Abstract:
A tool and method for holding a rotary lawnmower in a tilted position to expose the underside of its deck for maintenance, comprising a bracket having an anchoring portion and a receiving pocket joined to the anchoring portion, the anchoring portion being adapted to be operatively mounted on a vertical wall or post surface or held down at or near a floor or ground level, the receiving pocket being arranged when the anchoring portion is operatively mounted to receive a horizontal hand grip of the distal end of a lawnmower handle, and a lock member deployable on said bracket to selectively retain or release the hand grip in or from the receiving pocket.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/146,699, filed Jan. 23, 2009. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a tool for facilitating the inspection and maintenance at the underside of a rotary lawnmower. 
       PRIOR ART 
       [0003]    Rotary lawnmowers are the most common type used for lawn care in the United States. A longstanding problem with these machines is the tendency of grass, particularly when it is wet, to adhere to the underside of the mower deck. Although not a major problem when the machine is operating, this accumulation poses problems when the machine is stored between periods of usage. First, excess clippings typically fall off the mower as it is being moved into the storage space, especially if it has to move over anything but a smooth surface. These droppings, particularly at residential or commercially developed properties require extra clean-up effort. Especially when the mower is put away wet, the accumulated under deck clippings tend to rot and product a foul odor. Additionally, the wet clippings, when not removed, promote excessive corrosion of the deck. 
         [0004]    Besides the frequent build-up of clippings on the underside of the deck, there is a need from time-to-time to inspect the blade, sharpen it, or replace it, and to change motor oil by draining it from the underside of the deck. 
         [0005]    To clean the underside of the mower deck, tend to the blade, or change oil, it is typically necessary to expose the underside of the deck. People often attempt to turn a walk-behind rotary mower on its side or upside down to expose the deck underside. This can be both dangerous and harmful to the engine. Upsetting the mower can cause its fuel to spill out of the gas tank and cause engine oil to leak out through its fill tube or leak into the combustion chamber. External oil leaks require clean-up and replacement. If the lost oil is not replaced, the engine will fail prematurely. An internal leak of oil into the combustion chamber can, at a minimum, foul the spark plug. Worse, the engine can lock-up causing damage to the starter mechanism whether manual or power assisted. From the foregoing brief discussion, it is clear that there is a need for a device to conveniently and safely tilt a walk-behind rotary mower to provide access to the underside of the mower deck. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The invention provides a tool and method of conveniently and safely tilting a rotary motor to temporarily expose the underside of the mower deck. The tool of the invention is constructed to hold the mower handle adjacent ground level with its rear wheels on the ground, thus providing a stable position while affording access to the deck underside and avoiding spillage of gasoline and/or crankcase oil. 
         [0007]    The tool of the invention can be arranged to be anchored to the ground or to a vertical surface provided by a wall, post, or the like. The tool is formed with a pocket sized and oriented to receive the hand grip of the mower handle. A lock is provided at the pocket to releasably retain the hand grip in position and resist forces, developed when the deck is cleaned or other work is performed on the blade or engine that could otherwise dislodge the hand grip from the pocket. 
         [0008]    In various disclosed embodiments, the tool comprises a bracket fabricated from flat steel strip and an anchoring rod when the tool is used in a grassy or otherwise unpaved area. As disclosed, the anchor rod can be permanently attached to the bracket or can be a separate piece. A part of the steel strip is conveniently formed into a U-shape to provide the mower hand grip receiving pocket. A locking pin is inserted in a pair of aligned holes in opposite sides of the pocket after the hand grip is positioned in the pocket to releasably lock the hand grip in the pocket. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a somewhat schematic side elevational view of one form of the invention being used to tilt a walk behind rotary lawnmower for access to the underside of the mower; 
           [0010]      FIG. 1A  is an enlarged side elevational view of the inventive tool shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective partially exploded view of a second form of the mower tilt tool applied to a vertical surface; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an exploded full view of an embodiment of the mower tilt tool of the invention partially shown in  FIGS. 1 and 1A ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of still another embodiment of the mower tilt tool of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a still further embodiment of the mower tilt tool of the invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is an elevational view of an embodiment of the mower tilt tool such as shown in  FIG. 3  being used in a different manner. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    The figures illustrate various embodiments of the present invention embodied in a tool to tilt a generally conventional walk-behind rotary lawnmower  11  ( FIG. 1 ) for visual and physical access to the underside of the deck of the mower. In each of the tools, the same or equivalent features or elements are given the same reference numeral in the figures and the following description. In all of the illustrated embodiments of the tool, a main anchor bracket part is fabricated of a steel strip, such as ⅛″ by 2″ material. 
         [0017]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a tool  20  fabricated of steel strip. The tool or bracket  20  includes an anchor portion  21  and a handle grip receiving pocket  22 . The anchor portion  21  has holes  23  for receiving fasteners  24 , such as screws that can be driven into a vertical surface  26  provided by a wall of a structure such as a garage or shed. Alternatively, the vertical surface can be provided by a self-standing post or fence, for example. The receiving pocket is on a part of the anchor portion  21  that is at right angles to the part in which the holes  23  are located. The receiving pocket  22  is formed by bending the steel strip into a U-shape comprising opposed walls  27 ,  28  spaced a distance of at least enough to provide clearance for receiving a horizontally disposed hand grip  31  ( FIG. 1A ) of a handle  32  of the mower  10 . Typically, the hand grip will have a diameter of about 1″ or metric equivalent. Each of the opposed walls  27 ,  28  have a hole  33  aligned with the opposite hole for reception of a round pin  34  which can be a “hitch” style of known construction having a spring-loaded detent ball  36  at one end, and a pull ring  37  at the opposite end. The pin  34  is of a length sufficient to pass through both holes  33 . The holes  33  are located a distance from a web or bight area  38  of the steel strip between the opposed walls  27 ,  28  to permit a hand grip  31  to be received in the pocket  22  without interference when the pin  34  is inserted in the holes  33 . After the hand grip  31  has been drawn down from the normal operating position of the mower  10  and inserted in the pocket  22 , the pin  34  is positioned in the holes  33  to releasably lock the hand grip  31  in the receiving pocket. During periods of non-use of the tool  20 , the locking pin  34  is retained with the main part of the tool  20  by a light duty chain  39  serving as a lanyard. The chain  39  is fastened to the main part of the tool  20  by a ring  41  looped through the chain and a hole in one of the opposed walls  27 . It is desirable that the tool  20  be secured to the vertical surface  26  as close to the ground or floor as is practical so as to provide maximum tilt for the mower  10 . The tool  20  is used to tilt the mower  10  as is suggested in  FIG. 1  and the same is true for various other embodiments of the invention described below. 
         [0018]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a tool  45  that has its anchor portion  21  capable of being fixed in either of two ways and which can be separated to facilitate its use in such ways. More specifically, the tool  45  has a pin joint  46  at a mid-area of the anchor portion  21 . The pin joint  46  permits a lower section  47  to be separated from an upper section  48 . Holes  23  can be used with fasteners  24  to secure the tool  45  to a vertical rigid surface. When a pin  49  is pulled along its axis away from the anchor portion  21 , the lower and upper sections  47 ,  48  can be separated in the manner that a conventional hinge can be separated. The lower section  47  includes a relatively large hole or aperture  51 . The tool  45  includes an elongated steel rod  52 , typically of a diameter of ⅜″, more or less, or metric equivalent. A hand hold  53  such as in the form of a knob, is welded or otherwise provided at one end of the rod  52  for applying installation or removal forces to the rod. The tool  45  can be used in an unpaved earthen area such as an area of grass as shown in  FIG. 1A , by laying the lower section  47  on the ground and driving the rod  52  through the enlarged hole  51  into the earth. As indicated, the lower section  47  can be detached from the upper section  48  and the pin  49  when it is used in this mode. The upper section  47  can be left in place screwed on a wall such as the inside of a garage when it is desired to tilt the mower  10  outdoors for cleaning purposes. The rod  52  is driven into the ground until the hand hold  53  bears against the lower section  47  thereby retaining this lower section in contact with the ground surface. Preferably, the rod  52  is driven at an angle with respect to the vertical direction so that a simple vertical force on the lower section such as might be developed by the weight of the mower  10  transferred to the lower section  47  by the mower handle hand grip  31 . 
         [0019]    It will be noted that in all of the disclosed versions of the tool, the receiving pocket  22  is open in a direction opposite the direction to which the mower  10  lies relative to the tool. That is, the pocket  22  opens to a direction away from the location of the mower  10  which it tilts. 
         [0020]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a still further embodiment of a tool  55  constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated. The tool  55  includes an anchor portion  21  and a receiving pocket  22 . The tool  55  has similarities to both the tool  20  and tool  45  in construction and function. 
         [0021]      FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of a tool  60  intended primarily for use in unpaved exterior ground areas. The tool  60  includes an anchor portion  21  and a pocket  22  for receiving the hand grip  31  of a handle  32  of the mower  10 . The anchor portion includes a stiff rod  61  bent in a plane in an acute angle with one leg  62  of the angle being welded to the underside of the anchor portion  21 . Legs  62 ,  63  lie in a common plane perpendicular to the flat of the anchor portion  21  and the free side or leg forms an acute angle with the anchor portion. The tool  55  is anchored in an unpaved spot by driving it into the soil with the free side  63  of the rod  61  inclined off the vertical so that when it is firmly driven into the soil, the anchor portion  21  lies flat with the soil. As described in connection with the elongated rod  52  shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the angled orientation of the rod part  63  increases the resistance of the tool from rising vertically. 
         [0022]      FIG. 6  illustrates a variation in the manner in which a tool can be held down so as to hold a mower hand grip  31  and thereby tilt the mower  10 . In  FIG. 6 , the lower section  47  of the anchor portion  21  with the receiving pocket  22  of the tool  45  shown in  FIG. 3  is utilized. This part of the tool  45  is held down by a lower edge of an overhead garage door indicated at  66 . It will be understood that other objects such as a swinging personnel door or a cement block or other weighty object can be used instead of the illustrated garage door  66 . Moreover, it will be seen that the tool  45  can be used with the door  66  or other appropriately shaped object while the upper section  48  remains attached. Still further, it will be understood that the other tools  20  and  55  can be used in a manner like that shown in  FIG. 6  with the garage door  66  or under an appropriately sized heavy and/or vertically immovable object. 
         [0023]    While the invention has been shown and described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, this is for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, and other variations and modifications of the specific embodiments herein shown and described will be apparent to those skilled in the art all within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the patent is not to be limited in scope and effect to the specific embodiments herein shown and described nor in any other way that is inconsistent with the extent to which the progress in the art has been advanced by the invention.