Apparatus for aerating turf including positionable transport wheels

• US 9,474,196 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Turfco Manufacturing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Turfco Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: Kinkead, George, Ferguson, Steven, Bondeson, Terrence R., Fiske, Tom, Larson, Roger Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Fbin-Kovcs, rpd
• Application Number:
  US13/282,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20120103641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 172/21, 172/22, 172/42, 172/122, 172/123, 172/540, 172/43, 172/541, 172/662
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 45/02 for aerating
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 45/026 Scarifiers comprising a knife reel actively driven around a substantially horizontal shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 63/166 manually adjustable

Abstract

Tine assemblies (100a, 100b, 104) are secured by a single bolt (126) extending diametrically through each tine (120) located in a cavity (112) of a tine plate (110). An outer tine assembly (104) is connected to a sleeve (116) rotatably mounted on independently rotatable shafts (102) to which inner tine assemblies (100a, 100b) are connected. A tine cover (50) removably closes an opening (40) in the top plate (28) and in which weights (70) are removably received over the tine assemblies (100a, 100b, 104). Transport wheels (134) are moveable by pivoting a stop plate (140) to position an upper pivot axis (150a) of an abutment bar (150) ahead of or behind the stop axis (142) and lower pivot axis (150b). A stop (146) positioned on the stop plate (140) without the use of tools adjusts the depth of the tine assemblies (100a, 100b, 104).

Claims

1. Turf aerator comprising, in combination:

a chassis including front and back plates, with the chassis being movably supported on turf adjacent to the front plate of the chassis;

a handlebar extending from the chassis in a direction away from the front plate;

a motor mounted on the chassis adjacent to the front plate;

a tine assembly rotatably mounted to the chassis about a tine axis adjacent to the back plate, with the tine assembly being driven by the motor;

first and second arms having first and second ends, with the first ends of the first and second arms pivotally mounted about an arm axis to the chassis intermediate the front plate and the tine axis;

first and second transport wheels rotatably mounted about wheel axes to the second ends of the first and second arms, with the wheel axes being spaced from the arm axis;

a stop plate pivotally mounted to the chassis about a stop axis parallel to and spaced from the arm, wheel and tine axes, with the stop plate including a stop connected thereto and moveable therewith; and

an abutment bar pivotally mounted to one of the first and second arms about a lower axis parallel to, spaced from, and intermediate the arm and wheel axes, with the abutment bar being pivotally mounted to the stop plate about an upper axis parallel to, spaced from and intermediate the stop and lower axes;

wherein the stop plate is pivotal between a transport position and an operational position, with the upper axis located intermediate a plane extending through the stop and lower axes and the wheel axes in the transport position, with the plane located intermediate the upper axis and the wheel axes in the operational position, with the stop abutting the abutment bar in the operational position and being spaced from the abutment bar in the transport position.

2. The turf aerator of claim 1 wherein the tine assembly comprises, in combination:

first and second shafts each having an inner end and an outer end, with the first and second shafts being independently rotatable about an axis, with the inner ends located intermediate the outer ends;

first and second inner tine assemblies secured to the first and second shafts adjacent to the inner ends of the first and second shafts, with the first and second inner tine assemblies being rotatable with the first and second shafts;

first and second outer tine assemblies rotatably mounted to the first and second shafts and located intermediate the first and second inner tine assemblies and the outer ends of the first and second shafts; and

third and fourth inner tine assemblies secured to and rotatable with the first and second shafts, with the third inner tine assembly located intermediate the first inner and outer tine assemblies and the fourth tine assembly located intermediate the second inner and outer tine assemblies.

3. The turf aerator of claim 2 wherein the first and second shafts are independently driven at the outer ends outwardly of the first and second outer tine assemblies.

4. The turf aerator of claim 1 wherein the tine assembly comprises, in combination:

a tine plate including a plurality of non-intersecting, generally semi-circular cross section cavities;

a plurality of tubular tines, with each tubular tine received in one of the plurality of cavities; and

a bolt extending diametrically through each tubular tine, extending through the one of the plurality of cavities, and connected to the tine plate;

wherein each tubular tine is in a form of a flat sheet bent into a tubular shape and having abutting edges, with the abutting edges each including a cutout to define a rear opening in the tubular shape, with a through hole extending diametrically through the tubular shape of the tubular tine and generally at 90°

to the abutting edges, with the bolt extending through the through hole, with the plurality of cavities extending along chords spaced from, but parallel to, diameters of the tine plate.

5. The turf aerator of claim 4 further comprising, in combination:

an attachment ring, with each bolt connected to the tine plate.

6. The turf aerator of claim 5 further comprising, in combination:

a shaft, with the attachment ring welded to the shaft, with the tine plate being free of direct attachment to the shaft.

7. The turf aerator of claim 5 further comprising, in combination:

a sleeve adapted to be rotatably mounted on a shaft, with the attachment ring welded to the sleeve, with the tine plate being free of direct attachment to the sleeve.

8. The turf aerator of claim 1 further comprising, in combination:

a removable weight, with the chassis including first and second side plates and a top plate extending between the first and second side plates and between the front and back plates, with the front and back plates extending between the first and second side plates, with the chassis being movably supported on turf adjacent to the front plate of the chassis, with the motor mounted on the top plate adjacent to the front plate, with the tine assembly rotatably mounted to the chassis between the first and second side plates and adjacent to the back plate, an opening formed in the top plate intermediate the first and second side plates, intermediate the front and back walls, intermediate the motor and the back plate, and extending over the tine assembly; and

a tine cover removably secured to the chassis and closing the opening in the top plate, with the tine cover including a cavity slideably receiving the removable weight, with the removable weight received in the cavity extending over the tine assembly intermediate the first and second side plates.

9. The turf aerator of claim 8 wherein the tine cover includes a back sheet, a top sheet extending from the back sheet, and first and second side sheets extending from the back sheet and the top sheet, with the first and second side sheets located outwardly of and extending over the first and second sides, with the tine cover being removably secured to the chassis by fasteners extending between the first and second side sheets and the first and second side plates, wherein the opening is spaced from the first and second side plates and from the front and back walls;

wherein the back, top, and side sheets extend perpendicular to each other;

wherein the tine cover includes a front sheet including a first section extending at an obtuse angle from the top sheet and generally perpendicular to the first and second side sheets;

wherein the front sheet includes a second section extending from the first section, generally perpendicular to the first and second side sheets, and parallel to and spaced from the back sheet, with the first and second side sheets having seven edges including edges interconnected to the back and top sheets and the first and second sections, a front edge extending at obtuse angle from the interconnection of the second section and the first and second side sheets to a bottom edge spaced from and parallel to the top sheet, and a back edge extending at an obtuse angle from the interconnection of the back sheet and the first and second side sheets to the bottom edge.

10. The turf aerator of claim 9 wherein an entrance to the cavity is located in one of the first and second side sheets of the cover.

11. The turf aerator of claim 9 wherein an entrance to the cavity is located in the back sheet.

12. The turf aerator of claim 1 wherein the stop is removably connected to the stop plate without the use of tools between first and second positions, with an extent of the upper axis from the plane being different when the stop abuts with the abutment bar in the first and second locations.

13. The turf aerator of claim 12 further comprising, in combination:

a lift tube pivotally mounted to the stop plate; and

a lift handle pivotally mounted to the handlebar, with the lift tube pivotally mounted to the lift handle spaced from the handlebar and the stop plate.

14. The turf aerator of claim 1 further comprising, in combination:

a lift tube having a lower end pivotally mounted to the stop plate about a lift axis spaced from and parallel to the upper and stop axes, with the lift axis being intermediate the stop and the stop axis.

15. The turf aerator of claim 14 wherein the stop plate is generally isosceles triangular shaped, having upper, lower and front apexes, with the stop axis located at the upper apex, with the stop located at the lower apex, and with the upper axis located at the front apex.

16. The turf aerator of claim 15 wherein the stop plate includes first and second threaded apertures at the lower apex, and wherein the stop is removably connected to and moveable with the stop plate by being threadably received in one of the first and second threaded apertures.

17. The turf aerator of claim 16 further comprising, in combination:

a lift handle pivotally mounted to the handlebar, with the lift tube pivotally mounted to the lift handle spaced from the handlebar and the stop plate.