The present invention relates to power, self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmowers, and more particularly, to an apparatus that is compatible with such lawnmowers that performs and selectively is operative to perform the lawn edging function as needed.
Power, self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmowers as shown in
To overcome the need for a separate edging device in addition to the lawnmower, various inventions have been made to combine these two devices.
None of these devices are optimally designed to perform the edging function in a routine manner.
What is needed is a lawn-care maintenance apparatus that runs off the power system of the self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower, operating at much lower RPMs than conventional edgers, the slower RPM enabling the user to clear out weeds and debris from expansion joints in walks and driveways easily and safely.
What is needed is a lawn care maintenance apparatus which permits level mowing and edging with the same device, thereby eliminating the need for a separate edging device, that is cost effective to buy and operate and is maintenance free, that is safe to operate, and is powered from the same motor as the “self propelled walk behind” lawnmower.
As such, it may be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new lawn-care maintenance apparatus wherein the same addresses both the problems of ease of use and effectiveness in organization and the present invention fulfills this need.
These and other objects of the invention, which shall be hereafter apparent, are achieved by the lawn-care maintenance apparatus of the present invention.
The lawn-care maintenance apparatus of the present invention can be used for both mowing the lawn and trimming the lawn. The lawn-care maintenance apparatus has a power system and comprises a lawnmower wheel, an edger, and fastener elements for securely mounting the edger to the lawnmower wheel.
The lawnmower wheel is readily mountable onto a lawnmower wheel shaft of a self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower. The wheel is securely retained on the wheel shaft and is compatible with the other wheels on the lawnmower.
The edger is disk shaped and has a plurality of cutting edges. The edger has symmetrical cutting edges for mounting on either a right lawnmower wheel or a left lawnmower wheel. The edger is driven by the power system of the self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower. The edger is secured onto a rear wheel of a rear-wheel drive lawnmower or a front wheel of a front-wheel drive lawnmower. One or more fastener elements mount and secure the edger to the lawnmower wheel or to the lawnmower wheel shaft. The edger is mounted onto a drive wheel of said power, self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower, and, preferably, the edger has an axis that is offset from the axis of the drive wheel that the edger is attached to.
In another preferred embodiment, a cap or cover that is attachable to and removable from the edger covers the cutting edges of the trimmer when trimming is not wanted.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the edger is a clutch assembly that is attachable to and detachable from the lawnmower wheel of the self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower. The clutch assembly has both an engaged position and a retracted position. The clutch assembly includes a multiplicity of cutting surfaces for edging. The cutting surfaces are retained in a locked position when engaged for edging, and the cutting surfaces are retained in a safe position when retracted.
The lawn-care maintenance apparatus of the present invention can perform an edging of said lawn after said lawn has been being mowed.
It is to be understood that while only embodiments are depicted, the principles of the present invention are equally applicable to many other types of power driven tools.
For a more complete understanding of the lawn-care maintenance apparatus of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which the presently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example. As the invention may be embodied in many forms without departing from spirit of essential characteristics thereof, it is expressly understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Throughout the description, like reference numbers refer to the same component throughout the several views.
Referring now to the drawings,
The lawn-care maintenance apparatus 12 comprises a lawnmower wheel 22, an edger 30, and fastener elements 36 for securely mounting the edger to the lawnmower drive wheel 22.
The lawnmower wheel is readily mountable onto a lawnmower wheel shaft 46 of a self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower. The lawnmower wheel is securely retained on the wheel shaft 46 and is compatible with the other drive and driven wheels on the lawnmower.
The edger 30 is disk shaped and has a plurality of cutting edges 34. The edger 30 preferably has symmetrical cutting edges for mounting on either a right lawnmower wheel or a left lawnmower wheel to accommodate lawnmower operators that are either right or left-handed, and also to enable the apparatus of the present invention to be useful in various environments. Also, the symmetry extends the life of the edger 30. The edger 30 is driven by the power train 16 of the self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower. Preferably, the edger 30 is secured onto a rear wheel of a rear-wheel drive lawnmower or a front wheel of a front-wheel drive lawnmower. In the preferred embodiment, the cutting edges of the rotating edger 30 are normal to the rolling surface 44, ±20°.
One or more edger fasteners 36 mount and secure the edger 30 to the drive wheel 22. In an alternate embodiment (not shown), the edger fasteners 36 mount and secure the edger 30 to the wheel shaft 46. The fastener elements 36 comprise, for example, one or more bolts, j-bolts, screws, nuts, magnets, body clips, pins rivets washers, or any combination of such fasteners to secure the edger to the wheel or the wheel axle. Adhesives or welding may also be used.
It has been found that the edger blade preferably has a 10 inch diameter with a tolerance of ±¾ inches, for an 8 inch diameter lawnmower wheel. The edger blade of
Referring now to
Referring now to
The lawn-care maintenance apparatus 10 of the present invention can perform an edging of the lawn 12 after the lawn 12 is mowed. Once the lawn 12 is mowed, the edger 30 is attached to one of the drive wheels 22 with edger fasteners 36.
Referring now to
The edger 30 is preferably mounted onto a drive wheel 22 of said power self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower. In the preferred embodiment, the edger 30 has an axis that is offset from the axis of the drive wheel 22 that the edger 30 is attached to. This also makes mowing easier and reduces wear and tear on the mower power train 16.
Referring now to
The edger blade of the present invention has an RPM of between 110 to 160 RPMs. The blade speed in most conventional edging systems is 1750 to 2500 RPM to the blade. The slower RPM enables the user to clear out weeds and debris from expansion joints in walks and driveways easily and safely.
The edger blade of the present invention is preferably has carbon teeth, with between 6 and 36 teeth evenly distributed about the circumference of the blade, and preferably, between 10 and 20.
While the drawings show the center line of the edger blade offset from the center line of the lawnmower wheel, another preferred embodiment which is not shown has the two center lines in alignment.
The lawn-care maintenance apparatus attachment of the present invention runs off a power system of a self-propelled, walk-behind lawn mower. The adjustment is preferably attached to the rear wheel of a rear-wheel drive lawnmower, and the front wheel of a front-wheel drive lawnmower.
Throughout this application, various patents are referenced by number. The disclosures of these patents in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this specification in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.
It is evident that many modifications and variations of the lawn-care maintenance apparatus will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein. It is intended that the metes and bounds of the present invention be determined by the appended claims rather than by the language of the above specification, and that all such alternatives, modifications, and variations which form a conjointly cooperative equivalent are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of these claims.
This Application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. is 61/278,846, entitled “Lawnmower Edger Attachment”, by Thomas J. Francis, filed on Oct. 14, 2009.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61278846 | Oct 2009 | US |