Abstract: This invention relates to an outdoor equipment unit such as a walk-behind skid steer loader. The loader has a tracked traction system in which endless tracks are entrained around a rear drive support member and a front support member. The front support member is spring biased forwardly, but can move rearwardly against the spring bias to allow debris that is caught between the front support member to clear itself to help prevent the track from un-tracking. A single control handle having front and rear hand grips located between a fixed grab bar can be rotated and/or twisted to control the traction system. Return to neutral systems ensure that the control handle will return to a centered, neutral position upon release of the control handle by the operator.

Abstract: This invention relates to an outdoor equipment unit such as a walk-behind skid steer loader. The loader has a tracked traction system in which endless tracks are entrained around a rear drive support member and a front support member. The front support member is spring biased forwardly, but can move rearwardly against the spring bias to allow debris that is caught between the front support member to clear itself to help prevent the track from un-tracking. A single control handle having front and rear hand grips located between a fixed grab bar can be rotated and/or twisted to control the traction system. Return to neutral systems ensure that the control handle will return to a centered, neutral position upon release of the control handle by the operator.

Abstract: This invention relates to an outdoor equipment unit such as a walk-behind utility loader. The loader has a tracked traction system in which endless tracks are entrained around a rear drive support member and a front support member. The front support member is spring biased forwardly, but can move rearwardly against the spring bias to allow debris that is caught between the front support member to clear itself to help prevent the track from detracking. A single control handle proximate to a fixed grab bar assembly can be rotated and/or twisted to control the traction system. Return to neutral systems ensure that the control handle will return to a centered, neutral position upon release of the control handle by the operator.

Abstract: A granular fertilizer spreader which may be attached to a lawn mower (1). The spreader includes a hopper (44) which is secured to the mower handle (3), the spreader including drive wheels (9,10) which frictionally engage the rear mower wheels (7,8). An impeller (99) is rotated by the drive wheels (9,10), thereby urging fertilizer or other granular material contained within hopper (44) to exit through a series of orifices (73-84) located along the bottom surface (54) of the hopper (44). A discharge chute (134) entrains the fertilizer as it exits the orifices (73-84) and guides the fertilizer along a series of open channels (138-149), each channel terminating with an outlet orifice (152-163 ) through which the fertilizer is ultimately deposited upon the ground behind the mower deck (2). The drive wheels (9,10) are urged into positive frictional contact with the mower wheels (7,8) by a spring (187) that is secured to the mower handle (3) at a user selected point by a clamp (196).

Abstract: An adjustable arc sprinkler nozzle comprises a lower nozzle piece which is relatively rigid and an upper nozzle piece which is made of a relatively flexible, compressible material. A plurality of radial channels are provided in the upper nozzle piece for forming radial streams out of water flowing into the lower nozzle piece. A deflector ring having pairs of spaced deflecting fingers can selectively compress the upper nozzle piece by pushing down on it adjacent either side of each channel near the radially outer ends thereof. This pinches off the channel area and simultaneously bends the channels down over the lower nozzle piece to decrease the throw radius while keeping the precipitation rate relatively constant.

Abstract: A sprinkler including a housing, a riser and a riser seal element is disclosed. The housing has a hollow interior with an upward-inward slanted, conical shaped seal element receiving slot. The riser is mounted in the hollow interior of the housing for reciprocating motion between an extended sprinkling position and the retracted non-sprinkling position. The riser has an exterior surface along its length and the housing has an interior surface at its upper end between which a gap is defined. The riser seal element is comprised of an elastic material and has an outer portion which is held in the seal element receiving slot to thereby position the seal element in an upward, generally conical orientation. An inner portion of the seal element extends into the gap to form a seal therein for preventing the entry of extraneous material through the gap. The inner portion of the seal element is flexible between an upwardly slanted position and a downwardly flexed position.

Abstract: An improved adjustable arc sprinkler head (2) includes a pop-up riser (20). Riser (20) comprises a housing (26) having a rotatable nozzle assembly (28) carried adjacent the top thereof. A driven gear (50) is fixed to nozzle assembly (28) and cooperates with a drive train contained inside a motor compartment (30) in riser housing (26). An adjustment member (58) is normally rotatably locked to driven gear (50) by matching serrations (69) and (70). Nozzle assembly (28) is moveable downwardly relative to riser housing (26) sufficiently far to disengage serrations (69) and (70) and allow driven gear (50) to be rotated relative to adjustment member (58). This rotation varies the circumferential distance between two stops (56) and (64) carried on driven gear (50) and adjustment member (58) to vary the angular extent of the arc segment being watered by sprinkler head (2).

Abstract: A sprinkler including a housing, a riser and a riser seal element is disclosed. The housing has a hollow interior with an upward-inward slanted, conical shaped seal element receiving slot. The riser is mounted in the hollow interior of the housing for reciprocating motion between an extended sprinkling position and the retracted non-sprinkling position. The riser has an exterior surface along its length and the housing has an interior surface at its upper end between which a gap is defined. The riser seal element is comprised of an elastic material and has an outer portion which is held in the seal element receiving slot to thereby position the seal element in an upward, generally conical orientation. An inner portion of the seal element extends into the gap to form a seal therein for preventing the entry of extraneous material through the gap. The inner portion of the seal element is flexible between an upwardly slanted position and a downwardly flexed position.

Abstract: A variable precipitation rate mist emitter (10) is disclosed. The emitter includes an emitter head (14) having an inlet opening (19), an outlet opening (26), a deflector disc (28) spaced from the opening for redirecting the water flowing from the outlet opening, and a projection (42) extending from the deflector disc toward the outlet. The projection has a tapered exterior surface with its smallest dimension adjacent the outlet opening and its largest dimension adjacent the deflector disc. A mechanism (30, 54, 56) for adjusting the position of the projection relative to the outlet opening locates a preselected and variable portion of the projection in the outlet opening whereby the size of the opening and the precipitation rate of the emitter are adjustable.

Abstract: A lawn mower using flexible nonmetallic filaments as cutting elements is disclosed. The filaments are mounted on a plurality of rotatable mounting elements. Each of these mounting elements is rotatable about an axis which is slightly tilted with respect to the vertical. The axes of rotation of the mounting elements are so disposed that the filaments appear to travel through overlapping paths when the lawn mower is viewed in top plan. With respect to the normal forward direction of travel of the lawn mower, the axes are "staggered", one of the axes being forward of the other axis.

Abstract: Novel cutting heads are described for apparatus used to cut vegetation and the like. The cutting heads are each adapted to be removably affixed to a rotatable shaft and rotated about an axis generally perpendicular with a cutting plane. At least one non-metallic flexible cutting line is affixed to the novel cutting head, and ramp members are affixed to the head member which are adapted to protect the cutting line retaining means from hitting obstructions in the cutting plane.

Abstract: A pop-up sprinkler having a vertically extensible and retractable spray head assembly and means for flushing the channel in which the assembly moves with outflowing water both when the assembly extends and when it retracts, the arrangement permitting the use of a strainer built into the spray head assembly and replaceable, after installation of the sprinkler by simply removing a spray head.