CECIL DOUGLAS GASSIOTT
Pilots at Hwy 165, Timberlake, LA

5613537, Mar 25, 1997

Nov 3, 1995

8/553071

Cecil D. Gassiott - Woodworth LA

B27C 900

144 2412

A stump cutting apparatus which may be mounted on a watercraft such as a barge and includes a rotating cutting drum having multiple cutter blades and driven by at least one hydraulic motor mounted on a boom extending from the barge. In a preferred embodiment the boom is connected to a linkage arm and the rotating drum is rotatably mounted on a pair of cooperating mount plates fixedly spaced by a spacer plate and pivotally attached to the boom and linkage arm to facilitate adjustment of the rotating drum upwardly or downwardly with respect to the extending end of the boom, while maintaining the cutting drum and spacer plate in horizontally parallel relationship. A pair of arm hydraulic cylinders have their cylinder ends attached to mount brackets provided on the respective mount plates and the cylinder pistons connected to a stabilizing arm pivotally attached to the mount plates for stabilizing the cutter blade against a stump or tree during the cutting operation. The stabilizing arm is fitted with a blade for engaging the stump or tree as the cutter blades begin to cut the wood and the blade and stabilizing arm pivot rearwardly against hydraulic pressure in the arm hydraulic cylinders as the cutter blades cut into the stump or tree, thereby stabilizing the rotating cutting drum during the cutting operation.