LAWN MOWER WITH HYDROSTATIC DRIVE

• US 3,742,685 A
• Filed: 12/29/1971
• Issued: 07/03/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John R. Lian, Simo A.O. Pennila
• Original Assignee: John R. Lian, Simo A.O. Pennila
• Inventors: Lian, John R., Pennila, Simo A. O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Louis G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oliff, J. A.
• Application Number:
  US05/213,389
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 56/6,7,13.6,10.9,11.1,11.4,11.5,11.7,11.8,11.9
• US Class Current: 56/7
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 75/30 Arrangements for trailing two or more mowers

Abstract

A gang lawn mower includes a plurality of reel-type lawn mowers attached to a tractor and a prime mover is mounted in the tractor. One hydrostatic transmission drivingly connects the output of the prime mover to the ground wheels of the tractor to drive the tractor and a second hydrostatic transmission drivingly connects the output of the prime mover to the lawn mower reels. The lawn mower reels are thus driven independently of the speed of the tractor.

Claims

1. In a lawn mower, the combination of a tractor, lawn mower means attached to the tractor, a prime mover on the tractor, the tractor having ground wheels;

a first hydrostatic transmission drivingly connecting said prime mover to drive the ground wheels, a second hydrostatic transmission drivingly connecting said prime mover and the lawn mower means, means for controlling individually the output speed of each hydrostatic transmission, and means connecting said transmissions to said prime mover, the driving speed of the lawn mower means being independent of the speed at which the tractor ground wheels are driven.

2. In a lawn mower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lawn mower means consists of a plurality of reel lawn mower units.

3. In a lawn mower as claimed in claim 2 wherein the transmission driving reels of the lawn mowers can be reversed so that reels can be rotated in reverse direction to power lap the cutting edges of the reels.

4. In a lawn mower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prime mover has an output shaft and both hydrostatic transmissions have their inputs drivingly connected to said prime mover output shaft.

5. In a lawn mower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lawn mower means include a pair of side mowers on opposite sides of the tractor and mounted on a common shaft, and means for drivingly connecting said common shaft to the output of said second hydrostatic transmission.

6. In a lawn mower as claimed in claim 5 wherein said lawn mower means comprise a front mower in front of the tractor with a driven shaft and means drivingly connecting said front mower driven shaft and said side mowers common shaft.

7. In a lawn mower as claimed in claim 6 wherein said drive means comprises a drive chain and sprockets on said shafts.

8. In a lawn mower as claimed in claim 1 and comprising a drive chain drivingly connecting the inputs of said first and second hydrostatic transmissions to the output of said prime mover.