Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02350301 2001-06-12
A HINGED COVER FOR ENCLOSING STRUCTURE ASSOCIATED WITH
A MOWER CUTTING DECK
Background of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to covers for the belt drives on mower cutting decks,
and more
specifically, to covers assembled from two separate portions which are then
joined together.
2. Description of Related Art
Mower decks providing more than one cutting blade use a system of belts and
pulleys in order to drive the blades of the decks. Commonly, this system is
located on a top
surface of the deck so as to allow interaction with the blades and their
supporting structure
so that rotation of the blades, and therefore cutting, may be properly
obtained. Among the
belts contained in the system is a primary belt bringing power from the engine
and a
secondary belt that drives spindles to which the blades are connected. The
secondary belt
may take the form of a timing belt when the blade rotations are timed. To
maintain proper
timing, periodic adjustment of the belt, through manipulation of structure to
which the belt is
connected, may be required.
It has been recognized that in order to prevent entanglement with the drive
belts, a
cover should be utilized to minimize a user's inadvertent contact which could
otherwise be
the source of serious injury while the mower is operating. To this end,
various covers for
mower decks which cover the primary belt and/or the secondary belt have been
made and
used. The covers include those consisting of a plain piece of metal Which is
mounted above
the belts and to the deck or, alternatively, which is connected with structure
constructed on
the deck. Another form of cover includes an assembly of two pieces of
material, either steel
or plastic, which form one elongated structure that, along a portion thereof,
is hingedly or
pivotally mounted by a separate metal hinge to either another portion of the
cover or to the
deck itself. Still another cover consists of a design including two portions
which do not
provide a complete enclosure and which are connected together by multiple
hinges.
However, the above covers often make access to, and therefore contact with the
belts difficult and time consuming due to the need to remove the cover
entirely so that any
maintenance of the belts may occur. Removal and storage of the cover,
depending upon the
design, can also be difficult if the cover is large, bulky, heavy or requires
complicated
attachment structures. Incurring these added efforts only increases the amount
of time and
energy necessary to carry out proper maintenance.
Additionally, using a separate hinge to permit movement of the cover relative
to the
deck involves the manufacture of a separate part in the overall design of the
cover.
Requiring such a separate component in order to permit the desired access to
the drive belts
CA 02350301 2001-06-12
inevitably results in added fabrication costs of the cover.
Thus, there exists a need to provide a cover which permits access to the
second
drive belt for the blades without removal of the cover from the deck to which
it is attached
and also, without the unnecessary expenditure of time, effort or money in
obtaining that
access.
Summar~i of the Invention
To allow access to the secondary drive without removal of the entire cover
from the
deck, there is provided a cover having both a first fixed and a second movable
portion or
member. This access can be obtained without removal of the cover when the deck
is either
attached to a mower or when the deck itself is removed from the mower. The
cover
structure is designed with a living hinge which joins the fixed and moveable
members
together to form the complete cover. The hinge allows the moveable member to
swing
relative to the fixed member which is mounted with the cutting deck. The
ability to change
the position of the moveable member while the rest of the cover is mounted to
the deck
permits access to belt drive structure in the form of a belt and pulley system
which underlies
the moveable member.
The cover is formed as a one-piece plastic construction including first and
second
substantially disc-shaped portions connected together by a web. Each of the
disc-shaped
portions are intended to overlay a top surface of each chamber of a dual
chamber cutting
deck. On a top surface of the first disc-shaped portion, there is provided an
opening for
receiving a portion of a blade spindle to which a cutting blade is attached.
Further provided
on the top surface is a ledge on which another pulley for the primary drive
belt and
associated with the spindle may be located above.
Extending from the first portion is a web connecting a second disc-shaped
portion
which includes the moveable member. Each of the first and second portions have
a
downwardly extending wall intended to engage a top surface of the cutting
chamber on
which the wall rests. The second disc-shaped portion is also formed to include
a dome so
as to enclose the belt and pulley system. At a top surface of the dome, the
fixed member is
joined to the dome by a living hinge formed as a section of the cover wherein
the section is
exact in material composition and yet different in size when compared to the
remainder of
the cover. The hinge permits the moveable member to be extended upwardly from
the deck
to allow access to the underlying belt and pulley so that maintenance thereof
may be
undertaken.
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CA 02350301 2001-06-12
In order to mount the cover to the intended deck, five holes through which
bolts may
be passed, including one hole in the moveable member are provided in a top
surface of the
cover. Only one hole is formed in the moveable member so as to reduce the
amount of
hardware involved in obtaining access to the underlying drive structure.
Additional features allowing maintenance of structure underlying the cover,
without its
removal from the deck, are also provided. First, a hole is included at a mid-
portion of the
hinge so as to enable a user to lubricate the blade spindle which will be
enclosed once the
cover is attached. Second, a lip is provided along a lower portion of the
second disc-shaped
member where the fixed and moveable member join together so as to prevent the
entry of
debris into the drive structure.
Accordingly, there is provided a cover which both protects a user from
entanglement
with a mower's belt drive structure while still providing ease of
accessibility to that structure
so that maintenance thereof may be quickly undertaken.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a front view of a mower cutting deck including an attached cover of
the
instant invention in a closed position.
FIG. 2 is a front view according to FIG. 1 illustrating a moveable member of
the cover
in a partially open position.
FIG. 3 is a front view according to FIG. 1 illustrating the moveable member in
a fully
open position.
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the cover of the instant invention
illustrating a
hinged portion in a fully open position.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the illustration corresponding to FIG. 1.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Looking first to Figures 1 and 5, there is shown a mower cutting deck 10
disposed
with ground engaging wheels 12 and mounts 14 for connection to a middle of a
conventional
riding mower (not shown). The deck includes first and second cutting chambers
16, 18,
respectively, each having a blade (not shown) disposed therein. Permitting
power to be
transferred to the blades is a drive system including a first drive belt (not
shown) ordinarily
connected with a pulley system 20 mounted with a spindle 22 to which the
blades) are
attached. Additionally, a second belt 24, in the form of a timing belt
normally used to control
the rotational rate and relative orientation of the blade(s), and structure 26
necessary to
support, adjust and connect the belt 24 with the deck 10 are provided in order
to allow power
to be transferred to the deck 10 from the mower (not shown).
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CA 02350301 2001-06-12
As best seen in Figures 4 and 5, a cover 28 is provided and constructed
entirely,
preferably, of plastic in the form of polypropylene copolymer black (2 %
carbon by
composition) to reduce overall construction costs, provide flexibility, and
reduce the
opportunity for corrosion as well as vibration when the mower is in operation.
Use of a
plastic construction may also provide a means allowing for reduction of noise
associated
with belt 24. The cover 28 provides an enclosure formed with a top surface 30
of the deck
10, thereby preventing inadvertent touching or entanglement with the second
belt 24.
Construction of the cover 28 includes two substantially disc-shaped portions
32, 34, each
having a downwardly extending wall 36 for engagement with the top surface 30
so as to fit
the cover 28 to the deck 10. Included within the first portion 32 is an
opening 38 for allowing
a portion of the blade spindle 22 to be received therein. Further extending
from the first
portion 32 is a web 40 having a fitting element 42 allowing the cover 28 to
completely house
the belt 24 and its associated structure when transitioning from the first
cutting chamber 16
to the second 18.
As seen in Figure 4, second disc-shaped portion 34 extends from web 40 so as
to
complete the one-piece construction of the cover 28. Second portion 34
includes a
moveable member 44 including a dome 46 to shelter second belt 24 and its
associated
structure 26 wherein such structure permits periodic adjustment of the belt
24. Permitting
access to the belt 24 while the cover 28 is still intact with the deck 10 is a
living hinge 48,
thereby eliminating the need for attachment of separate individual hinges. The
hinge 48 is,
preferably, located toward the web 40 and on a top surface 50 of the dome 46
so as to allow
pivoting of member 44.
Shown in Figures 2-3, accessibility to the underlying second belt 24 is
provided to the
user through use of hinge 48. Moreover, this accessibility can be obtained
while the cover
28 is still fixed to the deck's top surface 30. Although the cover is mounted
to the deck 10 by
at least five holes 54 through which bolts 56 paired with washers 57 may be
passed, and
then coupled with flanged nuts 58, inspection of the second belt 24 however,
can easily be
obtained by removal of only one nut 58 as seen in Figure 5. Once the nut 58
has been
removed, hinge 48 permits member 44 to swing upwardly through a range of
angles to a
fully open position when cover 28 is mounted to the deck. This position is,
preferably, ninety
degrees (90°) relative to bottom surface 52 of the cover 28, and is to
be limited only by
components carried by the vehicle or mower. Otherwise, in the event that the
deck 10 to
which cover 28 is attached is removed from the mower, the hinged portion 44
may be
extended to approximately 180° relative to bottom surface 52. After
member 44 has been
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CA 02350301 2001-06-12
opened, maintenance as to second belt 24 may be performed.
Additionally, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the second disc-shaped portion 34
is
provided with a lip 60 extending from wall 36 of second disc-shaped portion 34
to seal the
cover with hinged portion 50. Enabling such a sealing to occur significantly
reduces the
likelihood of dirt and other debris from reaching and interfering with the
second belt 24 and
its associated structure. Further included as a feature allowing the user to
provide easy
maintenance associated with the cutting deck is a hole 62 included along a
longitudinal
dimension of the hinge and aligned with the underlying blade spindle.
Provision of this hole
enables the user to insert lubrication, as needed, to the blade spindle 22 in
order to maintain
proper operation of the blade.
Accordingly, with the instant invention, there is provided a hinged cover for
a mower
cutting deck which both reduces the likelihood of entanglement with the
underlying drive
system while at the same time permits maintenance of that system without
having to
completely remove the cover from the deck to which it is attached.
While the present invention has been described in conjunction with a specific
embodiment, it is understood that many alternatives, modifications, and
variations will be
apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description.
Accordingly, this
invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and
variations which fall
within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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