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US 2002/0162252 A1Published application
Trenching equipment
OwnerGordon MacDonel Fergusson, Keith Alexander Fergussoninventors
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OwnerGordon MacDonel Fergusson, Keith Alexander Fergussoninventors
Estimating the term…
A hand-held, self-contained motor-driven trenching device (100) for cutting a slit or trench within a substrate is based on a chain-saw motor unit together with a purpose-built attachment. An unmodified chain-saw drive unit provides both motive force and a holder, although purpose-built units may employ other forms of motive power. A chain-driven reduction drive matches the chain-saw drive sprocket (101) speed to a suitable toothed digging chain cutting speed; the reduction drive being coupled to a sprocket wheel (102) aligned at one end of a sturdy, hardened steel blade (106) over which a heavy roller chain (200) bearing soil-cutting teeth (203) is pulled. The resulting trench is about 30-35 mm wide, up to 1 metre deep, and of indefinite length. The invention provides an optimised solution to a need for burying narrow cables, fibre-optic conduits, water pipes, and the like well into the ground.
A hand-held, self-contained motor-driven trenching device for cutting a slit within a substrate, characterised in that the trenching device includes a driven digging chain in the form of an endless loop, having attached teeth, the chain surrounding an outwardly and downwardly protruding cutting beam and being capable of being pulled along a side of the cutting beam by means of a driven rotatable chain engagement means, and wherein the cutting beam is placed substantially in line with the centre of mass of the trenching device, so that the weight of the trenching device falls evenly on the cutting beam when in use for cutting a trench in the substrate, and so that in use a person operating the motor-driven trenching device does not experience undue sideways pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.