WHEEL HEIGHT ADJUSTER FOR WALK-BEHIND MOWER

• US 20100102525A1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Original Assignee: Husqvarna Outdoor Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Fancher, Robert III
• Granted Patent: US 8,069,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/43.170
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/74 Cutting-height adjustment

Abstract

A mower is provided that includes a height-adjuster assembly that adjustably connects the ground engaging wheel to the housing of the mower at an adjustable height from the ground. The height-adjuster assembly includes a bracket fixed to the housing, an arm, a sleeve, a wheel mount, a pin, and a handle. The arm is rotatably mounted relative to the housing and the bracket about a pivot point. The sleeve is fixed to the arm for rotation with the arm relative to the housing and the bracket about the pivot point. A handle overlays the pin and the sleeve. The handle is configured to be grasped by a user for movement along a first direction to move the pin from a first position into a second position. Upon reaching the second position, the handle and the sleeve can be rotated to rotate the ground engaging wheel relative to the housing.

Claims

1. A mower having an adjustable cutting height, the mower including:

a housing;

a cutting assembly operatively located within the housing;

a motor operatively mounted upon the housing for powering the cutting assembly;

a ground engaging wheel;

a height-adjuster assembly for adjustably connecting the ground engaging wheel to the housing for supporting the housing, the associated cutting assembly, and the motor, at an adjustable height from the ground, the height-adjuster assembly including;

a bracket fixed to the housing, wherein the bracket is stationary and the bracket has a plurality of retainer locations;

an arm rotatably mounted relative to the housing and the bracket about a pivot point;

a sleeve fixed to the arm for rotation with the arm relative to the housing and the bracket about the pivot point;

a wheel mount operatively connected to the arm at a first distance from the pivot point;

the ground engaging wheel being operatively mounted thereon, wherein rotational movement of the sleeve about the pivot point rotates the arm to move in an arc and accordingly displaces the wheel mount and the ground engaging wheel for adjustment of position of the ground engaging wheel relative to the housing, wherein the sleeve has a hollow interior extending from a manually operable end portion of the sleeve to a portion of the sleeve directed toward the bracket fixed to the housing;

a pin located within the interior of the sleeve and movable relative to the sleeve in response to manual actuation, the pin having a first position relative to the sleeve in which an end portion of the pin is engaged with one of the plurality of retainer locations on the bracket to prevent movement of the sleeve, the arm, the wheel mount and the ground engaging wheel relative to the housing and the pin has a second position relative to the sleeve in which the end portion of the pin is not engaged with one of the plurality of retainer locations on the bracket to permit rotatable movement of the sleeve, the arm, the wheel mount and the ground engaging wheel relative to the housing;

a handle overlaying the pin and the sleeve at the manually operable end portion wherein the handle is secured to a top portion of the pin, wherein the handle is configured to be grasped by a user for movement along a first direction wherein the movement of the handle along the first direction is configured to provide the manual actuation to move the pin from the first position into the second position where the pin is not received within any of the plurality of retainer locations;

wherein the sleeve is located on a first line that begins at the manually operable end portion and ends at the pivot point; and

wherein the first line is located at an angle relative to a second line that begins at the pivot point and ends at the location of the wheel mount.

2. A mower according to claim 1, wherein the bracket has a top surface and the plurality of retainer locations are located on the top surface of the bracket.

3. A mower according to claim 2, further including a spring mechanism included within the handle wherein the spring mechanism is configured to bias the pin within the interior of the sleeve into the first position to be received within one of the plurality of retainer locations.

4. A mower according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes a first end and a second end;

a flange located at the second end of the sleeve wherein the flange receives a portion of the arm such that the arm is configured to rotatably move about the pivot point as the sleeve rotatably moves about the pivot point.

5. A mower according to claim 1, further including:

a flange located on the arm wherein the flange receives a portion of the sleeve such that the arm is configured to rotatably move about the pivot point as the sleeve rotatably moves about the pivot point.

6. A mower according to claim 1, wherein the handle is secured to the top portion of the pin by engagement of a snap feature located on one of the pin and the handle.

7. A mower having an adjustable cutting height, the mower including:

a housing;

a cutting assembly operatively located within the housing;

a motor operatively mounted upon the housing for powering the cutting assembly;

a ground engaging wheel;

a height-adjuster assembly for adjustably connecting the ground engaging wheel to the housing for supporting the housing, the associated cutting assembly, and the motor, at an adjustable height from the ground, the height-adjuster assembly including;

a bracket fixed to the housing, wherein the bracket is stationary and the bracket has a plurality of retainer locations;

an arm rotatably mounted relative to the housing and the bracket about a pivot point;

a sleeve fixed to the arm for rotation with the arm relative to the housing and the bracket about the pivot point;

a wheel mount operatively connected to the arm at a first distance from the pivot point;

the ground engaging wheel being operatively mounted thereon, wherein rotational movement of the sleeve about the pivot point rotates the arm to move in an arc and accordingly displaces the wheel mount and the ground engaging wheel for adjustment of position of the ground engaging wheel relative to the housing, wherein the sleeve has a hollow interior extending from a manually operable end portion of the sleeve to a portion of the sleeve directed toward the bracket fixed to the housing and the plurality of retainer locations thereon;

a pin located within the interior of the sleeve and movable relative to the sleeve in response to manual actuation, the pin having a first position relative to the sleeve in which an end portion of the pin is engaged with one of the plurality of retainer locations on the bracket to prevent movement of the sleeve, the arm, the wheel mount and the ground engaging wheel relative to the housing and the pin has a second position relative to the sleeve in which the end portion of the pin is not engaged with one of the plurality of retainer locations on the bracket to permit rotatable movement of the sleeve, the arm, the wheel mount and the ground engaging wheel relative to the housing;

a handle overlaying the pin and the sleeve at the manually operable end portion wherein the handle is secured to a top portion of the pin, wherein the handle is configured to be grasped by a user for movement along a first direction wherein the movement of the handle along the first direction is configured to provide the manual actuation to move the pin from the first position into the second position where the pin is not received within any of the plurality of retainer locations;

a spring mechanism included within the handle wherein the spring mechanism is configured to bias the pin within the interior of the sleeve into the first position to be received within one of the plurality of retainer locations;

wherein the sleeve is located on a first line that begins at the manually operable end portion and ends at the pivot point;

wherein the first line is located at an angle relative to a second line that begins at the pivot point and ends at the location of the wheel mount; and

a flange located on the arm wherein the flange receives a portion of the sleeve such that the arm is configured to rotatably move about the pivot point as the sleeve rotatably moves about the pivot point.

8. A mower according to claim 7, wherein the bracket has a top surface and the plurality of retainer locations are located on the top surface of the bracket.

9. A mower according to claim 7, wherein the handle is secured to the top portion of the pin by engagement of a snap feature located on one of the pin and the handle.

10. A method of assembling and adjusting a wheel height adjustment mechanism for a mower including the steps of:

providing a housing for a cutting assembly and a motor mounted upon the housing for powering the cutting assembly;

providing a ground engaging wheel for the housing;

mounting a bracket to the housing;

rotatably mounting an arm relative to the housing and the bracket about a pivot point;

fixing a sleeve to the arm for rotation with the arm relative to the housing and the bracket about the pivot point;

mounting a wheel mount on the arm at a first distance from the pivot point;

inserting a pin biased by a spring mechanism into an interior of the sleeve wherein the pin is configured to move within the interior of the sleeve;

snapping a handle into engagement around the pin;

grasping the handle and moving the handle in a first direction to move the handle and the pin located within the handle from a first position to a second position;

wherein the first position corresponds to an end portion of the pin being received in one of a plurality of retainer locations on the bracket to prevent movement of the sleeve, the arm, the wheel mount, and the ground engaging wheel, and the second position corresponds to the end portion of the pin not being received within any of the plurality of retainer locations on the bracket to permit rotatable movement of the sleeve, the arm, the wheel mount, and the ground engaging wheel;

rotatably moving the sleeve from a first rotatable position to a second rotatable position while the pin is in the second position such that the handle, the sleeve, the pin, the arm, the wheel mount, and the ground engaging wheel can be rotated together to the second rotatable position about the pivot point such that a desired height for the wheel mount and the ground engaging wheel is reached; and

releasing the handle such that the handle moves in a direction opposite the first direction and the pin returns to the first position where the pin is received in one of the plurality of retainer locations on the bracket to secure the wheel mount in the second rotatable position and prevent movement of the sleeve, the arm, the wheel mount, and the ground engaging wheel.