LAWN MOWER FOR DIRECTING GRASS CLIPPINGS TO A GRASS CATCHER

• US 20030182914A1
• Filed: 08/26/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Ishimori, Shoso, Yamashita, Nobuyuki, Fujii, Takashi, Umemoto, Hideya, Shibata, Takashi, Komorida, Takeshi, Tada, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,672,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 56/202
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/71 with means for discharging mown material A01D57/26 - A01D57/30 take precedence; combined with means for gathering or loading mown material A01D43/06
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/063 in or into a container carried by the mower; Containers therefor A01D43/077 takes precedence

Abstract

A lawn mower for directing grass clippings to a grass catcher. The lawn mower includes a vehicle body and a mower unit supported by the vehicle body to be vertically movable for varying a height thereof above the ground. The mower unit includes a housing, cutting blades rotatable about vertical shafts, and a grass clippings discharge channel connected to the housing and opening downward for rearwardly directing grass clippings cut by the cutting blades. The lawn mower further includes a grass collecting duct for connecting a discharge opening of the grass clippings discharge channel to the grass catcher, and a receiving plate having a receiving surface for covering the downward opening of the grass clippings discharge channel. The receiving plate is pivotable about a transverse shaft between a grass clippings guiding position in which the receiving surface extends parallel to a flow of grass clippings through the grass clippings discharge channel and a grass clippings removing position in which the receiving surface has a large tilt angle relative to the ground. A swing range limiting mechanism is provided for reducing a swing range of the receiving plate as the mower unit is lowered relative to the ground

Claims

1. A lawn mower for directing grass clippings to a grass catcher, said lawn mower comprising:

a vehicle body;

a mower unit supported by said vehicle body to be vertically movable for varying a height thereof above the ground;

said mower unit including;

a housing;

cutting blades rotatable about vertical shafts; and

a grass clippings discharge channel connected to said housing and opening downward for rearwardly directing grass clippings cut by said cutting blades;

a receiving plate having a receiving surface for covering the downward opening of said grass clippings discharge channel, said receiving plate being pivotable about a transverse shaft between a grass clippings guiding position in which said receiving surface extends parallel to a flow of grass clippings through the grass clippings discharge channel and a grass clippings removing position in which said receiving surface has a large tilt angle relative to the ground;

a control mechanism for swinging said receiving plate;

a swing range limiting mechanism for reducing a swing range of said receiving plate as said mower unit is lowered relative to the ground; and

a grass collecting duct for connecting a discharge opening of said grass clippings discharge channel to said grass catcher.

2. A lawn mower as defined in claim 1, wherein said swing range limiting mechanism is incorporated into said control mechanism.

3. A lawn mower as defined in claim 2, wherein said control mechanism has a control rod linked to said receiving plate, and wherein said swing range limiting mechanism has a contactable member provided in said vehicle body and a contact member provided in said control rod to be placed closer to said contactable member as said mower unit is lowered relative to the ground.

4. A lawn mower as defined in claim 1, wherein said control mechanism is operable by the driver seated on a driver'"'"'s seat.