DE8702462U1 - Lawn tractor with a rear grass catcher - Google Patents

Description

GüTBROD-Werke GmbH File 163

Industrial site
6601 Sbr,-Bübingen

Lawn tractor with a rear grass catcher

The innovation concerns a lawn tractor with a rear grass catcher and a grass catcher hood on top to divert the clippings emerging from an ejection channel into the grass catcher bag (DE-OS 25 37 120). With such a lawn tractor it is possible to work without a grass catcher bag for so-called "mulching", so that the clippings are deposited on the cut lawn, which ^{is sometimes desirable} for maintaining soil moisture and structure, combined with a fertilizing effect (mulching effect).

The innovation is based on the task of being able to influence the mulching effect in accordance with the nature of the lawn, in the knowledge that an uncontrolled blowing out of the clippings from the discharge channel does not result in an optimal mulching effect, depending on the type of grass, the density of the grass, the height of the grass, the moisture content of the grass and the weed infestation of the lawn.

The solution to this problem is , according to the innovation

in that the grass catcher hood is pivoted above and across the direction of the discharge channel and can be adjusted to different pivot positions between the horizontal closed position and the vertical hanging position for mulching without a grass catcher bag. This ensures that

that different mulching effects are possible depending on the swivel position set. Since the clippings emerge from the discharge channel with high kinetic energy and hit the wall of the grass catcher hood, a controlled mulching effect can be achieved by adjusting the swivel or angle position. If the grass catcher hood is hung vertically, the clippings are compacted and shredded to the maximum and deposited in the appropriate concentration on the cut lawn. As the grass catcher hood becomes more inclined, the compaction and shredding effect decreases, whereas the spread of the clippings produced by mulching on the lawn increases.

The different swivel positions of the cover can be adjusted by locking or clamping it. A preferred option for gradually locking the grass catcher hood is, according to the further innovation, that the grass catcher hood is provided with a sliding locking bolt that can be snapped into one of several holes arranged concentrically to the swivel axis in a perforated plate attached to the chassis of the lawn tractor, or vice versa.

Since the grass catcher hood also performs a protective flap function against flying stones in its swivel positions deviating from the horizontal position, the grass catcher hood is equipped with a free edge parallel to the swivel axis according to the further innovation.

OQ is equipped with a swinging impact protection plate that always hangs vertically.

In the drawing, the rear section of a lawn tractor _o _ with grass catcher bag is shown in vertical section as an example of the object of the innovation. Of the actual lawn tractor, only the

The ascending discharge channel 1 is shown, which flows into the rear grass catcher 2. The cuttings are thus ejected in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the lawn tractor. A pivoting axle 3 is attached to the lawn tractor's chassis (not shown) above the discharge channel 1 and perpendicular to its direction, on which a grass catcher hood 4 is pivotably mounted.

In the fully extended horizontal position, the grass catcher hood 4 acts as such to cover the grass catcher bag 2 and to direct the clippings flowing out of the discharge channel into the grass catcher bag. For mulching, the grass catcher bag 2 is removed and the grass catcher hood 4 is positioned in a specific swivel position.

The drawing shows three different pivoting positions of the grass catcher hood 4. In the vertical hanging position the grass from the discharge channel 1 is discharged with high kinetic

The cuttings blown out with the help of the mechanical energy, which may contain weeds, are compacted and shredded to the maximum when they hit the hanging grass catcher hood 4. The resulting grass/weed particles are reflected from the impact surface and then fall downwards, almost in a web-like pattern, onto the cut lawn. When the grass catcher hood 4 is pivoted in a position other than the hanging position, the compaction and shredding effect is reduced, whereas the grass/weed particles are collected in a wider width and smaller

_g0 Concentration on the lawn area should be placed because with a decrease in the energy of the clippings due to the large distance and the impact energy due to the greater angle of the grass catcher hood 4, the compaction and deflection downwards decreases the more the swivel

_o _ position of the grass catcher hood 4 of the horizontal locking position

approaches.

To fix the different pivoting positions of the grass catcher hood 4, a perforated plate 5 is attached to the chassis of the wheel tractor (not shown), which is provided with a number of holes 6 arranged on a circular arc around the pivot axis. The grass catcher hood 4 is provided with an eye 4a which accommodates a movable locking pin 7. This locking pin can be optionally locked into one of the holes 6, thus securing any pivoting position of the grass catcher hood 4. The locking pin 7 is conveniently arranged so that it cannot be lost and can be axially secured in the locking positions (not shown). For stability reasons, it may be expedient to provide two perforated plates 5 on either side of the grass catcher hood 4 and to equip the locking hood with two movable locking pins. Of course, the adjustment device shown for the pivoting positions of the grass catcher hood 4 can also be designed the other way round, i.e. the perforated plate or plates 5 can be arranged to pivot on the grass catcher hood, whereas the locking bolt 7 is mounted on the chassis side.

An impact protection plate is connected in a pendulum manner to the free edge of the grass catcher hood 4, which runs parallel to the pivot axis 3. This impact protection plate always hangs vertically and serves to protect against flying stones that are caught by the mowing mechanism of the lawn tractor.

Claims (3)

• *· i I ·> it lld ·· · · 111. > ■ I • ·· &igr; ■ ai · • · · ■ · I J I I · • · · 11 ti GUTBROD-Werke GmbH File 163 Industrial site 601 Sbr.-Bübingen Protection claims "&Idigr;. Lawn tractor «with a rear grass catcher bag and a grass catcher hood above it to divert the clippings emerging from an ejection channel into the grass catcher bag, characterized in that the grass catcher hood (4) is pivotally mounted above and transversely to the direction of the discharge channel (1) and can be adjusted to different pivoting positions between the horizontal closed position and the vertical hanging position for mulching without a grass catcher bag (2). 2. Lawn tractor according to claim 1,
characterized, that the grass catcher hood (4) is provided with a movable securing element, e.g. a locking bolt (7), which can be optionally locked into one of several holes (6) arranged on a circular arc around the pivot axis (3) of a 3Q perforated plate (5) attached to the chassis for the purpose of fixing in different positions, or vice versa. 3. Lawn tractor according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that that the grass catcher hood (4) is provided with a freely swinging impact protection plate (8) on the free edge running parallel to the pivot _axis (3). • I * I