Walk power mower having forward and reverse traction drive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10039229-B2
Application number	US-201615195648-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2016
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A walk power mower has a traction drive system that includes a front transmission powering a pair of front wheels and a rear transmission powering a pair of rear wheels. A first one of the transmissions provides forward motion of the mower when it is active and a second one of the transmissions provides rearward motion of the mower when it is active. A slidable handle grip on the handle having a cross bar long enough to be gripped by both hands of the user activates the first one of the transmission when it is slid downwardly on a handle out of a neutral position thereof. The slidable handle grip activates the second one of the transmissions when it is slid upwardly on the handle out of the neutral position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A walk power mower, which comprises:
(a) a deck supported by a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, the deck having at least one grass cutting blade that rotates in a substantially horizontal plane about a substantially vertical axis to cut grass, the deck having an upwardly and rearwardly extending handle that is gripped by a user who walks on the ground behind the deck to guide and manipulate the deck during motion of the deck over the ground;
(b) a prime mover carried by the deck, the prime mover being operably coupled to the blade for effecting powered rotation of the blade; and
(c) a variable speed traction drive system carried on the deck, the prime mover being operably coupled to the traction drive system for effecting powered rotation of the front wheels and the rear wheels, the traction drive system comprising:
(i) a rear transmission having a rear axle that is operatively connected to the rear wheels for powering the rear wheels to provide self-propelled motion of the deck in a first direction of motion over the ground;
(ii) a front transmission having a front axle that is operatively connected to the front wheels for powering the front wheels to provide self-propelled motion of the deck in a second direction of motion over the ground that is opposite to the first direction of motion; and
(iii) a control system carried on the handle that is selectively operable by a user for placing only one transmission at a time into operation so that the rear transmission is active to propel the deck in the first direction while the front transmission is inactive or the front transmission is active to propel the deck in the second direction while the rear transmission is inactive.

2. The mower of claim 1 , wherein the rear axle of the rear transmission is split into two parts with one axle part driving one rear wheel and the other axle part driving the other rear wheel, and wherein the rear transmission is configured to provide or permit, during powered operation of the rear transmission, differential speeds of the rear wheels during a turn of the mower with the rear wheel on the outside of the turn rotating faster than the rear wheel on the inside of the turn.

3. The mower of claim 2 , wherein the front axle of the front transmission is a solid axle.

4. The mower of claim 3 , wherein each transmission has a one-way clutch that permits the wheels driven by each transmission when each transmission is inactive to free wheel when the deck is being propelled in a direction opposite to the direction of motion that each transmission is designed to provide when active.

5. The mower of claim 1 , wherein the first direction of motion is forward motion of the deck and the second direction of motion is reverse motion of the deck.

6. The mower of claim 1 , wherein the control system comprises a slidable handle grip having a cross bar that is long enough to be gripped by both hands of the user, the slidable handle grip having a neutral position on the handle in which both the front and rear transmissions are inactive, the slidable handle grip being selectively slidable by the user out of the neutral position and downwardly on the handle as the user walks forwardly to put into operation one of the front and rear transmissions and the slidable handle grip being selectively slidable by the user out of the neutral position and upwardly on the handle as the user walks rearwardly to put into operation the other of the front and rear transmissions.

7. The mower of claim 6 , wherein the one of the front and rear transmissions that is put into operation by the downward sliding motion of the handle grip is whichever transmission propels the mower forwardly and the other of the front and rear transmissions that is put into operation by the upward sliding motion of the handle grip is whichever transmission propels the mower rearwardly.

8. The mower of claim 1 , wherein the front and rear axles have drive gears on each end thereof which engage driven gears on each of the front and rear wheels, the drive gears on the ends of the rear axle engaging against a first side of the driven gears on the rear wheels and the drive gears on the ends of front axle engaging against a second side of the driven gears on the front wheels which second side is opposite to the first side to produce opposite directions of rotation of the front and rear wheels even though the front and rear axles are rotated by the prime mover in a single identical direction of rotation.

Assignees

• The Toro Co

Inventors

• Wadzinski Chris A
• Gust Jackie R

Classifications

• A01D34/81

  Casings; Housings (A01D34/71 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A01D34/69

  with motor driven wheels · CPC title

• A01D34/71 Primary

  with means for discharging mown material (A01D57/26 - A01D57/30 take precedence; combined with means for gathering or loading mown material A01D43/06) · CPC title

• A01D34/005

  Mulching means · CPC title

• A01D69/00

  Driving mechanisms or parts thereof for harvesters or mowers (driving mechanisms for the cutters of mowers or harvesters A01D34/00) · CPC title