Equipment frame for a riding lawn care vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11259461-B2
Application number	US-201816465757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2018
Priority date	Apr 4, 2017
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A riding lawn care vehicle may include a frame to which a mobility assembly is operably coupled, an equipment frame operably coupled to the frame forward of the mobility assembly, a steering assembly operably coupled to the mobility assembly to enable an operator seated on the riding lawn care vehicle to provide steering control of the riding lawn care vehicle, a removable cutting in deck and a belt positioning system. The cutting deck includes a rotatable blade and is configured to receive power for turning the blade from an equipment drive belt of the vehicle when the equipment drive belt is operably coupled with the cutting deck. The belt positioning system is configured to enable the equipment drive belt to be automatically operably coupled between the cutting deck and the riding lawn care vehicle in response to the cutting deck being docked with the equipment frame in an operational position.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle frame;
an engine supported at least in part by the vehicle frame;
a mobility assembly operably coupled to the vehicle frame;
an equipment frame operably coupled to the vehicle frame;
a belt positioning system operably coupled to the vehicle frame and comprising an equipment drive belt; and
a removable attachment comprising a working assembly and configured to automatically switch from a disconnected state to a connected state in response to docking the attachment with the equipment frame,
wherein, in the connected state, the attachment is operably coupled to the equipment frame such that the equipment drive belt is configured to transfer power from the engine to the attachment to drive the working assembly,
wherein, in the disconnected state, the equipment drive belt is not configured to transfer power from the engine to the attachment to drive the working assembly,
wherein the vehicle comprises a riding lawn care vehicle, wherein the working assembly comprises a cutting blade housed in the removable attachment, wherein the removable attachment comprises a cutting deck, wherein the belt positioning system comprises at least two guide wheels disposed between guide rails of the equipment frame forward of the mobility assembly, the at least two guide wheels guiding the equipment drive belt in a rearward direction to form a receiving portion in the equipment drive belt, the receiving portion being disposed substantially between the at least two guide wheels,
wherein a blade drive pulley of the cutting deck engages the receiving portion responsive to engagement of the cutting deck with the equipment frame to operably couple the equipment drive belt between the cutting deck and the riding lawn care vehicle, and
wherein a width of a wheel of the blade drive pulley is larger than a width of the at least two guide wheels and tops of the at least two guide wheels and the top of the wheel of the blade drive pulley are substantially coplanar, and wherein the wheel of the blade drive pulley has a substantially V shaped channel.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises a riding lawn care vehicle, wherein the working assembly comprises a cutting blade housed in a removable attachment, wherein the removable attachment comprises a cutting deck, and wherein the riding lawn care vehicle further comprises a latching assembly configured to be operable to alternately enable engagement between the equipment frame and the cutting deck in an operational position or a service position, and enable disengagement of the cutting deck from the equipment frame.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the latching assembly is remotely operable while the operator is seated to enable the belt positioning system to provide automatic operable coupling of the equipment drive belt while the operator remains seated and without operator handling or positioning of the equipment drive belt.

4. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the latching assembly is manually operable by the operator to enable the belt positioning system to provide automatic operable coupling of the equipment drive belt without operator handling or positioning of the equipment drive belt.

5. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the latching assembly comprises an equipment lock latch operably coupled to guide rails of the equipment frame,
wherein the cutting deck comprises an attachment frame operably coupled to a housing of the cutting deck, the attachment frame comprising a first rail and a second rail that extend substantially parallel to each other to engage respective ones of the guide rails,
wherein the equipment lock latch is biased to a first position and pivotable away from the first position toward a second position, and
wherein the equipment lock latch retains the equipment frame relative to the attachment frame in the first position when the cutting deck is docked with the equipment frame.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein responsive to pivoting the equipment lock latch to the second position, the cutting deck is removable from engagement with the equipment frame.

7. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the latching assembly comprises a service lock latch operably coupled to guide rails of the equipment frame, and
wherein responsive to pivoting the equipment lock latch to the second position, the cutting deck is repositionable to a service position in which the cutting deck is pivoted to be substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of the guide rails,
wherein the service lock latch engages a service slot in the first rail and the second rail to lock in the service position, and
wherein the service lock latch comprises a catch member configured to simultaneously reposition the equipment lock latch when the service lock latch is repositioned to unlock the service lock latch from the service position.

8. A belt positioning system for a riding lawn care vehicle comprising a removable cutting deck, the belt positioning system comprising:
an equipment drive belt configured to transfer power from the riding lawn care vehicle to the cutting deck to turn at least one blade of the cutting deck; and
a plurality of pulleys disposed on the riding lawn care vehicle proximate to an equipment frame operably coupled to a front portion of a vehicle frame of the riding lawn care vehicle, the plurality of pulleys being configured to position the equipment drive belt relative to a blade drive pulley of the cutting deck,
wherein the belt positioning system is configured to enable the equipment drive belt to be automatically operably coupled to the blade drive pulley in response to the cutting deck being docked with the equipment frame in an operational position,
wherein the plurality of pulleys further comprise at least two guide wheels disposed between guide rails of the equipment frame forward of front wheels of the riding lawn care vehicle, the at least two guide wheels guiding the equipment drive belt in a rearward direction to form a receiving portion in the equipment drive belt, the receiving portion being disposed substantially between the at least two guide wheels,
wherein the blade drive pulley of the cutting deck engages the receiving portion responsive to engagement of the cutting deck with the equipment frame to operably couple the equipment drive belt between the cutting deck and the riding lawn care vehicle, and
wherein a width of a wheel of the blade drive pulley is larger than a width of the at least two guide wheels and tops of the at least two guide wheels and the top of the wheel of the blade drive pulley are substantially coplanar.

9. The belt positioning system of claim 8 , wherein the wheel of the blade drive pulley has a substantially V shaped channel.

10. A riding lawn care vehicle comprising:
a vehicle frame to which a mobility assembly is operably coupled;
an equipment frame operably coupled to the vehicle frame forward of the mobility assembly;
a steering assembly operably coupled to the mobility assembly to enable an operator seated on the riding lawn care vehicle to provide steering control of the riding lawn care vehicle;
a removable cutting deck comprising at least one rotatable blade, the cutting deck being configured to receive power for turning the at least one rotatable blade from an equipment drive belt of the riding lawn care vehicle when the equipment drive belt is operably coupled with the cutting deck;
a latching assembly configured to be operable to alternately enable engagement between the equipment frame and the cutting deck in an operational position or a service position, and enable disengagement of the cutting deck from the equipment frame; and
a belt p

Assignees

• Husqvarna Ab

Inventors

• Bengtzohn Johan
• Axelsson Mats

Classifications

• A01D34/866

  Mounting means · CPC title

• A01D34/662 Primary

  to the front of the vehicle · CPC title

• A01D34/76

  Driving mechanisms for the cutters · CPC title

• A01D34/003

  Means for cleaning the machine · CPC title

• A01D2034/645

  Lifting means for the cutter of the lawnmower mounted at the front of the vehicle for inspection and maintenance · CPC title