Tree Relocation Platform Using Tubular Pipes and Slotted Beams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large trees pose a challenge during relocation due to their size and weight, requiring specialized care to preserve the rootball and prevent damage, as existing machinery has size and weight limitations and often damages the root system responsible for the tree's feeding and watering.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the excavation of soil on both sides of the rootball, driving tubular pipes through the rootball, and securing them with slotted beams and lacing members to create a stable platform for minimal damage during transport, utilizing known equipment like hydraulic cylinders and heavy machinery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If truck-mounted machines with deployable spades are used to move trees, then trees of moderate size can be relocated, but these machines have size and weight limitations that prevent moving very large trees exceeding one million pounds
Solution Approach 1:
The platform is segmented into multiple components including tubular pipes driven through the rootball, slotted beams positioned at opposite ends, and cross members spanning the slots. This segmentation allows the system to handle extremely heavy trees by distributing the load across multiple structural elements rather than requiring a single complex machine
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary platform structure that sits between the tree rootball and the ground/machinery. This platform with tubular pipes extending through the rootball serves as a mediator that transfers and distributes the enormous weight of million-pound trees, enabling relocation without requiring specialized high-capacity machinery
2Reliability
If large amounts of soil including several feet below ground are moved with the rootball, then the tree can be relocated, but the root system within the first 3 feet of soil that is responsible for feeding and watering the tree may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
Excavation sites are prepared in advance at both ends of the rootball before the tree is moved. Tubular pipes are driven through the rootball and slotted beams are positioned at the excavation sites beforehand, creating a ready-made support structure that protects the root system during the relocation process
Solution Approach 2:
The platform structure with tubular pipes and slotted beams serves as a cushioning system positioned beforehand to protect the rootball. The pipes extend through the rootball and the beams provide a supportive framework that prevents damage to the critical root system within the first 3 feet of soil during movement
3Weight of moving object
If a platform structure with tubular pipes and slotted beams is assembled to support the rootball, then trees exceeding one million pounds can be moved with minimal rootball damage, but the assembly process requires multiple components and steps
Solution Approach 1:
The platform is divided into separable components: tubular pipes that can be driven individually through the rootball, slotted beams that can be positioned at excavation sites, and cross members that span the slots. This segmentation allows for easier assembly and adjustment while maintaining the ability to support extremely heavy trees
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular pipes serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, extend through the rootball to connect the slotted beams, and act as guides for the cross members. The slotted beams similarly serve multiple purposes including supporting the pipes, providing a mounting surface for cross members, and distributing loads. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed
Data Source
AI summary
A method of removing a tree and rootball includes the steps of excavating around the rootball, driving a plurality of pipes through a lower portion of the rootball to expose first ends on one side of the rootball and second ends on the other side of the rootball, disposing a first slotted beam across the topsides of the first ends of the plurality of pipes, disposing a second slotted beam across the topsides of the second ends of the plurality of pipes, interlacing a first lacing member with the first ends of the plurality of pipes and a first plurality of cross members, interlacing a second lacing member with the second ends of the plurality of pipes and a second plurality of cross members, and pulling the first and second lacing members taut to secure the first and second slotted beams to the pipes to create a platform.