Rim driven rotary cutter and tree felling head incorporating the same

A felling head comprising in combination:

• (a) a frame having a grapple mounted thereon and comprising a pair of jaw members, at least one of which is pivotally mounted on the frame for movement toward and away from the other and together providing a grapple jaw which may be selectively opened and closed to respectively receive and grasp a standing tree, power means connected to said movable grapple jaw members selectively to open and close said grapple;
• and
• (b) a severing device mounted on said frame below said grapple for severing a standing tree, said severing device comprising an anvil mounted on said frame, an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and including bearing means for supporting a circular saw, a rim driven circular saw journalled for rotation on said bearing means and having combined gear and cutting teeth around the outer periphery thereof;
• a motor unit mounted on said arm and having a pinion mounted directly thereon, the teeth of said pinion meshing with the teeth on the circular saw for driving the same, both said pinion and saw rotating in a commcn plane.

Apparatus for transversely cutting elongate articles such as trees or the like and particularly standing trees comprising:

• (a) a frame having an anvil thereon;
• (b) an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and having an arcuate portion facing the anvil and a plate projecting from said arcuate portion, said plate having annular bearing means for supporting a circular saw;
• (c) a rim driven circular saw supported on said annular bearing means, pivotal movement of said arm moving said saw towards said anvil for cutting an article disposed between the saw and the anvil and and movable away therefrom to receive another article to be cut, said rim driven saw having combined gear and cutting teeth around the outer periphery thereof projecting in a direction outwardly from the axis of rotation of the saw;
• and
• (d) a motor unit mounted on said arm and having a pinion mounted directly thereon, the teeth of said pinion meshing with the teeth on the circular saw for driving the same, said pinion and said saw being disposed in a common plane.

A felling head comprising in combination:

• (a) a frame having a grapple mounted thereon comprising a pair of jaw members, at least one of which is selectively movable away from and toward the other and together providing a grapple jaw which thus may be selectively open and closed to respectively receive and grasp a standing tree, power means connected to said movable grapple jaw members selectively to open and close said grapple;
• and
• (b) a severing device carried by said frame and located at a position below said grapple for severing a standing tree grasped by the grapple, said severing device being a rim driven cutter comprising:
• a circular saw and a drive pinion rotatable about respective ones of a pair of spaced apart parallel axes, each of said saw and pinion having projections of gear tooth form about the periphery thereof with the teeth of one meshing with those of the other whereby the pinion and saw are in a drive driven relationship, the teeth on said saw each having a cutting edge set back from the normal intersection of the face and the top land of the tooth, a plate carried by a rigid frame and bearing means mounting said circular saw on said plate, said plate having a thickness at least no greater than the kerf generated by the driven member and located within the boundaries of such kerf and wherein said pinion is fabricated from a non-metallic substance, and
• power means drivingly connected to said drive pinion.

A felling head comprising in combination:

• (a) a frame having a grapple mounted thereon and comprising a pair of jaw members, at least one of which is pivotally mounted on the frame for movement toward and away from the other and together providing a grapple jaw which may be selectively opened and closed to respectively receive and grasp a standing tree, power means connected to said movable grapple jaw members selectively to open and close said grapple;
• and
• (b) a severing device mounted on said frame below said grapple for severing a standing tree, said severing device comprising an anvil mounted on said frame, an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and including bearing means for supporting a circular saw, a rim driven circular saw journalled for rotation on said bearing means and having combined gear and cutting teeth around the outer periphery thereof;
• a motor unit mounted on said arm and being drivingly connected to a pinion gear having the teeth thereof meshing with the teeth on the circular saw for driving the same, both said pinion and saw rotating in a common plane.

Apparatus for transversely cutting elongate articles such as trees or the like and particularly standing trees comprising:

• (a) a frame having an anvil thereon;
• (b) an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and having an arcuate portion facing the anvil and a plate projecting from said arcuate portion, said plate having annular bearing means for supporting a circular saw;
• (c) a rim driven circular saw supported on said annular bearing means, pivotal movement of said arm moving said saw towards said anvil for cutting an article disposed between the saw and the anvil and movable away therefrom to receive another article to be cut, said rim driven saw having combined gear and cutting teeth around the outer periphery thereof projecting in a direction outwardly from the axis of rotation of the saw;
• and
• (d) a motor unit mounted on said arm and being drivingly connected to a pinion gear having the teeth thereof meshing with the teeth on the circular saw for driving the same, said pinion and said saw being disposed in a common plane.