Abstract: The disclosed chute assembly is particularly adapted to collect the discharge from a rotary lawn or garden tractor, particularly a mower having a vertically adjustable rotary blade housing. In the disclosed embodiment, the chute between the blade housing and the hopper has two telescopically adjustable sections, including a discharge chute which is pivotally supported on the hopper opening lip and a spiral receiving chute which is fixed to and communicates with the blade housing. The mower blade may thus be adjusted vertically without affecting the chute assembly and the chute sections may be easily removed for cleaning, storage or repair.

Abstract: A riding mower having an improved blade housing and blade assembly for generating exceedingly high vacuum under the blade housing for facilitating cutting, conveyance and discharge of grass clippings into a two-wheeled cart which trails the mower through means of a hitch. Grass clippings leave and are conveyed from the blade housing to the cart in a straight line through a conduit including telescoping chutes which permit the conduit to elongate or retract to accommodate change in lengths between the blade housing and the cart during operation. The cart has an open top covered by a canopy including a flexible front wall portion which receives an elbow chute to which one of the telescoping discharge chutes is attached.

Abstract: A walk-behind rotary lawn mower having a sliding drawer type grass catcher box mounted directly on the rear part of the deck behind the engine and between the U-shaped handle and rear wheels. A cover fixedly mounted on the handle closes the top of the box. A vertical tube carries the cut grass-air mix from below the mower deck up to against the cover. The cover is provided with an integral arcuate chute for causing the cut grass-air mix to swirl around in the box so the grass can fall by gravity into the box. The tube, cover and box are a closed air system and the air is exhausted to the atmosphere through vents in the cover which face in directions away from a user positioned behind the mower. The tube, cover and box are constructed from air impermeable plastic, and the box can be lined with a conventional store-bought throwaway type plastic garbage or leaf collecting bag.

Abstract: A grass catcher for a riding mower, comprising a stationary subassembly adapted to be secured to the rear of the ride-on vehicle and a bag support frame mounted for pivotal movement on the stationary subassembly. A grass collector bag is carried by the bag support frame, and a cover member is hingedly connected to one side of the bag support frame. The pivotal connection between the bag support frame and the stationary subassembly on which it is pivotally mounted is of hollow ring-like shape whereby to permit the end of the stationary grass delivery tube to extend through the ring-like pivotal connection and into overlying discharging position relative to the grass collector bag carried by the pivotally mounted bag support frame.

Abstract: A grass catcher having a lid with downturned side flanges, and a transverse web seating on a pair of rearwardly extending handle members. An interconnecting member on the side walls of a container selectively engages guide members on the side flanges of the lid for detachably connecting the container to the lid. The guide members are upwardly facing surfaces and provide rearwardly opening tracks. The interconnecting members are laterally extending flanges received in the tracks and seating on the upwardly facing surfaces. A pair of bottom opening, longitudinal channels in the lid web receive the handle members for holding the lid on the handle members before, during and after attachment of the container to the lid. A bail is pivotally mounted to the side walls at the front of the container, the bail having a portion seating on the laterally extending container flanges in its folded position and being received in the guide tracks of the lid when the container is attached.

Abstract: A lawn mower catcher of the bag type including a grass inlet opening at one end thereof and having a rigid door or mower adapter connected at the one end and extending over the opening. The door or adapter itself has a grass inlet opening for entry of the grass into the bag catcher. The door or adapter is pivotally attached to the fabric or bag portion of the catcher and can be opened and closed on the catcher opening and has attaching members for mounting onto a mower. Also, the catcher has another mower attachment, all so that the opposite ends of the catcher can be attached to the mower and extends rearwardly thereof and within the lateral limits of the mower and the mower handle extends underneath the catcher for upwardly supporting the catcher when the catcher is filled or sags. The catcher also has an additional handle for uprightly supporting the catcher to empty the grass therefrom when the door is opened.

Abstract: A combined lawn mower and grass catcher including a rotary type mower having a rearwardly directed discharge opening and a grass catcher mounted on the mower and extending to the rear thereof and within the lateral confines of the mower. A mower handle extends rearwardly of the mower with a portion thereof underneath the catcher for protecting and supporting the catcher if and when the latter extends down to the supporting portion of the mower handle. The catcher and the mower have inter-engaging members for attaching and removing the catcher relative to the mower, including a handle at the rear end of the catcher for attaching to the mower handle and for lifting the catcher. A spring-biased discharge opening door is mounted on the mower for engaging the front portion of the catcher and thereby securing the catcher so the mower under the influence of the spring acting on the mower door.

Abstract: A peanut combine is provided with an improved thrashing or picking system having longitudinally spaced thrashing cylinders rotating at different speeds in combination with vine flow control apparatus for directing the vines through the thrashing chamber and for intercepting the vines as they are moved by the cylinders to cause greater shredding of the vines and more efficient detachment of the peanuts from the vines.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a rotary lawn mower including a blade housing, a handle extending upwardly and rearwardly from the housing for guiding mower movement, a discharge outlet located in one side of the housing, and a flexible, grass clipping collection bag which is disposed principally rearwardly of the housing and supported from the handle and from the housing. The grass clipping collection bag has front, rear, upper, bottom and opposed side walls defining a box-like interior for collecting grass clippings and a sleeve of air impervious material extending integrally from one of the side walls and terminating in a mouth which is located forwardly of the front wall and is connected in communication with the mower discharge outlet.

Abstract: The four-wheel lawn and garden tractor has an underslung two blade mower unit and a rear mounted grass catcher. The multiple spindle mower unit incorporates special baffling to improve lateral movement of cut grass from the mower housing. The conduit between the mower housing discharge opening and the rear mounted grass catcher includes a unique elbow part having a configuration which facilitates efficient movement of the grass from the mower to the catcher. The grass catcher is vented so that there is very little back pressure in the interior of the grass catcher. Venting is accomplished by provision of a downwardly facing opening along the rear of the grass catcher cover, the latter being molded of an impervious plastic material. The grass catcher cover has a downwardly extending skirt at the front thereof with a pair of laterally spaced semicircular notches adapted to receive a discharge conduit. Thus the cover may be used on tractor mowers discharging to either their left or right side.

Abstract: An apparatus for collecting lawn clippings produced by a tractor type lawn mower is presented herein where a vacuum producing blower and collection bin form an assembly that is rigidly mounted to the rear portion of a tractor and coupled to the housing for the lawn mowing blades by a flexible duct. Power is produced by a belt drive adapted to couple the blower to the grass cutter drive shaft.

Abstract: A grass and leaf collector and compactor attachment for lawn mowers consisting of a chute adapted to be mounted at the side of a mower hood to receive mower cuttings ejected from the hood in the lower end thereof, the chute angling upwardly into a hopper also adapted to be mounted on the mower, and a paddle bar extending generally longitudinally through the chute and having paddles secured transversely thereto at intervals along its length. The paddle bar is driven in a vertical orbital path by a special driving connection to a ground-engaging wheel of the mower, so as to impel cuttings received in the lower end of the chute upwardly through the chute into the hopper. The driving connection includes a special safety clutch operable to be disengaged automatically in the event of any substantial obstruction to movement of the paddle bar, so as to prevent damage. The hopper is at a sufficient elevation above ground level that its contents may be dumped by dropping the floor thereof.

Abstract: A support for a rear mounted flexible grass catcher container is mounted directly to the mower body and is free to pivot back for clearing the container from the mower shroud, when necessary for service purposes, without disconnecting the support from the mower. The support pivot is disposed in a manner that the applied load from the grass catcher container causes a resulting moment which tends to hold the container rear support in operative position without the necessity of providing clamps or catches. In addition, the rear support serves as a barrier for the container preventing its engagement with the adjacent rear wheels of the mower.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for cleaning and topping a swath of at least partially cut flattened leafy green sugar cane wherein the apparatus, towed behind a propelling vehicle, is passed over the swath of cane for successively performing the steps of gathering the swath, lifting it from the bround on which it lies, pulling the individual canes top first from the swath, supporting the stalk of each cane as it is pulled from the swath, accelerating the cane rearwardly of the direction of travel of the vehicle, and restraining the top of each cane while continuing to move the stalk rearwardly to cause the top to break away from the stalk.

Abstract: This invention relates to a collecting assembly for grass cuttings, clippings, various debris, etc. and it is designed primarily to be used in combination with a cutting machine. The cutting machine may be a riding mower or a push or walk behind type. A storage means including a removable container element for receiving the debris is arranged in fluid communication with a negative pressure source which may be a vacuum-type pump or impeller element disposed in fluid communication with the storage means to create a negative pressure therein. Conduit means interconnects the cutting deck or cutting area of the cutting machine with the storage means wherein the cutting area, conduit means, storage means and negative pressure source means are all arranged in fluid communication so as to substantially define a negative fluid flow pressure throughout the system. Fluid flow is accordingly directed from the cutting area along with the debris entrained in said fluid flow into the storage area.

Abstract: An improved grain elevator is provided for a combine to transfer clean grain from the cleaning mechanism to a temporary, pivotally mounted, grain holding tank. The grain transfer elevator comprises a generally transversely and horizontally extending first auger disposed below the cleaning mechanism and connected to a second auger which extends upwardly in a transverse inclined direction through the bottom wall of the grain tank to a position at the top middle of the tank for discharging clean grain therein. The second auger includes separate parts releasably coupled together to thereby permit disengagement thereof for allowing the grain tank to be tipped for unloading.

Abstract: In abstract, a preferred embodiment of this invention is a tobacco harvester wherein a centrally disposed trailer attached to a towing vehicle is straddled by a worker support platform. Mechanical means are also provided for conveying the product harvested by the workers into the centrally disposed trailer.

Abstract: A trailer having a tobacco receiving box thereon is connected to a tobacco harvester which in turn may be pulled by a tractor or which may be self-propelled. The trailer is connected to the tobacco harvester by a hitch at one side of the harvester for forward and rearward movement of the trailer relative to the direction of movement of the harvester so as to evenly distribute the tobacco being delivered from the harvester into the tobacco box on the trailer. A double acting hydraulic piston and cylinder is connected to one end of a pivoted lever, the opposite end of which is connected to the trailer tongue, for oscillating the lever and reciprocating the trailer forwardly and rearwardly relative to the tobacco harvester.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a tobacco harvester having an automatic leaf spreader associated therewith for uniformly spreading defoliated tobacco leaves into an opened top leaf receiving structure such as a trailer, container, or box-type rack such that the leaf receiving structure is generally uniformly filled throughout from bottom to top by the spreader during the harvesting operation.

Abstract: An assembly for mounting on a power lawnmower for collecting grass clippings and the like in a disposable flexible container. The assembly includes a support for maintaining the flexible container in a substantially upright position with an open top and located rearwardly of the lawnmower housing. A cover is pivotally carried on the support and encloses the open top of the flexible container. The cover and the flexible container cooperate to define a substantially enclosed chamber. Spaced inlet and outlet openings are provided in the chamber. An inlet channel, extending upwardly and rearwardly from the mower housing, is connected to the inlet opening for discharging yard clippings into the flexible container. An exhaust assembly communicates with the outlet and the exterior. The opening faces in a direction away from the operator of the lawnmower.

Abstract: The discharge spout of the pickup in a stack-forming machine is provided with baffle structure inside the spout and adjacent the discharge opening that oscillates horizontally and continuously through a stream of crops being projected into the forming body of the machine in order to break up wads and clumps of matter in the stream and to evenly distribute the stream from side-to-side within the body. One embodiment utilizes a single, centrally disposed fin as the baffle structure, while another employs a pair of such fins angled acutely with respect to one another, centered in the spout and controlled to preclude swinging of each fin inwardly beyond a position parallel to the direction of crop flow.

Abstract: Chain and slat type elevator for pieces of chopped sugar cane in a sugar cane harvester has a slope of between 50.degree. and 90.degree. with respect to the horizontal. An endless belt of wire mesh above the working run of the elevator engages the cane pieces and prevents them rolling back.