Patent ID: 7913479
Filing Date: 2011-03-29
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
1. A pulley and belt drive system attached to a mower deck of a lawn mower, the pulley and belt drive system including a drive pulley and a driven double stacked pulley connected by an endless belt and a belt tensioning mechanism for maintaining tension in the endless belt, the belt tensioning mechanism comprising: an idler arm pivotally mounted with respect to the mower deck such that the idler arm pivots about an idler arm pivot; a back-side idler pulley engaging a back-side portion of the belt rotatably mounted onto the idler arm; an inside idler pulley engaging an inside portion of the belt rotatably mounted onto the idler arm, wherein the back-side idler pulley is positioned between the inside idler pulley and the driven double stacked pulley such that a point on the endless belt will pass from the drive pulley to the inside idler pulley to the backside idler pulley to the driven pulley and then return to the drive pulley; and a belt tensioning device attached to the idler arm configured to apply a pivoting force on the idler arm to tension said belt; wherein the back-side idler pulley and the inside idler pulley remain in a fixed orientation with respect to each other when the idler arm is pivoted.