JP2021136929A - Mower deck, and mowing machine equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a mower deck that can be changed into various modes more simply.SOLUTION: A mower deck has a housing 30 having a ceiling wall 31, at least one blade 5 rotating downward of the ceiling wall 31, a rotating shaft connected with the blade, and a circumferential wall unit 4. The circumferential wall unit 4 comprises a front wall 40, a back wall 43, a left wall 41 and a right wall 42 extending downward from the ceiling wall 31 so as to surround the blade 5. At least 2-walls of the front wall 40, the back wall 43, the left wall 41 and the right wall 42 are constituted of opening/closing walls capable of switching the posture between an opened posture to open a blade rotation space BS to the outside and a closed posture to close the blade rotation space BS to the outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a mower deck having a rotary blade and a mower equipped with the mower deck.

There are two types of mower decks, one is a mowing type and the other is a mulching type. In the mowing release type, an opening (exhaust port) is formed in a part of the housing that surrounds the blade rotating space, which is the operating space of the rotating blade, from above, and the mowing mowed by the blade is discharged to the outside through the opening. A mower deck that has an opening on the side of the housing and discharges grass from the side of the housing is called a side discharge type. In the mulching type, the blade rotation space is completely surrounded, and the grass is cut multiple times in the blade rotation space and then falls.

The passenger-type work vehicle (mower) according to Patent Document 1 is provided with a discharge port for discharging grass on the mower deck and an opening / closing shutter for closing the discharge port, and can be opened / closed by operating an opening / closing switching operation tool. The shutter is switched between the open state and the closed state. When the opening / closing shutter is opened, the mower deck functions as a side discharge type mower deck. When the open / close shutter is closed, the mower deck functions as a mulching type mower deck.

In the moor deck according to Patent Document 2, the moor deck can be changed to any of the mulching mode, the side discharge mode, and the rear discharge mode by combining the attachment and detachment of a plurality of baffle plates.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,814,739 U.S. Pat. No. 10,524,418

In the mower deck according to Patent Document 1, it is possible to switch between the side discharge mode and the mulching mode by using a rotary shutter. However, when the mower deck equipped with a plurality of blades side by side is a rear discharge type, if this rotary shutter structure is used, the shutter covering the rear mowing outlet, which has a large area, becomes large, and the shutter is in the open state. It becomes difficult to secure a storage space.

In the mower deck according to Patent Document 2, since it is necessary to attach and detach a plurality of baffle plates in order to change the mode, it is troublesome to manage the baffle plates, and there is a possibility that the unused baffle plates may be lost.

In view of such circumstances, there is a demand for a mower deck that can be easily changed to various modes.

The mower deck according to the present invention has a housing having at least a ceiling wall, at least one blade rotating below the ceiling wall, and a rotating shaft connected to the blade. Further, a peripheral wall unit including a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, and a right wall extending downward from the ceiling wall so as to surround the blade is provided, and the front wall, the rear wall, the left wall, and the left wall are provided. At least two of the right walls are composed of an opening / closing wall whose posture can be switched between an open posture in which the blade rotation space is opened to the outside and a closed posture in which the blade rotation space is closed with respect to the outside. ..

In the configuration of the present invention, the mower deck is provided with a peripheral wall unit so as to surround the blade rotation locus from above in order to create a blade rotation space of a blade that rotates to mow grass or grass. The peripheral wall unit consists of a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, and a right wall extending downward from the ceiling wall. At least two of the front wall, rear wall, left wall, and right wall create a closed posture that creates a form in which the blade space and the outside communicate with each other, and a form in which the blade space and the outside are closed. It is composed of an opening / closing wall whose form can be changed between the closed posture and the closed posture. As a result, when only one of the opening / closing walls is set to the open posture, the opening / closing wall in the open posture becomes the outlet for cutting grass. Of course, when two or more opening / closing walls are set to the open position, a plurality of outlets will appear. Furthermore, when all the opening and closing walls are set to the closed position, the mower deck becomes a mulching type. This allows the mower deck to be easily changed to various modes.

In a mower deck equipped with a vehicle with driving wheels, the front wall receives the wind from the front when mowing, so even if part of the front wall or all of the front wall is used as a mowing outlet, proper mowing It becomes difficult to release. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the front wall is configured as a fixed wall connected to the ceiling wall, and the rear wall, the left wall, and the right wall are configured as the opening / closing wall. Has been done.

When a peripheral wall other than the front wall is configured as an opening / closing wall, the mower deck can function in various modes based on the posture (closed or open posture) of each opening / closing wall. Each mode is shown below. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is proposed as capable of at least one or more of these modes.
(1) Left grass release mode in which grass is discharged from the left side of the housing:
This mode is created by switching the left wall to the open position and the right wall and the rear wall to the closed position.
(2) Right grass release mode in which grass is discharged from the right side of the housing:
This mode is created by switching the right wall to the open position and the left wall and the rear wall to the closed position.
(3) Post-release mode in which grass is discharged from the rear of the housing:
This mode is created by switching the rear wall to the open position and the left and right walls to the closed position.
(4) Mulching mode for cutting grass multiple times in the blade rotation space:
This mode is created by switching the left wall, the right wall and the rear wall to the closed posture.

When the mower deck is used only as a side discharge type, the rear wall and the front wall need not be configured as an opening / closing wall, and only the left wall and the right wall need to be configured as an opening / closing wall. By selecting the posture of the open / close wall as the left wall and the open / close wall as the right wall (closed or open posture), one of the left mowing mode, the right mowing mode, the mulching mode, and the left and right mowing mode is created. It becomes possible. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the front wall and the rear wall are configured as fixed walls connected to the ceiling wall, and the left wall and the right wall serve as the opening / closing wall. It is configured.

The opening and closing wall can be realized in various forms. It is convenient that the storage space is small in the closed posture and the area is greatly expanded in the open posture. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the opening / closing wall comprises a rail provided at the edge of the ceiling wall and an accordion door suspended from the rail.

An opening / closing wall having a simple structure can also be realized by attaching a flap-shaped plate material to the ceiling wall so as to be swingable between a downward posture and a horizontal or upward posture. If it is composed of a plurality of plate materials, it is possible to create a curved opening / closing wall. Therefore, in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the opening / closing wall is supported by a horizontal swing shaft provided at the edge of the ceiling wall and vertically swingable around the horizontal swing shaft. Consists of flaps that have been made.

The mower equipped with the mower deck according to the present invention described above is also an object of the present invention. In one of the preferred embodiments of such a mower, the driver is provided with an operating tool that switches the opening and closing wall between the open and closed postures. In this configuration, the mowing direction can be changed in consideration of the shape of the mowing work area, the running pattern of the mowing machine, the positional relationship with obstacles, etc. while the mowing work is being performed while running. Because it can be done, more appropriate mowing work is realized.

It is a side view which shows the whole mower equipped with a mower deck. It is a plan view of the moor deck. It is a bottom view of the moor deck. It is a schematic diagram of a curtain door. It is a bottom view of the moor deck of another embodiment. It is a bottom view of the moor deck of still another embodiment.

In the present specification, unless otherwise specified, "front" means the front in the front-rear direction of the aircraft (arrow F in FIGS. 1 and 2), and "rear" means the rear in the front-rear direction of the aircraft (FIG. 1 and arrow B in FIG. 2). Further, "left" means the left side in the plane crossing direction (arrow L in FIG. 2), and "right" means the right side in the plane crossing direction (arrow R in FIG. 2). "Upper" means the upper side of the aircraft in the vertical direction (arrow U in FIG. 2), and "lower" means the lower side of the aircraft in the vertical direction (arrow D in FIG. 2), respectively, on the ground. Shows the relationship in height.

Next, one specific embodiment of the mower equipped with the mower deck according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of the mower, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mower deck, and FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the mower deck.

This mower is equipped with a pair of left and right front wheels 1 that can be driven, a vehicle body that is equipped with a pair of left and right rear wheels 2 that can be steered, and a mower device 3 that is located in front of the vehicle body. A passenger-type driving unit 10 having a driver's seat 11 and a steering wheel 12 for steering and operating the rear wheels 2 is formed on the front portion of the vehicle body. The engine 6 is mounted on the rear part of the vehicle body. Below the driving unit 10, a transmission 60 for shifting the power from the engine 6 is provided. The transmission 60 transmits power to the front wheels 1 and the mower device 3. The mower device 3 is supported by the vehicle body so as to be able to move up and down by an elevating link 13 that swings up and down with a hydraulic cylinder.

The mower device 3 includes a mower deck 3A and a support frame 3B, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The mower deck 3A has three side-by-side blades 5 and a housing 30 that covers the blades 5 from above. The housing 30 has a shape that covers the blade 5 from above, and has a ceiling wall 31 that serves as a ceiling thereof, and a peripheral wall unit 4 that is a peripheral wall extending downward from the edge of the ceiling wall 31. The inside of the housing 30 is formed as a blade rotation space BS for cutting turf grass by a rotating blade 5.

The support frame 3B is arranged above the ceiling wall 31, and is connected to the ceiling wall 31 on the one hand and to the elevating link 13 on the other hand. A ground ring 32 is supported at the front end of a pair of left and right front and rear frames constituting the support frame 3B. Further, the training wheels 33 are arranged at the front center and the rear left and right of the mower deck 3A. The training wheels 33 are supported by the ceiling wall 31 via brackets.

Each of the three blades 5 is fixed to the lower end of the rotating shaft 50 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. The rotating shaft 50 penetrates the ceiling wall 31 and is rotatably supported by a bearing 51 attached to the ceiling wall 31. Each rotating shaft 50 is rotationally driven by a belt transmission mechanism 52 that receives power from the transmission 60.

As shown in FIG. 3, which is a bottom view of the mower deck 3A, the peripheral wall unit 4 includes a front wall 40, a left wall 41, a right wall 42, and a rear wall 43 extending downward from the edge of the ceiling wall 31. .. The front wall 40 is a plate-shaped fixed wall that is connected to the leading edge of the ceiling wall 31 by welding or the like and extends downward. The left wall 41, the right wall 42, and the rear wall 43 have an open posture in which the blade rotation space BS is opened to the outside (outer space of the mower deck 3A) and a closed posture in which the blade rotation space BS is closed to the outside. It is formed as an opening / closing wall whose posture can be switched between. In this embodiment, the opening / closing wall is constructed by an accordion door structure. Further, the rear wall 43 is divided into two, and includes a left rear wall 43a and a right rear wall 43b. If the width of the mower deck 3A is narrow, the rear wall 43 is not divided.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the accordion door. The accordion door includes a bellows-folded curtain 90, a curtain rail 91, a runner 92 for suspending the curtain 90 on the curtain rail 91, a curtain storage portion 93, and a curtain lock portion 94. The curtain storage unit 93 stores the folded curtain 90. The end piece of the curtain 90 is connected to the wall surface of the curtain storage portion 93. The curtain lock portion 94 stores and locks the start piece of the expanded curtain 90. When the curtain 90 is stored in the curtain storage portion 93, the space between the curtain storage portion 93 and the curtain lock portion 94 is opened. When the curtain 90 is expanded and locked by the curtain lock portion 94, the space between the curtain storage portion 93 and the curtain lock portion 94 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the left wall 41 and the right wall 42 as the opening / closing wall have substantially the same shape. Front columns 44 extending downward are provided at the left and right corners of the upper side of the ceiling wall 31, and rear columns 45 extending downward are provided at the left and right corners of the lower side of the ceiling wall 31. The left front strut 44 functions as a curtain storage portion 93 of the left wall 41 formed as an accordion door (a type of opening / closing wall), and the left rear strut 45 functions as a curtain lock portion 94 of the left wall 41. .. A curtain rail 91 (see FIG. 4) is fixed to the ceiling wall 31 between the left front column 44 and the left rear column 45. In FIG. 3, the folded curtain 90 is shown by a solid line, and the unfolded curtain 90 is shown by a dotted line. Similarly, the front strut 44 on the right side functions as the curtain storage portion 93 of the right wall 42, and the rear strut 45 on the right side functions as the curtain lock portion 94 of the right wall 42. A curtain rail 91 is fixed to the ceiling wall 31 between the front column 44 on the right side and the rear column 45 on the right side.

The curtain 90 as an opening / closing wall can be composed of a combination of a thin steel plate piece and a hinge, a combination of a thin steel plate piece and a resin connector, or only a resin material.

Further, between the pair of left and right rear columns 45, a left column 46, a central column 47, and a right column 48 extending downward from the ceiling wall 31 are provided at the trailing edge of the ceiling wall 31. The left strut 46 is formed as a curtain storage portion 93 of the left rear wall 43a formed as an accordion door, and the central strut 47 functions as a curtain lock portion 94 of the left rear wall 43a. Similarly, the right strut 48 functions as a curtain storage portion 93 of the right rear wall 43b formed as an accordion door, and the central strut 47 also functions as a curtain lock portion 94 of the right rear wall 43b. A curtain rail 91 is fixed to the ceiling wall 31 between the left column 46 and the right column 48.

In FIG. 3, the curtain 90 in the folded state (open posture) is shown by a solid line, and the curtain 90 in the unfolded state (closed posture) is shown by a dotted line. Since the left wall 41, the right wall 42, and the rear wall 43 are formed as accordion doors, the mowing mode of the mower deck 3A can be changed as follows by selecting the open posture or the closed posture, respectively.
(1) By setting the left wall 41 in the open posture and the right wall 42 and the rear wall 43 in the closed posture, a left grass release mode in which grass is discharged from the left side of the mower deck 3A is created.
(2) By switching the right wall 42 to the open posture and the left wall 41 and the rear wall 43 to the closed posture, a right grass release mode in which grass is discharged from the right side of the mower deck 3A is created.
(3) By switching the rear wall 43 to the open posture and the left wall 41 and the right wall 42 to the closed posture, a post-release mode in which grass is discharged from the rear of the mower deck 3A is created. In this embodiment, the rear wall 43 is composed of the left rear wall 43a and the right rear wall 43b. Therefore, by selecting the open posture or the closed posture, the amount and release of grass from the rear are released. A post-emission mode that is different from the position is created.
(4) By switching the left wall 41, the right wall 42, and the rear wall 43 to the closed posture, a mulching mode is created in which the grass is cut and dropped in the blade rotation space BS of the mower deck 3A.
(5) By switching the left wall 41 and the right wall 42 to the open posture and the rear wall 43 to the closed posture, a left-right release mode in which grass is discharged from the left side, the right side, or both of the mower deck 3A is created.

The folding operation (open posture operation) and expansion operation (closed posture operation) of the curtain 90 can be performed manually or automatically. When automatic operation is adopted, the curtain 90 is configured to be moved by a motor-driven loop wire (which may be a chain or a belt). The operating tool 100 for driving the motor is provided in the driving unit 10 (see FIG. 1). When manual operation is adopted, the operating tool 100 and the loop wire may be directly connected, and the curtain 90 may be moved by the operating displacement of the operating tool 100. Of course, a configuration in which the curtain 90 is directly moved by hand may be adopted.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the mower deck 3A of another embodiment. The mower deck 3A is different from the previous embodiment in that the rear wall 43 is connected to the trailing edge of the ceiling wall 31 by welding or the like and is a plate-shaped fixed wall extending downward. In this other embodiment, the post-release mode cannot be created, but the left mowing mode, the right mowing mode, the mulching mode, and the left and right release mode are possible.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment in which the opening and closing walls are formed by a flap structure rather than by an accordion door structure. In this alternative embodiment, the left wall 41 is formed by a plate-shaped left flap 71, the right wall 42 is formed by a plate-shaped right flap 72, and the rear wall 43 is formed by a plate-shaped rear flap 73. The left flap 71 is attached to a horizontal swing shaft 71p extending to the left edge of the ceiling wall 31, and can swing up and down between a closed posture and an open posture around the horizontal swing shaft 71p. The left flap 71 can be locked in the closed and open positions. Similarly, the right flap 72 is attached to a horizontal swing shaft 72p extending to the left edge of the ceiling wall 31, and can swing up and down between a closed posture and an open posture around the horizontal swing shaft 72p. Is. The right flap 72 is lockable in the closed and open positions. The rear flap 73 is attached to a horizontal swing shaft 73p extending from the trailing edge of the ceiling wall 31, and can swing up and down between a closed posture and an open posture around the horizontal swing shaft 73p. The rear flap 73 can be locked in the closed and open positions.

Of course, the structure of the opening / closing wall may be other than the accordion door structure or the flap structure, and can be switched between the open posture in which the blade rotation space BS is opened to the outside and the closed posture in which the blade rotation space BS is closed to the outside. If it is a structure, it can be applied to the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the mower deck 3A includes three blades 5, but the number of blades 5 may be 2 or less or 4 or more. The mower deck 3A can be installed not in the front part of the traveling vehicle but in the central part, that is, between the front wheels 1 and the rear wheels 2.

The configuration disclosed in the above-described embodiment (including another embodiment, the same shall apply hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configuration disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. , The embodiments disclosed in the present specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the object of the present invention.

The present invention is applicable to mower decks that cover rotary blades from above, and mowers equipped with such mower decks.

3: Horizontal device 3A: Horizontal deck 3B: Support frame 30: Housing 31: Ceiling wall 4: Circumferential wall unit 40: Front wall 41: Left wall 42: Right wall 43: Rear wall 43a: Left rear wall 43b: Right rear wall 44: Front strut 45: Rear strut 46: Left strut 47: Center strut 48: Right strut 5: Blade 50: Rotating shaft 71: Left flap 71p: Horizontal swing shaft 72: Right flap 72p: Horizontal swing shaft 73: Rear flap 73p : Horizontal swing shaft 90: Curtain 91: Curtain rail 92: Runner 93: Curtain storage unit 94: Curtain lock unit 100: Operation tool BS: Blade rotation space

Claims (10)

A mower deck having a housing having at least a ceiling wall, at least one blade rotating below the ceiling wall, and a rotating shaft connected to the blades.
A peripheral wall unit including a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, and a right wall extending downward from the ceiling wall so as to surround the blade is provided, and the front wall, the rear wall, the left wall, and the inside of the right wall are provided. At least two of the mower decks are composed of an opening / closing wall whose posture can be switched between an open posture in which the blade rotation space is opened to the outside and a closed posture in which the blade rotation space is closed with respect to the outside. The mower deck according to claim 1, wherein the front wall is configured as a fixed wall connected to the ceiling wall, and the rear wall, the left wall, and the right wall are configured as the opening / closing wall. The mower deck according to claim 2, wherein in the left grass release mode in which grass is discharged from the left side of the housing, the left wall is switched to the open posture, and the right wall and the rear wall are switched to the closed posture. The mower deck according to claim 2 or 3, wherein in the right mowing release mode in which the mowing is discharged from the right side of the housing, the right wall is switched to the open posture, and the left wall and the rear wall are switched to the closed posture. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein in the post-release mode in which the grass is discharged from the rear of the housing, the rear wall is switched to the open posture, and the left wall and the right wall are switched to the closed posture. Moor deck. The mower deck according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein in a mulching mode in which the mowing is cut a plurality of times in the blade rotating space, the left wall, the right wall, and the rear wall are switched to the closed posture. The mower deck according to claim 1, wherein the front wall and the rear wall are configured as a fixed wall connected to the ceiling wall, and the left wall and the right wall are configured as the opening / closing wall. The mower deck according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the opening / closing wall includes a rail provided at an edge of the ceiling wall and an accordion door suspended from the rail. The opening / closing wall is any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the opening / closing wall is composed of a horizontal swing shaft provided at an edge of the ceiling wall and a flap supported so as to swing up and down around the horizontal swing shaft. The mower deck described in. A mower equipped with the mower deck according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
A mower equipped with an operating tool for switching the opening / closing wall between the open posture and the closed posture.

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