Clark Equipment Compnay

Eugene James Kielb

Larry E Albright

Joseph M Mather

Lonnie D Hoechst

Carman P Lynnes

A front end loader in the form of a skid-steer loader which includes a power operated working implement and control apparatus that has a plurality of operative positions for supplying power to the working implement and at least one neutral position where power cannot be supplied to the working implement. The control apparatus is capable of being manipulated by the operator of the loader to place the control apparatus in any one of the selected operative positions or the neutral position. An operator restraint member is mounted on the skid-steer loader and has an engaged position for securing the operator to the operator position during operation of the loader and a disengaged position to permit the operator to enter or leave the loader. A locking member is engaged with the control apparatus when the restraint member is in its disengaged position and is disengaged from the control apparatus when the restraint member is in its engaged position.

Loader operator restraint system

An accumulating mechanism is provided for use in conjunction with a shear mechanism used in forestry applications. A tree harvesting apparatus employs a shear mechanism to cut the trees, a grapple mechanism to hold the trees while they are being cut, and an accumulator mechanism to accumulate several trees before depositing a load thereof. The accumulator mechanism of the present invention comprises an elongated base portion having a forward edge thereof aligned with a rear edge of the shear blade as well as the rear edge of the grapple mechanism. Pivotally mounted on the base portion of the accumulator mechanism is a holding arm which is pivoted forwardly to grasp cut trees and hold them in place as the harvesting machine moves from place to place to cut subsequent trees. The holding arm has a curved inner surface and is engageable with a forward projection of the accumulator base to retain trees in the space provided therebetween. The outer surface of the holding arm is concentric with the pivot axis of the accumulator mechanism to readily enable the holding arm to be extracted from between a newly cut tree and the group of trees already accumulated. The arm is then closed to encompass both the newly cut tree and the trees already accumulated. A hydraulic cylinder is disposed between the base of the accumulator mechanism and the holding arm to extend and retract the holding arm during the accumulation process.

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Spokane, WA, United States of America

Eugene James Kielb