US 6,551,051 B2Granted

Grapple skidder

AssigneeTrans-Gesco Inc.

InventorsPierre Alexandre Perron, Yvan Edgar Lamontagne

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Abstract

A grapple skidder for dragging a bundle of logs or trees from one location to a selected site. The grapple skidder comprises a boom and grapple assembly including a grapple suspended from an arched boom arm pivotally mounted to a linear main boom pivotable between forward and rearward inclined positions. A heel is directly mounted on the underside of the main boom to provide an arresting surface against which the butt ends of the trees abut when the boom and grapple assembly is operated to lift a bundle of trees over another bundle of trees lying on the ground. The arresting surface retains the grasped trees against pivotal movement due to gravitational forces, whereby pivotal movement of the main boom in a direction opposite to that which tend to be induced by the gravitational forces results in the trees being completely lifted off the ground.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A grapple skidder comprising a vehicle, a boom mounted to a rearward end portion of said vehicle, said boom including a main boom and a boom stick articulated to said main boom, a grapple articulately suspended from a distal end of said boom stick for grasping an elongated load, a boom actuator connected on a top side of said main boom, and a heel mounted to a proximal end portion of said main boom on an undersurface thereof opposite said boom actuator, said heel including a stem portion extending from said undersurface of said main boom in a direction transversal to a longitudinal axis of said main boom and an arresting surface at a distal end portion of said stem, said boom being pivotable to a first position to locate said grapple beyond said vehicle for embracing the elongated load at a location comprised between a leading end and the center of gravity thereof, and to a second position for lifting the leading end of the elongated load above a ground surface against said arresting surface to retain the elongated load against pivotal movement due to gravitational forces, whereby further pivotal movement of said boom from said second position thereof in a direction away from said first position results in the elongated load being completely lifted above the ground surface.

A grapple skidder comprising a vehicle, a boom mounted to a rearward end portion of said vehicle, said boom including a main boom and a boom stick, a grapple suspended from a distal end of said boom stick for grasping an elongated load, and a heel mounted to said main boom, said heel including a stem portion projecting from an undersurface of said main boom and an arresting surface at a distal end portion of said stem portion, said arresting surface being configured to engage the load grasped by the grapple and move with the load in response to a movement of said main boom, said boom being pivotable from a first position to locate said grapple beyond said vehicle for embracing the elongated load at a location comprised between a leading end and the center of gravity thereof, to a second position in which the elongated load is completely lifted above a ground surface with the leading end thereof abutting against said arresting surface of said heel, thereby precluding pivotal movement of said grapple and the elongated load relative to said boom due to gravitational forces acting on said elongated load at said center of gravity thereof, wherein said main boom is pivotally mounted at a proximal end thereof to said vehicle, said boom stick being pivotally mounted to said main boom, said grapple being suspended from said boom stick, said main boom being pivotable between forward and rearward inclined positions relative to said vehicle, and wherein said grapple is pivotable to a position wherein said grapple is substantially parallel to said boom stick.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.