Rotary cutter for a road planer

An improved rotary cutter for a road planer especially suited for cutting paved surfaces of asphalt, concrete, or the like, comprising:

• a cylindrical drum adapted for suspension under a surface engaging vehicle on a generally horizontal axis of rotation, said drum having a plurality of flat areas arranged in a pre-selected pattern on its cylindrical surface;
• a plurality of bit holders mounted on the drum in the respective flat areas, each of the holders having a main body with a tapered socket extending through the body along an axis generally tangential to the drum surface, each holder further having a flat surface for registration against the flat area on the drum to properly align the axis of the socket;
• and
• a plurality of cutter bits each having a cutting tip and a tapered shank adapted to be seated snugly in the socket of a bit holder such that the cutting tip will be spaced radially outward of the bit holder and the cutting action of the rotary cutter will force the respective cutter bits more tightly into the corresponding bit holders.

An improved rotary cutter for a road planer especially suited for cutting paved surfaces, comprising:

• a cylindrical drum adapted for suspension from the road planer on a generally horizontal axis of rotation;
• a plurality of bit holders arranged on the periphery of the drum according to a pre-selected pattern, each of the holders having a continuous socket extending through the holder along an axis spaced outwardly from and generally tangential with the drum surface;
• and
• a plurality of cutter bits, each having a body including a cutting tip and a shoulderless tapered shank extending from the body opposite the cutting tip, said shank being adapted to fit in and through the socket in a bit holder such that the tapered shank will seat against the holder aligned generally parallel to the tangent of the drum surface and be held therein without any positive locking means.