SAFETY MOWER AND LEAF HARVESTER-MULCHER

• US 3,706,189 A
• Filed: 02/04/1972
• Issued: 12/19/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harry T. Rutherford
• Original Assignee: Harry T. Rutherford
• Inventors: Rutherford, Harry T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kinsey, Russell R.
• Application Number:
  US05/223,680
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 56/320.2,13.4,12.8,13.3,17.5,DIG.18
• US Class Current: 56/13.4
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/005 Mulching means
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/08 with means for cutting up the mown crop , e.g. forage harvesters
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 51/00 Apparatus for gathering together crops spread on the soil, e.g. apples, beets, nuts, potatoes , cotton, cane sugar

Abstract

A combined rotary mower and leaf harvester and mulcher having a special 180* baffle fixed circumferentially around the blade axis to direct airflow for mulching and a deflector plate for upward discharge through a gooseneck chute which exhausts downwardly into a deck-mounted porous collector; co-acting safety features include an unbroken 360* guard skirt in the plane of the blade and a lower plate concealing the tips of the blade except at flange-protected lateral slots which allow full-width cut; height control is adjustable and the front can be raised independently of the rear for leaf cutting by the height control mechanism; a safety adapter for non-collecting mowing is also provided.

Claims

1. In a combination lawnmower and leaf harvester-mulcher having a blade-housing comprising a deck and a skirt depending from the deck, a blade adapted to rotate within the housing about a vertical axis, a motor adapted to rotate the blade, wheels supporting the housing, and a handle attached to the housing, the improvement comprising:

the skirt being continuous around the blade, the deck having an upward facing exhaust aperture at a peripheral portion thereof, an upward deflector plate fixed at an angle above the blade at the exhaust aperture, an exhaust chute fixed above the exhaust aperture, and folding handle structure including a laterally sliding attachment to the deck, means for pivoting the handle forward outboard of the motor, and means for preventing the handle from sliding laterally.

2. A device as recited in claim 1, wherein the laterally sliding attachment and the means for pivoting the handle forward comprise a tubular end of the handle engaging a laterally extended way fixed to the housing.

3. A device as recited in claim 2, wherein the means for preventing the handle from sliding laterally comprises a fork fixed to the housing and extending upward to engage the shank of the handle.

4. A device as recited in claim 3, wherein the handle has telescoping shank portions.

5. In a combination lawnmower and leaf harvester-mulcher having a blade-housing comprising a deck and a skirt depending from the deck, a blade adapted to rotate within the housing about a vertical axis, a motor adapted to rotate the blade, wheels supporting the housing, and a handle attached to the housing, the improvement comprising:

the skirt being continuous around the blade, the deck having an upward facing exhaust aperture at a peripheral portion thereof, an upward deflector plate fixed at an angle above the blade at the exhaust aperture, an exhaust chute fixed above the exhaust aperture, and the wheel support of the housing having means for adjusting the height of the housing including means for tilting the forward end of the housing upward for leaf harvesting, weed cutting and the like.

6. A device as recited in claim 5, wherein housing height adjustment means and the housing tilt means comprises a front axle, a rear axle, link attachment of the wheels to the axles, a tie bar connecting a front wheel link with a rear wheel link, handle and adjustable stop means for simultaneously setting the angular positions of the links with respect to the axles and an alternate-position connections for varying the effective length of the tie bar connection and thereby tilting The housing.