Lawn mowers, detachable mower decks, and methods associated therewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12426543-B2
Application number	US-202117175026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2021
Priority date	Nov 11, 2020
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A lawn mower including a frame; and mounting hardware configured to couple the frame to a detachable mower deck, wherein the mounting hardware includes: a quick release engagement interface; and a latched interface, the latched interface includes a self-closing latch and an engageable interface to permit selective opening of the self-closing latch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lawn mower comprising:
a frame;
a mower deck; and
mounting hardware configured to detachably couple the frame to the mower deck, wherein the mounting hardware comprises:
a quick release engagement interface; and
a latched interface comprising:
a mating interface coupled to the frame;
a support coupled to the mower deck, the support defining a receiving area configured to receive the mating interface;
a self-closing latch movable relative to the support between an open configuration and a closed configuration to selectively restrict access of the mating interface to and from the receiving area; and
an engagement mechanism coupled to the self-closing latch, the engagement mechanism actuatable to move the self-closing latch from the closed configuration to the open configuration;
wherein the mating interface is disposed in the receiving area of the support when the frame is coupled to the mower deck,
wherein the mating interface remains disposed within the receiving area of the support after the self-closing latch is moved to the open configuration until the mower deck is raised in a vertical direction relative to the support, and
wherein a size of the receiving area is reduced when the self-closing latch is in the open configuration.

2. The lawn mower of claim 1 , further comprising an engagement mechanism coupled to the frame, wherein the engagement mechanism is configurable between a mower deck access position, whereby configuring the engagement mechanism at the mower deck access position causes the mower deck to be disposed at a position where an operator can selectively open the self-closing latch, and at least one in-use position, whereby configuring the engagement mechanism at one or more of the in-use positions readies the mower deck for performing mowing operations.

3. The lawn mower of claim 2 , wherein the engagement mechanism comprises:
the mating interface configured to interact with the self-closing latch and support the detachable mower deck in the at least one in-use positions;
a handle configured to be operated on to control a relative position of the mating interface; and
a transmission element configured to transmit movement of the handle to the mating interface.

4. The lawn mower of claim 3 , wherein the transmission element comprises a rotatable element, a first arm extending between the rotatable element and the mating interface, and a second arm extending between the rotatable element and the handle, and wherein moving the handle causes the mating interface to move.

5. The lawn mower of claim 1 , wherein the receiving area defines a space in which the mating interface is disposed when the frame is coupled to the mower deck, and wherein the space of the receiving area is elongated in a direction oriented perpendicular to a rotational axis of the self-closing latch.

6. The lawn mower of claim 1 , wherein the self-closing latch is configured to pivot about a pivot axis disposed adjacent to an opening of the receiving area between the locked and unlocked configurations.

7. The lawn mower of claim 1 , wherein the mating interface comprises a pin that extends through the receiving area when the frame is coupled to the mower deck, and wherein the pin is disposed between two stanchions, the two stanchions coupled to the frame.

8. The lawn mower of claim 1 , wherein the latched interface comprises a first latched interface and a second latched interface, the first and second latched interfaces being spaced apart from one another on the mower deck.

9. A detachable mower deck for a lawn mower, the detachable mower deck comprising:
a quick release engagement interface; and
a latched interface comprising:
a support coupled to the mower deck, the support defining a receiving area configured to receive a mating interface coupled to the frame of the lawn mower;
a self-closing latch movable relative to the support between an open configuration and a closed configuration to selectively restrict access of the mating interface into and out of the receiving area; and
an engagement mechanism coupled to the self-closing latch, the engagement mechanism actuatable to move the self-closing latch from the closed configuration to the open configuration,
wherein the receiving area defines a space that is elongated in a direction oriented perpendicular to a rotational axis of the self-closing latch, and
wherein a size of the receiving area is reduced when the self-closing latch is in the open configuration.

10. The detachable mower deck of claim 9 , wherein the latched interface is configured to be coupled with a mating interface of an engagement mechanism of the lawn mower, and wherein the engagement mechanism is configurable between a mower deck access position, whereby the mower deck is disposed at a position where an operator can selectively open the self-closing latch, and at least one in-use position, whereby the mower deck can be utilized by the lawn mower for performing mowing operations.

11. The detachable mower deck of claim 9 , wherein the self-closing latch is configured to pivot about a pivot axis between an open configuration and a closed configuration, wherein the self-closing latch is configured to be unlocked by actuation of the engageable interface or upon being pivotally moved by a mating interface of the lawn mower in a direction into the latched interface.

12. The detachable mower deck of claim 9 , wherein the self-closing latch comprises a ramped entry.

13. The detachable mower deck of claim 9 , wherein the latched interface comprises a first latched interface and a second latched interface, the first and second latched interfaces being spaced apart from one another on the detachable mower deck.

14. The lawn mower of claim 9 , wherein the at least one quick release engagement interface comprises a hook coupled to the frame and a hook receiving area disposed on the detachable mower deck.

15. The detachable mower deck of claim 14 , wherein the quick release engagement interface is configured to form a tight interface with the hook when the hook is biased in a forward direction.

16. A method of detaching a mower deck from a lawn mower frame, the method comprising:
moving a self-closing latch from a closed configuration to an open configuration, wherein in the closed configuration a mating interface coupled to a frame of the lawn mower is captured and retained in a receiving area defined by the mower deck, wherein a size of the receiving area is reduced when the self-closing latch is in the open configuration, and wherein in the open configuration the mating interface is removable from the receiving area;
with the self-closing latch in the open configuration, raising the mower deck in a vertical direction until the mating interface is removable from the receiving area in a lateral direction, the lateral direction being perpendicular to the vertical direction;
translating the mower deck relative to the frame in the lateral direction until the mating interface is clear of the receiving area; and
releasing the self-locking latch from the open configuration, the self-closing latch being spring biased to the closed configuration.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the receiving area prevents the mating interface from exiting the receiving area after the self-closing latch is moved to the open configuration until the mower deck is raised in the vertical direction.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the self-closing latch is configured to pivot about a pivot axis between the locked configuration and

Assignees

• Techtronic Cordless Gp

Inventors

• Dingman Trent J
• Feng Michael

Classifications

• A01D2101/00

  Lawn-mowers · CPC title

• A01D34/81

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

• A01D34/64 Primary

  mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle (A01D34/695 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A01B59/006

  Latched hooks · CPC title

• A01D67/005 Primary

  Arrangements of coupling devices · CPC title