Harvesters – Cutting – Housing or guard
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-16
2001-02-20
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Harvesters
Cutting
Housing or guard
C056S006000, C056S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189307
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mowers used for mulching vegetation such as grass as it is being mowed. More particularly, the invention relates to a fastener assembly for attaching a removable mulch insert to a mower deck for quickly and easily converting the mower deck between discharge/collection and mulching operation modes.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional discharge/collection mowers typically include a mower housing or deck for enclosing one or more rotating cutter blades. Discharge outlets have been provided in these conventional housings for allowing grass clippings to be ejected from the housing. The outlet also allows air to be discharged from the housing, thereby allowing the rotating blade to create a vacuum effect that lifts the grass within the housing so that it can be cut properly and evenly. The clippings ejected from the discharge outlet are then blown on top of the mowed grass, or collected by use of a bagging attachment coupled to the discharge outlet.
Mulching mowers are also known which enclose the area of the mower housing where the discharge outlet would be located in a conventional mower. These mowers often include modifications to the underside of the housing such as deflector surfaces for deflecting the clippings forwardly, downwardly and/or inwardly toward the center support for the blade so that the clippings will be re-cut. The use of such a mulching mower is advantageous where it is desirable to mulch or chop the grass clippings into fine particles and direct these clippings downwardly into the growing grass. This allows the grass clippings to be hidden beneath the top surface of a lawn. In addition, this allows the grass clippings to decompose on the soil where they are of nutritional value to growing vegetation.
In order to accommodate operators who wish to mulch clippings under some conditions and collect or discharge clippings in other circumstances, mulch inserts have been developed for installation in mower housings otherwise set up for discharge or collection. An insert of this type may be secured to the underside of a mower housing to effectively block off discharge outlet and to change the effective shape of the housing so that a chamber for each cutting blade is created, the chamber made up of deflector surfaces for deflecting the clippings forwardly, downwardly and/or inwardly toward the center support for the blade so that the clippings will be re-cut.
Adaptations may be made to these mulch inserts so that they may be easily and quickly installed and removed so that an operator may discharge/collect or mulch clippings, as desired, without undue delay and effort. For instance, in order to prevent a requirement that a fastening assembly, such as a nut and bolt, be engaged simultaneously on top of and on the underside of the deck, a portion of the assembly may be fixed to the mulch insert against rotation and axial movement so that, once the insert is positioned properly, the attachment may be completed, and the insert attached, by manipulation from above the deck. Such an adaptation is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,171, by Stewart, et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
However, where plastic or other composite inserts are utilized, it may be difficult to fix a fastener, particularly a standard bolt, to the insert against rotation due to a lack of precision in molding processes, and potentially also due to a lack of rigidity or durability of the composite material which the insert is made from.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fastener assembly to prevent rotation of threaded fastening members used to attach a mulch insert to the underside of mower decks.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a fastener assembly that can withstand repeated installation and removal.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a fastener assembly that allows lateral adjustment to allow for misalignment of the insert with mounting holes in the mower deck.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide such an assembly that can accommodate a standard threaded fastener, such as a carriage bolt.
These and other objects are achieved by providing a composite insert for a mower deck that includes a fastener assembly secured against rotation within the insert. The fastener assembly includes a spacer that is non-rotatably received in recessed portion of the insert, and a fastening member which extends through the insert and is held against rotation by the spacer.
In a preferred embodiment a mulch insert has an elongated opening, allowing lateral movement of the fastening assembly to achieve alignment with mounting holes in the mower housing. A snap nut is used to prevent axial movement of the fastening assembly so that the fastening assembly and mulch insert become a unitary piece which may be positioned beneath the housing by an operator and secured in place from above the deck by a threaded member which engages the fastening member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3531923 (1970-10-01), DeLay
patent: 3664434 (1972-05-01), Connor et al.
patent: 4306409 (1981-12-01), Wulfers
patent: 4936884 (1990-06-01), Campbell
patent: 4951449 (1990-08-01), Thorud
patent: 5090183 (1992-02-01), Thorud et al.
patent: 5133176 (1992-07-01), Baumann et al.
patent: 5191756 (1993-03-01), Kuhn
patent: 5205112 (1993-04-01), Tillotson et al.
patent: 5210998 (1993-05-01), Hojo et al.
patent: 5222851 (1993-06-01), Dickerson
patent: 5628171 (1997-05-01), Stewart et al.
patent: 5628599 (1997-05-01), Eakin
patent: 5638668 (1997-06-01), Kallevig et al.
patent: 5725282 (1998-03-01), Masseth, Jr. et al.
patent: 2028085 (1980-03-01), None
Installation Instructions BM200008 for “42-Inch Convertible Mulching Kit”, pp. 1-4, published by Deere & Company in the U.S.A. Feb. 3, 1999.
Benter Dean William
Buss Steven Henry
Holland Ronald Paul
Deere & Company
Petravick Meredith C.
Pezzuto Robert E.
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