US 4,289,177 AGranted

Tree processing apparatus

AssigneeEaton Corporation

InventorsHoward A. Hammond, Paul H. Whitcomb

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Abstract

An apparatus (10) for processing trees includes a hollow boom structure (12), a processing head (14) mounted for movement along the boom and an actuating cylinder assembly (38) which is mounted inside the boom structure. The cylinder includes a body member (50) and support means (52) engageable with the inside of the boom which support the body member for linear movement along the boom. A reeved cable system interconnects the actuating cylinder assembly with the processing head such that the actuating cylinder and the processing head move in opposite directions along the boom when the actuating cylinder is pressurized. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the cylinder assembly includes opposed piston assemblies (40, 42) and means associated with the piston rod (54) of one piston assembly (40) for selectively transferring hydraulic fluid from a source to the head ends of both piston assemblies and to a central chamber (60) defined between the piston assemblies.

Claims9

Dependent claims

Apparatus for processing trees comprising an elongated boom, a processing head movable along said boom and operable to delimb a tree disposed adjacent said boom and parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, and drive means mounted on said boom for moving said processing head along the boom;

said drive means comprising a hydraulic cylinder disposed along the longitudinal axis of the boom and having first and second end members movable toward and away from one another when hydraulic pressure is applied to said cylinder, means supporting said cylinder for linear movement along said boom, sheave means mounted for rotation on said first end member;
means attaching said second end member to said boom;
and cable drive means interconnecting said processing head and said cylinder including cable means attached to said processing head and reeved over said sheave means to move said processing head along said boom in response to relative movement between said first and second end members, said cable drive means being arranged relative to said cylinder and said processing head so that the cylinder and the processing head move in opposite directions along said boom when hydraulic pressure is applied to said cylinder, whereby the effective center of gravity of the boom including the cylinder and the processing head is maintained in a substantially constant location along the boom.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.