Cooling system for liquid-cooled machines
First Claim
1. A lawnmower comprising:
- a chassis;
an operator station on said chassis;
a plurality of ground engaging wheels rotatably mounted on said chassis;
an engine mounted on the chassis and operatively connected to drive said ground engaging wheels, said engine having a muffler through which exhaust gases exit said engine and said engine being cooled by a liquid coolant;
an engine cooling system comprising;
a heat exchanger operatively connected to said engine to receive said liquid coolant from said engine at a first temperature and return said liquid coolant to the engine at a lower temperature;
a fan mounted above the heat exchanger and operable to draw an air flow in a standard upward direction through said heat exchanger, wherein said heat exchanger and fan are oriented in an inclined orientation such that the air flow is directed upward and away from the operator of the lawnmower; and
a generally tubular baffle surrounding the muffler at least partially isolating the engine from heat radiating from the muffler, wherein the baffle is configured such that exhaust gases leaving the muffler causes air to be inducted into the areas between the muffler and the baffle by an aspiration effect created by the exiting exhaust gases.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cooling system for an engine of a lawnmower. The engine has a muffler through which exhaust gases exit the engine and is cooled by a liquid coolant. The cooling system includes a heat exchanger operatively connected to the engine to receive the liquid coolant from the engine at a first temperature and return the liquid coolant to the engine at a lower temperature. A fan mounted above the heat exchanger is operable to draw or pull an air flow in a standard direction upward through the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger and fan are oriented in an inclined orientation such that the air flow is directed upward and away from the operator station of the lawnmower. The cooling system also has a generally tubular baffle surrounding the muffler at least partially isolating the engine from heat radiating from the muffler. The baffle is configured such that exhaust leaving the muffler causes air to be inducted into the areas between the muffler and the baffle by an aspiration effect created by the exiting exhaust gases.
34 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A lawnmower comprising:
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a chassis; an operator station on said chassis; a plurality of ground engaging wheels rotatably mounted on said chassis; an engine mounted on the chassis and operatively connected to drive said ground engaging wheels, said engine having a muffler through which exhaust gases exit said engine and said engine being cooled by a liquid coolant; an engine cooling system comprising; a heat exchanger operatively connected to said engine to receive said liquid coolant from said engine at a first temperature and return said liquid coolant to the engine at a lower temperature; a fan mounted above the heat exchanger and operable to draw an air flow in a standard upward direction through said heat exchanger, wherein said heat exchanger and fan are oriented in an inclined orientation such that the air flow is directed upward and away from the operator of the lawnmower; and a generally tubular baffle surrounding the muffler at least partially isolating the engine from heat radiating from the muffler, wherein the baffle is configured such that exhaust gases leaving the muffler causes air to be inducted into the areas between the muffler and the baffle by an aspiration effect created by the exiting exhaust gases. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for increasing cooling of a lawnmower engine cooling system, the lawnmower comprising a chassis, an operator station on said chassis, an engine mounted on the chassis, the engine cooling system comprising a heat exchanger operatively connected to said engine, a fan mounted above the heat exchanger and operable to draw an air flow in a standard upward direction through said heat exchanger, a generally tubular baffle surrounding the muffler at least partially isolating the engine from heat radiating from the muffler, wherein the baffle is configured such that exhaust gases leaving the muffler cause air to be conducted into the areas between the muffler and the baffle by an aspiration effect created by the exiting exhaust gases, said method comprising the steps of:
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pivot mounting said heat exchanger and fan onto said chassis; orienting said heat exchanger and fan in an inclined position so as to direct said exhaust gases upward and away from said operator station; wherein the pivot mounting step facilitates rotating of said heat exchanger about its pivot axis to provide access to the lower side of the heat exchanger and said engine. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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Specification