Power trowels

• US 5,372,452 A
• Filed: 02/24/1993
• Issued: 12/13/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James A. Hodgson
• Original Assignee: James A. Hodgson
• Inventors: Hodgson, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britts, Ramon S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LISEHORA, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US08/022,057
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 404/83, 404/84.05, 404/84.1, 404/84.5, 404/96, 404/97, 404/101, 404/102, 404/118, 404/120, 404/112
• US Class Current: 404/112
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 21/248 used by an operator walking behind the trowel, i.e. walk-behind power trowels

Abstract

An improvement to power trowels having a power unit, a rotatable shaft, a plurality of trowling blades mounted to spider arms, and a shroud for shielding the blades. The blades are formed of spring steel and are fixedly mounted to the spider arms. A throttle control unit is removably mounted to the trowel and may be extendably mounted to an adjustable extendible pole.

Claims

1. An improvement to trowling machines having a power unit, a rotatable shaft extending downward therefrom, a plurality of trowling blades, mounting means for mounting the trowling blades to the rotatable shaft, and a shroud for shielding the blades, the improvement comprising:

the blades being mounted to the mounting means at a selected pitch;

an attachment member fixed to the exterior of the shroud;

a manually operated throttle control including a manual grip and control element and having a short length pole, mounting means on the short pole for removably mounting the short pole to the attachment member on the shroud to control the power unit and to permit guiding the shroud from adjacent the shroud;

a power unit control coupled to the control element to control the power unit; and

an elongated pole having first and second ends and means for mounting a first end of the elongated pole to the mounting member on the shroud when the short pole is removed, and means for receiving the short pole at the second end of the elongated pole, wherein the throttle control is extendably mounted by the elongated pole.

2. The trowling machine of claim 1 wherein the blades are formed of spring steel.

3. The trowling machine of claim 1 wherein the blades are planar and are mounted to the mounting means with the blade plane at a pitch angle of 12 degrees.

4. The trowling machine of claim 1 wherein the elongated pole is pivotally mounted and is pivotal up to 100 degrees in motion.

5. The trowling machine of claim 1 wherein the power unit control is electrically actuated by the throttle control means.

6. The trowling machine of claim 5 further including a coupling to electrically couple the throttle control to the power unit control means.

7. The trowling machine of claim 1 wherein the shroud is made of plastic.

8. The trowling machine of claim 1 wherein the mounting means comprise arms extending radially from the shaft, the blades each having a support positioned laterally of a longitudinal center line of the blade and the support being mountable to the mounting means, such that each of the blades can be turned end for end on its respective support to provide a different width of blade rotationally trailing the mounting means.

9. An improvement to trowling machines having a power unit, a rotatable shaft extending downward therefrom, a plurality of trowling blades having first and second ends, mounting means for mounting the trowling blades to the rotatable shaft, and a shroud for shielding the blades, the improvement comprising:

the blades each being mounted to the mounting means selectively in a first position with a first end of the respective blade adjacent an outer periphery of the shroud and in a second position with a second end of the respective blade adjacent the outer periphery of the shroud, wherein the blades are formed of spring steel and are fixed at a pitch angle between the range of 5 degrees and 20 degrees from horizontal during operation;

at least one throttle control connection being located on the power unit;

throttle control means removably mounted to one of the throttle control connections;

power unit control means mounted to the power unit to control the power unit to rotate the mounting means and blades, each blade having a different length rotationally trailing the mounting means in its respective first and second positions.

10. The trowling machine of claim 9 wherein the blades are planar and are mounted to the mounting means with the blade plane at a pitch angle of 12 degrees.

11. The trowling machine of claim 9, wherein the throttle control means is extendably mounted to be shrewd by a replaceable, extendible pole.

12. The trowling machine of claim 11, wherein one end of the extendible pole is pivotally mounted to the shroud and pivots up to 100 degrees in motion.

13. The trowling machine of claim 9 wherein the power unit control means is a servo motor mounted to the power unit.

14. The trowling machine of claim 9 wherein the power unit control means is remotely actuated.

15. The trowling machine of claim 9 wherein the power unit control means is electrically actuated by the throttle control means.

16. The trowling machine of claim 15 further including a coupling means to electrically couple the throttle control means to the power unit control means.

17. The trowling machine of claim 9 wherein the shroud comprises a lower retaining ring and an upper guard portion, the lower retaining ring having four substantially flat sections spaced equally around the periphery of the ring.

18. The trowling machine of claim 9 wherein the shroud is made of plastic.

19. The trowling machine of claim 9 wherein each of the blades is pivotally mounted to its mounting means about a generally upright bolt, each of the blades having a channel means that fits around the mounting means and which can be pivoted about the bolt 180°

between the first and second positions for operation.

20. An improvement to trowling machines having an internal combustion power unit, a rotatable drive shaft extending downward therefrom, a plurality of trowling blades, mounting means for mounting the trowling blades to the rotatable shaft, and a shroud for shielding the blades, the improvement comprising:

the blades being mounted to the mounting means, the blades being formed of flexible spring steel and being mounted at a pitch of angle between 5 and 20 degrees from horizontal as they move;

a plurality of control connections located on the power unit including a throttle control connection to control speed of operation;

a throttle control removably mounted to the throttle control connection;

a power unit control removably mounted to the power unit to control the power unit, the power unit control being electrically actuated; and

the shroud comprising a lower substantially vertical skirt forming a retaining ring and upper guard wall portion tapering upwardly from the skirt and extending around the entire ring to overlie and enclose regions above the blades with the guard wall, the power unit being mounted at an upper end of the upper guard wall,

21. The trowling machine of claim 20 wherein the lower vertical skirt is a peripheral skirt and has four substantially flat sections spaced equally around a periphery of the skirt, the blades passing closely adjacent to an inner surface of the skirt at the flat sections to permit trowling close to a vertical surface at the flat sections of the skirt.

22. The trowling machine of claim 20 wherein the shroud is made of plastic.

23. The trowling machine of claim 20 wherein the mounting means comprise generally radial arms, the blades having a length extending radially and a lateral width, a separate support fastened to each blade and positioned on the blade offset from the longitudinal axis, the support being mountable on the mounting means in two positions 180°

apart to provide a different width of the blade to trail the arm in each of the two positions to provide a different width of blade trailing the mounting means in each of the two positions.

24. An improvement to trowling machines having a power unit, rotatable shaft extending downward therefrom, a plurality of trowling blades, mounting means for mounting the trowling blades to the rotatable shaft, and a shroud for shielding the blades, the improvement comprising:

the blades being mounted to the mounting means at a selected pitch;

an attachment member fixed to the exterior of the shroud;

a manually operated throttle control including a manual grip and control element and having a short length pole, mounting means on the short pole for removably mounting the short pole the attachment member on the shroud to control the power unit and to permit guiding the shroud from adjacent the shroud; and

a power unit control coupled to the control element to control the power unit; and

an extendible elongated pole of substantial length, said extendible elongated pole having two ends and having means for mounting at one end matching the means for mounting on the short pole, and an opposite end of the extendible elongated pole having a coupling to receive the means for mounting on the short pole to permit the manual grip to control and guide the unit at an outer end of the extendible elongated pole.