Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
11341SO
Grazing land in the southwest of the Vnited States often has consider-
able amounts of scrub trees and mesquite growing thereon and these scrub trees
and mesquite occasionally must be cleared from the grazing lands in order to
realize full benefit thereof. However, southwest grazing lands are extremely
extensive in area and considerable time must be spent by conventional methods -
to remove scrub trees and mesquite even when the grazing lands are only
sparcely covered by trees and mesquite.
In the past, scrub trees and mesquite have been cleared from grazing
lands through the utilization of root plows, but root plows often disturb
the grass roots and create weed problems requiring reseeding of grass and
the land to lay idle for three or four years. Of course, the grass of the ~
southwest grasslands is allowed to flourish when mesquite and scrub trees can - ;
be eliminated with the result that the grasslands may be used to graze larger
cattle herds.
Accordingly, a need exists for mechanized structure by which mesquite
and scrub trees may be re~oved from large areas of grasslands without adversely
affecting the grass thereon and in a minimum of time and with a minimum of
expenditure of funds.
Although various forms of shrub cutters including large capacity
rotary cutter heads and other devices including some of the general structural
features of the instant invention have been heretofore provided, these scrub
cutters and other structures have not been specifically designed for heavy
duty use in clearing scrub trees and mesquite from grasslands in an efficient
manner. ~xamples of some of the previously known structures referred to above
are disclosed in U.S. patent Nos. 2,197,549, 2,475,716, 3,087,296 and 3,654,750.
A road grader of the type including front steerable wheels and rear
driving wheels as well as a tiltable and vertically adjustable grader blade
frame supported between the front and rear wheels of the grader is provided
and a forwardly shielded rotary cutter head is dependingly journaled from
the blade frame. In addition, a prime mover is supported from the blade frame
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and is drivingly coupled to the rotary head. The shield compriseR a rearwardly
opening hollow and truncated conical shield beneath whose lower marginal edges
pivotally mounted radial blades of the rotary cutter head project. The shield
performs an important function in that scrub trees and mesquite must have the
outer branches thereof lifted upwardly in order to expose the lower portions
of the trunks thereof for cutting. ~ -
The main object of this invention is to provide a scrub tree, brush
and mesquite cutter which may be utilized to rapidly and efficiently clear ~-
grasslands free of brush, scrub trees and mesquite. ~-
Another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately ~`
preceding object, is to provide an apparatus which may utilize a conventional
powered bile frame effectively for the purpose of supporting a rotary cutter
head in an operative manner so as to be capable of cutting brush, scrub trees ~--
and mesquite without adversely affecting the growth of grass on the grasslands
being cleared.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a scrub tree, ~
brush and mesquite cutter which will be capable of traversing rough ground ~-`
surfaces between adjacent sections of grazing land to be cleared.
A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated ;~
herein i8 to provide a brush, scrub tree and mesquite cutter in accordance
with the preceding objects and which will conform to conventional forms of
manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a
device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-
free in operation.
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional form of road
grader which has been modified in accordance with the present invention for
the purpose of cutting brush, scrub trees and mesquite;
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the assemblage illustrated in Fig. l;
Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional
view tsken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3--3 of
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Fig. l;
Figure 4 i9 an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional
view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4--4 of
Fig. 2;
Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken
substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5--5 of Fig. 2;
Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantial-
ly upon the plane indicated by the section line 6--6 of Fig. 2; and
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the rotary cutter head and adjacent
shield and supportive frame portions, the shield being omitted from Figs. 1-4.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10
generally designates a conventional form of road grader including front
steerable wheels 12 and rear driving wheels 14. The grader 10 further includes
a cab enclosure referred to in general by the reference numçral 16 for the
opçrator of the grader 10 and the grader 10 also includes a grader blade
~upport frame referred to in general by the reference numeral 18 from which a
grader blade is generally supported. However, for the purpose of the instant
invention, the grader blade assembly has been removed from the framç 18,
the forward end of the frame 18 being universally supported as at 20 from the
forward end 22 of the main frame 24 of the grader 10 and the rear end portion
of the framç 18 being vertically adjustable as well as selectively inclinable
by lift arm~ 26 and 28 supported from opposite sides of the main framç 24.
The frame 18 includes a transverse frame assembly 30 supported
therefrom upon one side of which a modular power source referred to in general
by the reference numeral 32 is supported. The power source 32 includes an
internal combustion engine 34 having a rotatable output shaft 36 and a right
angle drive transmission 38 is also included in the power source 32 and
includes a rotary input shaft 40 driven from the shaft 36 by means of a drive
shaft assembly 42. The transmission 38 includes a rotary output shaft 44 and
the output shaft 44 drives a journaled vertical power shaft ~!6 including a
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multi-grooved pulley 48 thereon.
The transverse frame assembly 30 journals an upstanding driven shaft
50 from upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 54 supported from the -
assembly 30 and the upper end of the shaft 50 projects above the assembly 30
and includes a multi-grooved pulley 56 mounted thereon. A plurality of
endless belts 58 drivingly couple the pulley 48 to the pulley 56 and the ;
lower end of the shaft 50 projects below the transverse frame assembly 30 in
depending fashion and includes a radially enlarged mounting plate 60 thereon.
A rotary cutter head referred to in general by the reference numeral
62 is provided and includes a circular disc 64 provided with radial buttress-
type reinforcing members 66 on its upper surface. The reinforcing members 66
have a mounting plate 68 mounted atop the radial innermost ends thereof and
the mounting plate 68 is secured to the mounting plate 60 through the utili- ~ ~-
zation of suitable fasteners 70.
The outer periphery of the disc 64 is provided with circumferential- -
ly spaced vertical bores 72 and headed pivot fasteners 74 are secured upwardly
through the bores 72 by threaded nuts 76 and oscillatably support the base ends
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78 of elongated cutter blades 80 including outer free ends 82 from the periphery
of the di6c 64.
The frame 30 include~ downwardly and outwardly divergent brace ~ `
members 84, 86 and 88 supported therefrom and the lower ends of the brace
members 84, 86 and 88 are spaced about the forward half of the circular plan
area of the disc 64. The brace members 84, 86 and 88 support a hollow one-half
generally truncated cone-shaped shield 90 therefrom whose outer surfaces are
downwardly and outwardly inclined and terminate at a generally semi-circular
structural member 92 to which the lower ends of the brace members 84, 86 and
88 are anchored. The lower marginal portion of the shield 90 and the structural
member 92 enclose the forward marginal portions of the disc 64 thereunder and
the free end portion6 82 of the blades 80 project radially outwardly from
beneath the structural member 92.
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In operation, the engine 34 is operated to rotate the rotary head 62
at approximately 400 rpm and the blades 80 weight between 35 and 40 pounds.
Further, the disc 64 is approximately 8 feet in diameter and thus it may be
seen that the inertia of the blades 80 spinning at 400 rpm is considerable.
The blades are effective to cut ground stumps up to 10 inches in diameter and
thus it may be seen ~hat substantially all scrub trees, brush and mesquite may
be cleared through the utilization of the brush cutter comprising the modified
grader 10. The front wheels 12 of the grader have their tread portions
equipped with an armor coating (not shown? to protect the front wheels from
damage due to flying debris. Of course, the frame 18 may be raised and
lowered and also tilted according to the terrain over which the grader 10 is
ving and thus the blades 80 may be maintained close to the ground. It is
again stressed that the provision of the shield 90 is most important in that
it serves to lift the outer limb portions of the scrub trees, brush and
mesquite in order to expose the root portions for cutting by the blades 80.
Further, the shield also serves to protect the lower portions of the drive
train for the rotary head 62.
