Trench apparatus with leveling means
AssigneeIHC Engineering Business Limited
InventorsRalph Manchester, Stephen Wilkinson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides a trenching apparatus and a method of using a trenching apparatus. The trenching apparatus (100) may include a main body portion (10), trench cutting equipment (50) depending from the main body portion, at least two ground contacting units (16) arranged on opposed sides of the main body portion and on which the main body portion is supported, each of the ground contacting units being connected to the main body portion by a respective independently operable suspension assembly (20), the respective suspension assemblies being configured to compensate for unevenness of the ground thereby to maintain the trench cutting equipment in a desired angular orientation with respect to the vertical.
Claims31
A trenching apparatus configured for cutting a trench extending downwardly from a ground surface, the apparatus comprising:
- a main body portion, trench cutting equipment depending from the main body portion,
- at least two ground contacting units arranged on opposed sides of the main body portion and on which the main body portion is supported, each ground contacting unit being connected to the main body portion by a respective independently operable suspension assembly, the respective suspension assemblies being configured to compensate for unevenness of the ground thereby to maintain the trench cutting equipment in a desired angular orientation with respect to the vertical,
- wherein each independent suspension assembly has a pivot center arranged substantially on a plane which longitudinally bisects the trench cutting equipment, said plane being a nominally vertical plane when the trenching apparatus stands on flat horizontal ground.
A method of cutting a trench in a body of ground extending downwardly from the ground surface, the method comprising:
- cutting said trench with a trenching apparatus comprising a main body portion, trench cutting equipment depending from the main body portion, at least two ground contacting units arranged on opposed sides of the main body portion and on which the main body portion is supported, each ground contacting unit being connected to the main body portion by a respective independently operable suspension assembly, the respective suspension assemblies each having a pivot center arranged substantially on a plane which longitudinally bisects the trench cutting equipment, said plane being a nominally vertical plane when the trenching apparatus stands on flat horizontal ground and while cutting said trench, adjusting the respective suspension assemblies to compensate for unevenness of the ground thereby to maintain the trench cutting equipment in a desired angular orientation with respect to the vertical.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.