Abstract: A mechanism for adjusting the height at which vegetation is cut by a reel mower cutting unit, including a plurality of rack members each coupled with a respective corner of the cutting unit frame, the rack members each having a plurality of teeth vertically arranged, a plurality of bracket members coupled with ground engaging roller means, each of the bracket members having a plurality of generally vertically arranged teeth engagable with the teeth of a respective rack member for generally preventing vertical shifting of the bracket member with respect to the rack member and cutting unit, and for setting the vertical position of the cutting unit with respect to the ground engaging roller means, thereby setting the height at which vegetation is cut by the cutting unit, and means for individually fine adjusting the vertical position of each rack member with respect to the cutting unit, for fine adjusting the height at which vegetation is cut and for leveling the cutting unit in both the lateral and fore and aft

Abstract: A mower cutting unit is provided with a rear-mounted grass catcher. The cutting unit includes front and rear rollers and mounted between the rear roller and the grass catcher is a rotary brush. The brush is mounted for adjustment into and away from engagement with the rear roller and for adjustment into and away from engagement with the turf. The brush may be driven either in the same direction as or counter to the direction of rotation of the rear roller during forward mowing operation. When driven counter to the direction as the rear roller, the brush may either be positioned for only cleaning clippings from the rear roller and depositing them into the grass catcher or be positioned for additionally sweeping the turf.

Abstract: A bicycle powered lawn mower comprises a mower frame, to which is attached a rear axle carrying a pair of rear wheels. The mower frame includes bicycle support brackets whereby a bicycle can be releasably received on the frame. A drive is provided whereby the mower frame can be transported over a surface. The mower frame further comprises a cutter blade assembly operatively connected to the drive so that the blade assembly can be selectively activated or deactivated.

Abstract: A grass cutting unit has a height of cut determined by a ground roll. A reaction member linked to the ground roll has a captive screw-threaded shaft carrying a hand wheel. A block threaded onto the shaft is linked to the frame of the cutting unit so that rotation of the hand wheel adjusts the height of cut. The weight of the frame is arranged to act on the hand wheel, to urge together contoured surfaces of the hand wheel and the reaction member so as, during normal cutting, to prevent spurious rotation of the hand wheel.

Abstract: A grass cutting unit with a conventional cutter reel has forward and rear rollers mounted on a common, pivotable, carriage. By adjustable pivoting of this carriage the height of cut can be adjusted while maintaining strict parallelism between the rollers. A knife or groomer roller is cantilevered in front of the forward roller and is supported on the common roller carriage.

Abstract: A real mower includes a cutting unit having a frame including opposite side plates joined together by front and rear cross members, the rear cross member being located above upright ends of a u-shaped bed knife support which are respectively bolted to the side plates by upper and lower mounting bolts. A pair of stress relief slots is respectively provided in the pair of side plate between the bed knife support and the rear cross member, the slots respectively being arranged arcuately about the upper bed knife support mounting bolts.

Abstract: A roller-type mower with a rotatable drum or roller is provided with cutting members on its surface which rotate at a speed required for free cutting. The mower is distinguished by the fact that a plurality of separate cutting members are provided on its surface. Each is obliquely pitched relative to the axis of rotation, or is helically designed, and the mutually spaced cutting members overlap each other in the direction of travel.

Abstract: A brush mower head adapted to be carried by an articulating crane comprises:(1) a casing, adapted to be mounted to a crane(2) a motor carried by the casing, and(3) a drum with a center shaft mounted for rotation in the casing and powered by the motor, the axis for rotation in the drum in use being generally parallel to the ground. The drum is a cylinder having a length at least twice its diameter and has at least two hammer shafts running end to end parallel to the axis of rotation and being in balanced relationship one to another to minimize rotational imbalance of the drum. Hammers are mounted on the hammer shafts for free rotation thereabout in each of said wells. The hammers when the drum is rotating for mowing protrude by a centrifugal force beyond the surface of the cylinder and present a cutting edge to the brush being engaged.

Abstract: The blade is made of flat stock, is elongated with a series of the teeth formed along one elongated arcuate edge, the tips of the cutting teeth being disposed along a circular arc. The blade is adapted to be inserted within an elongated slit made in the cylindrical wall of the mower rotor with the teeth protruding from the rotor. The leading end of each blade is provided with an inwardly facing step adapted to rest on the cylindrical wall at the corresponding end of the slit. The trailing end of the blade has a notch to receive the rotor wall at the other end of the slit. The blade has a hole to receive a rod, extending within the rotor and carried by the latter to maintain the blade in position. Each blade has a boss protruding from a main face to prevent the blade from slipping within the rotor. The slit faces are inclined with respect to the rotational axis of the rotor, so as to maintain the blade in an inclined position, to more fully expose the successive teeth for better cutting efficiency.

Abstract: This invention relates to a reel-type lawn mower for cutting lawns which includes a cutting reel propelled by an electric motor connected to the cutting reel by transmission structure and propelled by drive wheels connected to the cutting reel by clutch structure for assisting the electric motor in propelling the cutting reel when greater cutting speeds of the cutting reel is required than delivered by the electric motor.

Abstract: A reel type golf greens mower having three mowing units, each unit having a front and a rear ground contacting roller and a second smaller diameter rotatably mounted rod in rotational contact with the ground contacting roller for automatically removing grass clippings from the ground contacting rollers.

Abstract: A worm mower for cutting stalk material of any kind is provided, which has a mowing worm, which turns at a high circumferential velocity, and angle of inclination smaller than the angle of friction (glide angle) of the material to be cut, and wherein the circumference of the worm is provided in the axial direction with a continuous cutting surface, which runs parallel to or inclined toward the worm axis, or is stepped with respect thereto.

Abstract: There is disclosed a ground aeration device which forces aeration spikes into the soil without requiring ballast weight. The aeration device is comprised of a cylindrical roller having a plurality of spikes projecting therefrom, the spikes being aligned in a helical row which extends once around the circumference of the roller; support arms having the roller rotatably secured to one end; and mounting brackets which are adapted to mount the opposed ends of the support arms to the front of a lawn mower, the support arms being oriented toward the ground at an angle of between 30 and 60 degrees in relation to the horizon such that the spikes of the roller penetrate the underlying groundsurface.

Abstract: A power-driven rotor is mounted on a support and its cylindrical wall is provided with helically-arranged, elongated slits in which blades or rasps are removably inserted, the rasps having a series of teeth disposed along portions of helices co-axial with the rotor and protruding from the cylindrical wall. The apparatus is more particularly used as a grass and bush mower, and in a modified embodiment also as an ice- and snow-blower.

Abstract: A grooming reel is carried on a greenmower between the front roller and the cutting reel. An improved adjustment unit is provided for changing the height of the grooming reel relative to the ground. The adjustment unit comprises an elongated rod connected to a support member on which the grooming reel is carried. A rotatable knob longitudinally draws the rod slightly along its axis to fine-tune the operating position of the grooming reel. In addition, the rod can be moved along its axis to raise and lower the grooming reel between an upper position and the operating position without disturbing the adjustment of the grooming reel in its operating position.

Abstract: A ditch cleaning machine is for a longitudinally extending ditch having in a vertical trapezoidal transverse cross-section a greater width at the top than at the bottom and having slanting side walls. The machine has a steerable main frame ground-supported and engine-driven to advance along the ditch. The two-wheel main frame is laterally stabilized by adjustable outrigger wheels. A pair of cleaning rotors is pivoted to the main frame and to the forward end of a longitudinal elevator trough so as to engage the ditch side walls. The elevator trough rests on a transverse roller on the main frame, and the trough and the cleaning rotors are jackknifed about a transverse axis by a hydraulic jack connected to the elevator trough and to the main frame. Conveyor flights move debris from the cleaning rotors at the ditch bottom along the elevator trough for discharge onto a transverse conveyor extendable to and discharging from either side of the main frame.

Abstract: Interchangeable lawn dethatcher means for a rotary cultivator with removably affixed cultivating tines. The lawn dethatcher means includes a first rigid member and second rigid member each removably affixed to the rotary cultivator in place of the cultivating tines, and a plurality of rigid dethatchment tines removeably affixed in helical array to the first and second rigid members in mirror image relationship, respectively, each dethatchment tine being received through the rigid members and arrestingly clamped at the midpoint of the tine and each tine having a bent portion at each of its ends disposed in the direction opposite the intended direction of tine rotation. The lawn dethatcher means are supported at their outermost points from the rotary cultivator by independently rotatable utility wheels sized to permit the ends of the dethatchment tines to extent below the point of contact of the wheels with the lawn and thereby into contact with lawn thatch.

Abstract: A U-joint (23) for connecting a reel unit (22) to a lift arm (18) of a turf maintenance machine (10). U-joint (23) preferably includes a pivot arm (40) suitable for connection to the lift arm (18), and a pivot base (38) for connection to the top of a standard reel cutting unit (22). Situated between pivot arm (40) and pivot base (38) is a cross and bearing unit (72). Pitch stops are formed by the base (38) whereas roll stops are formed by the pivot arm (40). The stops act on the cross and bearing unit (72) to provide limited pitching and rolling of reel unit (22) relative to lift arm (18).

Abstract: A grass cutting machine has the operator seat mounted on a pivotable sub-frame which can be displaced relative to the remainder of the chassis to allow easy access to the rear cutting unit for emptying of the grass box or for minor adustments and servicing.

Abstract: A mower includes a cylindrical cutting unit mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and an air pump for establishing a cushion of pressurized air for supporting the mower above a ground datum. A hood separates the cushion of air from the cylindrical cutting unit and from a grass collector.

Abstract: A lawn mower having a transverse cutting bar and a rotary cutter assembly fitted with a plurality of curved cutting edges that maintain substantially constant contact with the transverse cutting bar and reciprocate along the cutting bar to provide a shearing action for lawn mowing purposes. In the presently preferred embodiment of the lawn mower, the cutting edges are the edges of a plurality of generally elliptical blades mounted on a central shaft, the blades each having a longitudinal midsecton disposed at an angle of about 30.degree. with the axis of the shaft so as to wobble along the transverse cutting bar as the cutter assembly rotates. The blades reciprocate along a portion of the length of the transverse cutting bar with their ranges of reciprocation overlapping to result in a smooth cutting swath. Each of the blades has cutting edges of generally S-shaped side profile, and is formed with symmetrical outturned flanges on each longitudinal half of such character as to insure substantially 90.degree.

Abstract: A mower having a frame consisting of a top plate and downwardly extending side plates. Reel adjustment members are pivotably connected to the side plates and carry the ends of the reel shaft to adjust the reel position. A bed knife behind the reel is carried by two side arms which extend upwardly and forwardly to the front and top of the mower. The side arms are pivoted at their rear to the frame side plates and are joined at their tops by a transverse bar. The transverse bar is adjustably connected to the frame top plate by an adjustment device to adjust the bed knife position. The rear roller is carried by further side arms also pivoted to the frame side plates and connected at their tops by a second transverse bar which is connected by an adjustment device to the frame top plate. The mower is suspended at its center and drive is applied through a shaft extending over the mower generally parallel to the reel axis, to prevent torque changes from varying the height of an end of the mower.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for establishing reel-to-bedknife clearance in a lawn mower which has an assembly of the two elements, one movable toward and away from the other. A threaded arrangement is provided for setting the desired clearance in the apparatus, and then, upon releasing a force which moves the two cutting elements into contact with each other, a spring will re-establish the movable parts, through a lost-motion connection, to establish the desired cutting clearance.

Abstract: A lawnmower apparatus having a plurality of elongated lines or cables fabricated from a plastic material and the like that are arranged for movement about an axis. The lines are attached to rotatable plates or discs such that the apparatus acts as a reel-type lawnmower to cut grass in conjunction with an elongated bar. A resilient assembly maintains appropriate tensioning of the lines during operation of the lawnmower.

Abstract: A lawn mower having a cutting reel and a bedknife as its cutting elements, and with those elements being adjustable toward and away from each other for establishing cutting clearance. A hydraulic system is utilized for establishing the pre-selected clearance and for ultimately setting that clearance and maintaining it.

Abstract: A mower having a frame consisting of a top plate and downwardly extending side plates. Reel adjustment members are pivotably connected to the side plates and carry the ends of the reel shaft to adjust the reel position. A bed knife behind the reel is carried by two side arms which extend upwardly and forwardly to the front and top of the mower. The side arms are pivoted at their rear to the frame side plates and are joined at their tops by a transverse bar. The transverse bar is adjustably connected to the frame top plate by an adjustment device to adjust the bed knife position. The rear roller is carried by further side arms also pivoted to the frame side plates and connected at their tops by a second transverse bar which is connected by an adjustment device to the frame top plate. The mower is suspended at its center and drive is applied through a shaft extending over the mower generally parallel to the reel axis, to prevent torque changes from varying the height of an end of the mower.

Abstract: A lawn mower for a reel type lawn mower, and including mechanism for urging the bedknife cutting edge toward the reel and for positioning the bedknife cutting edge in the direction away from the reel, if desired. The cutting edge can be positioned either with a clearance or with no clearance, relative to the reel. The adjustment is automatic and consistently the same each time it is made.

Abstract: A lawnmower reel-to-bedknife adjustment system wherein the bedknife cutting edge can be automatically positioned relative to the circumference of the cutting reel. An extendable and retractable link is connected to the pivotal bedknife at a numerical advantage relative to the pivot axis and thereby provide for a fine adjustment of clearance between the reel and the bedknife upon extension and contraction of the link. The link can be extended by fluid pressure, or the like, and it can be retracted by spring pressure, and a yielding force is arranged to establish the clearance to a pre-set condition each time. Also, a manual threaded adjustment is provided along the adjustment link so that manual adjustment can be accomplished when desired.

Abstract: A lawn mower has a transverse cutting bar, but instead of a reel-type cutter to cooperate therewith, a rotary cutter is employed that has a plurality of curved cutting edges that maintain constant contact with the transverse cutting bar and repeatedly traverse the cutting bar with the cutting bar positioned more or less tangentially of the curved cutting edges. In all embodiments of the invention, the cutting edges are substantially circular and concentric as viewed along the axis of the rotary cutter, and in at least most embodiments the rotating cutting edges eliminate hazard to the operator by pushing away out of harm any part of the operator's body that may inadvertently intrude into the zone of the cutting operation. In the presently preferred embodiment, the cutting edges are the peripheral edges of a plurality of spaced discs that are inclined to wobble along the transverse cutting bar.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in lawn and garden maintenance, in which a chassis having a pair of axially aligned and independently operable drive wheels carries a central reel mower mounted with the rotational axis of the mower and the drive wheels lying in the same vertical plane. A pair of outer reel mowers may be mounted on the chassis on each side of the path of the central reel mower. A cultivator mounted on a chassis with a pair of axially aligned drive wheels has the frame of the cultivator projecting laterally and aligned with the axis of the drive wheels, the frame of the cultivator being preferably extensible. A lawn trimmer swivelly mountable vertically on a motor driven chassis comprises an articulated arm with a trimming device mounted on the free end of the arm, the arm comprising two pivotally joined parallelogram units and a handle for manipulation of the arm.

Abstract: A hydraulically-actuated bedknife alignment and positioning mechanism which uses the hydraulic power source to precisely adjust the distance between the blade of a reel-type lawn mower and the bedknife for proper cutting action. The system includes a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure, a hydraulic cylinder (mounted to the frame of the mower) which houses a piston connected by a linkage arm to the bedknife that is biased relative to the reel blade and attached pivotally to the frame. During adjustment, the cylinder is pressurized, forcing the piston to move the bedknife into contact with the blades of the mower. When the hydraulic pressure is removed, the biasing force pushes the bedknife away from the reel blade, but a hydraulic locking valve in the actuating cylinder line limits precisely how far the bedknife is biased away from the reel blade before sealing shut, effecting proper distance setting. The hydraulic adjustment may be remotely actuated by the operator of the mower.

Abstract: An air-cushion lawn mower has a rotary cutting blade shrouded by a hood. The mower has a fan wheel rotatable about the same axis as the blade, and both the blade and the fan wheel are driven by a motor mounted on the hood. The front part of the hood with respect to the normal direction of travel of the mower, has projections which support a freely rotatable roller which acts to reduce the frictional resistance to forward motion when the mower is used to cut relatively long blades of grass.

Abstract: An improved powered lawn mower of the type comprising a longitudinally extending engine bed support frame, a transversely extending cutting reel and bed knife assembly carried by the frame, a transversely extending front roller carried by the frame and longitudinally spaced in front of the cutting reel, and a transversely extending lawn conditioning roller carried by the frame and spaced between the front roller and the cutting wheel. The improvements comprise a conditioning roller vertical adjustment means carried by the frame and operable to adjust the vertical height of the conditioning roller with respect to the grass and the pitch of the bed knife together with conditioning roller drive mechanism which is enclosed and pivotable upon vertical movement of the conditioning roller.

Abstract: A tricycle frame providing basic support for the pedal operated mower, pedals turning a forward sprocket for providing locomotion, the locomotion communicating by a chain to turn a rear sprocket mounted on a shaft having a set of split cutting blades peripherally disposed about the cutting shaft for turning the shaft and cutting blades, and gear means connecting the cutter shaft with rear wheels of the tricycle frame and resulting in the locomotion thereof. A protective shield is mounted on the tricycle frame to protect the operator from debris thrown up during the course of mowing, and also a set of goose neck handle bars, an appropriate sized front wheel and a large triangular padded seat are also provided in the combination.

Abstract: An agricultural cutter has in its drive train a pulley for a V-belt. Between the rim of the pulley and the spokes thereof, coil compression springs are provided, so that upon the imposition of high power demand during cutting of an agricultural product, power will be momentarily stored in the spring and then released in connection with the cutting operation.

Abstract: A reel blade mower that provides for proper reel blade contact pressure on the bed knife at all times without any system adjustment. The mower includes a free floating reel blade suspended on a pair of pivotal support arms that is not mechanically fixed to a rigid position, but that is free to move vertically relative to the bed knife. The overall force of the reel blade in contact with the bed knife (contact pressure) is determined by combining the downward vector from the weight of the blade system and the force vector generated by the rotary movement of the reel blades. The mower is not damaged by debris engaging the reel blade or bed knife which easily passes through.

Abstract: A reel type mower (2) has a rotatable cutting reel (4) and a cooperating bedknife (8). A control system (30) automatically positions the bedknife (8) relative to the cutting reel (4). An electrical potential is normally maintained between the bedknife (8) and reel (4). The control system (30) monitors this electrical potential and counts the number of times the electrical potential disappears during a predetermined time interval. If the counted value is different from the reference value, an actuator (32) turns an adjustment shaft (42) to change the position of bedknife (8) relative to reel (4).

Abstract: The chopping cylinder has knives that extend longitudinally of the axis of rotation of the cylinder and which are twisted in such a way that their longitudinal cutting edges wind generally helically around the periphery of the cylinder so that a scissor-like shearing cut is obtained as the knives move past a cooperating shearbar. Special crop flow directors are bolted to the inner faces of the knives between supporting spiders for the knives so as to intercept the crop flow headed toward the interior of the cylinder following severance and to maintain the same adjacent the outer periphery of the cylinder during the movement of the crop material around and with the cylinder to a point of discharge. Special mounting hardware permits the individual directors to be attached directly to the knives in a manner to increase the efficiency and performance of the cylinder.

Abstract: An improved mowing machine of the type which includes a bed knife, a cylindrical rotary knife which, in turn, comprises a plurality of generally elliptical discs mounted parallel to each other on a shaft, and means for rotating the cylindrical knife construction in peripheral contact with the bed knife, the improvement comprising ears formed on the discs extending oppositely outwardly from the plane of the discs at the respective ends of the major axes of the respective elliptical discs, the discs have formed therein a rectangular aperture which fits around a square shaft such that when the aperture rests against the shaft the discs are parallel to each other at an angle of 30 to 50 degrees, and further comprising supporting bars extending outwardly along the major axes of the discs and wherein the discs are specially constructed having a relatively unhardened center section and hardened surface sections on the respective planar surfaces of the discs such that the disc knives are self-sharpening is disclosed.

Abstract: A precision grass mower of the triplex reel type operating from a common tractor-type power source, each mower unit having an adjustable ground engaging roller for cutting golf greens at a precisely predetermined height. Each of the reels of the mower is provided with manually actuated, automatically operated shifting means for moving the height adjusting roller to either of two positions for cutting the grass of the green and of the collar surrounding the green at different but precisely determined heights. The shifting means of all of the mower reels are instantly and simultaneously actuated and operated by fluid pressure.

Abstract: A lawn mower with two coacting spirals cooperating in a scissors-like manner. This mower is self-sharpening and self-cleaning since a torsional stress urges the coacting spirals together. At least one spiral cutter is mounted on a resilient torsion disc.

Abstract: A height-of-cut adjustment mechanism for use with a lawn mowing machine in which the cutting mechanism is supported by a pair of ground engaging rollers. The mechanism provides rapid and repeatable two position adjustment by means of a spring biased trigger mechanism controlling the position of pivot arms connected to one of the ground engaging rollers.

Abstract: Butt lifter roller for lifting the butts of sugar cane sticks immediately after severing by the base cutter in a sugar cane harvester. The roller has V-shaped grooves of varying width extending round its periphery. Cane butts at least partially enter the grooves and are pinched or gripped therein and lifted over the roller by rotation thereof.

Abstract: The following disclosure sets forth a non-marking lawn mower in which a cutter cylinder carrying multiple disc blower cutters in a centrifugal blower structure is supported in parallel spaced relation to a rearward roller structure which carries the mower. The drive motor rotates the cylinder at a cutter speed greater than 6,000 feet per minute. At least one forward adjusting roller can be positioned to determine the height of cut effected by the cutter cylinder.