Self-propelled, self-steered vehicle for power driven plant trimming tools

摘要

A self-propelled, self-steered vehicle for carrying a source of pressurized fluid to power and operate a plurality of manually controlled trimming tools for trimming plants in a cultivated field. The vehicle may have one of two steering devices. One steering device includes a steering lever connected to a steered wheel carrier. The steering lever includes a cable guiding element which cooperates with a guiding cable passing therethrough to constantly orient the steering lever towards an anchored end of the cable so that the wheeled vehicle automatically follows the entire unwound length of the guiding cable. Another steering device includes feelers extending outwardly of the vehicle to contact fixed objects to cause, by cooperation of the feelers with sprockets, steered wheels of the vehicle to turn away from a fixed object contacted by a feeler. Additionally, pressurized fluid from the pressurized fluid source is passed through moisture trapping baffles fitted in the supporting frame of the vehicle. The moisture content of the pressurized fluid is thereby minimized to avoid the presence of ice in connecting air conduits and freeze up of trimming tools.