An apparatus for cutting and/or handling material to be cut, in particular trees, having a pivotable boom arm to which a gripping or cutting head is attached. The boom arm includes a rotatable crane pillar, a first boom pivotably mounted on the rotatable crane pillar about a first pivot axis, a second boom pivotably mounted on the first boom about a second pivot axis. The gripping or cutting head is pivotably mounted on the second boom about a third pivot axis, and a controllable pivoting device is provided, by which the gripping or cutting head can be pivoted about the third pivot axis from a folded-out working position, in which the gripping or cutting head is mounted in front of the second boom, into a folded-in storage position, in which the gripping or cutting head is arranged to the side of the second boom.

Video sharing is an important part of information exchanging between people in business and in daily personal life. Video sharing between two or more user devices through a server on the Internet usually will consume tremendous network bandwidth. With the supporting of posting and un-posting operations and the dynamic workspace technology introduced in this invention, a server here can centrally coordinate the dynamic secure video sharing between two or more devices while avoiding itself being a bottleneck for the video sharing.

A tower for a material handler includes a housing surrounding an interior space. The tower has an interior mounting system including a base plate through which a plurality of interior mount openings pass. The interior mount openings are located at positions of the base plate that are interior of the housing. In some embodiments, the tower is part of a material handler that also includes two stabilizers located on opposite sides of the tower, a platform located above the tower, and a boom projecting away from the platform.

A system and method of positioning a grapple of a skidder based on ground conditions and felled timber characteristics, or other material characteristics, such as conduit characteristics for pipe, being moved by the skidder. The vehicle includes a level sensor to determine slope of the vehicle based on ground slope and a traction device to determine a slip condition of the vehicle. Level sensors can include a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a pitch/roll/yaw sensor. The grapple assembly is automatically positioned based on the vehicle slope, the slip condition, and the weight and/or the length of the felled timber being collected by the grapple.

A work machine extending in a fore-aft direction includes a frame, a ground-engaging mechanism, a boom assembly to the frame, and a traction assist apparatus. The ground-engaging mechanism is configured to support the frame on a surface. The traction assist apparatus is coupled to the boom assembly. The traction assist apparatus has an attachment point for securing a tether.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a utility pole rotation apparatus and a position control method that can reduce not only the number of workers for adjusting an orientation of a scaffold bolt (an orientation of a side surface of the utility pole) but also the number of workers for stopping swinging of the utility pole, which cannot be simultaneously reduced in the related art.

The utility pole rotation apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a gripping portion that grips a utility pole, and a roller having a cylindrical shape that contacts the utility pole at an inner side of the gripping portion and rotates the utility pole with a longitudinal direction serving as an axis due to rotation of the roller.

A grappler overload protection system uses a load-measuring device to provide a first load indication for preventing the grappler from bearing an unsafe load when the first load indication exceeds a first limit. A grappler overload protection method determines a spread of grappler arms based on information from a first sensor, determines an expected weight of the load based on the spread of the grappler arms, and compares the expected weight to a first limit for preventing the grappler from bearing an unsafe load. The method may optionally determine an angle of a boom supporting the grappler for determining an expected torque on the boom based on the boom angle and the expected weight of the load. The method may take preventative measures to prevent the grappler from bearing the load when the expected weight exceeds the first limit or when the expected torque exceeds a second limit.

A device for securing logs from harvested timber to a transport vehicle, or logging truck, using log wrappers. The log wrapper securement device can be located in the inspection cavity of a forestry grapple. The forestry grapple is attached to a log loader. The log wrapper securement device includes a base plate sized and shaped to replace the inspection plate covering the inspection cavity. The base plate includes a slot sized and shaped to receive a portion of a chain end link or other chain links of the log wrapper, which can be inserted manually. The loader operator can remotely control the actuator to secure the chain link and release it, once the log wrapper is positioned over the other side of the logging truck. The log wrapper securement device can potentially reduce injuries and save lives.

A skyline log conveying system having a skyline for extending between two elevated supports, one at or above a landing at which logs are deposited and another at a lower position at least as low as an area from which logs are to be moved. A carriage is rollably mounted to the skyline. A grapple is suspended from the carriage, the grapple having closed and opened positions for grasping and releasing logs. A hydraulic pump is mounted to the carriage. A rotatable member is driven by the skyline with the rolling of the carriage on the skyline for driving the hydraulic pump to generate hydraulic pressure. At least one accumulator is in hydraulic communication with the hydraulic pump, the at least one accumulator capable of storing pressure when hydraulic pressure is transmitted to it by the hydraulic pump. A hydraulic ram is hydraulically interconnected with the at least one accumulator and mounted to the grapple to selectively close the grapple to facilitate the grasping of logs.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a safe device with which, by forcibly braking the rotation of a grapple by means of an external force, it is possible even for an unskilled operator to bring the rotation to a halt and further to prevent accidents due to such rotation. Another purpose of the present invention is to provide such a device at lower cost. According to the present invention, a grapple has a lower frame that has claws for gripping timber and an upper frame that rotatably holds the lower frame, and is provided with a rotation braking means that applies a brake on the rotation of the lower frame.