Abstract: A rotary lawn mower adapted to separately power an auxiliary apparatus includes a platform, front and rear wheels attached to and supporting the platform, a cutting blade, an engine connected to the platform and a converter mechanism connected with the engine for separately transferring power from the engine to the cutting blade and to the auxiliary apparatus. The converter mechanism includes a frame connected to the engine and dual coupling device for coupling the engine with the cutting blade and for separately coupling the engine with the auxiliary apparatus. When the dual coupling device is in a first position, the engine shaft is coupled to drive the cutting blade for movement thereof and is not positioned for coupling with the auxiliary apparatus for movement thereof. When the dual coupling device is in a second position, the engine shaft is coupled with the auxiliary apparatus for movement thereof and is not positioned for coupling with the cutting blade for movement thereof.

Abstract: A lawn mower is provided having improved steering controls, namely a "trim" feature which may be adjusted while the mower is in a forward speed setting. Further provided is a park lock feature which locks the speed controls of the mower. Finally, a neutral latch feature is provided which becomes engaged when the left and fight steering controls of the mower are simultaneously position in either a neutral or a reverse position.

Abstract: A self-contained steering, clutch, and brake assembly is provided having a housing for connection to a rotating drive shaft having a drive hub mounted on an extension thereof, a brake hub mounted to the housing, and a clutch drum movable to engage either the drive hub or the brake hub. These engagements are made through coaxial, multi-disk clamping assemblies which serve to increase engagement surface area within the minimal confines of the housing. The clutch drum is constantly connected to a standard size wheel axle through a compound reduction chain drive which is also enclosed by the housing. The clutch drum is normally biased into engagement with the drive hub and a rotary cam actuator is provided to move the clutch hub against the biasing spring and into engagement with the brake hub. The housing is adapted to be bolted directly to the mower deck without special deck reconfiguration.

Abstract: A lawnmower engine oil sump drain extension apparatus, for a lawnmower having a blade housing and an engine having an oil sump, has an oil sump drain elbow tube threadingly connected into a drain hole of the oil sump. An outer extension tube is threadingly connected to the elbow tube. The outer extension tube extends through a port in the blade housing and into a blade housing extension tube receiving chamber in the blade housing. A locking member, threadingly connects to the outer extension tube, to secure the outer extension tube to the blade housing. An inner extension tube is telescopingly placed within the outer extension tube. There is at least one sealing member, having a replaceable resilient seal thereon, on the inner extension tube to provide a seal between the inner extension tube and the outer extension tube. There is a stop member on the inner extension tube.

Abstract: A lawn mower for use in a walking mode and a riding mode, having a chassis frame, an engine mounted on a rearward position of the chassis frame, front wheels, driven rear wheels, transmissions for transmitting drive from the engine to the rear wheels after varying speed of the drive, a grass cutting unit suspended from the chassis frame, a driver's seat mounted on the chassis frame, and a handle post supporting control levers for controlling the transmissions. The handle post is pivotable between a first position for the walking mode in which the control levers are disposed rearwardly of the chassis frame, and a second position for the riding mode in which the control levers are disposed adjacent the driver's seat. The handle post includes a vertical post portion extending laterally of the lawn mower, and a horizontal post portion curved from the vertical post portion to extend transversely of the lawn mower. The control levers are provided on the horizontal post portion.

Abstract: A lever assembly including a clutch actuator mechanism is located within a housing on a handle assembly of a self-propelled machine for selectively activating and deactivating respective clutches for applying power from a prime mover, such as a gasoline engine, to at least one of a set of drive wheels for propelling the machine over a work surface and for applying power to one or more cutting elements, which may be, for example, a blade of a self-propelled lawn mower. Depending upon the sequence of actuation of two clutch activating control levers, the self-propelling drive wheels, cutter element, or both can be selectively actuated so that an operator may, for example, cause the lawn mower to travel across a surface without power being applied to the cutting blade.

Abstract: A safety system for a lawn mower having an engine, a propelling transmission line for transmitting drive from the engine to drive wheels, and a PTO transmission line for transmitting drive from the engine to a grass cutting unit. An engine start is allowed when the propelling transmission line is inoperative. The engine is stopped when the propelling transmission line is operative and a driver is in a non-driving state. A steering section includes an arch-like steering handle, and an auxiliary handle having a shape substantially corresponding to the steering handle and pivotable from an upper position projecting above the steering handle and a lower position depressed below the steering handle. The driver is determined to be in the driving state when the auxiliary handle is in an intermediate position adjacent the steering handle.

Abstract: An extra-wide self-propelled lawn mower employs twin hydrostatic transmissions to power the left and right rear drive wheels that are situated behind a forward moving deck. Hydrostatic drives have infinitely variable adjustment speed from reverse through neutral, to a maximum forward speed. There are also independent left and right control levers mounted adjacent the hand grips that are coupled through linkages to control levers for the respective hydrostatic transmissions. An engine has its center of gravity situated behind the drive wheel axles to balance the weight of the moving deck. Spring returns associated respectively with the two hydrostatic transmissions return the same to the neutral position when an operator releases the respective control levers.

Abstract: An extra-wide self-propelled lawn mower employs twin hydrostatic transmissions to power left and right drive wheels situated behind a forward mowing deck. There are left and right primary speed control levers adjacent hand grips on the mower hand assembly. These have linkages that include a common pivot shaft and respective spring couplings to control the actuator arms of the hydrostatic transmissions. Secondary speed control levers, in the form of brake levers, are mounted adjacent the right and left hand grips and are non-resiliently coupled to the hydrostatic transmission actuators arms. The secondary levers are squeezed to override the primary speed control and slow the respective transmission for braking or to effect a turn, pivoting about the inside wheel. Squeezing the secondary control lever completely will cause the wheel on that side to reverse, effecting a pivoting at the center of the mower.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner drive system includes a main support casting having an outwardly projecting stub shaft and an inwardly projecting pivot pin mounted to an upright wall section at one end of a header frame. A slip clutch is received on the stub shaft and includes a main drive plate coupled to one shaft of an angle gear box and includes inner and outer pressure plates connected for being frictionally driven by the drive plate, the inner pressure plate having a main drive spur gear integral therewith and the outer pressure plate having a drive sheave integral therewith. The main drive spur gear forms part of a drive train for driving either a pair of conditioner rolls or for driving an impeller conditioner while the drive sheave is coupled by a belt for driving either a sickle-type cutterbar or a rotary type cutterbar.

Abstract: A mower control linkage having a double ended dead man control lever, left and right steering control levers, and a linkage interconnecting said levers with left and right transmission mechanisms. The linkage has swingable left and right are members that adjust the transmission mechanisms between braked, clutch disengaged and driven modes. The arm members arm connected to the dead man control lever via a lost motion coupling and are each linked with respective steering control levers. As the dead man control lever is depressed, both arm members are placed in a driven mode, and either steering control lever can then be depressed to shift the respective arm member to its braked mode to execute a turn about that wheel.

Abstract: A self-propelled lawn mower employs a hydrostatic transmission and differential to power rear drive wheels which are situated behind a forward mowing deck. The hydrostatic drive has infinitely variable adjustment of speed from reverse, through neutral, to a maximum forward speed. There are independent disc brakes for the drive wheels, with right and left brake levers situated adjacent the operator hand grips. An engine has its center of gravity behind the drive wheel shaft to balance the weight of the mowing deck. Left and right thumb-operated control levers are rockably mounted on the handle bar assembly, adjacent the inboard side of the right and left hand grips. This arrangement permits one-hand control of the transmission speed with either hand, while actuating the respective brake lever with the same hand, making one-hand brake-turning of the mower possible. The engine output shaft has a pulley connected by belt drives to the blades and to the hydrostatic drive.

Abstract: A self-propelled lawnmower employs a hydrostatic transmission and differential to power rear drive wheels which are situated behind a forward mowing deck. The hydrostatic drive has infinitely variable adjustment of speed from reverse, through neutral, to a maximum forward speed. There are independently actuated disc brakes for the drive wheels, with right and left brake levers situated adjacent the operator hand grips. A vertical shaft engine is situated with its center of gravity behind the drive wheel shaft to balance the weight of the mowing deck. The operator can control the speed and direction of the mower without removing his hands from the hand grips. By selecting actuation of the disc brakes, the machine can be effortlessly turned without a reduction in speed. The engine output shaft has pulleys connected by drive belts to the blades and to the hydrostatic drive.

Abstract: Within a transmission casing (3) having therein a drive shaft (4), driven by an engine (1) through a main clutch (2), and a hollow speed-change shaft (5), a key-shift transmission mechanism (8) is disposed which comprises a plurality of meshing gears (9I-9V, 10I-10V) mounted respectively on the drive and change shafts. An axle (6) drivingly connected to left and right drive wheels (7) extends through the hollow change shaft. One end of the change shaft is spaced from an inner wall surface of the transmission casing for disposing therebetween an auxiliary clutch (13) which is operable between the change shaft and axle. Both of the main and auxiliary clutches are operated together.The transmission mechanism is provided for a plurality of variable speeds of a mower in a compact fashion owing to a co-axial arrangement of the hollow change shaft and the axle passing therethrough.

Abstract: A main drive for crop cutting, conveying and/or processing components of a self-propelled harvester includes an input shaft which extends crosswise to and is coupled for being driven by a longitudinally extending engine output shaft. The input shaft carries a spring-released, hydraulically-engageable disc clutch, which, when engaged, transfers power from the clutch to a multi-grooved belt drive sheave which is coupled to respective driven sheaves of the crop cutting, conveying and/or processing components by a drive belt. The clutch is mounted on the shaft outboard of the drive sheave and the shaft is provided with a fluid passage that extends inwardly from its outboard end and is coupled in fluid communication with the clutch piston. A slip fitting is releasably coupled to the outboard end of the shaft and is adapted for being coupled to a conduit for conveying fluid to or returning fluid from the clutch piston.

Abstract: A self-propelled combine (11) includes a drive train driven by the engine (16) which includes a transverse power shaft (47) by which a header (24), a threshing rotor (34), a bin unloading mechanism (88), the change speed transmission (76) and the cleaning mechanism are driven. The power transmitting components of the shaft assembly, including a double electric clutch (44), are carried by the end portions (46, 161) of the transverse shaft (47) at the laterally outer sides of the side walls (51, 52) on which the shaft (47) is supported. The double electric clutch (44) includes air circulating means (101, 102 and 93-98) and is removable from the shaft (47) upon removal of a cap screw (118).

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: 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.