Abstract: Control system (2) for an outdoor power equipment unit includes a pivotal control member (10) having a pivotal traction drive link (20) for actuating a traction drive of the unit and a pivotal clutch link (22) for actuating an active element of the unit. A latch (40) rotatively couples the clutch link (22) to control member (10) only when control member (10) has first been moved from a neutral position to a cocked position. Rotation of control member (10) from the cocked position towards the fully engaged position then rotates the clutch link (22) to actuate the clutch. The traction drive link (20) can be operated either alone or in combination with the clutch link (22). Any rotation of control member (10) from its neutral position towards its fully engaged position will rotatively couple the traction drive link (20) thereto to actuate the traction drive.

Abstract: A lawn mower blade clutch-brake mechanism having a driving drum and a driven blade carrier, the carrier having clutch shoes engageable with the inside of the drum and brake drum segments fixed to the shoes and disposed outside the drum for engagement by an encircling brake band which both applies braking drag and mechanically forces the segments inward to disengage the clutch shoes, and including the improvement that the clutch shoes are pivoted to the carrier at their leading ends in the direction of rotation so as to be aggressive and self-energizing, and the segments are pivoted on the same pivots and have trailing ends which are swung outward from a cylindrical position concentric with the axis of rotation when the clutch shoes are engaged so that the segments are first engaged by the brake band at and in the direction of their outward sloping trailing ends.

Abstract: The invention includes a combined clutch and brake mechanism for use in lawn mowers and other machines having a cutting means driven by a rotatably driven drive shaft. The combined clutch and brake mechanism includes a clutch member driven by the drive shaft. A brake member is spaced from the clutch member and is fixedly connected to the housing. A drive member is disposed between the clutch member and the brake member and is movable between a drive position wherein the drive member frictionally engages the clutch member and is rotatably driven by the clutch member and a brake position wherein the drive member frictionally engages the brake member and is restrained against movement. A linkage is provided for selectively moving the drive member between the drive position and the brake position.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for motor-driven ride-on lawn mowers of the type where the cutting assembly is placed in front of the front axle, in which the front wheels are adapted as driving and braking wheels and the rear wheels as steering wheels. The new feature is that the brake mechanism acting upon the front wheels is provided with a modulation apparatus which, independently of the power exerted by the driver on the brake pedal or the like, prevents the braking power acting upon the wheels from reaching the amount where the wheels would be locked.

Abstract: A lawn mower engine having a lightweight top rotor of low polar inertia drives a rotary blade through a clutch-flywheel rotor having sufficient inertia to provide the major flywheel effect for the engine. Clutch faces at the rotor periphery engage a surrounding blade-carrier drum and have a maximum torque arm for positively driving the blade. The faces are preferably on centrifugal shoes which slip at load-reduced speed so as to maintain engine operation, and release at idling speed to allow engine starting with the blade stopped. A brake band or ring about the drum is spring-pressed ON to stop the blade when a deadman control is released. The preferred clutch-flywheel rotor is made of two heavy circular plates (e.g., 1/4".times.6") riveted together against spacer slugs and a shouldered hub. Wide clutch shoes are mounted on such rotor by end tangs and springs between the plates. The top rotor plate substantially closes the top of the drum. Access and hub openings in the two plates provide rotor spacer slugs.

Abstract: A clutch-brake device for cutting machines disclosed herein has a first cover secured to the bottom of the engine case and a second cover rotatably fitted over an output shaft which is connected to an engine and projects from the first cover. A cutting blade is secured to the bottom of the second cover. A brake plate and a clutch plate are provided immediately above and below a disk mounted on the output shaft for rotation therewith, and are connected together at their peripheries. The clutch plate is urged by a spring toward the disk. One of the clutch plate and the brake plate has a plurality of guide pieces projecting from the outer periphery thereof and slidably fitted into a plurality of axial recesses formed in the second cover. A brake lever is provided on the first cover immediately above the brake plate for rotation and axial sliding movement.

Abstract: A lawn mower having a housing mounted on wheels, an engine, a centrifugal clutch connected to the engine drive shaft, a cutting blade connected to the clutch, a brake connected to stop the cutting blade's rotation, a brake actuating arm connected to the brake, a spring biasing the brake arm to the set or braking position, a U-shaped handle connected to the housing and extending upward and rearward with a cross portion at its outer end, a throttle actuating arm on the engine, a control plate secured to the side of the handle, a spring biasing the throttle actuating arm toward idle and shut-off position, a throttle control line connected to a throttle actuating arm extending through a sheath to a throttle control lever on the control plate, a brake control line connected to the brake actuating arm, extending through a sheath and connecting to a brake control lever, the brake control lever and the throttle control levers being interconnected so that the brake control lever retains the throttle control lever in r

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a lawn mower comprising a prime mover mounted on a housing and including an output shaft extending into the housing, a first pulley sheave fixed to the output shaft for common rotation therewith and including an inclined surface, a blade assembly mounted on the output shaft for relative rotation therebetween and including a cutter blade, and a combined pulley sheave and brake drum fixed to said cutter blade, which combined pulley sheave and brake drum includes a pulley sheave portion comprising an inclined surface facing the inclined surface of the first pulley sheave and a brake drum portion, an endless member trained between the inclined surfaces, an idler pulley around which the endless member is trained and mounted on the housing for movement between a first position locating the idler pulley to remove slack from the endless belt, thereby drivingly connecting the first and second sheaves for common rotation, and a second position locating the idler pulley to permit slack in the endless

Abstract: A rotary mower having a drive assembly which provides automatic de-clutching and prompt braking of the mower blade to a stop when the device is left unattended, while the engine keeps running. A blade carrier is mounted on an anti-friction bearing at the lower end of the drive shaft. A driving hub is secured to the drive shaft at a level above the anti-friction bearing. A shiftable shell of upwardly facing bowl shape surrounds the drive hub and defines a clutch space. Mounted on the hub in the clutch space is a stack of clutch discs made up of a set of driving discs keyed to the hub and an interposed set of driven discs keyed to the interior of the shell. The blade holder is keyed to the lower surface of the shell. A set of springs on the blade holder urges the shell upwardly in a direction to apply clutching pressure to the discs for driving of the blade. The shell has an annular lip or flange around its upper edge having a friction surface thereon.

Abstract: In a power-driven riding lawn mower, a safety control is provided for auttically disengaging and stopping the cutting blade when the operator leaves the lawn mower or raises his feet while seated on the lawn mower. The control is operated through a foot bar engageable by the operator's feed to permit the cutting blade to rotate during a cutting operation but when the operator raises his feet from the foot bar or dismounts from the mower, the control will activate mechanisms for disengaging the drive and applying a positive brake to the cutting blade. While the control will permit the operator to manually disengage the drive and apply a brake to the cutting blade while the foot bar is depressed by the operator's feet, the control will not permit the operator to reengage the drive while the foot bar is depressed.

Abstract: A warning device for a lawn mower having a rotary blade driven from a motor through a centrifugal clutch and normally held stopped by a brake which is released by a deadman control. The warning device comprises a flexible clicker post such as a close-wound helical spring carried by the clutch driver and having a weighted clicker head at its free end which normally stands in the path of a blade-mounting nut or other striker on the clutch-driven part so that the clicker head on the post will be repeatedly struck by the nut or other striker in the event the clutch driver element is stopped while the brake is disengaged and allows the blade to rotate under its own momentum. When the clutch driver is rotating at normal driving speed, centrifugal force bends the flexible arm to carry the clicker head out of striking relation with the striker element on the driven clutch part.

Abstract: A deadman-type hand switch mounted on a rotary lawnmower handle actuates a magnetically coupled clutch drive to couple the rotary blade to the lawnmower drive shaft. Release of the hand switch removes the magnetic force holding the clutch members together and actuates a mechanical brake to stop the rotation of the blade. Gravity and the brake's action assist in physically decoupling the clutch members.

Abstract: A self-propelled flail blade lawn mower comprising a support frame having forward and rearward ends, a handle assembly extending upwardly and rearwardly from said rearward end and a cutter housing extending forwardly of said forward end, a rear axle and wheel assembly rotatably supported substantially in the vicinity of the rearward end of said support frame and a pair of front wheels rotatably mounted substantially in the vicinity of the forward end of said cutter housing, a cutter shaft bearing a plurality of pivotally mounted flail blades rotatably supported within said cutter housing a motor and a transmission box mounted on said support frame, said motor having an output shaft and said transmission box having input and output shafts, first drive means operatively connected between said transmission box output shaft and said rear axle and wheel assembly, second drive means connectable between said motor output shaft and said transmission box input shaft in response to the movement of a first lever mounted

Abstract: The disclosure provides for a number of improvements in a brake-clutch mechanism wherein a drum is carried on the drive member for driving engagement by clutch shoes carried by the driven member. The clutch shoes are normally biased into driving engagement with the drum and a brake band is utilized to move the clutch shoes out of engagement with the drum and to stop rotation of the driven member without interrupting the rotation of the drive member. The improvements relate to a higher torque capability for the mechanism, the exclusion of foreign matter from the mechanism, the mounting for the brake band, the use of the brake band to aid in keeping the braking surfaces clean, and provision for cut-off of the power source in the event the brake band should fail. The disclosure further contemplates a novel arrangement for driving and controlling the chain sprocket of a chain saw.

Abstract: A throttle and brake control mechanism for a rotary lawnmower which is actuated by a single operating cable system. A centrifugal clutch interconnects the engine with the rotary blade of the lawnmower and the clutch includes an outer drum that is connected directly to the blade. On disengagement of the clutch at low throttle speeds, a brake acts to engage the clutch drum to stop free rotation of the drum and blade. The brake is released by an operating cable mechanism which interconnects a throttle operating lever mounted on the handle of the mower with the throttle on the engine. Movement of the operating lever from the idle position toward the full throttle position will initially release the brake from engagement with the clutch drum, and thereafter will operate the throttle to increase the engine speed, enabling the clutch to move to the engaged position to cause rotation of the blade.

Abstract: In a riding mower having a clutch controlled belt drive and foot brake, linkage between the brake and clutch having lost motion insures that the clutch is disengaged whenever the brake is applied.

Abstract: A pair of centrifugally movable shoes are pivotally mounted to a mower blade support. Drive bands are supported by the respective shoes and are positioned so as to be engageable with a source of rotational movement whereby such movement is translated to the blade by the bands, the shoes and the blade support. A brake band selectively engages the shoes to decelerate them thereby braking the blade. Additionally, engagement of the brake band with the shoes moves the latter in opposition to the centrifugal force applied to the shoes during rotation. This results in the drive bands being moved out of engagement with the rotational source.

Abstract: A combined engine flywheel and centrifugal clutch driver for a rotary lawn mower blade. Two heavy circular plates, as a quarter-inch steel plate, of large diameter, e.g., six inches, are riveted together against three peripherally spaced pairs of spacer slugs stamped from the same material, and against a central shouldered hub. This forms a rotor of sufficient rotational inertia when mounted on the depending shaft of a mower engine to provide the principal flywheel effect for an engine having a relatively lightweight magneto and fan rotor at its top end.

Abstract: A clutch and brake apparatus (2) includes a drive member (8) and a driven member (14) axially fixed to drive member (8). An array (50) of friction discs (52 and 54) is axially movable in a clutch chamber (22) in driven member (14). Friction discs (52) continuously engage drive member (8). Springs (48) force array (50) into engagement with thrust surface (60) on driven member (14) to couple driven member (14) to drive member (8). The driving connection is broken by a movable shell (66) which engages against the lowermost friction disc (54) through pins (74) to selectively move array (50) downwardly against the force of the springs (48). Shell (66) is moved downwardly by fingers (86) which also engage against a brake pad (76) on shell (66) to stop rotation of driven member (14).

Abstract: A self-compensating brake system for a mowing machine of the type having a body movably supported by a plurality of rotatable drive wheels. The brake system includes a brake shaft which is rotatably journaled in the body and which is free-floating along a transverse axis. Each end of the brake shaft is connected to a mechanically actuated brake assembly on each of at least two opposed drive wheels by means of a brake rod. Each of the brake rods extend at an oblique angle relative to the transverse axis of the brake shaft. This orientation will move the brake shaft transversely in the body as the brake shaft is rotated by a brake pedal until the braking forces on each of the brake rods are equal, thereby assuring equal and even braking of the opposed drive wheels. The brake shaft also serves as the mounting structure for a traction pedal and for a steering transfer assembly.

Abstract: The disclosure provides for a number of improvements in a brake-clutch mechanism wherein a drum is carried on the drive member for driving engagement by clutch shoes carried by the driven member. The clutch shoes are normally biased into driving engagement with the drum and a brake band is utilized to move the clutch shoes out of engagement with the drum and to stop rotation of the driven member without interrupting the rotation of the drive member. The improvements relate to a higher torque capability for the mechanism, the exclusion of foreign matter from the mechanism, the mounting for the brake band, the use of the brake band to aid in keeping the braking surfaces clean, and provision for cut-off of the power source in the event the brake band should fail. The disclosure further contemplates a novel arrangement for driving and controlling the chain sprocket of a chain saw.

Abstract: A combination blade clutching and braking mechanism for insuring the safer operation of rotary lawn mowers. The clutching and braking safety mechanism automatically disengages a power clutch while the brake is being engaged. Conversely, when the mower is to be operated, the mechanism automatically disengages the brake and engages the clutch. There is a provision for a dead man control wherein the brake engages automatically and the clutch is disengaged automatically should the operator accidentally lose control of the mower.

Abstract: A control system for a rotary type lawnmower having a cutter blade housing supporting an engine and having a handle extending upwardly for manipulation by an operator, the control system including a clutch between the motor shaft and the blade, the clutch being of the centrifugal type and having an external drum surface, a brake caliper assembly having two legs pivoted together near their centers and supported at the pivot by the housing, the inner portions of the legs clamping as a brake on said external drum surface and the outer portions of the legs supporting a spring operative in a direction to urge the inner legs to clamp toward each other, and a manual control including linkages coupled to the throttle and to the outer legs and operative when the control is manually actuated to advance the throttle and unclamp the brake, and when released to return the engine to idle and clamp the brake, contacts being provided on the legs to short-circuit the engine ignition when the brakes become excessively worn.

Abstract: The blades of a rotary lawn mower are driven by a constantly rotating shaft through a clutch-brake assembly which, when the operator leaves the operating station of the mower such as the mower handles, automatically disengages the blades from the shaft and brakes the blades while permitting the shaft to continue to rotate. The clutch-brake assembly is self-energizing and normally is engaged but is held in the disengaged condition by an actuator which also is self-energized and which initially is energized by a spring. The latter is effective to disengage the clutch and actuate the brake thereby to prevent the blades from rotating until the operator moves a manual member at the operating station to overcome the spring which initially energizes the actuator. This de-energizes the actuator so that the brake is disengaged and the clutch is engaged whereby the shaft rotates the blades.

Abstract: A lawn mowing machine of a self-driving type having a rotating and stopping device for a lawn cutting blade and a driving and stopping device for the machine body, in which a gripping lever for on-and-off operations of the rotating and stopping device for the cutting blade is operable independently of a gripping lever for on-and-off operations of the driving and stopping device for the machine body, while the latter-mentioned lever, when it is gripped, is engaged with the former-mentioned lever to move it in an operative direction, thereby maintaining it in an operative state.

Abstract: A power transmission device for a power-operated lawn mowing machine, in which a rotational shaft for a prime mover and a rotational shaft for a cutting blade are interlocked with a friction clutch to be engaged and disengaged each other by an operating lever, and a disc brake to apply braking action to the cutting blade at the time of the clutch disengagement is provided between the movable engaging member of the clutch and a fixed member at the side of the prime mover.

Abstract: A completely enclosed combination clutch and brake mechanism permanently mounted at the bottom of a vertical shaft internal combustion engine of the type used to power rotary lawn mowers, is interposed between the crankshaft of the engine and a coaxial blade shaft projecting down from the bottom of the enclosed clutch and brake mechanism to have the cutting blade of the mower fixed thereto. A rotatable driving member fixed to the engine crankshaft and a rotatable driven member fixed to the blade shaft are drivingly coupled by radially outwardly movable clutch elements carried by the driven member and frictionally engaged with a radially inwardly facing circular surface on the driving member. Such frictional engagement results from the application to the clutch elements of both spring force and centrifugal force.

Abstract: A clutch mechanism for a lawn mower which automatically prevents transmission of the rotary force of the drive shaft of a lawn mower when a lawn mower operator is not holding on to a control structure and which invention further includes the provision of a braking mechanism which stops rotation of a lawn mower blade when such control structure is not being held and when the clutch is disengaged.

Abstract: The mower attachment includes a drive subassembly which is adapted to be detachably connected to the front axle of the tractor. Specifically, the drive subassembly is adapted to be connected to downwardly opening channel members rigidly secured to transverse, oscillating front axle member. The mower attachment also includes a mower subassembly which is connected to the drive subassembly by a draft link structure. The drive subassembly includes a clutch pulley rotatably mounted on a clutch pulley support bracket which is in turn pivotally connected to a frame part of the drive subassembly so that it may swing between clutching and declutching positions. The clutch pulley support bracket is connected to a clutch control lever on the tractor by a disconnectable clutch control linkage. The drive subassembly also includes an idler pulley disposed on an oblique axis forwardly of the clutch pulley.

Abstract: This invention relates to a coupling device and especially a coupling device operable by a dead-man's handle on a lawnmower. When used in a lawnmower the coupling device couples the motor shaft to the cutting blade. A spool has a hole in it that surrounds the shaft. A rotary connecting device normally couples the spool to the shaft so that the spool and shaft rotate together. A disconnect element and brake are operated when the dead-man's handle is released to disconnect the spool from the shaft and subsequently stop the spool. The cutting blade has a central hole through which the spool passes. The blade is in frictional contact with the flanges of the spool and is rotated thereby.

Abstract: A warning device for a lawn mower having a rotary blade driven from a motor through a centrifugal clutch and normally held stopped by a brake which is released by a deadman control. A clicker arm is pivoted to the clutch driver and spring-pressed toward engagement with the driven clutch drum so as to repeatedly strike a notch therein and sound a warning in the event the motor stops and thereby stops the driving clutch element while the brake is disengaged and allows the blade to spin from its own momentum. A centrifugal weight connected to the clicker arm retracts it when the clutch drive is operating normally.

Abstract: A lawn mower blade mounted coaxially at the bottom of a vertical engine drive shaft is normally de-clutched from the shaft and stopped by a brake. When the engine is accelerated, the blade is released by the brake and clutched by a centrifugal clutch to the engine driven shaft. The blade carrier and clutch and brake drum are included in a compact assembly on a hub and mounted as a unit on the engine shaft. To replace the flywheel effect normally provided by a blade fixedly mounted on the engine shaft, the unitary assembly also includes a flywheel mounted on the hub. The assembly and flywheel are protected from blade cuttings by a protective bowl shaped to surround the flywheel and form a mounting platform for a brake band about the drum.

Abstract: A combined clutch and brake mechanism for use in such applications as power lawnmowers. During actuation of a manual control the brake is released and power is transmitted from the engine to the blade carrier. If the manual control is released, power transmission is disabled and braking is initiated, the braking being maximized by the very motion of the member being braked. The invention is also shown in a form adaptable for use in general power transmission applications.

Abstract: A mower of the cross-flow blower type has clutch means for engaging the motor with the rotor and disengaging the motor therefrom. One wall section of the blower conduit has an abrasive panel facing the rotor and is mounted for movement between a moving position in which the abrasive panel is spaced from the rotor and a brake/sharpening position in which the panel is contacted by the rotor blades. Means are provided for automatically moving the abrasive panel to the brake/sharpening position when the clutch means is disengaged and to the mowing position when the clutch means is engaged. Advantageously the abrasive panel is on a portion of the upper wall section which is close to the rotor and forms the front vortex breaker of the blower conduit. The wall section carrying the abrasive panel may be pivotally mounted or, advantageously, resiliently attached to the adjacent portion of the blower conduit. An eccentric rod may be employed for moving the wall section and abrasive panel.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a combined brake and clutch comprising a drive member, a driven member mounted for coaxial rotation relative to the drive member, interengageable friction disks extending from each of the drive members and the driven member, a spring biasing the driven member to drivingly engage the friction disks, and a brake member engageable with the driven member for displacing the driven member against the action of the spring to permit disengagement of the friction disks and for braking rotation of the driven member.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a lawn mower comprising a rotatable cutter blade supported on a frame, a prime mover supported on the frame, a selectively operable starter mechanism connected to the prime mover for starting thereof, a drive mechanism for selectively connecting the prime mover in driving engagement with the cutter blade, which drive mechanism is movable between a first or drive position wherein the prime mover is drivingly engaged with the cutter blade and a second or disengaged or neutral position wherein the prime mover is disengaged from the cutter blade, a spring biasing the drive mechanism toward the second or disengaged position, and an interlock operably connected to the drive mechanism and to the starter mechanism for preventing starting of the prime mover when the drive mechanism is in the first or drive position.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a lawn mower comprising a driven pulley drivingly connected to a cutter blade located in a blade housing, an endless belt reeved around a drive pulley and the driven pulley, an idler pulley mounted for rotation on an arm mounted for movement relative to a neutral position with the idler pulley disengaged from the belt, a first spring urging the arm from the neutral position so as to engage the idler pulley with the belt to remove slack therefrom, a control linkage movable between a drive position and a neutral position, another spring biasing the control linkage toward the neutral position, and a connection between the linkage and the arm for displacing the arm to the neutral position against the action of the first spring when the control linkage is in the neutral position and for permitting movement of the arm, under the influence of the first spring and independently of the second spring, from the arm neutral position so as to engage the belt to remove slack therefrom when the control l

Abstract: A lawnmower has an improved clutch-brake mechanism interposed between the engine drive shaft and the rotating blade to stop the blade except when an operator tensions a control cable. The clutch-brake includes cylindrical input and output members selectively drivingly coupled by a clutch spring wound around both members. A control sleeve positioned around the clutch spring connects with the input end of the clutch spring. When the control sleeve is braked, the clutch spring releases its grip on the input member and the output is no longer driven. A coiled brake band extends around the control sleeve to selectively effect this braking action. An improved floating mount is provided for the brake band. An improved lost-motion connection is provided between the control sleeve and the output member to limit the twisting of the clutch spring. An optional slip clutch is provided for connecting the output member to the blade.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a lawn mower comprising a cutter blade housing supported for movement along the ground, a cutter blade assembly including a cutter blade, and a gear housing fixed to the cutter blade and including therein a first pinion and a second pinion in mesh with the first pinion, a drive shaft extending into the gear box and having fixed thereon the first pinion, and mechanism mounting the second pinion in the gear box about a rotary axis fixed with respect to the gear box, which mechanism is operable to selectively prevent and permit rotation of the pinion relative to the gear box.

Abstract: A rotary power mower in which the cutter blade is fixed to the bottom of a cup-shaped rotor, freely rotatably suspended from a carriage that is slidably mounted for fore and aft movement beneath the deck of the mower chassis. The carriage is spring-urged to a position in which the outer face of the side wall of the cup-shaped rotor is frictionally engaged with a brake shoe fixedly carried by the mower chassis, to hold the cutter blade against turning; and a deadman control mounted on the handle of the mower and operatively connected with the carriage enables the operator to move the carriage against the force of the spring to a position in which the inner face of the side wall of the cup-shaped rotor is tangent to and frictionally engaged with the periphery of a drive wheel fixed to the engine drive shaft.

Abstract: A combination clutch and brake for rotary power mowers of the type wherein the blade is fixed to a spindle driven by the engine through an endless belt type drive transmission. A medially pivoted lever has an idler roll at one end to engage and tension the belt and thereby activate the drive transmission when the lever is rocked in one direction and a claw at its other end which, upon movement of the lever in the opposite direction, engages the notched periphery of a brake disc encircling the blade spindle and frictionally engaged with a companion disc that is fixed with respect to the spindle. The lever is spring-biased in the direction to engage the brake disc and thereby stop blade rotation concomitantly with deactivation the drive transmission whenever a deadman control on the mower handle is released.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a lawn mower comprising a blade housing supported for travel over the ground, a drive shaft mounted for rotation by the blade housing and including thereon a clutch drum, an engine drivingly connected to the drive shaft for rotation thereof, a cutter blade located in the blade housing and mounted for rotation coaxially with and relative to the drive shaft, a clutch shoe connected to the cutter blade for common rotation therewith and for movement relative to a position of engagement with the clutch drum, a spring urging the clutch shoe into the position of engagement, a brake surface fixed to the clutch shoe, and a brake member movable between a first position wherein the brake member is spaced from the brake surface, and a second position wherein the brake member engages the brake surface to brake rotation of the cutter blade and to displace the clutch shoe from the position of engagement against the action of the spring.

Abstract: A self-propelled rotary lawn mower. The drive shaft of the engine is operably connected through a clutch mechanism to the cutting blade and to a belt drive connected the front wheels to drive the mower across the terrain. By disengaging the clutch through manual action of a cable, the driving connection to both the blade and the wheels is stopped, so that the blade will not rotate when the mower is stationary. The housing of the mower includes inner and outer housing sections with the space between the housing sections defining a chamber. The exhaust gases from the engine are directed into the chamber and are discharged from the chamber adjacent the grass discharge outlet in the housing. Directing the exhaust gases through the internal housing chamber substantially decreases the noise level of the mower. The four wheels of the mower are adapted to be raised and lowered in unison by single lever control to thereby vary the height of the blade above the ground.

Abstract: A belt transmission has a clutch that keeps both belts moving in the same direction when the transmission is in the forward mode and slackens only one of the belts during the usually brief interval that the transmission is placed in its reverse mode with the other belt moving in the reverse direction. Both belts share a common actuating lever having a lost motion coupling with one of the belts so that the lever can be placed in a neutral position in which neither of the belts is driven, even though power continues to be delivered to the transmission. The drive train that supplies such power accomplishes a substantially right-angle drive from the swingable tongue of the machine without a gear box by connecting a number of universal joints in a series that cuts across the corner between the swingable tongue and the main driven shaft of the transmission.

Abstract: A brake mechanism for quickly stopping the drive shaft of an internal combustion engine on a power driven rotary mower.

Abstract: Mounting and control apparatus for a driven element such as a lawn mower blade mounted coaxially on an engine drive shaft, in an arrangement in which, under control of a deadman lever, the driven element is normally de-clutched from the shaft and stopped by a brake, as when the driving engine is idled, and for operation is released by the brake and clutched by a centrifugal clutch to the drive shaft, as when the engine is speeded up. The compact nested assembly includes a driven drum element having an outer cylindrical brake and clutch drum and an inner bearing ring which lies within the axial length of the drum and is mounted on the outer race of a ball bearing carried by a reduced-diameter bearing sleeve on a main hub fixed to the motor shaft. A clutch carrier plate on the hub carries centrifugal shoes engageable with the inside of the drum and partially nested between it and the bearing ring. The hub carries a flywheel when the engine is designed to depend on the mower blade for flywheel mass.

Abstract: A drive incorporated in a power rake includes a clutch mechanism for selectively transmitting power from a power source to the reel for rotation thereof and including a member movable relative to a position providing power transmission between the power source and the reel, a spring biasing the member away from the power transmitting position, a control mounted on the handle for movement relative to a position adjacent to the handle portion, and a linkage connecting the control and the member so as to retain the member in the power transmitting position against the action of the biasing spring when the control is retained in the position adjacent to the handle portion and to permit movement of the member away from the power transmitting position and movement of the control away from the handle portion in response to action of the biasing means when the control is not held in adjacent relation to the handle portion.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided which is adaptable for connection between a drive and a rotatable shaft having a cutting member thereon to provide a driving connection therebetween when mechanical power flows from the drive to the shaft, the mechanism being axially static at all times and being operable to produce a self-actuating braking force on the shaft when the power flow is interrupted to prevent extended freewheeling of the shaft.

Abstract: An improved mower blade spindle assembly for a rotary mower is provided with an outer shaft having circumferential slots and an inner shaft rotatable within the outer shaft and having a diametral drive pin extending through the slots, and a braking member axially movably mounted on the outer shaft for rotation therewith, the braking member having a braking surface disposed for engagement with an interior surface of a support sleeve in which the outer shaft is mounted and a cammed surface disposed for engagement with the pin such that upon cessation of the input drive, the pin acts against the cammed surface to shift the brake member axially to engage the braking surfaces.