Abstract: A mowing machine for cutting plants with radially protruding blades of upper and lower blade disks which are coaxially disposed and rotated under the hood that is disposed at the end of a handle. The upper blade disk has a ring gear, the lower blade disk has a sun gear, and a transmission gear is provided between the ring gear and the sun gear and meshes these gears so as to rotate the ring and sun gears in the opposite directions, thus rotating the upper and lower blade disks in the opposite directions for producing a shearing force that cuts the plants.

Abstract: A wheeled device for use with a brush cutter, comprising: a frame; a plurality of wheels mounted on the frame to support the frame for movement over the ground; a mounting on the frame for attaching a brush cutter to the frame with a blade of a brush cutter substantially parallel to the ground. The mounting, adapted to attach to the boom of the brush cutter, is adjustable to move the center of the blade relative to the frame to accommodate different size blades and may also be adjustable to accommodate different brush cutter having different angles of boom. The mounting of the wheels may be such as to allow the separation of at least one of the wheels from at least one of the remaining wheels to be adjustable.

Abstract: A weed remover includes a pivoting arm connected to a wheeled chassis, and a rotary wire brush attached to the forward end of the pivoting arm. A belt is positioned to encircle a wire brush pulley coaxial with the wire brush, and a drive pulley driven by a motor. The wire brush can be raised off the ground or lowered to engage it by moving a lever connected to the pivoting arm. When the wire brush is in the raised position, the pulleys are close together and the belt is relaxed, so that the belt is disengaged from the pulleys, and the wire brush is deactivated. When the wire brush is in the lowered position, the pulleys are moved apart, and the drive belt is pulled taut therebetween, so that drive is transferred to the wire brush. The wire brush is spun at high speed to remove weeds growing from cracks on a hard ground surface, such as a sidewalk or driveway. The wire brush is stiff enough to remove the weeds flush to the ground surface, but compliant enough to not harm the ground surface.

Abstract: A brush for grooming golf greens and fairways. Three identical brush devices are removably connected together with two of the brush devices located laterally outward of the middle brush device. When not in use and in transport, the three brush units may be aligned in single file for towing along a narrow path. Each brush device includes a plurality of depending brushes removably mounted to a rectangular frame. The brushes are arranged to assure even grass grooming and even brush wear. A winch with cable is mounted to the frame and is operable to raise and lower wheels to support the brush device when not in use.

Abstract: Improved machines and devices for thatching lawns (thatch meaning grass blades, leaf fragments and particles, weed fragments and particles and the like that collect around and at the bases of blades of grass and the other plants that make up a lawn); a new leaf and thatch raking device employing novel principles of operation and apparatus and structural features whereby to carry out the leaf and thatch raking task most efficiently; devices which (1) not only "reverse rake" a lawn, thereby to effectively pick up thatch, debris, leaf fragments and leaves, while (2) still further taking or forcing the said raked up material into and through a pulverizing or mulching zone and (3) then passing the processed lawn debris material from said zone into a storage container; an integrated leaf raking and thatching system involving highly efficient raking, highly efficient transport of raked materials from the raking zone, direct passage of the said raked material into a comminuting zone of great effectiveness and efficie

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 grass pick-up broom for riding, walk-behind and tow-behind mowers includes a cylindrical sleeve rotatably mounted on a rear axle of a mower and having spaced elongate brushes fixedly attached to the sleeve and extending radially therefrom. The sleeve is connected by a belt to a rotary cutting blade powered by an engine mounted on the mower. When the cutting blade is engaged, the sleeve automatically rotates about the axle causing the brushes to rotate thereabout, propelling grass clippings and other debris into a grass catcher located behind the broom. The brushes of the broom also comb the surface of the newly cut grass, picking up grass clippings and other heavier debris and transfering the debris to the grass catcher.

Abstract: The invention relates to a soil working device, comprising a substantially cylindrical soil working member, which is mounted between two main supporting arms for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and is axially composed of a number of sections which are mutually connected and connected with two shaft end sections journalled in said main supporting arms respectively through couplings of the universal type, the coupling between each two sections being supported by an auxiliary supporting arm which extends into the travelling direction and pivotally engages a connecting bar extending between said main supporting arms parallel to and in front of said soil working member.

Abstract: A leaf sweeper having a sweeper portion including engine driven, flexible, rotary tines mounted on an engine support frame pivotally connected about a vertical axis to a wheeled main frame. A steering linkage is connected between the engine support frame and wheeled main frame for moving the sweeper portion about the vertical axis through an arc on either side of the longitudinal axis of the wheeled main frame, and a locking control mechanism is connected between the steering linkage and the wheeled main frame for holding the sweeper portion in a selected position relative to the longitudinal axis of the wheeled main frame.

Abstract: A tree stump cutter than enables the removal of tree stumps, after felling of trees, to at least below ground level, includes at least one pair of circular cutting blades rotatably mounted on a support frame. The frame can be coupled to a tractor in a configuration in which the blades, driven by hydraulic motors, can cut off tree stumps below ground level by being displaced across the tree stumps by the tractor. The blades are rotatable about parallel axes and the blades of at least one pair are spaced apart by approximately the sum of their radii, thus permitting rotation in substantially the same plane.

Abstract: An improved brush attachment (10) includes a frame (12) comprising a semirigid plate (14) and rigid braces (16-24) so that the relative overall stiffness is adjustable in accordance with the contour of the underlying surface. An arrangement of end-to-end, oppositely angled brushes (46-60) is provided on the bottom of the frame (12).

Abstract: Stroke adjustment method and apparatus for a tool such as a motor-driven wire brush utilized to remove "frost" from plated cotton picker spindles. The apparatus includes an arm pivotally connected at one end to a workstation and at the opposite end to a storke cylinder which moves the attached brush into contact with a workpiece. The stroke cylinder is attached to a sliding member which is indexed by a ratchet device in response to a signal indicative of current draw of the motor. As the average current draw drops below a preselected minimum level, the ratchet device is automatically indexed to advance the stroke cylinder and move the brush closer to the workpiece.

Abstract: An improved sweeper system for use with a grass mowing machine for use in the care of golf course greens in which the lawn mowing machine has at least one mower assembly, the sweeper system including a sweeper structural support affixed to and extending from the mower assembly, an elongated broom having a horizontal head portion and bristles downwardly extending therefrom, an elongated structural head member affixed to the broom head portion, a cylindrical vertical shaft extending upwardly from the structural head member, a bearing trunnion affixed to the structural support member adjacent the outer end the shaft being rotatably received in the bearing trunnion and a plurality of spacers received on the shaft above the trunnions so that the elevation of the brush is adjustable and elastomeric members extending from the sweeper system to the structural head member on either side of the structural support, the broom following behind the mower assembly to sweep the golf green as it is mowed.

Abstract: A rear dumping brush-type lawn sweeper for attachment to a garden tractor includes a hamper assembly which is mounted on a support frame for pivotal movement. The support frame is carried on the main frame of the brush housing. The hamper assembly carries an open top hamper bag. The top of the bag is normally closed by a mesh-type folding wind apron. A forward portion of the apron is attached to the hamper assembly, while a rear portion of the apron is attached to a rear cross member forming part of the hamper support frame. The wind apron, at its rear terminal end, forms a closure with the rear lip of the hamper bag in the normal running position. When the hamper is rotated rearwardly on the support frame for dumping, the wind screen folds on itself and exposes a rear dumping opening with the rear hamper bag lip.

Abstract: A machine for gathering articles, such as fruit, from the ground without damaging them, by picking up the articles as the machine moves over the ground, has a forward belt and a rearward belt, journalled to a chassis about horizontal rollers that are transverse to the direction of travel X. The rearward belt has a taut upper run which lies face-to-face with a slack lower run of the forward belt, to form a nip. A loop of the forward belt rests loosely on the ground. This gently pins the articles to the ground before they are drawn into the nip. The articles are then discharged rearwardly from the top of the belts and are collected in a container. The belts move at the same speed relative to each other, and move at a speed which is non-positive relative to the ground speed of the machine so that the loop is stationary relative to the ground, or moves rearwardly to draw the articles towards the nip.

Abstract: A harvester strips seeds from a standing crop while essentially leaving the stems of the crop attached to the soil. The harvester comprises a mobile main frame and a vertically adjustable harvesting header carried thereby. A first axially transverse rotor is mounted on the header with its axis generally below the level of substantially all the seeds on the standing crop. The first rotor includes a hub and outwardly projecting stripper elements. The stripper elements define longitudinally spaced openings on the rotor periphery of a width greater than upper seed-bearing heads of the crop, permitting the introduction of the seed-bearing heads into the rotor interior as the machine advances so that the seeds are impacted by sides of the stripper elements interiorly of the outer end thereof. A second axially transverse rotor is disposed parallel to, above and forwardly of the first rotor and has a generally cylindrical outer periphery adjacent the periphery of the first rotor.

Abstract: An apparatus for sweeping and thatching turf including a rotatable sweeper brush assembly having spring type thatching members. The spring thatching members may be easily secured to or removed from the sweeper brush assembly which permits the operator considerable flexibility in installing and removing them without dismantling the brush assembly. The number of spring thatching members used may be conveniently varied for providing the desired thatching action. The construction provides for cooperation between the spring members and the brush assembly for preventing rotation of the spring members without complicated mounting structure for the spring members. Further, the combination of spring thatching members and sweeper brushes provides an improved cleaning action for the turf.

Abstract: An elongated hollow housing is provided including front and rear sides and opposite ends. The housing defines an air passage extending therethrough including an inlet end opening through and extending longitudinally of the front side of the housing. The housing also defines an outlet for the passage opening outwardly of the housing remote from the inlet. Seed separating structure is provided within the air passage intermediate the inlet and outlet and is operative to separate seeds from the air flow moving through the passage. The inlet is defined between opposing generally parallel longitudinal marginal portions of the housing and one marginal portion is disposed forward and above the other marginal portion, whereby the inlet opens outwardly of the housing in a foward and downward direction. An elongated seed stripping rotary brush is journaled in the housing for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally thereof with between 30.degree. and 90.degree.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a grass trimming apparatus which may be used for trimming and cleaning grass on cemetary grave markers or the like. The grass trimming apparatus of the present invention basically comprises a grass lifting device such as a rotating brush which digs loose dirt and stones and lifts grass and thatch-like material up and off the face and peripheral edges of flush mounted grave markers so that a sequentially mounted grass cutting device can trim the grass lifted by the brush. The rotating brush is movable from a downward operative position to an upward position for travel between various grave markers in the cemetary, and may be detachably mounted for service. The grass cutting device or mower deck is similarly mounted to be movable between operative and travel positions.

Abstract: A lawn broom includes a rotary drum having a plurality of sweep elements secured thereon, with each of the sweep elements including a flat mounting strap which extends through an opening provided in the drum. Each mounting strap is provided with an elongated slot and a plurality of mounting pins carried by brackets within the drum slidably extend through the slots provided in the straps to secure the sweep elements on the drum. The pin and slot connections permit the sweep elements to move radially of the axis of rotation of the drum and to tilt from side to side so that the sweep elements, over the entire length of the drum, can follow the contour of the lawn surface.