Method and apparatus for pruning cordon-trained grape vines
AssigneeUp-Right, Inc.
InventorsDarrell C. Horn, Jeffery N. Fletcher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cordon-trained grape vines are pruned by positioning circular saw blades to form a cutting path of predetermined size and shape above and on both sides of the horizontal trellis wire on which the cordons are trained and by translating the cutting path along the trellis wire while maintaining the size and shape of the cutting path substantially constant, while maintaining the sides of the cutting path centered on the cordons and maintaining the upper part of the cutting path at a desired height above the cordons.
Claims22
The method of spur-pruning a cordon-trained grape vine in which the cordons extending from a vine trunk are trained along a horizontal trellis wire, comprising cutting the spurs along the length of the cordon and at a predetermined and substantially constant distance away from the trellis wire to leave a total number of buds on the pruned spurs of said vine which is substantially equal to a predetermined number.
The method of spur-pruning a row of cordon-trained grape vines in which the trunks of the vines are spaced along said row and adjacent to vertical posts and the cordons of the vines are trained along a horizontal trellis wire supported by said vertical posts, the method comprising:
- positioning cutter elements in spaced relation to each other and in spaced relation to the cordon of one of said vines to form a cutting path above and on both sides of said cordon, said cutting path being substantially continuous and of predetermined configuration as seen looking down the length of said trellis wire,
- translating said cutter elements along the length of the cordons trained on said trellis wire while substantially maintaining the predetermined configuration of said cutting path,
- cutting the spurs of said cordons when and where engaged by said cutter elements,
- said configuration of said cutting path being such as to leave a total number of buds on the pruned spurs of a vine which is substantially equal to a predetermined number.
The method of spur-pruning a row of cordon-trained grape vines in which the trunks of the vines are spaced along said row and adjacent to vertical posts and the cordons of the vines are trained along a horizontal trellis wire supported by said vertical posts, the method comprising:
- positioning six rotary saw blades, in spaced and fixed relation to each other and in spaced relation to the cordon of one of said vines, with two upper saw blades above and two saw blades on each side of said cordon to form a cutting path above and on both sides of said cordon, said cutting path being substantially continuous and of predetermined configuration as seen looking down the length of said trellis wire,
- moving said saw blades along the length of the cordons trained on said trellis while substantially maintaining the predetermined configuration of said cutting path,
- cutting the spurs of said cordons when and where engaged by said saw blades,
- said configuration of said cutting path being such as to leave a total number of buds on the pruned spurs of a vine which is substantially equal to a predetermined number.
Apparatus for spur-pruning a row of cordon-trained grape vines in which the trunks of the vines are spaced apart along said row and the cordons of the vines are trained along a horizontal trellis wire extending the length of the row, said apparatus comprising:
- a wheeled chassis adapted to straddle and move along said row of cordon-trained vines with the longitudinal centerline of said chassis being lengthwise of said row,
- first and second support frames fixed to said chassis on opposite sides of said longitudinal centerline,
- first and second cutter frames disposed between said support frames and on opposite sides of said longitudinal centerline,
- first mounting means mounting said first cutter frame on said first support frame for movement of said first cutter frame towards and away from said longitudinal centerline and at a fixed level relative to said first mounting means,
- second mounting means mounting said second cutter frame on said second support frame for movement of said second cutter frame towards and away from said longitudinal centerline and at a fixed level relative to said second mounting means,
- means for resiliently biasing each of said first and second cutter frames towards said longitudinal centerline,
- first and second opposed and elongated guide skis fixed to said first and second cutter frames, respectively, in parallelism with said longitudinal centerline,
- cutter means mounted on said first and second cutter frames above said guide skis, said cutter means having a first cutter portion with first and second cutter elements mounted on said first and second cutter frames respectively at fixed elevation thereon for cutting spurs of said cordon-trained grape vines along a cutting path extending outwardly from both sides of said longitudinal centerline, said cutter means having a second cutter portion mounted on said first cutter frame for cutting said spurs along a cutting path extending downwardly from the path of said first cutter portion on the side of said longitudinal centerline towards said first support frame, said cutter means having a third cutter portion mounted on said second cutter frame for cutting said spurs along a cutting path extending downwardly from the path of said first cutter portion on the side of said longitudinal centerline towards said second support frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.