JPH0352928B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a pruning machine, and more specifically, it is capable of quickly, lightly and reliably cutting off branches at a considerable height from the base of the tree along the trunk without having to climb the tree. ,
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a branching machine that requires only a small operating force, and in particular improves the flexural strength and vibration damping characteristics of the operating tube, thereby improving operability when cutting down branches at high places.

In the field of forestry, in order to obtain high-quality straight-grained wood with no knots, pruning is performed during the tree growing process, leaving the upper branches and leaves of the tree and knocking off the lower branches.
This pruning operation requires that the branches be completely removed from their bases along the trunk without leaving any stump-like protrusions on the trunk surface. This is because if the protrusions are left, curved annual rings will be formed to cover the protrusions, which will reduce the quality of the wood as a building material.

In traditional pruning work, workers used machetes to knock down branches. However, in this traditional work, in order to completely knock down the branches from the base, as mentioned above, the machete is applied along the trunk to the base of the branches, which is a difficult task that involves climbing up the tree. It is extremely difficult and dangerous to carry out the work while holding the branches, and it is inefficient and extremely tiring for the workers because they have to climb each tree. I was unable to continue working for an extended period of time.

In addition, various types of power-type pruning machines have been developed in the past, which use power to obtain the force for knocking down branches, and representative examples include:
There is a pruning machine described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-23158. This branching machine operates the circular saw along the bark of the tree at the base of the branch, so the periphery of the circular saw is covered in a semicircular arc, and the saw is placed in a plane that is almost the same as one side of the circular saw. The present invention is characterized in that a U-shaped guide member having a guide surface is provided. This pruning machine, as shown in Figure 5 of the above publication,
When the pair of guide portions of the U-shaped guide member are brought into contact with the bark of the tree so as to sandwich the branch to be cut in the vertical direction of the trunk, and the circular saw is moved laterally, the guide surfaces of the guide member are approximately A circular saw with coplanar sides cuts the branch from its base without leaving any knobs.

However, with this type of branch cutting machine, the circular saw cuts the cross section of the branch in the horizontal direction, so if the branch is swayed toward the circular saw side due to wind, etc., it may become connected to the trunk of the branch. Due to the lever action using the part of the tree as a fulcrum, the cut surfaces of the bases of the branches that are facing each other with the circular saw in between press down on the circular saw with great force, stopping the rotation of the circular saw and making it impossible to continue the work. Not only this, but problems often occur where the circular saw gets stuck in the cut after cutting halfway, making it impossible to remove the circular saw.

When cutting off a branch, it is clear that the knife should cut through the branch from top to bottom, as in traditional machete operations, the machete is always swung from top to bottom. It is. Even if you use the machete from below or from the side,
Due to the branch's own weight or lateral sway, it may dig into the cut.

Workers who use the pruning machine shown in the above publication have no choice but to cut the branches from top to bottom because if they use the pruning machine according to the instructions, the circular saw will frequently bite into the cut end of the branch. I have no choice but to use a circular saw to make the cut. In this case, the purpose of the U-shaped guide member, which allows the circular saw to be positioned along the trunk only when the pair of guide portions sandwich the branch to be cut above and below, becomes meaningless. When the circular saw of the branching machine is operated to cut the branch from top to bottom, the pair of guide parts of the guide member will be positioned so as to sandwich the branch from side to side. This is because the surface is cylindrical, so even if you do this, the circular saw will not fit along the surface of the trunk.

In addition, so-called chainsaws are sometimes used as other power machines for pruning, but in this case, as well as traditional machete work, it is necessary to climb the tree with the chainsaw as a tool. However, dissatisfaction remains in terms of overall efficiency.

As I mentioned earlier, the branches of a tree should be cut from the top to the bottom, and the branches will gradually lean downwards due to their own weight, and the cut will widen. It should be reduced so that the knife does not get caught in the cut. Furthermore, in order to perform pruning work more efficiently, it is preferable to perform the work while standing on the ground, rather than climbing onto the tree one by one. Furthermore, in order to be able to knock down branches that are located high above the ground, it is necessary to configure the cutting blade to be guided through a long operating tube. In order to be able to quickly, accurately, and easily guide the blade to the target branch, the operating tube is lightweight, has a small amount of elastic deformation, and has vibration damping so that the blade can be easily guided to the target branch in the operator's hand. Performance requirements include ensuring that vibrations during cutting are not transmitted too much.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and its purpose is to quickly, easily, accurately, and easily remove branches that are located at a considerable height from their roots, while standing on the ground. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pruning machine capable of cutting off branches.

In order to achieve such an objective, the present invention:
The following technical measures have been taken:

That is, the output of the engine supported on the backpack frame is transmitted to a rotating blade attached to the tip of the operating tube via a flexible tube or a transmission shaft inserted through the operating tube, and the rotating blade is moved along the trunk. In a branching machine configured to move in this manner and cut the base of a branch to be cut from top to bottom, an operating tube formed of carbon fiber reinforced resin can be attached to and detached from the flexible tube. In addition to the connection, an auxiliary tube made of carbon fiber reinforced resin that can be interposed between these flexible tubes and the operation tube is prepared, and this operation tube is appropriately interposed between the flexible tube and the operation tube. As a result, the total length of the operating tube is extended.

The branch cutting machine of the present invention basically allows the rotary blade to cut the base of the branch to be cut from top to bottom along the trunk, so the operation of cutting the branch is easy. In the present invention, the engine, which accounts for most of the total weight of the pruning machine, is supported by the shoulder or back of the worker via the backpack frame, so the weight to be supported by the arm is supported by the flexible tube and this. It is an extremely light weight that can be supported for a long time, only the weight of the operating tube or rotary blade connected to it. Therefore, it is possible to operate the rotary blade as described above while holding the operation tube and easily perform the work of cutting the branch. In addition, since the pruning machine of the present invention is designed to perform work while standing on the ground, there is no need to climb up each tree, unlike when performing pruning work using a machete or chainsaw. , work efficiency is very good. Furthermore, the operating tube of the pruning machine of the present invention can be easily extended by adding an auxiliary operating tube.
It can also knock down branches that are quite high up from the ground. Furthermore, since the operating tube and auxiliary operating tube of the pruning machine of the present invention are made of carbon fiber-reinforced resin, they are lighter than those made of materials such as light alloys. , the amount of elastic deformation is small, and the vibration damping properties are extremely excellent. For this reason, even if the auxiliary operation tube is added to the operation tube, it will be quite long, but the tip will not swing out much, making it possible to accurately guide the rotary blade toward branches in high places, especially at their roots. This further improves operability and eliminates unpleasant vibrations that occur during cutting, which are transmitted to the operator's hands.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the entire pruning machine 1 according to the present invention.

The engine 2 for driving this pruning machine 1 is
It is supported by a backpack frame 3 configured to be carried on the worker's back. The backpack frame 3 has a substantially L-shape when viewed from the side, and has a horizontal portion 3a on which the engine 2 is placed and a vertical portion 3b on which the back pad 4 is attached. The engine 2 is supported in the horizontal part 3a so as to be rotatable around a substantially vertical axis, and both upper and lower ends of the shoulder strap 5 are attached to the upper and lower parts of the vertical part 3b. A shoulder pad 6 is attached to this shoulder band 5.

The rotational output of the engine 2 is transmitted through a flexible wire 8 (fourth
The transmission is transmitted to the rotary blade 11 attached to the tip of the operating tube 9 via the rigid transmission shaft 10 inserted into the operating tube 9 connected to the tip of the flexible tube 7. It is designed to rotate. In the present invention, the distal end 7a of the flexible tube 7 and the proximal end 9b of the operating tube 9 are removably connected, and a rigid power transmission shaft 12 is provided between the flexible tube 7 and the operating tube 9. When the auxiliary tube 13 inserted therethrough is connected as an intervening connection, the entire length of the rigid operation tube 9 is extended.

Further, in the present invention, the operation tube 9 and the auxiliary tube 13 extended thereto are particularly formed of carbon fiber reinforced resin. Carbon fiber reinforced resin is carbon fiber obtained by thermally decomposing organic fibers such as rayon at temperatures up to 1800℃, or
It is a resin composite material that uses graphite fibers obtained by heating to a temperature of 2500℃ or higher as a reinforcing material.This carbon fiber reinforced resin is made of approximately 20 to 40% by weight of carbon fibers cut into appropriate lengths. Kneaded in thermosetting resin such as epoxy resin, PBT, ABS resin at a ratio of
There is one in which a cloth material woven from carbon fibers is laminated and blended into the same resin as above. The operation tube 9 in the present invention is manufactured by extruding the former material or by using a known resin molding method such as injection molding.
Can be easily formed. Carbon fiber has twice the strength and six times the rigidity of high-strength steel, so
Carbon fiber-reinforced resin that uses this as a reinforcing material exhibits significantly higher performance in terms of lightness, strength, and elastic modulus, even when compared to metal materials such as light alloys, and also has excellent vibration damping properties. ing. Therefore, the operation tube of the pruning machine of the present invention made of such carbon fiber reinforced resin is extremely light, has little vibration at the tip, and has high performance with extremely little vibration transmitted to the operator's hand. Demonstrate.

Details of the tip of the operating tube 9, which is provided with the rotary blade 11, are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

A gear housing 14 is fixed to the tip of the operating tube 9, and a rotary blade support shaft 15 that is supported almost perpendicularly to the operating tube 9 is inserted into the inside of the gear housing 14. A pair of bevel gears 16 and 17 are used to connect the rigid transmission shaft 10 to the rigid transmission shaft 10 . A rotary blade 11 is attached to the tip of the support shaft 15. In the illustrated example, the transmission shaft 10 and the support shaft 15 are made to be approximately perpendicular to each other, so that the rotary blade 11 is approximately parallel to the operation tube 9. 10
The angle between the rotary blade support shaft 15 and the rotary blade support shaft 15 may be greater than a right angle, for example, 100° to 120°, and the angle between the rotary blade 11 and the operating tube 9 may be 10° to 30°. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, by recessing the central portion of the rotary blade 11 and inserting and holding the support hole 18 formed in this portion into the tip of the support shaft 15, the support shaft 15 The tightening nut 19 to be screwed into the nut 19 is prevented from protruding from the outer surface 11a of the rotary blade 11.

In this example, the following configuration is adopted for the rotary blade 11 support portion at the tip of the operating tube 9, so that the rotary blade can be easily guided to the base of the branch along the trunk. .

That is, the gear housing 14 is located in a plane P that substantially coincides with the outer surface 11a of the rotary blade 11, and is located in the front half of the rotary blade 11 (the upper part of the rotary blade shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). The operating tube 9 is provided with a first guide portion 20 located slightly away from the outer periphery of the rotary blade 11 in the radial direction with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the rotary blade 11 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Below the rotary blade shown in the figure), a second guide portion 21 is provided which is located within a plane P that substantially coincides with the outer surface 11a of the rotary blade 11 and extends in a direction that substantially coincides with the operation tube 9. .

For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first guide portion 20 has a base portion 23a fixed to a flange 22 provided on the gear housing 14, and extends along the side surface of the rotary blade 11 to form a radius. The peripheral edge of the plate-shaped cover 23 extending outward in the direction to the peripheral edge of the rotary blade 11 is biased, and this biased portion functions as an arc-shaped guide portion 20 having a constant width in the radial direction of the rotary blade 11. It's good to do that. In the illustrated example, the arc formed by the first guide portion 20 has a center angle α of 180° divided by 90° to the left and right with respect to the direction of the operating tube 9.
Note that this central angle α may vary slightly from 180°. In addition, in the illustrated example, the cover 23
The radial edge of the ring is greatly hollowed out in a semicircular shape. This is so that even fairly thick branches can be cut without any inconvenience by allowing the branches to escape into this hollowed out area (see Figure 6).

In addition, as the second guide part 21, as clearly shown in FIG.
It can be configured by fixing it to. Note that the second guide member 21 does not need to be plate-shaped as in the illustrated example, and a rod-shaped member may be attached to the operating tube 9. Further, in the illustrated example, the entire surface of the plate material 24 is located within the plane P, but if at least the portion closest to the rotary blade is located within the plane P, the desired function and purpose can be achieved. can be achieved. Rotary blade 1
This is because the portion of the second guide portion that comes into contact with the trunk when the second guide portion 1 is about to cut into the branch only needs to be within the above-mentioned plane P.

In this way, the first guide section 20 and the rotary blade 11
The second guide portion 21 is located in a plane P that is substantially parallel to the operation tube 9 and aligned in the direction of the operation tube 9.

Next, the tip 7a of the flexible tube 7
, the structure of the connecting portion 26 that is detachable from the base end 9b of the operating tube 9 or the base 13b of the auxiliary tube 13, and the structure of the connecting portion 26 that is detachable from the distal end 13a of the auxiliary tube 13 and the proximal end 9a of the operating tube 9. The details of the structure of the connecting portion 27 are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible tube 7
A connecting pipe 28 having a receiving hole 33 that can accommodate and hold the proximal end 9b of the operating tube 9 to be connected is rotatably inserted into the distal end 7a of the connecting pipe 28, and inside the connecting pipe 28, the above-mentioned A wire connector 29 fixed to the tip of the flexible wire 8 inserted through the flexible tube 7 connects to the bearing 3.
0 and is rotatably supported. A spline hole 31 is provided in the axial direction at the tip of the wire connector 29 so that a spline shaft 32 formed at the base of the rigid transmission shaft 10 inside the operation tube 9 to be connected can be fitted and held therein. It's getting old. Thus, when the base end 9b of the operating tube 9 is inserted into the receiving hole 33 of the connecting pipe 28 to connect the flexible tube 7 and the operating tube 9, the flexible wire 8 and the rigid power transmission shaft 10 inside these are also connected to the wire. It is connected via a connector 29.

Note that the base 13 of the auxiliary pipe 13 is connected to the connection pipe 28 for extending the entire length of the operation pipe 9.
b also has the same structure as the base end 9b of the operation tube 9, and when the operation tube 9 is removed from the connection pipe 28 and the base 13b of the auxiliary tube 13 is inserted in its place, it will not move against the flexible tube 7. Auxiliary pipe 1
3 can be connected.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a connecting pipe 35 having a receiving hole 34 capable of receiving and holding the proximal end 9b of the operation tube 9 is fixed to the distal end 13a of the auxiliary tube 13. A shaft connector 37 having a spline hole 36 is fixed to the tip of the rigid transmission shaft 12 which is rotatable inside the connecting pipe 3.
It is located in the receiving hole 34 of No. 5. Thus, when the operation tube 9 is inserted into the receiving hole 34 of the connection pipe 35, the rigid transmission shaft 12 in the auxiliary tube 13 and the rigid transmission shaft 10 in the operation tube 9 are also connected by the connector 37.

Thus, in the pruning machine of the present invention, the base of the operating tube 9 is directly connected to the tip of the flexible tube 7, and the operating tube 9 is connected to the tip of the flexible tube 7 via the auxiliary tube 13 of a predetermined length. By selecting to connect, the entire length of the operating tube from the tip of the flexible tube 7 to the rotary blade 11 can be changed. Note that by increasing the number of auxiliary tubes 13, the operation tube can be further extended.

Next, how to use the pruning machine of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings from FIG. 7 onwards. FIGS. 7 to 9 show members or parts that directly contact trunk A or branch B in the pruning machine according to the present invention,
That is, only the first guide part 20, the rotary blade 11, and the second guide part 21 are shown schematically.

FIG. 7 shows a case in which pruning work is performed with the operating tube 9 in its most upright position. First, as shown by the solid line, the rotary blade 11 is located above the branch B to be cut, and both the first guide part 20 and the second guide part 21 are connected to the trunk A on the side line C including the branch B. make contact with. At this time, the rotary blade 11
The relationship of A to trunk A is determined. That is, the rotary blade 11 does not swing so that its upper or lower part approaches the trunk A, and the rotary blade 11 never inadvertently scratches or damages the bark. At this time, as shown in the figure, if the second guide part 21 is placed against the branch B to be cut, the sliding direction of the operating tube 9 will be determined and guided by the branch B, making the work easier.

Next, move the operating tube 9 in its axial direction (arrow Q direction).
When the operating tube 9 is further slid in the direction of the arrow Q, the rotary blade 11 cuts the base of the branch B from top to bottom as shown by the imaginary line, and when the operating tube 9 is further slid in the direction of the arrow Q, the branch is finally cut completely. disconnect.

FIG. 8 shows that even if the operating tube 9 is tilted further than the state shown in FIG. 7, the branch B can be dropped in exactly the same manner. That is, in this example, since the first guide part 20 is provided over a wide range so as to cover almost the outer periphery of the front half of the rotary blade 11,
Even if the operation tube 9 is tilted considerably as shown in FIG. 8, both the first guide part 20 and the second guide part 21 can be made to contact the trunk A on the side line C that includes the branch to be cut. It is.

FIG. 9 shows that even if the operating tube 9 is tilted in the opposite direction to that shown in FIG. 7 or 8, the branch B can be cut in exactly the same way. As a result, the operator can easily cut branches extending from the front and back sides of a tree by switching hands with the operating tube 9 while standing in a fixed location.
Work efficiency will be extremely improved. Places where such trees are planted are often on fairly steep mountain slopes, but with the pruning machine in this example, you can, for example, move along the mountain side while standing on the contour line passing through the tree. Since you can cut both branches that extend toward the valley side, the work is very easy.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, in the case of a branch located at a relatively low position, the base of the operation tube 9 can be directly connected to the tip of the flexible tube 7 for pruning work, while for branches located at a relatively high position. When cutting, the auxiliary tube 13 can be added between the flexible tube 7 and the operating tube 9 to extend the entire length of the rigid operating tube. It can shoot down branches in a wide range of vertical directions, from low-lying branches to high-lying branches. Furthermore, in the pruning machine of the present invention, the engine, which accounts for most of its total weight, is supported by the shoulder or back of the worker via the backpack frame.
Since only the relatively light operating tube or rotary blade needs to be supported by the arm, the worker can continue working for long periods of time with less fatigue. It is also easy and easy to operate. In addition, since the operating tube and auxiliary tube in the present invention are made of carbon fiber reinforced resin, they exhibit outstanding performance in terms of lightness and rigidity.
It is extremely lightweight and has little deflection at the tip, which further improves operability.
Furthermore, since the vibration damping effect is large, the vibrations generated when the rotary blade cuts the branch will not be transmitted to the operator's hands and cause discomfort.

As a result of the above, the pruning machine of the present invention makes it extremely easy and efficient to carry out the inefficient pruning work that has traditionally been done for a long time, which requires relying on a machete and the skill of the operator who operates it. It can be replaced with other work.

Note that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings, and in particular, the structure of the attachment part of the rotary blade 11 or the structure of the connection part between the flexible tube and the operation tube may be modified using various known structures. Can be adopted.

In addition, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, both the first guide part located in front of the rotary blade and the second guide part located behind the rotary blade are provided, and the cooperative action of these allows the rotary blade to be guided along the trunk. Although the configuration is such that the branch can be completely cut from the base, even if only the first guide part or only the second guide part is attached, it is possible to completely cut the branch from the base. The rotary blade guidance function can be demonstrated.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the invention, FIG.
The overall configuration diagram, FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotary blade mounting part, FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a
5 is a sectional view showing details of the connection between the flexible tube and the operation tube or the auxiliary tube; FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing details of the connection between the auxiliary tube and the operation tube; FIG. Figures 7 to 9 are schematic diagrams for explaining usage and operation;
The figure is an overall view of the pruning machine of the present invention in use before adding an auxiliary pipe, and Figure 11 is an overall view of the pruning machine of the present invention in use after adding an auxiliary pipe. be. 1...Pruning machine, 7...Flexible tube,
9... Operating tube, 10... (rigid) transmission shaft, 11...
...Rotary blade, 13...Auxiliary tube, 26...Connection part (between flexible tube and operation tube), 27...
Connection (between auxiliary pipe and operating pipe).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 The output of the engine supported on the backpack frame is transmitted to the rotating blade attached to the tip of the operating tube via a flexible tube or a transmission shaft inserted through the operating tube, and the rotating blade is rotated along the trunk. In a pruning machine configured to cut the base of a branch to be cut from top to bottom by moving the branch by moving the branch, an operating tube made of carbon fiber reinforced resin is removably connected to the flexible tube. At the same time,
By preparing an auxiliary tube made of carbon fiber reinforced resin that can be interposed between these flexible tubes and the operation tube, and interposing this operation tube as appropriate between the flexible tube and the operation tube, the operation can be carried out. A pruning machine characterized by extending the entire length of the pipe.