Grass cutter including a fan above the mower deck

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9642303-B2
Application number	US-201514597571-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2015
Priority date	Jan 15, 2015
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A grass cutter is provided with a mower and a duct. The mower includes a rotary blade which cuts grass by being driven to rotate, a mower deck which houses the rotary blade, and a fan which is arranged above the mower deck and generates carrier air. The duct includes a duct body which communicates with the mower deck and extends in a conveyance direction of grass clippings cut by the rotary blade, and an opening which is configured to allow carrier air generated by the fan to be introduced into the duct body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A grass cutter comprising:
a mower comprising:
a rotary blade cutting grass by being driven to rotate;
a mower deck housing the rotary blade below a top of the mower deck;
a fan; and
a fan cover that covers the fan, the fan cover being separate from and arranged above the top of the mower deck, the fan generating carrier air;
the fan and the blade being rotatable coaxially; and

a duct comprising:
a duct body communicating with the mower deck and extending in a conveyance direction of grass clippings cut by the rotary blade;
the duct body including a side wall facing the fan; and
a carrier-air opening configured to allow carrier air generated by the fan to be introduced into the duct body;
the carrier-air opening being formed on the side wall.

2. The grass cutter according to claim 1 , wherein the opening is formed at a position shifted to the conveyance direction from a rotation center of the rotary blade.

3. The grass cutter according to claim 2 , wherein the duct further comprises a guide member configured to guide a carrier air generated by the rotary blade and the carrier air generated by the fan to the conveyance direction.

4. The grass cutter according to claim 3 , wherein the guide member includes a first guide face guiding carrier air generated by the rotary blade and carrier air generated by the fan to the conveyance direction.

5. The grass cutter according to claim 4 , wherein the duct body includes a bottom plate, and the guide member is arranged in such a manner that the first guide face is continuous with an upstream side in the conveyance direction of the bottom plate along the conveyance direction.

6. The grass cutter according to claim 5 , wherein:
the guide member further includes a second guide face, and
the second guide face includes a lower side face formed in a circular arc shape extending along a rotation trajectory of the rotary blade in bottom view and a ceiling face formed in continuous with an upper end of the lower side face, the ceiling face forming a ceiling portion.

7. The grass cutter according to claim 6 , wherein the ceiling face is located at substantially the same height as a lower end of the opening of the duct.

8. The grass cutter according to claim 1 , wherein the mower deck includes an upper face and a side face extending downward on an outer side of the upper face, and the upper face includes a first face substantially horizontally formed, a second face recessed from the first face, and a third face connecting the first face and the second face to each other.

9. The grass cutter according to claim 2 , wherein the mower deck includes an upper face and a side face extending downward on an outer side of the upper face, and the upper face includes a first face substantially horizontally formed, a second face recessed from the first face, and a third face connecting the first face and the second face to each other.

10. The grass cutter according to claim 8 , wherein the fan is mounted on the second face.

11. The grass cutter according to claim 9 , wherein the fan is mounted on the second face.

12. The grass cutter according to claim 1 , wherein:
the duct body comprises a mower deck opening, and
the carrier-air opening is separate from the mower deck opening.

Assignees

• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• Walden Robert

Classifications

• A01D43/077 Primary

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

• A01D34/66

  with two or more cutters · CPC title