CA2350301A1 - A hinged cover for enclosing structure associated with a mower cutting deck - Google Patents

A hinged cover for enclosing structure associated with a mower cutting deck Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2350301A1
CA2350301A1 CA 2350301 CA2350301A CA2350301A1 CA 2350301 A1 CA2350301 A1 CA 2350301A1 CA 2350301 CA2350301 CA 2350301 CA 2350301 A CA2350301 A CA 2350301A CA 2350301 A1 CA2350301 A1 CA 2350301A1
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
cover
deck
members
lid
hinge
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2350301
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Ronald Paul Holland
Christopher Scott Thorman
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Deere and Co
Original Assignee
Deere and Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Deere and Co filed Critical Deere and Co
Publication of CA2350301A1 publication Critical patent/CA2350301A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

A cover for concealing drive structure mounted to a top surface of a mower cutting deck is provided. The cover allows access to that structure without removal from the cutting deck. Non-removal is permitted because the cover consists of first and second members interconnected through a living hinge. Flexure of one member relative to the other permits access to the structure including a secondary drive belt so that routine maintenance may be performed. Additionally, the hinge increases the overall cost-effectiveness of the design due to the cover's one-piece construction.

Description

A HINGED COVER FOR ENCLOSING STRUCTURE ASSOCIATED WITH
A MOWER CUTTING DECK
Background of the Invention 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to covers for the belt drives on mower cutting decks, and more specifically, to covers assembled from two separate portions which are then joined together.
2. Description of Related Art Mower decks providing more than one cutting blade use a system of belts and pulleys in order to drive the blades of the decks. Commonly, this system is located on a top surface of the deck so as to allow interaction with the blades and their supporting structure so that rotation of the blades, and therefore cutting, may be properly obtained. Among the belts contained in the system is a primary belt bringing power from the engine and a secondary belt that drives spindles to which the blades are connected. The secondary belt may take the form of a timing belt when the blade rotations are timed. To maintain proper timing, periodic adjustment of the belt, through manipulation of structure to which the belt is connected, may be required.
It has been recognized that in order to prevent entanglement with the drive belts, a cover should be utilized to minimize a user's inadvertent contact which could otherwise be the source of serious injury while the mower is operating. To this end, various covers for mower decks which cover the primary belt and/or the secondary belt have been made and used. The covers include those consisting of a plain piece of metal Which is mounted above the belts and to the deck or, alternatively, which is connected with structure constructed on the deck. Another form of cover includes an assembly of two pieces of material, either steel or plastic, which form one elongated structure that, along a portion thereof, is hingedly or pivotally mounted by a separate metal hinge to either another portion of the cover or to the deck itself. Still another cover consists of a design including two portions which do not provide a complete enclosure and which are connected together by multiple hinges.
However, the above covers often make access to, and therefore contact with the belts difficult and time consuming due to the need to remove the cover entirely so that any maintenance of the belts may occur. Removal and storage of the cover, depending upon the design, can also be difficult if the cover is large, bulky, heavy or requires complicated attachment structures. Incurring these added efforts only increases the amount of time and energy necessary to carry out proper maintenance.
Additionally, using a separate hinge to permit movement of the cover relative to the deck involves the manufacture of a separate part in the overall design of the cover.
Requiring such a separate component in order to permit the desired access to the drive belts inevitably results in added fabrication costs of the cover.
Thus, there exists a need to provide a cover which permits access to the second drive belt for the blades without removal of the cover from the deck to which it is attached and also, without the unnecessary expenditure of time, effort or money in obtaining that access.
Summar~i of the Invention To allow access to the secondary drive without removal of the entire cover from the deck, there is provided a cover having both a first fixed and a second movable portion or member. This access can be obtained without removal of the cover when the deck is either attached to a mower or when the deck itself is removed from the mower. The cover structure is designed with a living hinge which joins the fixed and moveable members together to form the complete cover. The hinge allows the moveable member to swing relative to the fixed member which is mounted with the cutting deck. The ability to change the position of the moveable member while the rest of the cover is mounted to the deck permits access to belt drive structure in the form of a belt and pulley system which underlies the moveable member.
The cover is formed as a one-piece plastic construction including first and second substantially disc-shaped portions connected together by a web. Each of the disc-shaped portions are intended to overlay a top surface of each chamber of a dual chamber cutting deck. On a top surface of the first disc-shaped portion, there is provided an opening for receiving a portion of a blade spindle to which a cutting blade is attached.
Further provided on the top surface is a ledge on which another pulley for the primary drive belt and associated with the spindle may be located above.
Extending from the first portion is a web connecting a second disc-shaped portion which includes the moveable member. Each of the first and second portions have a downwardly extending wall intended to engage a top surface of the cutting chamber on which the wall rests. The second disc-shaped portion is also formed to include a dome so as to enclose the belt and pulley system. At a top surface of the dome, the fixed member is joined to the dome by a living hinge formed as a section of the cover wherein the section is exact in material composition and yet different in size when compared to the remainder of the cover. The hinge permits the moveable member to be extended upwardly from the deck to allow access to the underlying belt and pulley so that maintenance thereof may be undertaken.

In order to mount the cover to the intended deck, five holes through which bolts may be passed, including one hole in the moveable member are provided in a top surface of the cover. Only one hole is formed in the moveable member so as to reduce the amount of hardware involved in obtaining access to the underlying drive structure.
Additional features allowing maintenance of structure underlying the cover, without its removal from the deck, are also provided. First, a hole is included at a mid-portion of the hinge so as to enable a user to lubricate the blade spindle which will be enclosed once the cover is attached. Second, a lip is provided along a lower portion of the second disc-shaped member where the fixed and moveable member join together so as to prevent the entry of debris into the drive structure.
Accordingly, there is provided a cover which both protects a user from entanglement with a mower's belt drive structure while still providing ease of accessibility to that structure so that maintenance thereof may be quickly undertaken.
Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a front view of a mower cutting deck including an attached cover of the instant invention in a closed position.
FIG. 2 is a front view according to FIG. 1 illustrating a moveable member of the cover in a partially open position.
FIG. 3 is a front view according to FIG. 1 illustrating the moveable member in a fully open position.
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the cover of the instant invention illustrating a hinged portion in a fully open position.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the illustration corresponding to FIG. 1.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Looking first to Figures 1 and 5, there is shown a mower cutting deck 10 disposed with ground engaging wheels 12 and mounts 14 for connection to a middle of a conventional riding mower (not shown). The deck includes first and second cutting chambers 16, 18, respectively, each having a blade (not shown) disposed therein. Permitting power to be transferred to the blades is a drive system including a first drive belt (not shown) ordinarily connected with a pulley system 20 mounted with a spindle 22 to which the blades) are attached. Additionally, a second belt 24, in the form of a timing belt normally used to control the rotational rate and relative orientation of the blade(s), and structure 26 necessary to support, adjust and connect the belt 24 with the deck 10 are provided in order to allow power to be transferred to the deck 10 from the mower (not shown).
As best seen in Figures 4 and 5, a cover 28 is provided and constructed entirely, preferably, of plastic in the form of polypropylene copolymer black (2 %
carbon by composition) to reduce overall construction costs, provide flexibility, and reduce the opportunity for corrosion as well as vibration when the mower is in operation.
Use of a plastic construction may also provide a means allowing for reduction of noise associated with belt 24. The cover 28 provides an enclosure formed with a top surface 30 of the deck 10, thereby preventing inadvertent touching or entanglement with the second belt 24.
Construction of the cover 28 includes two substantially disc-shaped portions 32, 34, each having a downwardly extending wall 36 for engagement with the top surface 30 so as to fit the cover 28 to the deck 10. Included within the first portion 32 is an opening 38 for allowing a portion of the blade spindle 22 to be received therein. Further extending from the first portion 32 is a web 40 having a fitting element 42 allowing the cover 28 to completely house the belt 24 and its associated structure when transitioning from the first cutting chamber 16 to the second 18.
As seen in Figure 4, second disc-shaped portion 34 extends from web 40 so as to complete the one-piece construction of the cover 28. Second portion 34 includes a moveable member 44 including a dome 46 to shelter second belt 24 and its associated structure 26 wherein such structure permits periodic adjustment of the belt 24. Permitting access to the belt 24 while the cover 28 is still intact with the deck 10 is a living hinge 48, thereby eliminating the need for attachment of separate individual hinges. The hinge 48 is, preferably, located toward the web 40 and on a top surface 50 of the dome 46 so as to allow pivoting of member 44.
Shown in Figures 2-3, accessibility to the underlying second belt 24 is provided to the user through use of hinge 48. Moreover, this accessibility can be obtained while the cover 28 is still fixed to the deck's top surface 30. Although the cover is mounted to the deck 10 by at least five holes 54 through which bolts 56 paired with washers 57 may be passed, and then coupled with flanged nuts 58, inspection of the second belt 24 however, can easily be obtained by removal of only one nut 58 as seen in Figure 5. Once the nut 58 has been removed, hinge 48 permits member 44 to swing upwardly through a range of angles to a fully open position when cover 28 is mounted to the deck. This position is, preferably, ninety degrees (90°) relative to bottom surface 52 of the cover 28, and is to be limited only by components carried by the vehicle or mower. Otherwise, in the event that the deck 10 to which cover 28 is attached is removed from the mower, the hinged portion 44 may be extended to approximately 180° relative to bottom surface 52. After member 44 has been opened, maintenance as to second belt 24 may be performed.
Additionally, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the second disc-shaped portion 34 is provided with a lip 60 extending from wall 36 of second disc-shaped portion 34 to seal the cover with hinged portion 50. Enabling such a sealing to occur significantly reduces the likelihood of dirt and other debris from reaching and interfering with the second belt 24 and its associated structure. Further included as a feature allowing the user to provide easy maintenance associated with the cutting deck is a hole 62 included along a longitudinal dimension of the hinge and aligned with the underlying blade spindle.
Provision of this hole enables the user to insert lubrication, as needed, to the blade spindle 22 in order to maintain proper operation of the blade.
Accordingly, with the instant invention, there is provided a hinged cover for a mower cutting deck which both reduces the likelihood of entanglement with the underlying drive system while at the same time permits maintenance of that system without having to completely remove the cover from the deck to which it is attached.
While the present invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment, it is understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description.
Accordingly, this invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A lid for structure connected with a mower deck, the lid comprising:
first and second shielding members pivotally interconnected and formed of a one-piece construction, the first member having an opening on a top surface thereof, and the second member being aligned along a longitudinal axis of the first member.
2. The lid as defined in claim 1, wherein the members are pivotally interconnected through a living hinge joining each member to the other, the members and the hinge being formed of plastic.
3. The lid as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the members includes an arcuately-shaped portion adapted to fit with the deck.
4. The lid as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the members includes at least one arcuately-shaped portion adapted to fit with the deck, the portion having a downwardly extending wall for engaging the deck.
5. The lid as defined in claim 4, wherein the wall of one of the at least one arcuately-shaped portions of the first member has a lip which engages an underside of the second member.
6. The lid as defined in claim 5, wherein the first member contains an opening for receiving a portion of a blade spindle therethrough.
7. The lid as defined in claim 6, wherein each of the first and second members contains a domed portion connected with the hinge for enclosing structure associated with the deck.
8. The lid as defined in claim 7, wherein the domed portion and the hinge include an orifice therein.
9. The lid as defined in claim 8, wherein the means for attaching the members includes a plurality of holes in the first member and in the second member.
10. The lid as defined in claim 9, wherein the hinge permits movement of the second member within a range less than substantially 180 degrees relative to a bottom surface of the first member.
11. A cover for structure connected with a mower cutting deck, the cover comprising:
a) first and second shielding members, the first member being longer than the second member and having an opening in a top surface thereof;

b) a living hinge linking the first and second members, the hinge permitting the second member to move relative to the first member; and, c) means for attaching the members to the deck.
12. The cover as defined in claim 11, wherein each of the members includes an arcuately-shaped portion adapted to fit with the deck.
13. The cover as defined in claim 11, wherein each of the members includes at least one arcutately-shaped portion adapted to fit with the deck, the portion having a downwardly extending wall for engaging the deck.
14. The cover as defined in claim 13 wherein the wall of one of the at least one arcuately-shaped portions of the first member has a lip which engages an underside of the second member.
15. The cover as defined in claim 14, wherein the first member contains an opening for receiving a blade spindle therethrough.
16. The cover as defined in claim 15, wherein each of the first and second members contains a domed portion for enclosing structure associated with the deck.
17. The cover as defined in claim 16, wherein the domed portion and the hinge include an orifice therein.
18. The cover as defined in claim 17, wherein the means for attaching the members includes a plurality of holes in the first member and in the second member.
19. The cover as defined in claim 18, wherein the hinge permits movement of the second member within a range less than substantially 180 degrees relative to a bottom surface of the first member.
20. The cover as defined in claim 19, wherein the members and the hinge are formed of plastic.
CA 2350301 2000-06-29 2001-06-12 A hinged cover for enclosing structure associated with a mower cutting deck Abandoned CA2350301A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US60699400A 2000-06-29 2000-06-29
US09/606,994 2000-06-29

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2350301A1 true CA2350301A1 (en) 2001-12-29

Family

ID=24430354

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2350301 Abandoned CA2350301A1 (en) 2000-06-29 2001-06-12 A hinged cover for enclosing structure associated with a mower cutting deck

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CA (1) CA2350301A1 (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20160037718A1 (en) * 2014-08-07 2016-02-11 Dennis Reid, SR. Debris Deflector And Method For Zero Turn Riding Mower
GB2533200A (en) * 2014-10-24 2016-06-15 Deere & Co Mower deck spindle cover
WO2020063811A1 (en) * 2018-09-27 2020-04-02 苏州宝时得电动工具有限公司 Automatic lawnmower and method for controlling automatic lawnmower

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20160037718A1 (en) * 2014-08-07 2016-02-11 Dennis Reid, SR. Debris Deflector And Method For Zero Turn Riding Mower
GB2533200A (en) * 2014-10-24 2016-06-15 Deere & Co Mower deck spindle cover
US9699966B2 (en) 2014-10-24 2017-07-11 Deere & Company Mower deck spindle cover
GB2533200B (en) * 2014-10-24 2021-01-06 Deere & Co Mower deck spindle cover
DE102015218342B4 (en) 2014-10-24 2023-03-02 Deere & Company Mower Deck Spindle Cover
WO2020063811A1 (en) * 2018-09-27 2020-04-02 苏州宝时得电动工具有限公司 Automatic lawnmower and method for controlling automatic lawnmower

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