WO2010002349A1

WO2010002349A1 - Loading system for forest machine

Info

Publication number: WO2010002349A1
Application number: PCT/SE2009/050859
Authority: WO
Inventors: Torsten Persson
Original assignee: Torsten Persson
Priority date: 2008-07-02
Filing date: 2009-07-02
Publication date: 2010-01-07
Also published as: SE532642C2; SE0801575L

Abstract

The present invention a mobile loading space for logs, intended to be arranged on a forest machine, said forest machine comprising a loading device having gripping means and a loading assembly arranged at said mobile loading space, wherein said loading assembly is adapted to directly receive from the loading device and retain a log, and is adapted, independently of said loading device, to effect a movement of a said log from a position at the side of said mobile loading space to a position inside said mobile loading space.

Description

LOADING SYSTEM FOR FOREST MACHINE

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a mobile loading space for logs, intended to be arranged on a forest machine, said forest machine comprising a loading device having gripping means and a loading assembly arranged at said mobile loading space for direct loading of felled logs.

STATE OF THE ART

For a long time, there has been an interest in developing systems for efficient loading of timber onto forwarders and trucks. From RU2240239, it is previously known to use an elevator on the side of a truck in order to facilitate the loading of timber. The patent describes a design for loading of long logs onto trailer trucks and comprises a hydraulic lifting device, where a protruding projection is mounted on the side of the truck. One outer end of the log is placed on the projection and its other end is held by the forest machine's loading crane, whereupon the projection lifts the log and dumps it into the truck.

When loading timber directly at the harvesting site, it is by far most common that a harvester harvests the trees, whereupon the logs are placed on the ground and a following forwarder finally carries out the loading and transport. Instead of the harvester-forwarder combination, it can sometimes be advantageous with direct loading of wood in order to, among other things, avoid the step where the timber is placed on the ground before it is collected by the forwarder. Examples of such an existing system is where a combi-machine is provided with a pivotable and tiltable loading space, whereby said loading space can be adjusted in position relative to the harvester of the combi-machine which can load the timber directly after felling and measuring for bucking. However, the pivoting operation requires a certain free space around the load, which is not always the case in forest environments. Furthermore, such a load-carrying truck can never be loaded completely full, since the structure would not be able to support such a weight. Another problem with said method is that the measuring for bucking of the tree trunk to a certain extent must be carried out above the load itself, implying that branches and wood shavings will drop down thereupon and onto the surrounding ground. In addition to the fact that harvesting residues end up on the wood, the system also results in problems with collection and recovery of said residues in the form of branches and tops. Furthermore, the scattered branches and tops will partially obstruct continued transport of the load.

Another final harvesting system with direct loading is described in US2004/0240977 and consists of a driverless harvesting unit which is remotely controlled from a manned, following so called timber carrier in the form of a forwarder. The harvesting unit is operated from the forwarder, which has a pivotable and tiltable loading space, and all wood processing takes place directly thereon. However, the system is associated with both an impaired flexibility and a complicated transportation, since the two machines cannot work separately from each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate, or at least minimize, the above- mentioned problems, and at the same time enable an efficient direct loading of timber in connection with forest harvesting. This is achieved by means of a mobile loading space for logs, intended to be arranged on a forest machine, said forest machine comprising a loading device having gripping means for a log and a loading assembly, arranged at said mobile loading space, comprising holding means for said log, wherein said loading assembly is adapted to directly receive from the loading device and retain a log and is adapted, independently of said loading device, to effect a simultaneous movement of said whole log from a position at the side of said mobile loading space to a position inside said mobile loading space.

The term loading device, which here refers to a harvester head, should be construed broadly and also includes other lifting attachments which comprise some form of gripping means.

The above-mentioned loading assembly comprises means with at least two holding means, placed at a distance from each other in the horizontal direction, which are adapted to receive discharged logs from the loading device and to retain said log at least in the receiving position.

Furthermore, the loading assembly is adapted to be capable of transporting a whole log in the vertical direction, preferably in the form of a parallel displacement. It is understood that said holding means are not restricted only to preventing a log from being dropped, but that they can be regarded also as transport means during vertical movement of a log. Henceforth, the term holding means is used in the text. Due to the loading assembly, which is completely independent of the loading device, it is possible to directly pick up a log discharged from, for example, a harvester head, and to then perform the loading operation into the loading space without using the harvester head itself. In this way, the loading device does not need to participate in the task of loading timber but can instead continue with further tree felling or measuring for bucking, which makes the forestry work more efficient both timewise and economically. The method also implies that a log can be received by the loading assembly at the same height level as it is measured and bucked by the harvester head, so that the harvester head is spared from unnecessary lifting work. The loader preferably accommodates a plurality of logs, which allows many units to be conveyed in the same loading action, and thereby saves energy.

According to another aspect of the invention, one version of the loading assembly comprises an elongated chute mounted on a lifting device which, by being mounted in a pivot housing in the chassis of a forest machine, can be placed on an optional side of the loading space.

Said chute can be denominated as "holding means" in that it receives and retains a discharged log.

The chute is adapted in position to the forest machine's harvester head and receives logs measured for bucking and discharged from the harvester's head until, when fully loaded, it can begin loading. Preferably, said chute should at least be capable of receiving and lifting a load of timber corresponding to a whole tree, meaning that the harvester head completes all processing of a felled tree, including discharge of logs to the loading assembly, before loading takes place. This means that the harvester head can continue with further tree felling directly after measuring and bucking, at the same time as the loading assembly carries out the loading of timber into the loading space.

When the lifting device has raised said chute to a position above the loading space, the chute is turned in such a direction that it dumps/deposits its contents, and can then be lowered again into position for collecting a new load in the form of timber.

The loading step becomes flexible in that the loading assembly in the form of chute can be adapted to the position of the harvester head, and furthermore it is preferably possible to raise said chute to a fixed position above the loading space during transport, so that it does not take up room during the forest machine's travel.

According to a preferred embodiment, the loading assembly is driven by the forest machine's own engine by means of hydraulics, either automatically or manually via control means which can be operated from the operator's cab. Said control means control a lifting device carrying the chute comprised by the loading assembly. In order to adapt the loading assembly to the position of the logs when discharged from a loading device, said loading assembly is preferably hydraulically displaceable back and forth along the load-carrying lifting device, and outward and inward relative to the adjacent loading space.

According to another aspect of the invention, one version of the loading assembly comprises holding means in the form of carriers, which are separately disposed in parallel, and which carriers are coupled to at least one endless transporting means, preferably in the form of a chain conveyor. After receiving the log, the carriers convey the load upward and over into said loading space via the chain conveyor.

All in all, the above-described aspects contribute to an optimized flexibility of the loading assembly and, by means of the invention, the loading of logs becomes a more flexible, efficient and energy-saving process in comparison to hitherto known methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the attached figures in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a complete assembly according to the invention as seen from the side, with a mobile loading space on a forest machine comprising a loading device having a gripping means, and with a loading assembly at the side of said loading space. Fig. 2a shows a forest machine as seen from the side in the process of measuring and bucking a felled tree into logs, and where a loading assembly according to the invention encounters and receives a log discharged from the harvester head.

Fig. 2b shows the method of Fig. 2 as seen from above. Fig. 3a, 3b show a loading space as seen from behind, where a loading assembly according to the invention completes the loading of logs into said loading space from the right-hand and left-hand side, respectively. Fig. 4 shows a loading compartment as seen from behind, where an alternative variant of a loading assembly according to the invention is in the process of completing the loading of logs into said loading space.

Fig. 5 shows a fully loaded mobile loading space in a forest machine in a transport position, where a loading assembly according to the invention is positioned in a position above said loading space.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Fig. 1 shows a loading system according to a preferred embodiment. A mobile loading space 1 on a forest machine 2, here in the form of a compact machine, comprises a loading device 3 having gripping means 4, here in the form of a harvester head comprising a saw 4a for felling, measuring and bucking trees 11, and for moving the resulting timber into said loading space 1. The forest machine has an operator's cab 9 at its front portion, and said mobile loading space 1 at its rear. A loading assembly 5, adapted to complete the loading of logs 12 into the loading space 1, is arranged at the mobile loading space 1.

The loading assembly 5 is mounted via a hydraulic lifting device 5b in a pivot housing 6 in the compact machine's chassis 8 between operator's cab 9 and loading space 1. The above-mentioned lifting device 5b is operated manually or automatically from the operator's cab via control means 13, and is driven by the compact machine's own engine 10.

In the preferred embodiment, the described loading assembly is adapted to a compact machine, whereby is meant a combination machine which is possible to use for digging, loading and forest harvesting. However, the skilled person understands that this does not exclude that the loading assembly is utilized together with other types of forest machines, e.g. a traditional harvester or forwarder.

Figs. 2a and 2b show a compact machine 2 in the process of measuring and bucking a felled tree 11 into logs 12, wherein the loading assembly 5 is positioned in such a way extending in the extension of the harvester's discharge direction and at the corresponding height as the harvester head 4, so that it can directly encounter and support the log which has been discharged from the harvester head 4, and in direct connection to the discharge from the harvester head 4 pick up a discharged and crosscut log. Thereby, the log will be supported by the loading assembly directly after the discharge from the harvester head, which makes it possible to partially avoid undesired breaking forces which otherwise arise in the wood.

By being mounted in a pivot housing 6, the loading assembly 5 can be positioned on an optional side of the loading space. Furthermore, the hydraulic control of the loading assembly enables it to be displaced forward/backward, outward/inward and to be raised or lowered relative to the loading space 1, meaning that the loading assembly can be adapted with great flexibility to the position of the harvester head both in vertical and lateral direction in order to receive discharged logs 12.

For efficient reception of timber, the loading assembly preferably comprises an elongated chute 5 a, extending along the loading space, which after receiving one or several logs is adapted to elevate them to a position above the loading space 1 from which they can be dumped therein.

It is conceivable that said chute 5a is angled upward in certain stages of the tree felling operation in such a way that it encounters and catches a falling tree. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the breaking forces which inevitably arise in the tree trunk when it successively loses its attachment to the ground while being cut. Such a method can lead to an avoidance of the formation of cracks in the wood which can arise during the felling operation.

The above-mentioned chute 5a has a length between 3-12 m, preferably 4-10 m and more preferably 6-7 m, and a width between 0.5-2 m, but more preferably 1-1.5 m. Furthermore, the chute has a cross-section which is concavely shaped with respect to the surface intended to encounter a discharged log, said cross-section having a maximum depth between 30-60 cm, more preferably 40-50 cm. The loading assembly 5 should have a maximum load-carrying capacity of at least 2 tons, but preferably 3 tons.

In a perspective view from behind, Figs. 3a and 3b show a loading assembly 5, here in the form of chute 5 a, which has received a log 12 and carries out loading into an adjacent loading space 1. The assembly comprises a vertical base beam 50, on which a lifting arm 51 is pivotable via a joint 52, and lifting means (not shown, but preferably a hydraulic cylinder). At the other end of the lifting arm 51, the chute 5a is pivotally arranged at a second joint 53, preferably by means of one or several hydraulic pistons (not shown). Here, it is evident that said loading assembly 5 can be displaced outward/inward relative to the loading space since the lifting arm 51 has a variable projecting length, preferably by means of a telescopic arrangement, and is positionable on either side of the loading space. From a position corresponding to the position of the pivot housing in the centre of the forest machine's chassis, said loading assembly 5 can preferably be displaced 1.5 -3 m to the side, via said telescopic arrangement, so that it is placed in parallel with the loading space. Accordingly, within the limits of its lateral reach, the loading assembly can be adapted to loading spaces of varying widths.

After a forest machine 2 with harvester head 4 has felled a tree 11, measuring and bucking of the tree trunk is carried out, preferably while the tree which is to be measured for bucking is kept in a horizontal position by the harvester head 4 at a level between 0.5-1.5 m above the ground level. Sheared off limbs and branches and tops drop in the same spot below the harvester head, whereas the tree trunk is brought through the harvester head by means of feeding wheels until a sufficiently long piece to be cross-cut into a log 12 has been measured, usually 5.5 m. While measuring for bucking, said loading assembly 5 is adapted to the position of the harvester head 4, and is preferably placed in such a way that a discharged log, after distance between 1-1.5 m, is picked up and retained by the holding means of the loading assembly, preferably in the form of said chute 5a. When the loading assembly 5 is fully loaded, the timber is elevated in the vertical direction along the side of said loading space 1.

When said chute 5a is in position for unloading, it is pivoted about an axis 53 at the lifting arm 52 so that the timber logs are rolled/dumped into the loading space 1. Due to the flexibility of the lifting device with respect to lateral positioning, the operator of the compact machine can choose where the timber is to be dumped above the loading compartment, and thereby control the loading progress.

The chute 5a is so dimensioned that it can load more than one log at a time, meaning that the harvester head 4 is free to process and dump all the timber produced from a tree before loading into the loading space 1. The harvester head can continue with further tree felling simultaneously as the loading assembly completes the loading of the timber, which results in considerable time and cost savings in the forestry work. This due to the fact that the most costly unit, i.e. the harvester head, gains free time to work by means of the method. Additionally, by eliminating vertical work with the harvester head 4 and instead letting the loading assembly 5, optimized for loading and lifting, handle said vertical work. When the harvester head 4 is in position once again for bucking a new tree, also the loading assembly 5 is ready again to receive more timber for loading into the loading space 1. By adapting the position of the loading assembly to the harvester head, and even more preferably by also loading more than one log at a time, energy savings are achieved in comparison to when loading, as usually done, by means of the machine's lifting device 3 or with the harvester-forwarder combination. A particularly big advantage is that storage of timber on the ground can be avoided completely by means of the direct loading system according of the invention, at the same time as many sub-operations otherwise required can be eliminated. Thus, by means of the invention, no additional machine in the form of forwarder/loading machine is needed, and the loading operation can be performed in a single step instead of several sub-steps, in combination with the fact that the availability of the harvester head 4 can be drastically increased. Direct loading also results in cleaner timber, since it ideally does not need to touch the ground and scrape up soil and other dirt therefrom, and for the same reason, the occurrence of damaged wood is minimized.

Fig. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the loading assembly, wherein instead of said chute, the side of a loading space has been equipped with a chain conveyor 7 comprising holding means in the form of carriers 7a, said carriers receiving and elevating logs 12 discharged from a harvester head until they roll down into the loading space 1.

It is appreciated that said chain conveyor can comprise one, two, or several chains placed in parallel along the side of the loading space, and that each chain comprises a number of carriers suitable for the purpose. Furthermore, it is appreciated that the dimensions and design of the carriers are adapted to their purpose of being capable of efficient loading of logs.

Fig. 5 shows a compact machine 2 with a fully loaded loading space 1 in a transport position, where said loading assembly 5 is fixed in a position above the loading space while transport is in progress.

The invention is not limited by what has been described above, but can be varied within the scope of the following claims. For example, it is appreciated that the chute of the loading assembly can comprise a cross-section which is rounded, angular or of another shape. Furthermore, it is appreciated that a large variety of different designs fulfilling the function of being capable of receiving/supporting a log-shaped object should be read into the term chute, meaning, inter alia, that "the chute" does not have to consist of a continuous unit, but can consist e.g. of a plurality of U-shaped elements arranged adjacently to, or at a certain distance from, each other, and also that its structure does not have to be solid, but can be open inside and/or be provided with an obstructing, rearward edge or wall.

The skilled person also appreciates that the operation of the different parts comprised in the invention for desired functionality can be achieved with a variety of principles known per se, i.e. not exclusively limited to hydraulics but also by means of e.g. electrical and/or pneumatic driving means, as well as the fact that it is within the scope of the inventive thought that one or several power sources can be arranged at the mobile loading space, i.e. that invention is not restricted to utilizing the power outlet of the harvester.

Furthermore, it is appreciated that said loading assembly 5 certainly is adapted for moving a log 12 in the vertical direction, but that it is not restricted thereto. It is conceivable that a log 12 is received by the loading assembly 5 at such a height that no vertical transport is necessary before dumping said log into the loading space 1.

Claims

1. A mobile loading space for logs, intended to be arranged on a forest machine, said forest machine (2) comprising a loading device (4) having gripping means for a log (12) and a loading assembly (5), arranged at said mobile loading space, comprising holding means (5 a and 7a, respectively) for said log (12), characterized in that said loading assembly (5) is adapted to receive and retain a log (12) directly from the loading device (4), and is adapted, independently of said loading device (4), to effect a simultaneous movement of a whole log (12) from a position at the side of said mobile loading space to a position inside said mobile loading space.

2. The mobile loading space according to claim 1, characterized in that said loading assembly (5) is also adapted to move said whole log (12) in the vertical direction, preferably in the form of a parallel displacement.

3. The mobile loading space according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said loading assembly (5) comprises at least two holding means (5a, 7a) placed at a distance from each other in the horizontal direction, adapted to receive discharged logs (12) from the loading device (4) and to retain said log (12) at least in the receiving position.

4. The mobile loading space according to claim 3, characterized in that said holding means are comprised in a chute (5a) extending along the loading space.

5. The mobile loading space according to claim 4, characterized in that said chute (5a) is mounted in a pivot housing (6) in the compact machine's chassis (8) which enables positioning of said loading assembly on an optional side of the loading space (1).

6. The mobile loading space according to any one of the claims 1-5, characterized in that said loading assembly is hydraulically adjustable/displaceable forward and backward along the loading space (1), and preferably also hydraulically adjustable/displaceable outward and inward relative to the loading space (1)..

7. The mobile loading space according to claim 4, characterized in that said chute (5a) is adapted to pivot substantially in a horizontal plane for dumping logs (12).

8. The mobile loading space according to any one of the claims 1 - 7, characterized in that the distance between the outermost of said holding means (5a, 7a) is between 3-12 m, preferably 4-10 m, and more preferably 6-7 m in length.

9. The mobile loading space according to claim 3, characterized in that said holding/transporting means (7a) are separately arranged in parallel.

10. The mobile loading space according to claim 9, characterized in that said holding/transporting means (7a) are coupled to at least one endless transporting means (7), preferably in the form of a chain conveyor.

11. The mobile loading space according to claim 1-10, characterized in that said loading assembly has a maximum lifting capacity/load-carrying capacity of at least 2 tons, but more preferably 3 tons.

12. A method for a forest machine with a mobile loading space, comprising the steps of: a. measuring and bucking a felled tree (11) in a loading device (4), preferably in the form of a harvester head, arranged on said forest machine (2), in order to produce a log (12); b. discharging the log (12) from the harvester head (4) to a loading assembly (5), arranged at the side of said mobile loading space (1); and c. moving said loading assembly (5) to a position from which the loading assembly can deposit or dump the log (12) into said loading space, wherein said movement preferably includes an elevation, characterized in an intermediate step comprising that the discharge of said log (12), after completed measuring and bucking, takes place directly into said loading assembly (5) without intermediate steps and independently of said loading device (4).