JPH0716335B2 - Lawn care equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to lawn care devices, and more particularly to devices for supporting a mowing unit of a powered lawn mower.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Lawn care devices are commonly used, but particularly useful are powered lawn mowers. It is known that there are many types of power lawn mowers and they are classified according to the type of mowing unit.

Typically, the lawn mower's mowing unit is of the rotary, reel or flail type (blades rotate about a horizontal axis). Reel-type units are typically used for highly precise mowing, and Frere-type units (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,871) are typically used in severe conditions, such as roadside mowing. It

On the other hand, rotary units are useful because they can accommodate a wide range of situations. Therefore, although used in lawn groomers and various mowers, for the sake of brevity, a lawn mower having one or more rotary mower units or decks will now be described.

Power lawn mowers can also be classified based on how they propel the mowing unit. Generally, there are rear walking type, riding type, and toe type reaper. For home use, a rear-walking type reaper is often seen, but since the type related to the present invention is two types, especially the riding-type reaper, for the sake of simplicity, the riding-type rotating reaper is used. The reaper will be described.

Large riding rotary reapers are typically mechanically or hydraulically driven, with a towing vehicle supported by multiple wheels, a prime mover connected to one or more wheels via a transmission. It has one or more swivel decks with cutting blades and one or more lift arms (or similar structures) pivotally connected to the towing vehicle to support said decks, these lift arms being As explained, they can raise the deck from its normal operating position (cutting position) to the transfer position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for supporting a mowing unit, and more particularly to a lift arm and related structure and system. In particular, the invention relates to a device for supporting a mowing unit in its lower mowing position and in its upper moving position and for moving the mowing unit up and down between its two positions.

The preferred features and effects of this mowing unit support device are:
It depends on whether the mowing unit is in its mowing position or in its moving position. In the mowing position, the mowing unit is preferably "floating" with respect to the towing vehicle. That is, the mowing units are preferably independently and separately supported by the towing vehicle so that they follow the shape and undulations of the ground, regardless of the overall movement of the towing vehicle.

If the mowing unit is not supported in the levitated state, high places will be scraped off and low places will be left uncut. Although non-floating mowing units are used for residential purposes, some golf courses and land maintenance have excellent mowing units over the entire mowing width, regardless of the direct terrain that each individual mowing unit contacts. In order to mow, it is necessary to individually follow small changes in the ground.

In addition to levitation, the inventor's consideration is to mow the towing vehicle during operation so that if the mowing units hit an inanimate object, such as a tree, they will not be permanently damaged. It means to install the unit.

When a mowing unit of a conventional mowing machine encounters an inanimate object during operation, the mowing unit, its supporting structure, or both may be severely damaged.

Therefore, when the mowing unit receives such an impact, it is necessary to mount the mowing unit on the towing vehicle so that the mowing unit can be temporarily retracted from the normal mowing position. Furthermore, the mowing unit must be easily relocated to its normal mowing position after a collision.

Another preferred feature of the mowing unit support device is that it allows the operator to easily see the outer tip of the mowing unit and consequently the wings, i.e. the outer mowing unit so that the wing deck can be used for accurate mowing. It is something that can be supported.

Although this feature is apparent at first glance, it is generally not possible with conventional reapers. Because when the wing deck extends laterally outward from the operator's seat,
This is because, when the wing deck is in its raised movement position, it obstructs the operator's lateral view and the field of view becomes very narrow.

Referring to Figures 7A-7C and 8A-8C showing a conventional unit, the operator's field of view is reduced in the locomotion mode. FIGS. 7A to 7C show a reaper a of the type sold by Jacobsen under the name HR-15. Figures 8A-8C are Hydropower 180, a model reaper a'sold by Howard Price. In the case of the reaper a (HR-15), the operator's lateral and rearward view is almost completely blocked by the wing deck b (Fig. 7B). In the case of the reaper a '(Hydropower 180), the wing deck b'blocks some lateral and rearward visibility (Fig. 8B).

The connection between the mowing unit and the towing vehicle must also be able to lift the mowing unit from its lowered mowing position to its raised moving position. The operator may want to temporarily lift one or more mowing units to cut a narrower mowing width, or through a gate or between trees.

Also, sometimes the reaper has to be operated on normal road surfaces, at which time the reaper unit is completely unsuitable for turning up and down a curve and for normal city traffic speeds. It is important to lift those mowing units into the moving position as they are also unsuitable for running on pavements at close speeds.

From this point of view, for example, the riding type reaper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,299,859 has a mechanism capable of lifting the reaper unit upward toward the towing vehicle.

Once the mowing unit has been lifted to its moving position, the preferred support device provides several important features. For example, the mowing unit must be held securely when in its raised or moving position. Otherwise, the unit will tend to swivel and rock, which can damage the reaper and injure people.

In the case of a reaper having a hydraulic lift arm, traditionally, in order to hold the lift arm in its raised or moving position,
Additionally, mechanical latches and locking devices have been used. The reason lies in the fact that some hydraulic cylinders cannot hold the lift arm and the mowing unit in their raised position due to the leakage of hydraulic fluid over time.

As mentioned above, the operator preferably has a 360 ° field of view when the mowing unit is in its raised travel position.

Also, the center of gravity of the entire reaper should not be too high when the reaper is in its raised position. Otherwise, the machine will not be able to pass safely through hillsides and the like. Especially in the case of front-wheel drive and rear-wheel steered mowers, some of the weight of the wing deck must be supported by the rear wheels when the mower is in the travel mode. Otherwise, when the reaper suddenly stops for some reason, the trailing edge of the reaper jumps off the ground. The conventional reaper was not well balanced in the moving mode. For example, the HR-1
When some of the weight of the wing deck b was supported by the rear control wheels, as with the reaper 5 in Figure 5, there was almost no balance.

Finally, the inventor has found that when the side wing mowing unit is lifted, the entire width of the mowing machine is preferably smaller than the width of the front deck so that the front deck can be trimmed exactly. There must be. Figures 7A and 8A show reapers a and a'when the wing decks b and b'are in the moving mode.
Shows a top view of a raised wing deck b, b
Extending beyond the outer edges of the front decks c, c ′ will interfere with the pruning action.

The present invention presents the problems associated with conventional mowing unit support devices.

In particular, the present invention provides a lawn care device that allows the wing deck to float and disengage in the mowing position, holds the mowing unit securely and keeps the center of gravity relatively low, and expands the operator's view in the moving position. Is intended.

(Means for Solving the Problem and Its Action) Accordingly, one feature of the present invention is that a device for supporting a mowing unit with respect to a towing vehicle connects a towing vehicle and the mowing unit to a main lift arm assembly. The solid body and the means for connecting the mowing unit and the towing vehicle through the disengagement assembly, the detachment assembly effectively preventing the mowing unit from rocking relative to the tow vehicle during normal mowing mode, It is characterized by swinging the mowing unit when hitting an inanimate object.

Therefore, even if the mowing unit collides with the inanimate object, the mowing unit or its supporting structure is not seriously damaged.

In another configuration, a means for pivotally connecting the main lift arm assembly and the towing vehicle, a lift arm extension member for pivotally connecting the main lift arm assembly to the wing mowing unit, and a wing mowing unit from the mowing position. A means for lifting the lift arm assembly and the lift arm extension member so as to move to the movement position, and the main lift arm assembly and the lift arm extension member being lifted relative to the movement position,
Means for pivoting the lift arm extension member and the mowing unit relative to the main lift arm assembly.

This allows the mowing unit to be simultaneously lifted and swiveled with respect to the towing vehicle, so that when the mowing unit is in its moving position, the mowing machine has a reasonably low center of gravity,
As a result, the field of view of the operator is not significantly limited.

Another feature of the invention includes a device for supporting the mowing unit against a towing vehicle for connecting the lift arm assembly and the mowing unit to provide some elasticity between the assemblies. It has a lift arm assembly and an elastic bushing assembly to reduce vibration and noise and to allow the mowing unit to levitate against the towing vehicle.

Yet another feature of the present invention is a disengagement assembly used in a wing deck mowing unit.

The detachment assembly has means for connecting to the mowing unit and the towing vehicle, and during normal use the detachment assembly does not operate, but when the mowing unit hits an inanimate object, the female assembly of the detachment assembly. The male assembly is separated from the solid body to extend the entire length of the solid assembly so that the lift arm extending member can be swung so that the cutting unit is not damaged.

(Example) The characteristic of this invention is demonstrated based on drawing.

In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts and the same assembly.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a reaper 10 according to the present invention. The reaper 10 has a towing vehicle 12 supported by a pair of front drive wheels 14 and a pair of rear control wheels 16. The towing vehicle 12 also supports a prime mover connected to drive wheels 14 via a transmission. The towing vehicle 12 has a front deck 18 and a pair of wing decks 20a and 20b (generally denoted by reference numeral 20), the cutting blades of which are hydraulically driven or via a power transmission device (PTO). Driven against.

The decks 18 and 20 have their mowing positions indicated by solid lines and the moving devices indicated by dotted lines. Front deck 18 is front deck housing 22
Have. The wing deck 20 has a wing deck housing 24. The pair of wing decks 20a, 20b and their supporting structure are symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the reaper 10. Therefore, only the wing deck 20a and its supporting members shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail.

On each side of the towing vehicle 12, the base ends of the main lift arms 26 of the wing deck are pivotally connected. Each main lift arm 26 is operated by a double-acting cylinder 28, one end of which is attached to the towing vehicle 12 and the other end is connected to the main lift arm 26.
A swivel / cam assembly 30 is attached to the tips of the various lift arms 26.
A connecting joint is provided between the lift arm extension member 32 and the lift arm extension member 32. The tip of the lift arm extension member 32 extends to the position of the U-shaped bracket 34, and this U-shaped bracket 34 pivotally supports the roll member 36 in the substantially horizontal position (mowing mode).

Roll member 36 is connected to a pair of housing struts 40 by four bushing assemblies 38, which struts 40 are rigidly coupled to housing 24. The stanchion 40 is supported at each end in a rolling state by casters 42, and these casters 42 are ground followers that determine the cutting height of the wing deck 20. A tie rod bracket 44 extends from the lift arm extension member 32 toward the towing vehicle 12, a tie rod 46 extends between the towing vehicle 12 and the tie rod bracket 44, the tie rod 46 having a disengagement assembly 48, The function will be described below.

The wing deck 20 may be "levitated" with respect to the towing vehicle 12, as described further below. That is, the caster 42
As the ground follows ups and downs, the struts 40 and housing 24 also "pitch", "roll", and "sway", moving vertically depending on the terrain. Mainly when the wing deck 20 is in the mowing position, the roll member 36 can swing substantially freely with respect to the swing bracket 34, so that the wing deck is
20 can be rolled sideways. Bush assembly 38 also allows slight movement of post 40 and housing 24 relative to roll member 36, which helps to lift wing deck 20.

Furthermore, the bushing assembly 38 absorbs vibrations that adversely affect the device and reduces noise and fatigue of the various components of the reaper 10 while allowing the roll member 36, and ultimately the tractor 12, to be pulled. On the other hand, "pitching" and "rocking" of the housing 24
To some extent. Limited vertical movement of the wing deck 20 is provided by the main lift arm 26 which allows the wing deck 20 to swing to a certain degree relative to the towing vehicle 12 when the wing deck 20 is in its mowing position. To do.

The double-acting cylinder 28 is controlled by a hydraulic system driven by a prime mover. This hydraulic system has one or more manually operated selector valves which are operated to actuate the double acting cylinder 28 on the main lift arm 26 to raise, lower and lock the wing deck 20. Or, it is designed to float (partially equilibrate). One such hydraulic system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,559. Although this patent does not disclose the use of double acting cylinders, it replaces the double acting cylinders 28 with a pair of single acting cylinders.

In any case, as will be described later, in order to maintain the essential stability in both the mowing mode and the moving mode, the main lift arm 26 has to pivot up and down by the driving force, so that the double-acting Either a cylinder or a pair of single acting cylinders is required. The front deck 18 and its supporting structure are also raised, lowered and levitated with respect to the towing vehicle 12 using a standard hydraulic system. The present invention is primarily concerned with wing deck configurations, arrangements and supports. Therefore,
The front deck 18 and its accessories will not be described in detail.

Each of the main components of the wing deck 20 and its supporting structure will be described below.

Detachment Assembly 48 Detachment assembly 48 is included as part of tie rod 46, as described above. During normal mowing, the tie rod 46 and disengagement assembly 48 extend between the towing vehicle 12 and the tie rod bracket 44, relative to the main lift arm 26, except for the limited rocking motion of the bushing assembly 38. Lift arm extension member 32
Practically prevents the swing of the wing and the "swing" of the wing deck 20.
However, if the wing deck 20 hits an inanimate object, such as a tree, the disengagement assembly 48 releases the tie rods 46,
The tie rod 46 immediately grows longer and the wing deck 20
Swings backward with respect to the direction of travel of the towing vehicle, minimizing shocks from external impacts.

2A-2C show enlarged partial perspective views of the tie rod 46, the disengagement assembly 48, and the means for connecting these components to the towing vehicle 12 and the tie rod bracket 44 (ie, the ball joint). As shown in these figures, the release assembly 48
Two basic assemblies, a male assembly 50 adjustably connected to a portion of the tie rod 46 extending from the tie rod bracket 44 and a female assembly connected to a portion of the tie rod 46 extending from the towing vehicle 12. And a solid 52.

With particular reference to FIG. 2C, a cross-sectional view of disengagement assembly 48,
The male assembly 50 has a member 54 that threadably engages a tie rod 46, which has a neck portion that defines a pair of beveled surfaces 56. Connect to the member 54 on the side opposite to the tie rod 46,
Hexagonal rods are axially aligned with it.
58, with a stop nut 60 at the end of the rod
Is fitted with a stop washer 62 (Fig. 2B), the function of which will be explained below.

The female assembly 52 has several "immobile" components that are rigidly connected to the tie rods 46. One of these components is an inner tube 64 which is adjustably connected to tie rod 46 by an inner tube extension 66 and a locking nut 68. At the tip of the inner tube 64 (the end opposite the lock nut 68) is a swivel block 70, which is a male assembly.
It has a central hole that slidably receives 50 hexagonal rods 58.

The outer pipe 72 is loosely fitted on the outer side of the inner pipe 64.
Has an outer tube leaf flange 74 formed at one end thereof and an outer tube spring flange 76 formed at the opposite end thereof. Swivel block
The 70 pivotally supports the first and second leaves 78a, 78b (generally denoted by reference numeral 78) at the turning center axes 80a, 80b of the first and second leaves, respectively. At the tip of leaf 78,
There are 82. At the proximal end of leaf 78 are contact surfaces 84 that abut outer tube leaf flange 74.
Finally, a compression spring 86 is arranged in compression between the adjusting nut 88 screwed onto the inner tube extension 66 and the outer tube spring flange 76.

Here, the operation of the detachment assembly 48 will be described.

During normal use of the reaper 10, the compression spring 86 provides sufficient force against the outer tube 72 to prevent the leaf 78 from wobbling.
Therefore, the roller 82 is attached to the slope 56 formed on the male member 54.
Since the roller 82 is pressed against and the roller 82 is fitted in the neck portion of the male member 54, the male member 54 cannot be pulled out by opening the leaf 78. Therefore, the lift arm extension member 32 cannot swing with respect to the main lift arm 26.

However, the wing deck 20 collides with an inanimate object,
When a sufficient force acts on the leaf 78 against the force of the spring 86, the leaf 78 is separated from the slope to the extent that the male member 54 can be released from the leaf 78, so that the neck portion of the male member 54 comes out and the tie rod is pulled out. 46 will be extended. However, the male assembly 50 and the female assembly 52 of the disengagement assembly 48 cannot be completely separated. This is because the stop washer 62 comes into final contact with the inner surface of the swivel block 70 which slidably receives the hexagonal rod 58.

Hexagonal rods are used rather than circular rods to orient male assembly 50 relative to female assembly 52.
The male assembly 50 and the female assembly 52 rejoin each other as the disengagement assembly 52 is reset to its original condition by simply lifting the wing deck 20 by proper biasing of the double acting cylinder 28. However, since the male member 54 is not circular but flat on both sides, the orientation between both assemblies must be properly maintained. The disengagement force can be adjusted by pivoting the nut 88 with respect to the inner tube extension 66 to increase or decrease the spring force.

Bush Assembly 38 As described above, four bush assemblies 38 are interposed between the roll member 36 and the housing support column 40. FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of wing deck 20 showing bush assembly 38.
The preferred position of is shown. Figure 3B shows bush assembly 38-1
It is two expanded sectional views. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the bushing assembly 38 is attached to either end of the roll member 36 and to the bushing assembly mounting plate 90 which is positioned substantially vertically. The mounting plate 90 has holes formed in each end thereof for receiving the bushing assembly 38. All of the components of bushing assembly 38 are axially aligned.

Referring to FIG. 3B, each bushing assembly 38 has an inner bushing 92 and an outer bushing 94. Those bush 9
2,94 is elastic, preferably rubber if possible, in fact,
It has a toroid shape. The inner bush 92 is located inside the mounting plate 90 (towards the bracket 34) and the outer bush 94
Are located outside the mounting plate 90 (opposite the bracket 34). A hollow sleeve 96 extends through the hole formed by the mounting plate 90 and is concentric with the inner and outer bushings 92, 94 on the inside. Each bush 92,94 is sandwiched by a pair of metal washers 102, which are glued to the rubber bushes 92,94.

A bolt 98 extends through the housing post 40 and other components of the bushing assembly 38. Bolt 98 and nut 100
The entire assembly is connected to the housing post 40 by. Therefore, the housing column 40 is movable to some extent with respect to the roll member 36. When moving like that,
The bushes 92,94 compress or expand to provide some "elasticity" so that the wing deck 20 levitates against the towing vehicle 12 and follows the terrain with which the deck 20 is in direct contact. Bushings 92 and 94 are available from Lord under the name SSB series sandwich mounts.

The bushing assembly 38 allows the housing 24 to rock, pitch, and roll relative to the roll member 36. It should be noted that the bushing assembly 38 not only provides limited levitation, but also minimizes vibration and noise. By providing some resilience between the housing 24 and the roll member 36, the remaining components of the wing deck 20 are substantially free of vibration.

Lift Arms 26, 32 and Swing / Cam Assembly Referring now to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5 the lift arms 26, 32 and swivel / cam assembly 30 are shown in some detail. Fourth A
The figure shows an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the left wing deck 20a when viewed from the rear, and FIG. 4B shows an enlarged view of the swivel / cam assembly 30, shown in partial cross section. Figure 5 shows the wing deck 20 when it is lifted from its mowing position to its moving position.
The movement of is schematically shown.

As shown, the lift arm extension member 32 swings with respect to the main lift arm 26 about the axis of the coupling joint 104. This connecting joint
For 104, the structure shown need not be shown, and a conventional bearing assembly could be used. Also the detachment assembly
A C-shaped pivot arm 106 connected to the lift arm extension member 32 via a coupling joint 108 is provided on the side opposite to 48, and is arranged so as to be pivotable around the lift arm extension member 32. .

The swivel and cam assembly 30 has a generally U-shaped cam bracket 118 located at the tip of the main lift arm 26. The cam bracket 118 has an arc-shaped solid cam surface 120 formed therein, and this cam surface describes an arcuate trajectory defined inside the bracket. The cam follower 110 sliding on the cam surface is C
An upper ball joint 112 is attached to one end of the C-shaped turning arm 106 and the other end of the C-shaped turning arm 106. Extending downwardly from the upper ball joint 112 is a pivot arm extension member 114, which terminates at a lower ball joint 116 connected to the housing 24.

The C-shaped turning arm 106 is a guide for turning the lift arm extension member 32 and a means for limiting the turning range when the deck housing 24 is moved to the mowing position and the moving position. For this reason, when the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 28 is extended and the main lift arm 26 pivots about the axis of the base end and rises (see FIG. 5), the deck housing 24 is lifted from the ground, and at the same time. The lift arm extension member 32 pivots so that the deck housing 24 can be stored in the lateral position, and the pivot arm 106 is pivoted to move the cam follower 110 to the other end of the cam surface to hold the lift arm extension member 32 fixed. It is like this.

The path of the cam follower 110 sliding on this cam surface is shown in FIG. 4B, and the roller 110 of the cam follower has one end 1 of the cam.
It is possible to move from 21 to the other end 123. The roller 110 is provided with play at one end 121 of the cam so that the deck housing 24 swings about 20 °, while at the other end 123 there is virtually no play.

Thus, when the wing deck 20 is in its mowing position, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the swing arm 106 has more play with respect to the lift arm extension member 32. As a result, when the wing deck 20 is in its lower or mowing position, the housing 24 is capable of rocking or rolling relative to the lift arm extension member 32 to a significant degree.

However, when the wing deck 20 is lifted,
The lift arm extension member 32 surrounds the main lift arm 26 around the joint 104.
As it swivels with respect to, the cam follower 110 moves to the other end 123 of the cam surface 120, which gradually reduces the play of the C-shaped swivel arm 106.

Ultimately, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 1, the wing deck
When the 20 is in its fully raised or displaced position, there is virtually no movement of the pivot arm 106 relative to the lift arm extension member 32, and the wing deck 20 includes the lift arm extension member 32.
With respect to the moving position, it is securely locked.

The swing and cam assembly cam bracket 118 also includes the extension 1
22 forms a rubber bumper 124. Fourth B
As shown in the figure, the bumper 124 moves when the lift arm extension member 32 pivots to the maximum limit with respect to the main lift arm 26, that is,
It functions to support and cushion the lift arm extension members 32 when the wing deck 20 is in the moved position.

FIG. 5 schematically shows the movement of the lift arms 26, 32 as the wing deck 20 rises from its mowing position to its moving position. When the wing deck 20 is raised, the tie rod assembly 46 acts on the tie rod brackets 44 to lift the lift arm extension members.
Pivot 32 with respect to main lift arm 26. by this,
The cam follower 110 advances to the other end 123 of the cam surface 120. The lift arm extension member 32 pivots relative to the main lift arm 26 when the wing deck 20 is raised, and finally when the lift arm extension member 32 is in the fully raised position, the lift arm extension member 32 is moved to the position shown in FIG. Become.

Since the tie rod assemblies 46 and 48 are longer than the main lift arm 26,
When the tie rod assemblies 46,48 and the main lift arm 26 are raised, the tie rod assemblies 46,48 actually press the tie rod brackets 44 and thereby the lift arm extension members.
32 pivots relative to main lift arm 26. Lift arm extension member
The 32 turns about 110 ° from the mowing position to the moving position. When the wing deck 20 is fully raised, the longitudinal direction of the deck 20 is sideways so that the leading edge of the housing 24 faces directly above.

This does not significantly reduce the operator's lateral field of view. Also, since the main lift arm 26 actually pivots over 90 ° when transitioning from the mowing position to the moving position, it is stable and requires a hydraulic cylinder to hold the wing deck 20 in its moving position. You don't have to rely on 28.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 6A-6C, it can be seen that the wing deck 20 not only raises but also turns so that the operator has a 360 ° field of view. The front deck of the reaper 10 contrasts with conventional reapers (Figs. 7A-7C, 8A-8C) when the wing deck 20 is lifted, the front deck housing 22 is the widest of the reaper 10. Becomes a wide component of the. Finally, as the wing deck 20 is lifted and swiveled into locomotion mode, some of its weight is
It is transmitted to the rear wheels. This solves the "rear wheel lift" problem that occurs when braking in travel mode.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is capable of other modifications, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims. .

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the lawn care device of the present invention, since the mowing unit is connected to the towing vehicle through the detachment assembly, the detachment assembly is struck when it collides with an inanimate object. In the three-dimensional body, the male assembly is separated from the female assembly to extend the entire length, and the mowing unit can be swung backward with respect to the traveling direction of the towing vehicle to be temporarily retracted. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the shock due to the impact from the outside and to improve the safety of the device.

Further, according to another configuration of the present invention, when the laterally extending mowing unit is lifted, at the same time, the mowing unit is pivoted rearward so that its leading edge is in the upper position, so that the mowing unit is The side end portion of moves to the rear wheel side and moves the center of gravity of the whole rearward and downward.

As a result, the rear wheels are prevented from being lifted up during braking, and the position of the mowing unit can be stored lower than the towing vehicle to widen the driver's field of view, which significantly improves the driving operability of the device. It

Further, according to another configuration of the present invention, since the lift arm assembly and the mowing unit are connected to each other and the lift arm assembly and the elastic bushing assembly are provided in order to give a certain degree of elasticity between the assemblies, the vibration is suppressed. And the noise can be reduced.

Further, since the mowing unit is connected to the lift arm assembly via the elastic bushing assembly, not only the mowing unit is levitated with respect to the towing vehicle, but also vibration and noise are reduced, and workability is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reaper according to the present invention. 2A is an enlarged partial perspective view of another portion of the wing deck support system of FIG. 1 including tie rods and disengagement assemblies. FIG. 2B is an enlarged front view of the tie rod and disengagement assembly of FIG. 2A shown in partial cross-section. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the disengagement assembly of FIG. 2A taken along view 2C-2C. FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of the wing deck of the reaper of FIG. 1, showing in particular a bush support device. 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the bushing assemblies of the bushing support shown in FIG. 3A taken along line 3B-3B. FIG. 4A is a wing deck support device 1 of the reaper shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view of one portion. FIG. 4B is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4B-4B in FIG. 4B. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing one of the wing deck and the supporting device of the reaper shown in FIG. 1 in various positions. FIG. 6A is a plan view showing the reaper of FIG. 1 in its movement mode. FIG. 6B is a side view showing the reaper of FIG. 1 in its travel mode. FIG. 6C is a plan view showing the reaper of FIG. 1 in its reaping mode. FIG. 7A is a plan view showing the conventional lawn reaper of FIG. 1 in a moving position. FIG. 7B is a side view showing the reaper of FIG. 7A in its travel mode. FIG. 7C is a plan view showing the reaper of FIG. 7A in its reaping mode. FIG. 8A is a plan view showing a second conventional lawn mower in a moving mode. FIG. 8B is a side view showing the reaper of FIG. 8A in its travel mode. FIG. 8C is a plan view showing the reaper of FIG. 8A in its reaping mode. 10 …… Mower 12 …… Tractor 18 …… Front deck 20a, 20b …… Wing deck 26 …… Main lift arm 28 …… Double-acting cylinder 30 …… Swing / cam assembly 32 …… Lift arm extension member 34 …… U-shaped bracket 36 …… Roll member 38 …… Bush assembly 44 …… Tie rod bracket 46 …… Tie rod 48 …… Removal assembly 50 …… Male member 52 …… Female member 78a, 78b …… Leaf 82 …… Roller 92,94 …… Bush 108 …… Coupling joint 110 …… Cam follower 120 …… Cam surface

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Michael N. Zener United States, Minnesota 55044, Lakeville. Hannibal Coat 17162 (56) References Actually open 61-152221 (JP, U) Actually open 61-175912 (JP, U)

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A lawn care device having a towing vehicle and a wing mowing unit, wherein a device for supporting the mowing unit with respect to the towing vehicle comprises: (a) a lift pivotably connected to the towing vehicle and the mowing unit. An arm assembly, and (b) a detachment assembly for preventing substantial swinging of the mowing unit with respect to the towing vehicle during normal mowing mode and for swinging the mowing unit when the mowing unit hits an inanimate object. A solid body, and (c) means for connecting the mowing unit and the towing vehicle through the detachment assembly, the detachment assembly comprising a male assembly and a spring-biased female assembly. And wherein the male assembly is disengaged from the female assembly against the spring force at the time of collision with the inanimate object, and the length of the disassembly assembly is changed. Lawn care apparatus. 2. The female assembly comprises a pair of leaves which are both spring biased, and the male assembly comprises a male element having a neck portion and a pair of bevels extending therefrom.
When the mowing unit hits an inanimate object, the slope acts on the spring type leaf, and if the force applied to the leaf is sufficient, the neck portion of the male member comes off from the leaf. Lawn care device described in. 3. After the male element is disengaged from the female assembly,
A lawn according to claim 2, characterized in that the lifting assembly is reset to reset the disengagement assembly so that the male element automatically rejoins with the female assembly. Care equipment. 4. The male assembly further comprises a stop, the male assembly being impacted and unable to be completely disengaged from the female assembly, but the disengaging assembly being impacted. Lawn care device according to claim 3, characterized in that it can be extended to a predetermined length in order to minimize shocks. 5. A lawn care device having a towing vehicle and a wing mowing unit, wherein the device for connecting the mowing unit to the towing vehicle comprises: (a) a main lift arm assembly; and (b) a tow main lift arm assembly. Means for pivotally connecting to the vehicle; (c) a lift arm extension member pivotably connecting the main lift arm assembly to the mowing unit; and (d) the mowing unit transitioning from its mowing position to its moving position. Means for lifting the main lift arm assembly and the lift arm extension member, and (e) the lift arm extension member and the mowing unit when the main lift arm assembly and the lift arm extension member are lifted with respect to a towing vehicle. And means for pivoting with respect to the main lift arm assembly, the cutting unit being such that its leading edge is effectively upwards when reaching the moving position. So as to, lifted against the towing vehicle, and in which lawn care apparatus adapted to be pivoted. 6. An oscillating device is interposed between the mowing unit and the towing vehicle, the oscillating device comprising a disengagement assembly and means for connecting the disengagement assembly to the lift arm extension member and the tow vehicle. During the normal mowing operation, the disengagement assembly effectively prevents the mowing unit from rocking relative to the towing vehicle, and when the mowing unit hits an inanimate object, the disengagement assembly protects the mowing machine from damage. The lawn care device according to claim 5, wherein the lawn care device swings. 7. A resilient bushing assembly for connecting the lift arm extension member and the mowing unit to provide a degree of resilience therebetween, the mowing unit up to a degree relative to the towing vehicle. The lawn care device according to claim 5, wherein the lawn care device is floatable. 8. A lawn care device having a towing vehicle and a wing mowing unit, wherein a device for connecting the wing mowing unit to the towing vehicle comprises: (a) a lift arm assembly for rotatably connecting the towing vehicle and the wing mowing unit. And (b) means connected to the towing vehicle for pivoting the lift arm assembly and the wing mowing unit upward relative to the towing vehicle, and (c) the wing mowing unit when the wing mowing unit pivots upward. A means for swiveling backwards, the lawn care device being arranged such that the cutting edge is such that its leading edge is effectively pointing straight up when it reaches its travel position. 9. A lawn care device having a towing vehicle and a wing mowing unit, wherein a device for connecting the wing mowing unit to the towing vehicle comprises: (a) a lift arm assembly for rotatably connecting the towing vehicle and the mowing unit. (B) a lawn that effectively prevents swinging of the mowing unit relative to the towing vehicle during normal mowing operations and that flexibly swings the mowing unit when the mowing unit strikes an inanimate object. Care equipment. 10. (a) a towing vehicle, (b) a wing mowing unit, (c) a main lift arm attached to the tow vehicle so as to pivot in a substantially vertical plane, and (d) a main lift arm. A lift arm extension member that is connected and pivots in a substantially horizontal plane with respect to the main lift arm when the main lift arm is in a lower position; and (e) connects the lift arm extension member and the mowing unit, An elastic bushing assembly providing a certain amount of elasticity between them, and (f) lifting the main lift arm and the lift arm extension member so that the main lift arm moves from its lower position to its upper position, and said mowing Means for moving the unit from the mowing position to the moving position, and (g) when the main lift arm and the lift arm extension member are lifted with respect to the tow vehicle, the lift arm extension member and the cutting unit are mainly provided. lift A disengagement assembly coupled to the towing vehicle for pivoting with respect to the towing vehicle, the disassembly assembly preventing substantial rocking of the mowing unit relative to the towing vehicle during normal mowing operations, When it hits an inanimate object, it can swing the mowing unit, and when reaching the moving position, the mowing unit simultaneously raises and turns with respect to the towing vehicle so that its leading edge points virtually straight up. A lawn care device characterized by being designed to be opened.