SELF-PROPELLED ROTARY LAWN MOWER

• US 3,855,763 A
• Filed: 02/11/1974
• Issued: 12/24/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David C. Mcelroy, Frederick W. Smith, Lester H. Seifert, Raymond P. Powers, Roy P. Dunton, Stanley E. Thorwaldsen, William M. Schmidt
• Original Assignee: David C. Mcelroy, Frederick W. Smith, Lester H. Seifert, Raymond P. Powers, Roy P. Dunton, Stanley E. Thorwaldsen, William M. Schmidt
• Inventors: Seifert, Lester H., Powers, Raymond P., Schmidt, William M., Thorwaldsen, Stanley E., McElroy, David C., Dunton, Roy P., Smith, Frederick W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kinsey, Russell R.
• Application Number:
  US05/441,634
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 56/DIG.18,17.5,11.4,11.5,320.1,320.2 16/111R,111A,112 280/47.37
• US Class Current: 56/320.2
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/63 having cutters rotating about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/824 Handle arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 56/18 Handles

Abstract

A self-propelled rotary lawn mower. The drive shaft of the engine is operably connected through a clutch mechanism to the cutting blade and to a belt drive connected the front wheels to drive the mower across the terrain. By disengaging the clutch through manual action of a cable, the driving connection to both the blade and the wheels is stopped, so that the blade will not rotate when the mower is stationary. The housing of the mower includes inner and outer housing sections with the space between the housing sections defining a chamber. The exhaust gases from the engine are directed into the chamber and are discharged from the chamber adjacent the grass discharge outlet in the housing. Directing the exhaust gases through the internal housing chamber substantially decreases the noise level of the mower. The four wheels of the mower are adapted to be raised and lowered in unison by single lever control to thereby vary the height of the blade above the ground. A handle assembly is utilized which is adapted to fold for storage so that the entire handle is located within the perimeter of the housing to facilitate handling and shipment of the mower.

Claims

1. A folding handle assembly for a rotary lawn mower, said mower including a housing, an engine mounted on the housing, and cutting means located within the housing and operably connected to said engine, said handle assembly including a first handle member pivotally connected to the housing at a first pivot, a second handle member pivotally connected to the housing at a second pivot located forwardly of said first pivot, a third handle member connected to the first handle member at a third pivot spaced above said first and second pivots, and releasable locking means removably interconnecting said second handle member and said third handle member with said first handle member, said locking means located between the housing and said third pivot, release of said locking means enabling the first and second handle member to be pivoted from an extended operating position to a folded position within the perimeter of the housing.

2. The handle assembly of claim 1, and including a pair of first handle members each connected to the housing at a first pivot, a pair of second handle members each connected to the housing at a second pivot and a pair of third handle members each connected to the respective first handle members at a third pivot, said third handle members being connected together at their outer extremities.

3. The handle assembly of claim 1, wherein the first pivot is located at a level above said second pivot, and said releasable locking means is located in a vertical plane forwardly in the direction of mower travel from a vertical plane passing through said third pivot, and said locking means is located in a vertical plane to the rear of a vertical plane passing through said first pivot.