioned over a container  86  such as a steel container to receive chips  88  for removal from a location where a tree is being trimmed and chipped. In  FIG. 11 , there is shown still another chip collecting system  128 A similar to the system  128  except that the outlet of the tube  84  is positioned adjacent to a canvas bag  90  rather than a metal container with the bag  90  having two parallel top poles  104 A and  104 B mounted on opposite sides of the canvas bag  90  to provide a convenient means for carrying the bag. At the bottom, the canvas is held together by pins  106 A- 106 D (only  106 A being shown in  FIG. 11 ). With this arrangement, the chips may be removed such as by a crane pulling the top poles  104 A and  104 B and lifting the canvas bag  90  to a container where the pins  106 A- 106 D may be removed to deposit the chips in the container. 
         [0068]    In  FIG. 12 , there is shown still another embodiment of bag  90  for receiving tree parts. In the embodiment of  FIG. 12 , the bag  90  contains hooks at each of four corners such as shown at  106 A,  106 B and  106 D in  FIG. 12 . Those corners may be tied together by a clip or cord or other elongated member shown at  108 . When the bag is full and to be opened such as in a pickup truck, the cord or clip  108  may be removed so as to permit the tree parts to drop from the bag  90 . 
         [0069]    In  FIGS. 13 and 14 , there is shown two stages of a system  130  for removing limbs trimmed from a tree. In this system  130 , the limbs are dropped below the tree into an open top  92  and in  FIG. 14 , the top is closed. More specifically, as shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , a canvas tarp includes two end poles  94 A and  94 B connected at their ends to a ring  96 A and  96 B respectively by ropes  98 A and  98 B being connected to ring  96 A and connected to the opposite ends of the pole  94 A and ropes  98 C and  98 D being connected to the ring  96 B and connected to opposite ends of the pole  94 B. With this arrangement, limbs may be stacked on the tarp and then the rings  96 A and  96 B pulled together and connected to the hook  100  of the winch load line  24  as best shown in  FIG. 14 . The crane may then move the tarp and the limbs to a more convenient location. While ropes are disclosed in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , any elongated flexible member may be used including canvas strips. Moreover, the tarp may be of any flexible strong sheet material. 
         [0070]    In  FIG. 15 , there is shown a simplified perspective view of a system  132  for using a crane or cherry picker to deposit fill dirt over the ground beneath a tree that has just been trimmed to improve the appearance of the ground. This system  132  includes a fill dirt barrel or other container  122 , a crane mounting fixture  112 , and a frame  64  which in the embodiment of  FIG. 15  is C-channel adapted to be moved by a crane in a manner described above. While a C-channel is shown in  FIG. 15 , any other means for attaching the fill dirt barrel to the crane may be utilized. The fill dirt barrel  122  is part of a gudgeon  120  mounted for pivotable motion about gudgeon pins  134 A and  134 B. 
         [0071]    A rope  110  is attached at an upper location to a fill dirt barrel for pivoting about the gudgeon pins  134 A and  134 B to dump the dirt. The rope may be pulled by a tree trimmer either on the ground or carried by a position platform on the crane. The crane mounting fixture or sleeve  112  is held on the end of the frame  64  by a pin  114  which passes through aligned openings  126  in the frame  64 , which is a C-channel, and through the sleeve  112 . The sleeve  112  is connected such as by welding at  118  to the parallel arms of the gudgeon  120  to permit the lifting of the barrel  122  over the ground to be improved and spreading of the dirt over the ground. The gudgeon pins  134 A and  134 B may be connected to a band  136  about the barrel or may pass through openings in opposite sides of the fill dirt barrel  122 . 
         [0072]    In  FIG. 16 , there is shown a flow diagram  138  of a process for tree trimming and removal of the tree parts including the step  142  of categorizing the site and the job leading to three different categories of procedures as indicated in the process lines  156 ,  162  and  170 . The three processes are the process  152 A for the trimming and removal of trees and tree parts where all the tree trimming is to be done on a tree or trees that are in an inaccessible location for tree trimming; (2) the process  152 B for trimming and removal where some of the tree trimming is to be done on a tree or trees that are in an inaccessible location and some of the trimming and removal are to be done on a tree or trees that are in an accessible location; and (3) the process  152 C for trimming and removal where all of the tree trimming is to be done on a tree or trees that are in a fully accessible location for tree trimming. 
         [0073]    Accessibility is determined from the viewpoint of the ability to easily reach the tree or tree parts with the appropriate equipment. In general, an accessible location is a location where vehicles can be brought sufficiently close to the tree so that a cherry picker or a vehicle, such as a truck, for removing parts can be easily brought to the tree. An inaccessible location would generally be a location where there is an obstruction between access roads for the vehicles and the tree or trees to be trimmed. For example, a house may block the ability to reach a tree or trees with vehicles or a simple cherry picker and thus that tree or trees would be considered inaccessible. 
         [0074]    In  FIG. 17 , there is shown a flow diagram illustrating the steps of tree trimming  138  that encompasses all three characterizations of sites, which are: (1) the characterization of sites  142 A for trimming and removal where all of the tree trimming is to be done on a tree or trees in an inaccessible location for tree trimming; (2) the characterization of sites  142 B for trimming and removal where some of the tree trimming is to be done on a tree or trees that are in an inaccessible location and some of the trimming and removal is to be done on a tree or trees that are in an accessible location; and (3) the characterization of sites  142 C where all of the trimming and removal of trees and tree parts is to be done on a tree or trees that are in a fully accessible location for tree trimming. 
         [0075]    As shown in this view, the processes  142 A- 142 C include the steps of characterizing the site  140  and the corresponding one of the steps  146 A- 146 C of selecting the type of tree trimming and/or removal to be done for the inaccessible location, partly accessible and partly inaccessible location and fully accessible location. Once these processes are completed, then the corresponding one of the processes  152 A- 152 C of trimming and removal is performed. The step  152 B is broken down further into the processes  160 A for chipping, log and limb removal, the processes  160 B for chip and log removal only, the process  160 C for chip and limb removal only and the process  160 D for log and limb removal only. The processes of trimming and removal  152 A and  152 C include the similar steps  160 A,  160 B,  160 C and  160 D shown for  152 B in greater detail. The processes  152 A and  152 C are shown as single blocks for simplicity rather than showing their four components as is the case with  152 B. In this specification, the word “chip” means removing a smaller piece of feedstock from a larger by impacting the larger piece of feedstock with a cutting action in contrast to a shearing action or crushing action as in the case of hammer type chippers or wood hogs. 
         [0076]    The process  138  of  FIGS. 16 and 17  result in a decision on what equipment is to be brought to a site. This decision is based on whether the site of the tree or trees is inaccessible, partly accessible or completely accessible. This characterization of the site results in a decision to bring a crane to an inaccessible location for trimming as shown at  152 A or to bring a crane alone or a crane and cherry picker to a partly accessible location for trimming as shown at  152  or to bring a crane or cherry picker to a completely accessible location as shown at  152 C. 
         [0077]    This characterization is useful because at times, the tree is a substantial distance from a roadway and may have obstacles such as a house in front of it. A crane may lift the tree trimmer over the obstacle and into the tree or may lower the tree trimmer downwardly by means of a winch. The load line of the winch may lower a tree trimmer station that includes a chipper attached to it or a tree trimmer station with only a tree trimmer mount or a tree trimmer station with different appliances for holding limbs or logs which may be removed later. Where there are multiple trees to be trimmed, some of them being some distance from the roadway and/or blocked by an obstacle and other trees that may be more accessible near a roadway, a crane may be used to work on both sets of trees or a crane may be used to work on the inaccessible trees and a cherry picker used for the accessible trees depending upon scheduling and equipment that is available. If all of the trees are accessible, the tree trimmer may choose either a crane or a cherry picker but it would be unlikely to utilize both of them because of the cost of moving the equipment and using two pieces of equipment when one would do. Even where the trees to be trimmed or stumps to be removed are all accessible, a crane has the advantage of superior degrees of freedom and reach. A cherry picker may need to be positioned at different locations on the property near the tree or trees that are to be worked on to reach all necessary locations and this may result in damage to the property such as damage to a lawn or shrubbery. A crane on the other hand may be able to reach all of the location from the street without moving because of the degrees of freedom of the boom and its reach. 
         [0078]    In  FIG. 18 , there is shown a flow diagram of the process  142 A for trimming and removal of trees and tree parts where the work is to be done on a tree or trees that are in an inaccessible location for tree trimming having the subprocess  146 A of selecting the type of tree trimming or removal work to be done and the subprocess  152 A of performing the tree trimming and removal steps for inaccessible locations. The subprocess  146 A of selecting the type of tree trimming or removal to be done includes the step  148  of selecting the type of work such as for example chipping, log preparation and removal and/or limb removal from the inaccessible location or locations. Depending on the type of work that is to be done, these jobs may be: (1) the step  150 A of chipping, log and limb processing and removal; or (2) the step  150 B of chip and log processing and removal only; or (3) the step  150 C of chip and limb processing and removal only; or (4) the step  150 D of log and limb processing and removal only. Each of these steps has its own trimming and removal steps for the inaccessible location as indicated by the process lines  156 A,  156 B,  156 C or  156 D. 
         [0079]    The series of processes indicated in  FIG. 18  enables decisions to be made on the equipment to be brought to a site and the flow of steps in using that equipment to accomplish the work. The equipment and steps differ from each job and site characterization to each job and site characterization. The tree trimmer decides on the equipment needed based on whether the site for the trees is entirely inaccessible, partly inaccessible and partly accessible or completely accessible and the nature of the work to be done at the site. The tree trimmer makes this assessment during an initial inspection by the tree trimmer before committing the equipment to the job. While in  FIG. 18 , only the process  142 A for completely inaccessible trees and tree parts is shown, the processes are similar for sites with trees in partly accessible and partly inaccessible locations and in sites that are completely accessible. 
         [0080]    In  FIG. 19 , there is shown the processing and removal processes for inaccessible locations  152 A having the subprocess  160 A for chipping, log and limb removal, the subprocess  160 B for chip and log removal only, the subprocess  160 C for chip and limb removal only and the subprocess  160 D for log and limb removal only. The subprocess steps  160 A for chip, log and limb removal includes: (1) the step  164 A of bringing a crane with a chipper mounted in the tree trimmer station, a removal tarp, a removal cart, and if stump removal is called for, a stump grinder or chipper to the site; (2) the step  166 A of chipping limbs or cutting limbs and storing in the tree trimmer station or dropping the limbs to the ground, cutting portions of a trunk and dropping to the ground or for removal with other equipment at the tree trimmer station; and (3) the process  168 A performed on the ground of chipping stumps, gathering chips and limbs and logs in a removal tarp and removing with a crane and/or gathering the chips, limbs and logs and removing in a cart. Preferably the step of bringing a stump grinder or chipper to the site comprises the step of bringing a stump grinder or chipper capable of vacuuming chips and having a chip confinement cover to limit the distribution of chips as they are formed so as to reduce clean-up time. 
         [0081]    The process  160 B of chip and log removal only includes the step  164 B which is identical to the step  164 A of process  160 A since the same equipment is brought to the site for processing and removing chips and logs as for processing and removing chips, limbs and logs. The step  164 B is followed by the step  166 B in which portions of a trunk are cut and dropped to the ground or chipped and removed with other equipment followed by the step  168 B in which the stumps are chipped and the chips and logs are gathered either in a removal tarp and removed with a crane or they are gathered and removed in a cart. 
         [0082]    The process  160 C for chip and limb removal only an inaccessible location includes: (1) the step  164 C of bringing the crane with a chipper and limb holders mounted in the tree trimmer station, a removal tarp or cart, and if stump removal is called for, a stump grinder or chipper; (2) the step  166 C of fastening the limbs to the tree trimmer station or dropping them to the ground for removal in a cart or other equipment such as the crane; (3) the step  168 C of chipping stumps and if called for, and limbs, gathering the chips in a sack as the chipping is done for removal by the crane or on a tarp for removal by the crane and removing the limbs either in a cart if they were dropped to the ground or with the tree trimmer station if fastened to it. 
         [0083]    The process  160 D of log and limb removal only includes: (1) the step  164 D of bringing a crane with limb fasteners and a log basket on the tree trimmer station, a removal tarp and/or removal cart to the site; (2) the step  166 D of cutting the limbs at the tree trimmer station and either fastening them to the tree trimmer station with limb fasteners or dropping them in the basket and dropping logs into the basket for removal by the crane or if dropped to the ground for removal by a cart; and (3) the step  168 D of gathering limbs and/or logs on the cart or on the tarp for removal on the cart or by crane if limbs were are dropped to the ground. 
         [0084]    In  FIG. 20 , there is shown a flow diagram  152 B of the process for trimming and removal of trees and tree parts at a site that is partly accessible and partly inaccessible having the process  178 A for the processing and removal of chips, logs and limbs, the process  178 B for the processing and removal of chips and logs only, the process  178 C for the processing and removal of chips and limbs only, and the process  178 D for the processing and removal of logs and limbs only. 
         [0085]    The process  178 A includes the step  172 A of bringing a crane with a chipper mounted in the tree trimmer station, a removal cart, a removal tarp, if stump removal is called for, a stump grinder or chipper, and if there is substantial accessible work, at the option of the tree trimmer, a cherry picker can be brought and can also have a chipper mounted to the cherry picker bucket; (2) the step  174 A of chipping the limbs or cutting the limbs and storing them in the tree trimmer station or dropping the limbs to the ground, cutting portions of the trunk and dropping to the ground or removing with other equipment or in a basket at the tree trimmer station for inaccessible trees or for accessible trees, cutting limbs and moving them into a truck or other storage or dropping them on the ground for moving to a truck and cutting portions of the trunk and loading it on a vehicle or chipping limbs and portions of the trunk on another vehicle or on the cherry picker bucket; and (3) the step  176 A of chipping the stumps at ground level and gathering chips and limbs and logs in a removal tarp and remove with the crane for inaccessible locations and/or gather chips, limbs and logs and remove in a cart for either location or, move directly to a truck from a cherry picker. 
         [0086]    The process  178 B for chip and log processing and removal only includes: (1) the step  172 B of bringing in a crane with a chipper mounted on the tree trimmer station and optionally a cherry picker with a chipper mounted on the bucket or in a vehicle which may either be the cherry picker vehicle or another vehicle, a removal tarp and a removal cart and if stump removal is called for, a stump grinder or chipper; (2) the step  174 B of chipping limbs or cutting limbs and storing them in the tree trimmer station or dropping them to the ground at the inaccessible site and cutting portions of the trunk and dropping it to the ground or removing with other equipment; and (3) the step  176 B of chipping stumps, gathering chips and limbs and logs in a removal tarp or bag connected to the chipper and removing with the crane or other vehicle on the ground. 
         [0087]    The process  178 C of processing and removing chips and limbs only includes: (1) the step  172 C of bringing a crane with a chipper mounted at the tree trimmer station and optionally also bringing a cherry picker with chipper mounted to the bucket or another vehicle for holding the chipper and limbs and chips and if stump removal is called for, a stump grinder or chipper, a removal tarp or removal cart or both; (2) the step  174 C of chipping limbs or cutting limbs and storing them in the tree trimmer station or bucket or dropping them to the ground and removing them with either a tarp and the crane or another vehicle; and (3) the step  176 C of gathering chips and limbs in the removal tarp and removing with a crane and/or gathering chips and limbs and removing on a cart with a crane or cherry picker or other vehicle on the ground. 
         [0088]    The process  178 D for log and limb removal only includes: (1) the step  172 D of bringing in a crane with a chipper mounted on the tree trimmer station and optionally a cherry picker with a chipper mounted on the bucket or in a vehicle which may either be the cherry picker vehicle or another vehicle, a removal tarp and a removal cart; (2) the step  174 D of cutting limbs and storing them in the tree trimmer station or cherry picker bucket or dropping them to the ground at the accessible site and cutting portions of the trunk and dropping it to the ground or removing with other equipment; and (3) the step  176 D of gathering limbs and logs in a removal tarp or bag and removing with the crane, cherry picker or other vehicle on the ground. 
         [0089]    In  FIG. 21 , there is shown a flow diagram  152 C of the process for trimming and removal of trees and tree parts at a site that is fully accessible having: (1) the subprocess  180 A for the processing and removal of chips, logs and limbs; (2) the subprocess  180 B for the processing and removal of chips and logs; (3) the subprocess  180 C for the processing and removal of chips and limbs; and (4) the subprocess  180 D for the processing and removal of logs and limbs. 
         [0090]    The subprocess  180 A includes: (1) the step  182 A of bringing a crane with a chipper mounted in the tree trimmer station or a cherry picker with a chipper mounted on the bucket, a removal cart, a removal tarp, and if stump removal is called for, a stump grinder or chipper, (2) the step  184 A of chipping the limbs or cutting the limbs and storing them in the tree trimmer station or dropping the limbs to the ground, cutting portions of the trunk and dropping to the ground or removing with other equipment or in a basket at the tree trimmer station, cutting limbs and moving them into a truck or other storage or dropping them on the ground for moving to a truck and cutting portions of the trunk and loading it on a vehicle or chipping limbs and portions of the trunk on another vehicle or on the cherry picker bucket; and (3) the step  186 A of chipping the stumps at ground level and gathering chips and limbs and logs in a removal tarp and remove with the crane and/or gather chips, limbs and logs and remove in a cart for either location or, move directly to a truck from a cherry picker. 
         [0091]    The subprocess  180 B for chip and log processing and removal only includes: (1) the step  182 B of bringing in a crane with a chipper mounted on the tree trimmer station or a cherry picker with a chipper mounted on the bucket or in a vehicle which may either be the cherry picker vehicle or another vehicle, a removal tarp and a removal cart and if stump removal is called for, a stump grinder or chipper; (2) the step  184 B of chipping limbs or cutting limbs and storing them in the tree trimmer station or dropping them to the ground and cutting portions of the trunk and dropping it to the ground or removing with other equipment; and (3) the step  186 B of chipping stumps, gathering chips and logs in a removal tarp or bag connected to the chipper and removing with the crane or other vehicle on the ground. 
         [0092]    The subprocess  180 C of processing and removing chips and limbs only includes: (1) the step  182 C of bringing a crane with a chipper mounted at the tree trimmer station or a cherry picker with chipper mounted to the bucket or another vehicle for holding the chipper and limbs and chips and if stump removal is called for, a stump grinder or chipper, a removal tarp or removal cart or both; (2) the step  184 C of, at the tree trimmer station or the bucket of a cherry picker, chipping limbs or cutting limbs and storing them in the tree trimmer station or bucket or dropping them to the ground and removing them with either a tarp and the crane or another vehicle; and (3) the step  186 C of gathering chips and limbs in the removal tarp and removing with a crane and/or gathering chips and limbs and removing on a cart with a crane or cherry picker or other vehicle on the ground. 
         [0093]    The subprocess  180 D for log and limb removal only includes: (1) the step  182 D of bringing in a crane with a chipper mounted on the tree trimmer station or a cherry picker with a chipper mounted on the bucket or in a vehicle which may either be the cherry picker vehicle or another vehicle, a removal tarp and a removal cart; (2) the step  184 D of cutting limbs and storing them in the tree trimmer station or cherry picker bucket or dropping them to the ground at the accessible site and cutting portions of the trunk and dropping it to the ground or removing with other equipment; and (3) the step  186 D of gathering limbs and logs in a removal tarp or bag and removing with the crane or cherry picker or other vehicle on the ground. 
         [0094]    In  FIG. 22 , there is shown an exploded perspective fragmentary view of the chipper  20  having a feed inlet  188 , a feed drum  190 , a grinder drum or chipping drum  192  and an outlet  194 . The feed drum  190  is mounted just below the feed inlet  188  and communicates with a thickness adjustment fixture  202 . The thickness adjustment fixture  202  includes a handle  208  mounted to a lever arm  210  to pivot about a pivot point  212  to move within an arc slot  214  in a side panel  302 . It communicates with an axle  216  of the feed drum  190 . The feed drum  190  includes a plurality of protruding ridges  198  spaced apart around its periphery extending for the length of its periphery to pull limbs, leaves and other parts of a tree downwardly against the grinder drum  192 . The feed inlet  188  is framed by the sides  302 ,  304  and  306 . The side  306  includes a parallel arc  310  for movement of the opposite end of the axle  216 . The grinder drum  192  includes a drive axle  308  and a plurality of teeth  200 A- 200 C being shown as examples in  FIG. 22 . The outlet  194  has an outlet screen  204  with a plurality of openings in it to hold larger tree parts for further grinding while permitting the tree parts that have already been ground smaller to drop through it. The motor  196  includes an output axle  206  connected by suitable drive belts to the axle  308  of the grinder drum  192  and to the axle of the feed drum  190  to drive them (not shown in  FIG. 22 ). 
         [0095]    In  FIG. 23 , there is shown a perspective view of a grinder drum or chipping drum  192  having a drive axle  308  with a key  218  along a portion of its length and a peripheral surface or working surface of the grinder drum  192  having circumferentially spaced teeth  200 A- 200 I along its periphery. Any number of teeth may be utilized and the teeth  200 A- 200 I are given as examples. However, the positioning of the teeth is selected to avoid excessive friction. For this purpose, a line parallel to the axle or longitudinal axis  192  of the drum must not pass through chipping surfaces of such a length as to create excessive resistance to rotation during chipping. It must be less than one-third the peripheral surface of the drum along that line. 
         [0096]    Each of the teeth includes a holder portion such as  314 A welded to the peripheral surface or working surface of the grander drum  192  and a tooth portion  316 A. The tooth portions such as  316 A are bolted to the holder portions such as  314 A for ease in replacement when worn or for substitution of different style teeth. The teeth in the preferred embodiment are rectangular with slightly pointed corners but any configuration may be utilized provided they are thick multi-pointed teeth. In this specification, the words, “thick multi-pointed teeth” means that there is no dimension tangential to the circumference of the drum and substantially perpendicular to the radius of the drum which is smaller than ⅛ of an inch except for protruding points. No protruding pointed area extends less than ½ the diameter of the tooth so that there are multi points that chip at the wood, all of which have substantial strength so as not to be easily rendered ineffective by breaking or wearing quickly from excessive pressure exerted by the wood in the manner of knives. The points are connected by curved surfaces. They are intended to be moved more rapidly than knives against the wood portions. 
         [0097]    In  FIG. 24 , there is shown a side view of the chipper  20  showing the motor  196 , the adjustment fixture  202 , the grinder drum  192  and the feed drum  190 . The feed drum  190  and the grinder drum  192  are driven from the output axel  206  by the belts  312  and  318 . 
         [0098]    In  FIG. 25 , there is shown a side view of the chipper  20  having the feed drum  190 , the grinder drum  192  and the motor  196 . As shown in this view, the axel  206  of the motor  196  drives the belt  318  communicating between the axel  206  of the motor  196  and the axel  216  of the feeder drum  190 . Similarly, the drive axle  308  drives the axle  216  of the feeder drum through the belt  312 . The peripheral motion of the grinder drum  192  is substantially greater than that of the feeder drum  190 , because of its larger diameter. It is also possible through gearing or other mechanical advantage devices to make the ratio of the speeds still greater. It is advantageous when utilizing the teeth of this invention to have a high peripheral speed of the teeth against the tree parts that are being reduced in size. 
         [0099]    In  FIG. 26 , there is shown a top view of the chipper  20  showing the inlet  188  through which parts of the tree are fed with the feed motor  190  engaging them and moving them into the teeth of the feed grinder  192 . As shown in this view, tree parts may be easily fed from above such as at a tree trimmer&#39;s station and be ground to be dropped to a container below. 
         [0100]    In  FIG. 27 , there is shown a simplified perspective view of a cart  220  having a top surface or central section of platform  222 , two side actuators  224 A and  224 B, two side sections  225 A and  225 B mounted to be folded over the central section and two front forklift members  230 A and  230 B mounted to be extended through the front and two forklift members  236 A and  236 B mounted to be extended rearwardly and driven by actuators such as  232 A and  232 B shown in the front of the cart. The tractor treads  228 A and  228 B are driven by a forwardly positioned motor  236  under remote control of an operator and steerable by differential speed. With this arrangement, the cart may be relatively narrow to pass into backyards and yet have substantial carrying load because of the extending forks. In this specification, the word “actuator” includes screw driven actuators or hydraulic cylinders or gear driven actuators or their equivalents. 
         [0101]    In  FIG. 28 , there is shown a simplified, fragmentary exploded perspective view of the cart  220  of  FIG. 27  having the left hand tractor tread  228 B, right and left hand side frame members  240 A and  240 B, a center frame member  242 , a right hydraulic drive motor  244 A and a right sprocket wheel  246 A. The right and left frame member  240 A and  240 B are adjustable in the distance between them and each supports a right tread  228 A (shown in  FIG. 27 ) and a left tread  228 B. Hydraulic motors such as the right hydraulic motor  244 A drive sprocket wheels such as the sprocket wheel  246 A to independently move their respective ones of the treads  228 A (shown in  FIG. 27) and 228B . Changes in the speeds between the two may be used to steer the cart  220 . 
         [0102]    To adjust the distance between the treads  228 A and  228 B, the frame member  240 A includes first and second adjustable, telescoping parallelepiped shafts  248  and  250 . Each of the shafts  248   250  is composed of two telescoping parts such as  248 A and  248 B for the shaft  248  and two telescoping parts such as  250 A and  250 B for the shaft  250 . These shafts pass through corresponding support openings  252  and  254  in the center frame  242  and are mounted to the side frame member  240 B. A hydraulic cylinder  256  is mounted at one end to the side frame  240 A and at the other end to the side frame  240 B and may adjust the distance between the treads  228 A and  228 B to permit the cart  220  to move through narrow gates such as a standard garden gate which is  30  inches wide. For this purpose, the treads  228 A and  228 B may be spaced so that their outer distances are only 24 inches and then may be expanded to a much larger width with a top surface the of collapsible platform  222  ( FIG. 27 ) to permit a heavier load to be loaded onto the cart. 
         [0103]    The top surface of platform  222  ( FIG. 27 ) rests on a roller bearing  258  that in turn rests on center frame member  242 . Roller bearings  260 A and  260 B ( 260 B being shown in  FIG. 28 ) are mounted to opposite sides of the center frame  242  by spring assemblies  262 A and  262 B ( 262 B being shown in  FIG. 28 ) by a yoke  264 A and  264 B ( 264 B being shown in  FIG. 28 ). Various cover plates are also used for openings as needed. 
         [0104]    In  FIG. 29 , there is shown a fragmentary side view of the retractable undercarriage for the cart  220  having an engine  266  mounted to drive a pump  268  both of which are mounted to be moved with respect to the top surface or platform  222  (see  FIG. 27 ) by a hydraulic cylinder  270  so that they may be moved forwardly beyond the treads  228 A and  228 B ( FIGS. 27 and 28 ) so that the treads may be moved closer together. 
         [0105]    In  FIG. 30 , there is shown another embodiment of cart  220 A which has the same parts as the cart  220  and are labeled the same except that the top surface or platform  222  includes side members  222 A and  222 B which may be slid telescopically under the platform  222  when the cart is moving through a narrow gate with the treads  228 A and  228 B retracted. In this manner, the cart may be moved through narrow gates when desired. This is an alternative to the embodiment  220  in which actuators are mounted on the sides of the platform  222  to move upwardly so that the cart may move through a narrow gate. 
         [0106]    In  FIG. 31 , there is shown a bottom view of the cart  220  showing the manner in which the hydraulic cylinder  270  may move the engine  266  forwardly beyond the treads  228 A and  228 B to permit the treads  228 A and  228 B to be moved together. By the motion of hydraulic cylinders  256 A and  256 B, a fuel tank  272  may supply fuel through hoses to the engine  266 . 
         [0107]    In  FIG. 32 , there is shown a perspective view of a stump grinder or chipper  274  having a drive motor  276 , a chipper drum or rotatable fragmenting device  278 , a chip removal compartment or particle collector  280  and a chip confinement compartment or housing  282 . The chip confinement compartment or housing  282  mounts the drive motor  276  and a fuel tank  284  as well as a winch mount  286  or other mounting means by which the stump grinder or chipper  274  may be moved into place such as by a crane or any other suitable means to drive the chipper drum  278 , an output shaft  290  communicates through a drive belt  292  with a drive shaft  294  of the chipper drum  278 . The drive shaft  294  also communicates with a blower fan  296  to draw chips or other refuse into the compartment  280 . A vent  298  in the compartment  280  permits the escape of air but is grated to hold the chips within the compartment  280  for removal. A translucent or transparent plastic door or open means  300  may be used to close the compartment  282 . With the door open, the chipper  274  may be moved against a stump laterally or with the door closed may be moved over the top of a stump to grind the stump into chips. The chips will be pulled into the closed compartment  280  which has a bottom section that is fully enclosed unlike the compartment  282  which has an open bottom. With this arrangement, the clean up of chips is substantially reduced after the stump has been reduced to below ground level. 
         [0108]    From the above description it can be understood, that the tree trimming procedure and equipment of this invention has several advantages, such as: (1) they substantially increase the safety of tree trimming; (2) they substantially reduce the time of clean up; (3) they enable relatively easy chipping of limbs and the like or removal of limbs using a crane from inaccessible locations; (4) they reduce the time required to chip limbs by chipping them right from the tree if desired; (5) they permit easy removal of limbs or other tree parts through the use of a cart; and (6) they provides a very flexible system for tree trimming that can accommodate difficult to reach locations, locations where some of the trees may be difficult to reach and others not and readily accessible locations. 
         [0109]    Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in some detail, many modifications and variation in the preferred embodiment are possible without deviating from the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0