Claims
- 1. A mowing apparatus for mowing grass in a grassy area having at least one flexible, resilient marker inserted into the ground of a type which will bend substantially flush with the ground, comprising in combination:
- a blade housing having a longitudinal axis parallel to a direction of travel of the housing;
- at least one blade carried in and rotatably driven in the housing;
- a front guard roller located forward of the blade and a rear guard roller located rearward of the blade, each guard roller extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the housing at least the full width of the blade; and
- mounting means for mounting the guard rollers rotatably to the housing so as to contact and bend the marker, and for spacing the guard rollers apart from each other in a longitudinal direction a distance less than the height that the marker protrudes above the ground, so as to prevent the marker from flexing upward into contact with the blade as the mower travels over it.
- 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each guard roller has a solid cylindrical exterior.
- 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising spring means on each end of each guard roller for allowing each guard roller to move vertically a short distance and for urging each guard roller downward.
- 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each blade is mounted to a vertical drive shaft for rotation in a horizontal plane.
- 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the mower has a plurality of the blades, each of the blades being mounted to a vertical drive shaft for rotation in a horizontal plane, and wherein one of the front and rear guard rollers is mounted in front of and rearward of each of the blades.
- 6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the blade comprises a flail type member mounted to a shaft extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing.
- 7. A mowing apparatus for mowing grass in a grassy area having at least one flexible, resilient marker inserted into the ground of a type which will bend substantially flush with the ground, comprising in combination:
- a blade housing having a longitudinal axis parallel to a direction of travel of the housing;
- at least one blade carried in and rotatably driven in the housing; and
- a front guard roller and a rear guard roller; and
- means for mounting the front guard roller forward of the blade and the rear guard roller rearward of the blade, transverse to the longitudinal axis of the housing and supporting the housing for rolling on the ground, each of the front and rear guard rollers having a width that is at least the full width of the blade, the guard rollers being spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction a distance selected so as to prevent the flexible marker from flexing upward into contact with the blade as the mower travels over it.
- 8. The apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising an intermediate guard roller mounted below the blade.
- 9. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the mower has a plurality of blades, each of the blades being mounted to a vertical drive shaft for rotation in a horizontal plane, the drive shafts being spaced apart from each other in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of the housing, at least one of the drive shafts being spaced from the other of the drive shafts in a longitudinal direction, and wherein a separate one of the front and rear guard rollers is mounted in front of and rearward of each of the blades.
- 10. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the blade comprises a flail type member mounted to a shaft extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing.
- 11. A mowing apparatus, comprising in combination:
- a blade housing having a longitudinal axis parallel to a direction of travel of the housing;
- two aligned blades and one offset blade carried in and rotatably driven in the housing, each of the blades having a rotatably driven vertical shaft for rotating the blade in a horizontal plane, the aligned blades being in alignment with each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing, the offset blade being spaced from the aligned blades in a longitudinal direction and spaced between the aligned blades in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis; and
- a plurality of guard members spaced forward and rearward of the blades, each guard member comprising a solid surface extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis at least the width of one of the blades and extending downward to a point below the blades, at least one of the guard members being located longitudinally between the aligned blades and the offset blade.
- 12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein each of the guard members comprises a cylindrical roller.
- 13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein each of the guard members comprises a cylindrical roller that is mounted for rolling contact with the ground.
- 14. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the offset blade is located forward of the aligned blades and wherein one of the guard members is located immediately rearward of the offset blade and forward of the aligned blades, and two of the guard members are located forward of the aligned blades and two of the guard members are located rearward of the offset blade.
- 15. A method of mowing grass in a grassy area which has at least one marker inserted into the ground, comprising in combination:
- providing the marker with a shaft which is resilient and which will flex sufficiently to allow the marker to bend over substantially flush with the ground;
- providing a mower with a blade housing having a longitudinal axis parallel to a direction of travel of the housing and at least one blade carried in and rotatably driven in the housing;
- mounting a front guard member to the housing forward of the blade and a rear guard member to the housing rearward of the blade, with each guard member extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the housing at least the full width of the blade, and mounting the guard members to the housing so as to contact the marker substantially at a point where the marker enters the ground, and spacing the guard members apart from each other in a longitudinal direction a distance less than the height that the marker protrudes above the ground;
- rotating the blade and moving the housing over the grassy area;
- contacting the shaft of the marker with the front guard member, and moving the housing over the marker, causing the marker to bend over substantially flush with the ground to avoid being struck by the blade; then
- contacting the shaft in its bent over position with the rear guard member as the housing continues to move over the marker, maintaining the shaft in its bent over position as the front guard member passes from the marker, so as to prevent the marker from flexing upward into contact with the blade as the mower travels over it.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 190,482, filed May 5, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,823.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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190482 |
May 1988 |
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