Surface cleaning device for carcasses

A surface cleaning device for removing undesirable offals, in particular glands, loose membranes, veins, blood vessels and blood, from the muscles of carcasses and/or hair and bristles from the rind thereof, said device comprising a wheel rotating about an axis during operation and having a plurality of peripherally and axially spaced rigid cleaning fingers, the outer end portions of said cleaning fingers being bent in the direction of rotation with respect to an inner portion of the finger, imparting a suitable engagement angle to an end portion of the finger with an engagement face with respect to the surface to be treated, each finger having a free engagement end provided with cleaning means, such as scraper and grinding means, for removing undesirable offals, each of said cleaning fingers being mounted on the wheel to be freely pivotable about a pivot axis which is parallel with the axis of rotation of the wheel and is spaced from said axis such that when the cleaning finger encounters resistance in its passage over said carcass, the cleaning finger will pivot away from said carcass preventing damage to the carcass;

• and stop means for limiting the pivoting movement of each cleaning finger under the action of centrifugal force, said stop means being so disposed that an outermost active position of the cleaning finger is placed a substantial pivot distance from the pivoted position the cleaning finger would assume in case of unlimited pivot under the action of centrifugal force.