Abstract:
A mower attachment comprising an attachment housing and a plurality of blade assemblies. The attachment housing includes an upper surface and front and rear baffles extending downwardly from the upper surface, the front and rear baffles shaped to define a plurality of blade chambers therebetween. The plurality of blade assemblies are positioned within the plurality of blade chambers. A leading plate is operatively connected to the housing and extends away from the plurality of blade chambers. The leading plate includes a plurality of apertures on a top side thereof.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to systems for cutting grass. More particularly, the present invention is directed to systems for cutting or mowing grass involving the use of a mower attachment including a plurality of blade assemblies.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A wide variety of systems are conventionally known for cutting or mowing grass. One such system involves the use of a mower attachment including a plurality of blade assemblies. This removable attachment is connected to the front of a vehicle, such as a small tractor, which is used to push the attachment during the mowing process. Such a system includes a plurality of blade assemblies spaced apart from each other within a housing. During the cutting process, air flows underneath the housing while the cutting action is in progress. The air flow carries the grass clippings through a discharge chute which is typically located on one side of the attachment.  
         [0003]     Although such mowing systems are widely used, conventional systems include a number of drawbacks. For example, the air flow through the attachment system during the mowing process is quite inefficient in that the air flow is inefficiently directed inside the housing resulting in some of the air flow “swirling around” the inside of the housing. This causes some of the grass clippings to not quickly and/or directly flow through the discharge chute. In some instances, a substantial percentage of the grass clippings will not flow out the discharge chute at all, instead simply collecting on the ground along the path of the mower. Alternatively, some of the grass clippings may collect on the inside of the housing, while others may even blow out through the front of the unit under certain circumstances. All of these actions cause serious distribution issues for the user, as the amount of time needed to distribute all of the grass clippings increases substantially due to this inefficient air flow.  
         [0004]     It would therefore be desirable to develop a method for more efficiently directing the air flow through a mower attachment, such that grass clippings are efficiently directed out of the discharge chute with minimal misdirection.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved system for cutting grass, wherein air flow is more efficiently directed through the system than in conventional devices.  
         [0006]     It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved system for cutting grass where a reduced number of grass clippings are misdirected after being cut.  
         [0007]     In accordance with the above objects, there is provided a mower attachment comprising an attachment housing and a plurality of blade assemblies. The attachment housing includes an upper surface, as well as front and rear baffles extending downwardly therefrom to define a plurality of blade chambers. The plurality of blade assemblies are positioned within the plurality of blade chambers and are arranged to effectively cut or mow grass. A leading plate is operatively connected to the front of the housing extending away from the plurality of blade chambers. The leading plate includes a plurality of apertures on one side thereof. The plurality of apertures are arranged such that during the cutting process, air flows through the plurality of apertures to aid in the directing of grass clippings through the discharge chute.  
         [0008]     The use of this “false front” on the mower attachment enhances the blade suction while at the same time providing structural integrity and better air flow, controlling “blow out” of the system. The “false front” also creates a vacuum in the blade chambers that is distributed uniformly by the plurality of holes to lift the grass prior to being cut.  
         [0009]     These and other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention, taken with reference in the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tractor in combination with a mower attachment system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the underside of a mowing attachment system constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the mowing attachment system of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the mower attachment system of  FIG. 2 ; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a sectional side view of the mower attachment system of  FIG. 2 , showing the movement of air through the system. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     A mower attachment unit is shown generally at  10  in  FIGS. 1-4 . In  FIG. 1 , the mower attachment unit is operatively connected to a tractor  11  for use in operating and moving the mower attachment unit  10 . The mower attachment unit  10  comprises an attachment housing  12  including an upper surface  14 , as well as a front baffle  16  and a rear baffle  18 . The front baffle  16  and the rear baffle  18  can either be formed as one piece with the upper surface  14  or can be formed as separate components that are coupled to the upper surface  14  by a plurality of fasteners. Additionally, it is possible for the front baffle  16  and the rear baffle  18  to be formed as a single piece. A discharge chute  20  is located on one side of the attachment housing  12 . When the mower attachment unit  10  is in use, grass clippings that have already been cut are expelled through the discharge chute  20 .  
         [0016]     The front baffle  16  and the rear baffle  18  combine to define a plurality of blade chambers  22  therebetween. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mower attachment unit  10  includes three blade chambers  22 . Each blade chamber  22  includes a blade assembly  24  therein, with each blade assembly  24  comprising a cutting blade  26  that is rotatably mounted on a spindle  28 . The spindle  28  is operatively connected to the upper surface  14  of the attachment housing  12 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each cutting blade  26  extends substantially to the outer edge of each blade chamber  22 .  
         [0017]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the mower attachment unit  10  also includes a plurality of wheels  30  and at least one roller  32  to aid in the directional control and stability of the mower attachment unit  10  when in use. The mower attachment unit  10  also includes an attachment mechanism  34  for coupling the mower attachment unit  10  to the tractor  11  or other vehicle for use in operating the mower attachment unit  10 .  
         [0018]     As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the mower attachment unit  10  also includes a leading plate  36  operatively connected to the front of the front baffle  16 . The leading plate  36  can either be formed as a single piece with the front baffle  16  or can be formed as a separate component. The leading plate  36 , in a preferred embodiment of the invention, includes a planar surface  38  which preferably runs substantially parallel to the ground and substantially perpendicular to the front baffle  16 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the leading plate  36  is substantially “V” shaped. The leading plate  36  can also include a short longitudinal surface  40  intersecting the planar surface  38 . The mower attachment unit  10  may also include a trailing plate  37  operatively connected to the rear baffle  18 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper surface  14  extends over and beyond the leading plate  36 , coupling to the front of the leading plate  36  and substantially hiding the leading plate  36  from view.  
         [0019]     As is clearly shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the leading plate  36  includes a plurality of apertures  42  positioned therein to aid in the direction the flow of air into the mower attachment unit  10 . It has been observed that the presence in the plurality of apertures  42  in the leading plate  36  aids in more efficiently directing the flow of air through the mower attachment unit  10  and out through the discharge chute  20  than conventional systems.  
         [0020]     The plurality of apertures  42 , in one preferred embodiment of the invention, are circular in shape. However, other shapes may also be used for the apertures  42 . As is shown in  FIGS. 2-4  and in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the plurality of apertures  42  do not have a uniform size. Instead, some of the apertures  42  have a larger diameter than others. It has been observed that having apertures  42  of different sizes can aid in maximizing the efficiency of the air flow into and through the mower attachment unit  10 . For example, for the mower attachment unit  10  in  FIGS. 2-4 , the blade chambers  22  intersect each other in two locations, which are referred to as joining regions  44 . In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , those apertures  42  that are closest to the joining regions  44  have the largest diameters, while the apertures  42  progressively have smaller diameters the farther away they are from the respective joining regions  44 . This particular embodiment aids in the flow of air through the mower attachment unit  10  while minimizing blow out.  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  shows the flow of air through one blade chamber  22  during the cutting process. As the blade chamber  22  moves forward relative to the ground  46 , air flows into the blade chamber  22 , as a result of the spinning cutting blade  26 , air is pushed upward towards the upper surface  14 . Once the grass has been cut, grass clippings are pushed upward and eventually out the discharge chute  20 . The leading plate  36  and the plurality of apertures  42  aid in directing the flow of air into the region below the cutting blade  26  increasing the efficiency of the air flow, as well as improving the cut of grass.  
         [0022]     While various embodiments have been shown and described herein, the invention is not limited to these particular embodiments. For example, the planar surface  38  of the leading plate  36  can be at varying heights above the ground  46 , and the plurality of apertures  42  can be of varying shape, sizes and arrangements, on the leading plate  36 . Additionally, the system of the present invention can either be used as a separate attachment unit, or as part of a single mowing device included with the vehicle  50 . It is also possible to include varying numbers of cutting blades  26 , as well as possibly including multiple cutting blades  26  in one blade chamber  22 . Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited by the description and drawings herein.