Self-propelled climbing apparatus for stripping, trimming and coating palm trees

A self-propelled climbing apparatus for climbing a trunk of a tree and performing a maintenance operation on said tree, said climbing apparatus comprising:

• a climbing section having a main support frame and one or more climbing mechanisms attached to said main support frame, said main support frame defining an interior space and having two or more support sections comprising at least a first support section and a second support section, said first support section and second support section configured to separate so as to receive said trunk in said interior space, each of said one or more climbing mechanisms comprising a drive mechanism operatively connected to an upper drive assembly and a lower drive assembly, each of said upper drive assembly and said lower drive assembly having one or more upper wheels configured to rotatably engage said trunk to move said climbing apparatus up or down said trunk;
• and
• a maintenance section having a head support frame attached to said climbing section, said maintenance section configured to perform said maintenance operation on said tree, wherein said maintenance section is a cutting head having one or more cutting mechanisms attached to said head support frame, each of said cutting mechanisms are pivotally attached to upper end of a cutting support arm, each of said cutting support arms extending generally upwardly from said head support frame and into said interior space so as to dispose said cutting mechanism near or against said trunk, a lower end of each of said cutting support arms is pivotally attached to said head support frame.

A self-propelled climbing apparatus for climbing a trunk of a tree and performing a maintenance operation on said tree, said climbing apparatus comprising:

• a climbing section having a main support frame and one or more climbing mechanisms attached to said main support frame, said main support frame defining an interior space and having two or more support sections comprising at least a first support section and a second support section, said first support section and second support section configured to separate so as to receive said trunk in said interior space, each of said one or more climbing mechanisms comprising a drive mechanism operatively connected to an upper drive assembly and a lower drive assembly, said upper drive assembly having one or more upper wheels rotatably supported above said main support frame by one or more upper arms, said lower drive assembly having one or more lower wheels rotatably supported below said main support frame by one or more lower arms, each of said upper wheels and said lower wheels configured to rotatably engage said trunk to move said climbing apparatus up or down said trunk, said climbing mechanism further comprising means for biasing each of said upper wheels and said lower wheels toward said interior space and against said trunk so as to maintain engagement of said upper wheels and said lower wheels against said trunk while said climbing apparatus is climbing or descending said trunk;
• a head support rail attached to said main support frame by a plurality of head support members;
• and
• a maintenance section configured to perform said maintenance operation on said tree, said maintenance section having a head support frame attached to said climbing section, means for rotatably and detachably mounting said head support frame to said head support rail and means for rotating said head support frame relative to said climbing section, said mounting means comprising one or more head clamping mechanisms having a clamp and a clamping roller and said rotating means comprising a rotating motor, one or more drive rollers and one or more upper rail rollers.