AU669084B2 - Improved mower and scythe - Google Patents

Description

P/00/01i1 2815t91 Regulation 3.2 0 4AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best n ethod of performing it known to me:-

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IMPROVED MOWER AND SCYTHE.

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i: I n I I d il' e;m i e: II This invention relates to certain improvements in rotary mowers and rotary scythes. For convenience of description in the text reference is sometimes made only to rotary mowers; but is to be taken as meaning both rotary mowers and rotary scythes.

Background of the Invention.

All vertical spindle motor mowers have some inherent disadvantages during operation. Having four fixed (directionally) wheels, they cannot be turned without downwards vertical pressure on the handle 1O to lift the front wheels clear of the ground and then turning the mower on the rear wheels. This is most marked when mowing around isolated objects; when considerable manoeuvring is required when mowing around, for example, a tree.

When mowing along a fence or a wall, it is impossible to remove grass closer than about 8 cm from the wall, because of the disposition of the front wheels. A conventional mower may be used, with difficulty, to mow a lawn growing up to the edge of a surface which is above the level of its surroundings, sLh as the edge of a lawn at the top of a kerb or a street gutter. In order to do so, the mower must be used in an overhanging position, with downward pressure on the handle furthest from the kerb and upward lift on the handle nearest to the kerb, so that the two outer wheels are in the air and unsupported. Simultaneously the mower must be kept level and on a straight course, which taken together is not an easy task. The use of the invention to solve these difficulties is briefly described.

2 By replacing the two front wheels with a single heavy special castor, the mower is made extremely manoeuvrable. It may be turned at any angle ranging from gradual to very sharp, simply by pushing the handles sideways in a horizontalplane in the direction of the turn, without exerting any effort in lifting the front end, which travels in a curved path because of the castor action. The operation of mowing around trees and changing direction of mowing is thus rendered very easy.

The mower may be used close to a wall or a fence because there is ino front wheel to impede it. On the side of the mower, at the left of the operator, is a curved steel device, shaped so as to deflect the grass growing along the wall under the mower and into the blades, to be cut up to an. approximate S distance of one centimetre from the wall. When using the mower over a kerb, with one side unsupported, almost half of the weight of the mower is taken by the castor in the centre and the one rear wheel which is still on the ground. In this position it is almost balanced and and only a slight S vertically upward pressure on the outside handle is required.

Guiding the mower in this mode needs very little effort.

It is also possible when standing in one position and withoeut m .ing tho fot, to guide the mcwer with one hand only and mow all the grass in a circle of^one and a half metres in diameter. The height adjustment lever is connected to both of the rear wheels and to the castor, upwards movement of this lever raises the cutting height of the mower and lowering is achieved by the reverse movement of the lever.

The problemns assciated, with a conVentional nw r are oercome by the present invnticTn, wherein The front, wheels are repl aced by one special heavy castor Connected by- a bri.cket aad rafsing and lowearing device- at the front cenitre Of the Mower Connecte-cL to the. rear wheels by a steel rodt and,1 wiLth a gzass cat-LchingLF device atdge.,~t o.A vac of the Mower and a, deflector at the ,;LaLt edge- of the Mower and whrere the, recoil start has been. moved so as to pull Specifi-cation of the invention.

The invention consists of alterations to en ordiary mower where this patent applicat1ion does not apply to the, bodty,, engine and petrol tak vea heels,, the bar conmecting' them, the lifting ratchet. end the hend les..

In tLhe- front centre of the inproved. mower-,,; is- a heavy castor with ball1.,bearing thrust race and ballbearing wheel,,~&e to, the longer leg of an unequaal steel angle whf ch :~pivoted tob raoca t so, tiat it isz frar tno rotatLLe InP a verltisal plane., The pintle enabling this rotation fits into two small eqae ng Les fixed to a plate which is, in turnh forward edge of a bracket.. The br~acket is,, to the, front of the rowerr..

The shoarter leg of the u-nequal angjle. is connected tto, the lifting plate at h rear, wheels by a, connecting: ,o,,whc I~s Rivated at the rear Wheels so. that Ton&Ltud~ran' mcvement af the rod lifts or lowers the rear -wheels.. The front end af the rod mieets the shorter leg af the une~ial ang-,e via a, the angle into a hole in the end of the rad. BR this means, AC, ~hrihrca etn~fsee. yastd asn 2 Ji t

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4 when the height adjusting lever is moved, the rear wheels and the front castor move in correct unison with each other so that the mowing height is adjusted as required.

deice ^o cW c=-«os'5 Cvk.V \Axe. ~o^ A curved steel, catching dovioo ia ttach ct tho mowor on the J oA ov\e edcoe c\o cW eckoy- Ct MF Mrqs rAe o 'ry extromQ loft odg9 and a dgfloctar fo r ut minge ic y<qA Mia,- w\oAe\\ eo Ae A-eK ecak a* .attahod at the right .hand dge. The height adjusting lever has been extended and cranked so that vertical motion of the lever moves the height of the mower either up ar down. The recoil start has been relocated so that the lanyard is now pulled for. 5a\A°\ oor e. \QiAs o Ue xoue.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the improved mower in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the improved mower.

Figure 3 shows a detail of the castor and the connection of the rod to theunequal angle in the improved mower.

Referring to figure 1 and figure 2, the height adjusting lever 1 is rigidly fastened to the lifting plate 2 which is in turn 2Q rigidly fastened to the axle 3 connected to the other rear wheel.

In order to give synchroncus vertical mcvemer.t between the rear wheels and the front castor for height adjustment, the lifting plate 2 has been shortened at one end and to this end is pivoted at 4 the rear end of the connecting rod 5. The connecting rod is shaped so as to avoid the engine when being moved and terminates at the shorter leg of the unequal angle 6.

Figure 3 shows a detail of this connection. To the end of the rod is 'xedL a brass hemisphere 7 fitting in a W'MY shaped recess on the back of the angle 6. The end of the rod iL -nn*arnnn including the hemisphere is drilled and tapped at'8 to take a stud 9 passing through a hole in the angle at 10 and extending beyond.

In the preferred form of the invention, this extension is full of a resilient material such as rubber,ll, located at the end by locking nuts and a washer:12. In another form of the invention a compressively resilient spring of stainless steel or other metal is utilised. The assembly is arranged to allow rotational movement but not translational movement between the rod ::and the angle.

At the corner and at the outside of the unequal angle is ed e pintle 13 working in holes drilled at 14 in two .i suitably placed equal angles 15 which are T xed to a plate S 16, in turn )(xed to the front edge of the bracket 17. This bracket is cyxeA to the body of the improved mower at 18.

To the longer leg of the angle 6 is fixeck at 19 the special which has been modified in order to take two wheels 5.IM i:tor :nd 40. m .id. for use on very soft ground.

The preferred form of the invention uses only one such wheel S' and the space on the axle 21 is filled with spacers. The castor has also been altered by the fitting of a plate 22 to each side of the castor frame, v -U 4e casor cck^*r- t t OrX beo I 3cV\Q >Ae yIV\Jer V\QtYc- l- ci"cA^^ej Another form of the invention uses specially manufactured castors, however in all forms of the invention, it is or ro er essential to use castors with ball bearing wheels and a double ball bearing thrust race.

l. p. 1 '4 r 6 Another form of the invention using two wh17eels side by %tbAQ on the one axle requires that the two wheels be constrained by bo-lt-s to rotate together, again so as to suit particular groundconditions ft ft.

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Claims (5)

1. An improved mower and scythe wherein the front wheels are replaced by a special heavy castor with ball or roller bearing wheels and a double ball or roller bearing thrust race connected to the longer leg of an unequal angle-capable of vertical rotation by being connected via a pintle and small angles to a bracket connected to the front of the mower wherein this raising and lowering device at the front centre is connected to the rear wheels by a connecting rod so that /O vertical motion of the castor and of the rear wheels correspond exactly when moved by a cranked height adjusting lever and with a grass catching device at an extreme edge of the mower Sand a cut grass deflector at the other edge of the mower and where a recoil etare4-has been repositioned so that the sarting lanyard is pulled along the length of the mower for starting.

2. The improved mower and scythe of claim 1 wherein the castor has one wheel only but has an extended axle with suitable spacers fitted for one wheel if one wheel is desired and where two wheels side by side may be fitted if desired and where the two wheels if fitted rotate independently of each other or are joined so as to rotate as one wheel.

3. The improvd mower and- ocytho of olaimo 1 or 2 whore %ib6 special heavy castor is equipped wit or roller b-aring or whee a double ball or roller bearing 3. The improved mower and scythe of any one of claims 1 to wherein the connecting rod is shaped to avoid obstructions i 'T A V j- 8 on the mower and where the connecting rod terminates in a hemisphere of brass or other suitable material fitting in a hemispherical recess in the back of the short leg of the unequal angle and located by a stud nuts and washers or other suitable means incorporating a compressively resilient packing of rubber or other suitable material or a spring.

4. The improved mower and scythe of any one of claims 1 to 3 where the unequal angle is fitted with a pintle and can rotate in a vertical plane about a bracket fixed to the mower. /0 The improved mower and scythe of any one of claims 1 to 4 where synchronous movement of the castor and rear wheels is achieved by a connecting rod to raise and lower the mower. S. 4. The improved mower and scythe of any one of claims 1 to 6 where the connecting rod is pivoted to a rear wheel elevating plate altered to allow synchronous movement between the rear wheels and the front castor. The improved mower and scythe of any one of claims 1 to where the grass catching device shaped so as to deflect uncut S grass into the mower is fixed to one side of the mower. g. The improved mower and scythe of any one of claims 1 to 1 S where the cut grass deflector is of firm and resilient material and is fixed to the other side of the mower. The improvcd mower and .ythc of' any on: of clai4mA L- where the recoil starter has been reE sed so that starting of the mo .efected by pulling the lanyard i T he length of than mowte r. opa-oeo---- T. The improved mower and scythe of any one of claims 1 to I e" r: 9 where a cranked height adjusting lever is moved up to raise the cutting height and is moved down to lower the cutting height. An improved mower and scythe substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. MICHAEL PLIER-MALONE. 12-2-1996. I io;r 1 Abstract. A17 irnproveu. iower and. scythe is disclosed. Ic consists of an astevect ertical spildle motor mower, with the twofrornt on~ wheels remnoved. an~d replaced by a. castor mcunted, lie a bracket which is attached to the front centre ofa the mower. The castor is arranged to ro tate in a vertical plaxne~to give heighit adjustment in uini son wt th the rear wheels. This adjustmren~t is 6&cne oy meazris of a ccnnec t'ing 'rod between the .LrOrlt casto- anci 'the rear wh~eels. A-46;v~- w iper± rdwirlg cl~ose to a wlalil i s f ittS'd az"d a de i-LJ ectcr f cut grass io also etd An ai*t-,ratior to the reoil start allowrs .3Pr;Itig by pul. irg -Lhe 'Iaxnytrd oAor, ertk

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