Tree harvester

A tree harvester comprising:

• a head boom having a lower free end;
• a tree felling head comprising an elongated post having a longitudinal axis and a platform structure fixedly mounted at one end of said post and extending laterally therefrom;
• said platform structure defining a storage enclosure including a flat bottom wall having a straight front edge and a circumscribing wall upstanding from and around said bottom wall, said circumscribing wall extending at least up to the ends of said straight front edge;
• a rotary cylindrical cutting knife and means solidly mounting said knife on said platform structure immediately adjacent and parallel to said bottom wall front edge outside said storage enclosure, said cylindrical knife having a top longitudinal edge essentially flush with the top face of said bottom wall;
• means pivotally mounting said post on said lower end of said head boom for holding said tree felling head with said rotary cutting knife in essentially horizontal position and applied against one side of a butt end of a tree to be felled;
• first gripping arm means comprising at least one first gripping arm above said storage enclosure and adjacent thereto;
• means mounting one end of said first arm on said tree felling head for pivotal movement of said first arm about an axis parallel to said post longitudinal axis, and first power means for pivoting said first gripping arm along an arc of circle of sufficient length to allow said first arm to close in around the other side of said butt end to the tree to be felled whereby to press said rotary cutting knife against the tree butt end to cut a kerf thereacross and thereafter to move said tree into said storage enclosure in vertical position against said circumscribing wall.
• a tree support fixed to said post above at least part of said circumscribing wall for holding said cut tree in said vertical position;
• and
• second gripping arm means beneath said tree support for releasably holding said felled tree in said storage enclosure while a further tree is being felled,
• wherein said second gripping arm means is independent of said first gripping arm means and comprises:
• a lever, first pivot means mounting said lever on said post for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to said post longitudinal axis;
• second pivot means on said lever, away from said first pivot means, and a power jack connected respectively to said second pivot means and to said post for pivoting said lever about said first pivot means;
• a second gripping arm having a tree gripping end and an operating end;
• a third pivot means on said lever, away from said first and second pivot means and mounting said second gripping arm on said lever between said tree gripping end and said operating end for pivotal movement thereof about an axis parallel to said post longitudinal axis;
• and biassing means joining said lever and said operating end for applying biassing pressure to said felled tree as said lever is pivotally drawn toward said felled tree in said storage enclosure.