Turf leveling device

• US 7,992,649 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2007
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: g2 Turftools, Inc.
• Original Assignee: g2 Turftools, Inc.
• Inventors: Merkt, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): PEZZUTO, ROBERT ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/446,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20100319942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 172/177, 172/445.1, 172/501, 172/684.5, 172824-826, 172/448, 172/449, 172/605, 172/503, 172/332, 172/239, 172/299, 172/197, 37122-128, 371/33, 371/36, 371/175, 404/96, 404/106, 404/118
• US Class Current: 172/197
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 20/12 Apparatus for cutting sods or turfs
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 20/35 Garden rollers

Abstract

A turf leveling device including a metering blade together with first and second horizontal and parallel main blades separated by first and second open distances. The blades are supported by a frame with spaced frame arms adapted to provide three point hitch attachment points. Skid plates mounted on left and right sides of the frame prevent the metering blade from scrapping or cutting elevated areas of the turf surface. The metering blade and the first and second main blades with deflectors effectively redistribute and level the gathered material. A vertically adjustable verticutting knife roller having keyed knife discs extending through slots in a grating insert is preferably disposed in the first open distance.

Claims

1. A turf leveling device comprising:

a metering blade horizontally disposed on a frame carrying left and right skid plates disposed flush with a lowest surface of the frame;

a first main blade horizontally disposed on the frame so as to be separated from the metering blade by a first open distance, the first main blade having a first blade defector disposed thereon;

a second main blade horizontally disposed on the frame so as to be separated from the first main blade by a second open distance, the second main blade having a second blade deflector disposed thereon,

wherein each blade is disposed flush with the right and left skid plates such that, with the device towed over a turf surface having elevated areas and depressions, the skid plates cause the metering blade to rise above elevated areas of the turf surface.

2. The turf leveling device of claim 1 having a knife roller including a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame between said first and second blades for rotation on a laterally extending horizontal axis, said knife roller having a plurality of axially spaced cutting discs keyed to a horizontal shaft.

3. The turf leveling device of claim 2 wherein each of said cutting discs has three radially extending blades which are spaced at equal circumferential intervals.

4. The turf leveling device of claim 3 wherein said blade has a radially inward disked circumference and said blade has a circumferential space taken up by said radially inward disked circumference which is one-ninth the a circumference of said disc.

5. The turf leveling device of claim 3 wherein each blade has a radially inward dished cutting edge.

6. The turf leveling device of claim 2 wherein said knife roller is vertically adjustable relative to said frame.

7. The turf leveling device of claim 3 wherein said discs are secured for rotation with said shaft and blades of axially adjacent discs are displaced circumferentially with rotation of the blades of axially adjacent discs.

8. The turf leveling device of claim 2 including a horizontal grating insert releasably secured to said main frame and disposed between said first metering blade and said first blade and including slots through with said blades extend during rotation of said discs.