Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
~~ CA 02392660 2002-07-05
TITLE: PEDAL LIFT SYSTEM FOR LAWN TRACTOR MOWER DECK
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of pending
application U. S. Serial No. 09/638,991 filed on August 15,
2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to lawn and
garden tractors having a mowing deck, and more specifically,
to a foot pedal system for raising and lowering the deck.
2) Related Art
Lawn and garden tractors conventionally have a mower
deck suspended from a frame, with the deck being raised and
lowered by means of a hand-actuated lever. Such a hand lever
necessarily requires strength in the operator s arm and back.
Movement of the hand lever includes a risk of back strain to
the operator, who normally is bending over or leaning forward
from the tractor seat to operate the lever. Full raising of
the deck is particularly'desirable for transport of the
tractor when the mower blades are not engaged for cutting.
Complete lowering of the deck is necessary when the deck is
to be removed from the tractor for maintenance or other
purposes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention
is the provision of a pedal lift system for raising and
lowering the mower deck of a lawn or garden tractor.
Another objective of the present invention is the
provision of a foot pedal for use by a person sitting on the
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seat of a lawn or garden tractor to raise and lower the mower
deck.
A further objective of the present invention is the
provision of foot pedal lift system for a lawn tractor mower
deck which can be quickly and easily actuated for raising and
lowering the mower deck.
Another objective of the present invention is the
provision of a foot pedal for raising and lowering the mower
deck of a lawn or garden tractor which can be latched to
retain the deck in a raised or lowered position.
In accordance with the above objectives, the lawn
tractor of the present invention has a foot pedal pivotally
mounted to the frame and linked to the deck to move the deck
between a raised transport position and a lowered deck-
removal position. A latch is pivotally mounted to an
exterior portion of the tractor console, and is adapted to
engage the foot pedal to retain the pedal in a forward
depressed position wherein the deck is raised and a rearward
retracted position wherein the deck is lowered. A manually
operated handle mounted on the console is connected to the
latch so as to manually actuate the latch for engagement with
or disengagement from the foot pedal. A spring extends
between the frame and the foot pedal to bias the pedal toward
the forward position.
The objectives, features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon
reading the following detailed description in view of the
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of the lawn tractor
frame with the foot pedal of the present invention latched in
a forward position.
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Figure 2 is another perspective view of the tractor
frame with the foot pedal latched in the forward position.
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the foot
pedal in an unlatched rearward position.
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the foot
pedal in an unlatched rearward position.
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the foot
pedal latched in the rearward retracted position.
Figure 6 is a partial front elevation view showing the
foot pedal and latch assembly.
Figure 7 is a perspective view showing an internal
portion of the tractor console with the latch and connecting
rod.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The improved lawn or garden tractor of the present
invention includes a frame 10 with a console 12 mounted
thereon. The frame 10 is supported by wheels (not shown),
and a motor (not shown) is mounted on the frame for driving
the wheels. A seat (not shown) is also provided upon which
an operator can sit. Th2 console 12 includes the ignition
and steering wheel, as well as other controls (not shown). A
mower deck (not shown) is suspended from the frame 10 on a
rock shaft 14 and linkages, including lift links 16 and lost
motion links 18. The rock shaft 14 is connected to an
adjustment assembly, including a stepped wheel (not shown),
to adjust the height of the mower deck.
The above described structure of the tractor is
conventional, and does not constitute a part of the present
invention.
The present invention is directed towards a pedal lift
system for moving the mower deck between a raised transport
position and a lowered deck-removal position. More
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particularly, the pedal lift system of the present inventioh
includes a foot pedal 20 connected to a plate 22. The plate
22 is mounted on a collar or shaft 24 which is pivotally
mounted on the frame 10, such that the foot pedal 20 and
plate 22 are pivotal about the horizontal axis of the collar
24. The foot pedal is movable between a depressed forward
position, shown in Figures 1 and 2, and a retracted rearward
position, shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
A latch 26 is pivotally mounted to an external portion
of the console 12. The latch is adapted to engage the plate
22 so as to retain the foot pedal 20 in the forward and
retracted positions.
More particularly, the latch 26 is mounted on a hollow
shaft 28 and retained by a clip 30. The shaft 28 extends
through a hole in the console, and has an enlarged flange 29
on the backside which is welded to~the inner surface of the
console 12, as seen in Figure 7.
The latch 26 includes opposite first and second ends 32,
34. The first end 32 of the latch 26 includes an outwardly
extending projection 36 having opposing forward and rearward
sides 38, 40, respeetive'~y. The forward surface 38 of the
projection 36~is adapted to engage a rear notch 42 on the
plate 22 so as to retain the foot peda1.20 in the forward
position, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. The rearward surface
40 of the projection 36 is adapted'to engage a front notch 44
on the plate 22 to retain the foot pedal 20 in'the rearward
position, as seen in~...
Figure 5.
Movement of the latch 26 is accomplished by a control
member including a handle 46 projecting from the console 12
and a connecting rod 48 extending between the handle 46 and
the latch 26. The lower end 50 of the connecting rod 48
extends through a slot 52 in the sidewall of the console 12
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CA 02392660 2002-07-05
and is secured to the second end 34 of the latch 26 by a pin
or any other convenient means. The latch includes an inner
yoke 53 extending along the inner wall of the console 12, as
seen in Figure 7. The yoke 53 has a stub shaft 53A, as seen
in Figure 2, extending into the hollow shaft 28. The end 50
of the connecting rod 48 is retained in the yoke 53 by a
spring 55 hooked,around the rod 48 and a portion of the
console 12. The spring 55 serves as an over-center spring
holding the rod 48 and yoke 53 in the raised or lowered
position within the slot 52 . ~ ~~, ~'~-~
The handle 46 can be pulled upwardly by the operator,
thereby pulling the rod 48 upwardly so as to pivot the latch
26 in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Figure 1 so as
to engage one end or the other of the plate 22. Conversely,
when the handle 46 is pushed downwardly, the connecting rod
48 moves downwardly within the slot 52 to pivot the latch 26
in a clockwise direction, as seen in Figure 1, so as to
disengage the latch 26 from the plate 22.
The pivotal movement of the foot pedal 20 is transferred
to the mower deck by a rod or link 54 extending between the
plate 22 and a linkage a~'m 56. Thus, when the foot pedal 20
is depressed to pivot to the forward position, the plate 22
pulls the rod 54 and linkage arm 56 forwa~dly to thereby
raise the mower deck to the transport position. The handle
46 is then pulled upwardly such that the forward side of the
projection 36 of the latch 26 engages the rear notch 42 on
the plate 22 so as to retain the mower deck in the transport
position. An optional spring 58 extends between the frame 10
and the plate 22 so as to urge the plate 22 and the foot
pedal 20 toward the depressed forward position, thereby
facilitating movement of the mower deck to the raised
position.
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When it is desired to lower the mower deck from the '
transport position, the foot pedal 20 is depressed slightly
further, and the handle 46 is pushed downwardly so as to
pivot the latch 26 out of engagement with the rear notch 42
of the plate 22. The foot pedal 20 can then be released,
such that the mower deck will move downwardly by gravity,
overcoming the bias of the spring 58, if so equipped. The
deck can be moved to a lower most removal position in
engagement with the ground for removal in a conventional
manner. When the deck is fully cowered, the foot pedal 20
and the plate 22 will be in the position shown in Figure 4.
The deck can be locked against movement away from the removal
position by pulling the handle 46 upwardly so as to pivot the
latch 26 such that the rear side 40 of the projection 36
engages the forward notch 44 of the plate 22, as seen in
Figure 5.
Whereas the invention has been shown and described in
connection with the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be
understood that any modifications, substitutions, and
additions may be made which are within the intended broad
scope of the following claims. From the foregoing, it can be
seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of
the stated objectives.
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