Vertical underground stump grinding apparatus
AssigneeNew River Equipment
InventorJames J. Paumier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vertical underground stump grinding apparatus having an elongated stump grinding tool rotatable about a vertical axis with cutting blades on the surface and a drilling end rotatably mounted on a vehicle such as a hydraulic excavator, skid steer loader, self propelled vehicle, or tow behind trailer which provide adequate power to rotate the tool and directional support to provide vertical movement into the ground adjacent the stump, transverse movement underground toward and in grinding engagement with the sides of the stump and removal by lifting out of the ground after the stump is ground away.
Claims19
A stump grinding apparatus comprising
- (a) a grinding tool support member;
- (b) an elongated grinding tool mounted on said support member for rotation about a generally vertical axis of rotation;
- (c) power means mounted on said support member and connected to said grinding tool for rotating said grinding tool;
- (d) cutting teeth mounted on a stump grinding surface of said grinding tool;
- (e) means to lower said support member and drive said rotating grinding tool into the ground at a position adjacent said stump;
- (f) means to move said support member in a generally horizontal direction toward said stump to urge said rotating grinding tool and said cutting teeth of said stump grinding surface into a side of said stump and throw the debris horizontally underground;
- (g) means to oscillate and curl said support member to move said grinding tool stump grinding surface along the buried surfaces of said stump to grind away said stump;
- and
- (h) means to raise said support member to remove said grinding tool from the ground;
- wherein said support member is mounted on a tow behind trailer.
A method of grinding a tree stump underground with an elongated generally cylindrical rotatable grinding tool having cutting blades on the generally cylindrical stump grinding surface of said tool comprising:
- (a) supporting an upper end of said grinding tool on a support member for rotation about a vertical axis, said support member being mounted on a tow behind trailer,
- (b) rotating said grinding tool by power means connected to an upper end of said grinding tool,
- (c) lowering said grinding tool into the ground at a position adjacent said stump for penetrating the ground to a depth adjacent the roots of said stump,
- (d) moving said grinding tool towards said stump to engage the sides of said stump,
- (e) traversing said grinding tool along the sides of said stump to grind away portions thereof,
- (f) raising said grinding tool out of the ground after the stump is ground away, and
- (g) stopping the rotation of said grinding tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.