Patent Application
20160044867
The present invention relates to a lawnmower attachment, and in particular, a lawnmower attachment that converts a lawnmower into a leaf blower.
Leaf blowers are known in the art, and provide a lawn tool that propels air out of a nozzle or other restricted opening to move yard debris. Leaf blowers can include an electric motor or a gasoline motor in a self-contained handheld unit or backpack unit. Larger units can be mounted on wheels, and are sometimes referred to as “walk-behind-blowers.” While widely accepted among commercial lawn care operators, these units are not without their associated costs, and are not commonly found among residential users.
More recently, aftermarket lawnmower conversion kits are known to provide a disc-shaped impeller to convert a lawnmower into a leaf blower. The disc-shaped impeller can be joined to the blade attachment portion of a lawnmower, replacing the rotary cutting blades. Rotation of the impeller propels air outwardly from the side of the lawnmower. However, aftermarket lawnmower conversion kits have not been effective and have not been widely adopted. Accordingly, there remains a continued need for an improved aftermarket lawnmower conversion kit that leverages the economy of a conversion kit over the expense of a separate leaf blower.
A blower attachment for a lawnmower is provided. The blower attachment includes an impeller and a shroud that are attachable to the lawnmower deck or undercarriage. The shroud includes a bottom portion defining a reduced-diameter opening. The impeller is centrally positioned over the reduced-diameter opening. Rotation of the impeller draws air through the reduced-diameter opening before being discharged from the lawnmower for the removal of debris from a lawn surface.
In one embodiment, the reduced-diameter opening is less than the outer diameter of the impeller. For example, the reduced-diameter opening is less than one half of the diameter of the impeller in some embodiments, while in other embodiments the reduced-diameter opening is less than one-third of the diameter of the impeller. A discharge chute is tangentially aligned with the impeller for the discharge of air over a lawn surface. The reduced-diameter opening can include a screen or a grate to prevent the inflow of rocks, sticks, or other objects into the lawnmower.
In another embodiment, a blower assembly is provided. The blower assembly includes a lawnmower and a blower attachment. The blower attachment includes a shroud that is joined to the lawnmower to define an impeller housing therebetween. An impeller is positioned within the impeller housing to draw air upwardly through an air inlet and outwardly through an air outlet. The air inlet includes a reduced-diameter opening that is less than the outermost diameter of the impeller. The lawnmower includes height-adjustable wheels to elevate the air inlet over the lawn surface. The air outlet includes a discharge chute that extends tangentially and down from the impeller housing to blow air over a lawn surface for the removal of yard waste.
These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiments and the drawings.
The current embodiments relate to a blower attachment for a lawnmower. The current embodiments generally include an impeller and a shroud having a reduced-diameter opening for controlling the flow of air into the blower attachment.
Referring now to
As noted above, the blower attachment 10 includes an impeller 22 and a shroud 24. The impeller 22 can be a radial flow impeller that is secured to the mounting bolt 20. The radial flow impeller 22 includes impeller blades 26 that extend radially outward from the mounting bolt 20. As best shown in
The shroud 24 is shown in
As also shown in
The cutting deck 14 and the shroud 24 cooperate to define a housing for the impeller 22. The impeller 22 is centrally positioned within the housing and over the reduced-diameter opening 34. The housing can be raised with adjustment of the wheels 16 to increase the clearance beneath the shroud 24. By increasing the clearance beneath the shroud 24, the impeller 22 can draw more airflow into the impeller chamber. An optional screen or grate can be fitted over the reduced-diameter opening 34 to prevent the injection of rocks, sticks, and other objects into the impeller housing.
As noted above, the discharge airflow is accelerated laterally outwardly through a discharge chute 30. The discharge chute 30 is an integral extension of the shroud 24 in some embodiments, while in other embodiments the discharge chute 30 is separately attachable to the shroud 24 or to the lawnmower cutting deck 14. As shown in
A method for converting a lawnmower into a walk-behind-blower will now be described. The method generally includes setting the lawnmower 12 on its side and removing the mounting bolt 20. For many lawnmowers, this step can be performed with household tools, for example a socket wrench, while the spark plug (for gas mowers) is removed. Once the mounting bolt 20 is free, the cutting blade can be replaced with the impeller 20. As noted above, the impeller 20 is generally disc-shaped in the present embodiment, having curved impeller blades that are enlarged at their distal end portions to generally conform to the interior of the cutting deck 14. The mounting bolt 20 is reattached, thereby locking the impeller 20 in position. The method then includes securing the shroud 24 to the underside of the cutting deck 14. This step can include positioning the shroud 24 such that the discharge chute 30 is aligned with the opening in the side skirt 35. The curved end portions 36 of the shroud 24 are then snap-fitted to the side skirt 35, optionally with the use of one or more fasteners 33. The method then includes returning the resulting blower assembly 50 to the upright position. Once in the upright position, the wheels 16 can be height-adjusted to elevate the cutting deck 14 above the yard surface. The entire conversion can take only several minutes, without the use of complicating tooling or machinery. Once the conversion is complete, the blower assembly 50 is operable as a walk-behind mower. The motor 21 drives the impeller 22 to generate a discharge blast through the discharge chute 30, which directs the flow of air over the lawn surface. The blower assembly 50 can be converted into a lawnmower in the reverse order of steps. Briefly, the blower assembly 50 is positioned on its side, and the shroud 24 is removed from the cutting deck 14, exposing the impeller 22. The mounting bolt 20 is then removed to allow the swapping out of the cutting blade for the impeller 22. Once the mounting bolt 20 is reattached, the lawnmower is then returned to the upright position, and lowered with adjustment of the wheel height.
The illustrated embodiments therefore provide a blower attachment to convert a lawnmower into a walk-behind-blower, generally with the use of household hand tools. The conversion can take only minutes to perform, optionally with improved flow performance over existing units, and can provide the convenience of a walk-behind-blower without the added expense of a separate, standalone leaf blower.
The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. Any reference to elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62037638 | Aug 2014 | US |
