Patent Application
20070144131
The present invention relates generally to the field of grass and brush mowers and more specifically to a side mower that allows mowing of areas not easily reached by conventional mowers.
Conventional lawn mowers are well-known and used by landscapers and homeowners on a daily basis. A traditional lawn mower includes a blade that is suspended inches above the ground and rotated at high speeds by a small internal combustion engine. The blade and engine are supported by and separated by a chassis with the blade below the chassis and the engine above the chassis. The traditional lawn mower has four wheels that allow the lawn mower to be easily rolled over a flat lawn. A handle extends from the chassis to height of three or four feet so that a person can move the lawn mower forwards and backwards by pushing or pulling on the handle, respectively.
Towed lawn mowers are mowers that are attached to the back of a tractor or other vehicle. These towed lawn mowers do not require their own engines and receive the power required for rotating their blades from the tractor's engine. An auxiliary drive train from the tractor is connected to the towed mower's drive shaft to provide a rotational force for the blade. The mower is then towed behind the tractor and grass or brush can be cut wherever the tractor can drive. The problem with these traditional towed mowers is that mowing is limited to generally flat areas and other stable areas where the tractor can drive. Traditional towed mowers cannot mow severely declining areas such as the banks of a river or pond, nor can they cut severely inclining areas such as the sides of a mountain road.
What is needed in the field is an adjustable towed mower that allows the blades of the mower to reach to the side of the tractor so that the tractor can travel along side of the area to be mowed. The ideal side mower would also have a mowing deck that could be angled so that inclining and declining areas, relative to the path of the tractor, can be efficiently mowed.
An adjustable side mower that allows easy mowing of pond banks, ditches and hedge rows. The side mower is adapted to be attached to the back of a towing vehicle, such as a tractor, and extends to one side of the tractor for mowing a surface on that side of the tractor. The side mower allows for mowing of wet areas without the tractor having to actually drive on the wet areas. The side mower comprises a mower base, wherein the base includes a frame with multiple tractor attachment points that are adapted to be attached to the tractor and a counterweight that is supported by the frame on a back side of the frame. The mower also includes an extendable and retractable boom. The boom has first and second legs, wherein the first leg of the boom is pivotally attached to a lower portion of the front side of the base frame. The second leg of the boom is pivotally attached to a mowing deck, which includes at least one lawnmower blade, a blade housing that covers a top and four sides of the blade(s), and a mowing deck support that is attached to the top of the blade housing. A 5-hp engine is preferably attached to the mowing deck, wherein the engine provides the rotational force for turning the blades of the mowing deck.
The first leg of the boom is connected to and actuated by a first adjustable device that is also connected to the front of the frame. The first adjustable device, which can be a hydraulic piston or a hand-winch, is able to maneuver the first leg of the boom closer to and further away from the frame, respectively. A second adjustable device is connected to the top of the boom and a top portion of the mowing deck support. The second adjustable device, which is also a hydraulic piston or hand-winch, is able to maneuver the mowing deck support closer to and further away from the second leg of the boom, respectively. The boom and adjustable devices allow the mowing deck to be raised above the level of the tractor and lowered below the level of the tractor. The boom and adjustable devices also allow the mowing deck to be angled up or down relative to the tractor.
A set of controls for controlling the engine and lawnmower blades, and optionally controlling the boom, is co-located on the side mower or remotely located, on the tractor, for example. The tractor attachment points on the base frame preferably comprise a standard three-point hitch for tractors. When the first and second adjustable devices are hydraulic pistons, the pistons can be adapted to receive hydraulic power from the tractor. Alternatively, the side mower engine can include a hydraulic pump that selectively provides power to the hydraulic pistons.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mower that allows the cutting of grass and brush on surfaces that are not easily traversed by vehicles or traditional mowers.
The invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, given only by way of example, in which:
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology of terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
