Rotary-head brush cutters - cutting head with a rotating protective shield

摘要

A work head (20) has a main housing (28) pivotably mountable on a boom (14) of a brush cutting machine. A cutter wheel (64) is rotatably mounted on the housing (28) to rotate about a vertical axis (X). A shroud (38) is pivotably mounted on the housing (28) to pivot about the same axis (X). The shroud (38) substantially surrounds the cutter wheel (64). The inner race (76) of an annular bearing (74) is secured to a bottom wall (36) of the housing (28). The outer race (80) of the bearing (74) is secured to the top wall (40) of the shroud (38). A hydraulic motor (88) mounted on the housing (28) carries a pinion gear (92) that engages teeth (84) on the outer race (80) to pivot the shroud (38). A fixed gripper jaw (46) depends downwardly from the housing (28) adjacent to the shroud (38). An upper jaw (50) is pivotably mounted on the housing (28) to cooperate with the fixed jaw (46) to grip cut brush and other debris.