Patent ID: 8544248
Filing Date: 2013-10-01
Classification: A01D,A01G

Abstract:
1. A lawn mower with an integral chipper, comprising: a deck, having a general overall volute shape with a rearwards-facing funnel which runs along one side of said deck, expanding towards an exit at the rear of said deck, the exit of said funnel forming an exit aperture at the rear of said deck, a skirt arranged around at least part of the perimeter of said deck, said deck and said skirt enclosing an open-bottomed cutting space under said deck, a handle connected to the rear of said deck, a front wheel set and a rear wheel set located at the front and the rear of said deck, respectively, a motor attached to the outside top of said deck, said motor having a drive shaft extending downwards from said motor through said deck, the lower part of said drive shaft located substantially at the center of said cutting space, at least one grass cutting blade, at least one chipper blade, said at least one grass cutting blade and said at least one chipper blade being connected to said drive shaft within said cutting space so that in use said drive shaft causes said at least one grass cutting blade to rotate in a substantially horizontal grass cutting plane and said at least one chipper blade to rotate in a substantially horizontal chipping plane, said chipper blade being located above said grass cutting blade so that said chipping plane is vertically spaced from said grass cutting plane in said cutting space to allow chipping of garden waste while simultaneously mowing grass, and a chipper tube having an upper end and a lower end, said lower end opening into said cutting space above and within a perimeter of a chipper cutting disc formed by rotation of said at least one chipper blade in use, a longitudinal deck center line, said chipper tube being attached to said deck on an opposite side of the longitudinal deck center line from the one side of the deck, said mower also having a power take-off mechanism connecting to said rear wheel set and said motor and adapted to drive said rear wheel set in use, said power take-off mechanism including at least a gearbox, a pulley wheel and a drive belt, an axle being connected to said gearbox and also connected to said rear wheel set, said pulley wheel being connected to said gearbox so that rotation of said pulley wheel drives said gearbox, said gearbox adapted to turn said axle when driven by said pulley wheel so that said rear wheel set is driven in at least a forward direction, said drive belt running in a continuous loop between said motor drive shaft and said pulley wheel, said drive belt being connected to said drive shaft in such a way that said drive shaft drives said drive belt, said power take off mechanism and said chipper tube being arranged on a same side of the deck, said chipper tube passing through said continuous loop of said drive belt.