Mower deck discharge chute with drive belt tunnel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10383280-B2
Application number	US-201715700431-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2017
Priority date	Sep 11, 2017
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A mower deck discharge chute includes a flexible member attached with a hinge to a multi-blade mower deck, and a drive belt tunnel through the flexible member that an attachment drive belt passes through when the flexible member is pivoted up to a generally vertical position. The attachment drive belt may be on a single plane to engage a drive sheave on the multi-blade mower deck, a driven sheave on the belt driven attachment, and an idler.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mower deck discharge chute, comprising:
a flexible member having a drive belt tunnel extending through an end portion thereof and being mounted above a side discharge opening in a downwardly depending skirt of a multi-blade mower deck with a spring biased hinge;
the mower deck discharge chute being pivotable to a lowered position extending laterally outwardly over the side discharge opening in which the drive belt tunnel rests against a horizontal top surface of the multi-blade mower deck, and to a raised position in which an attachment drive belt above the side discharge opening passes through the drive belt tunnel between the multi-blade mower deck and a belt driven attachment.

2. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 1 wherein the attachment drive belt is generally horizontally aligned in a single plane above the side discharge opening.

3. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 1 wherein the belt driven attachment includes a driven sheave of a fan of a material collection system.

4. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 1 further comprising an idler spring tensioning the attachment drive belt.

5. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 1 further comprising a belt cover enclosing a portion of the attachment drive belt within the belt driven attachment.

6. A mower deck discharge chute, comprising:
a flexible member attached to a multi-blade mower deck and pivotable between a lowered position for side discharge of grass clippings and a raised position for installation of a belt driven attachment to the multi-blade mower deck; and
an attachment drive belt extending on a single plane through a drive belt tunnel in the flexible member when the flexible member is in the raised position, and engaging only a drive sheave on the multi-blade mower deck, a driven sheave on the belt driven attachment, and an idler.

7. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 6 wherein the belt driven attachment is a material collection system with a fan.

8. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 6 further comprising an idler arm that is spring biased to move the idler into engagement with the attachment drive belt.

9. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 6 further comprising a wall on the belt driven attachment above the side discharge opening.

10. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 9 further comprising an opening in the same plane as the drive belt tunnel.

11. A mower deck discharge chute, comprising:
a pivoting flexible member extending outwardly over a side discharge opening through a downwardly depending skirt of a multi-blade mower deck;
the pivoting flexible member having a drive belt tunnel that an attachment drive belt extends through when the pivoting flexible member is pivoted up to a generally vertical position;
the drive belt tunnel horizontally aligned with an opening in a wall of a belt driven attachment to the multi-blade mower deck.

12. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 11 wherein the attachment belt is in a single generally horizontal plane.

13. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 11 wherein the belt driven attachment is a material collection system with a fan.

14. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 11 wherein the attachment belt is engaged to a drive sheave on the multi-blade mower deck, a driven sheave on the belt driven attachment, and an idler mounted to a spring biased idler arm.

15. The mower deck discharge chute of claim 11 wherein the drive belt tunnel is removable as a perforated feature in the flexible member.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Krause Meghan M
• Glover Ryan J
• Ressler Kyle T
• Quintanilla Juan
• Jacobo Bruno
• Huss Trevor

Classifications

• A01D2101/00

  Lawn-mowers · CPC title

• A01D43/077 Primary

  with auxiliary means, e.g. fans, for transporting the mown crop · CPC title

• A01D42/005

  Mulching (shredders or like cutting implements for comminuting plant waste per se A01G3/002) · CPC title

• A01D34/71

  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