Walk reel mower with electric reel and traction drives

• US 7,328,563 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Original Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Inventors: Gust, Jackie R., Anderson, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): FABIAN-KOVACS, ARPAD
• Application Number:
  US11/478,264
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/68.5, 180/200, 320/107, 320/104, 320/105, 320/106, 320/124, 320/122, 56/119, 56/7, 56/102.G
• US Class Current: 56/11.9
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/47 with motor driven cutters or wheels

Abstract

A walk reel mower has a front mounted reel cutting unit and a rear handle. The operator pushes the handle towards the ground to lift the reel cutting unit off the ground prior to turning the walk reel mower around. When this occurs, the manner in which the reel cutting unit is supported in conjunction with the influence of gravity causes the reel cutting unit to pitch rearwardly relative to the frame of the walk reel mower. This change of orientation is used to close a switch which, in turn, initiates an automatic slow down of the mower to ease the task of turning the mower around. When a turn is completed and the cutting unit is dropped back down into engagement with the ground, the slow down is terminated and the ground speed resumes at whatever predetermined ground speed was previously selected by the operator.

Claims

1. A walk reel mower and trailer, which comprises:

(a) an electrically driven walk reel mower, the walk reel mower being powered by at least one battery carried thereon, wherein the battery has a weight that is sufficiently low to permit the battery to be manually lifted and lowered by an operator into and out of the walk reel mower for manual installation and removal of the battery from the walk reel mower, the battery having a lifting handle or strap to facilitate the manual lifting and lowering of the battery by the operator;

(b) a trailer configured to support and transport the walk reel mower to a job site, the trailer also being configured to support and transport a plurality of replacement batteries thereon in addition to supporting and transporting the walk reel mower, wherein the trailer has at least one station for charging the replacement batteries, wherein the replacement batteries on the trailer and the battery on the walk reel mower are substantially identical to one another with each replacement battery being individually removable and replaceable on the trailer separately from the other replacement batteries by individually lifting and lowering each replacement battery into and out of the trailer using the lifting handle or strap thereon in the same manner that the battery on the walk reel mower is lifted and lowered into and out of the walk reel mower using the lifting handle and strap thereon, and wherein a drained or depleted battery carried on the walk reel mower can be individually replaced with a fully charged replacement battery from the trailer with the replacement batteries being available to the operator at the job site by virtue of being carried on the trailer used to transport the walk reel mower to the job site.

2. The walk reel mower and trailer of claim 1, wherein the trailer includes a plurality of charging stations for individually charging the plurality of replacement batteries, wherein one replacement battery is received in one charging station.

3. The walk reel mower and trailer of claim 1, wherein each charging station includes a separate charger for charging one of the replacement batteries.

4. The walk reel mower and trailer of claim 3, wherein the trailer includes an outlet strip that may be selectively connected to a source of electrical power with the outlet strip having a plurality of electrical outlets, and wherein the chargers are plugged into individual electrical outlets on the outlet strip.

5. The walk reel mower and trailer of claim 4, wherein the outlet strip is located on a front wall of the trailer, and wherein the charging stations are arranged side-by-side across a width of the trailer adjacent the front wall of the trailer and in front of a more rearward storage position of the walk reel mower on the trailer.