Abstract:
A grass collector adapted to be attached to a rear of a riding-type mower for receiving cut grass from a mower unit through a duct, the grass collector comprises a front container section having a rearwardly facing opening and adapted to be attached to the riding-type mower, the front container section carrying a first bottom plate having a substantially horizontal position; and a rear container section supported pivotably about a pivot point located in a rear upper region of the front container section and pivotable between a first position wherein the rear container section substantially covers the opening of the front container section and a second position pivoted from the first position to allow cut grass to fall, the rear container section having a second bottom plate having a substantially horizontal position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     In a conventional art, a grass collector for a mower has a front container section that opened rearwardly and a rear container section that opened forwardly where the front container section is fixed to the vehicle side. The rear container section is pivotably supported about a pivot point located in an upper rear portion of the front container section. (See for example, JP5-15224).  
         [0002]     The grass collecting container with the two section construction where only the rear container section is pivoted upwardly has an advantage over a type where the entire collector is swung upward in that the former has a smaller weight to pivot up. However, the collecting capacity of the fixed front container section is limited.  
         [0003]     That is, a front container section has the bottom portion which is sloped, which leaves the front container section with a small capacity.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention was made in light of the issues mentioned above. An object of the invention is to provide a grass collector having advantages of the two section structure without sacrificing the collecting volume.  
         [0005]     To attain the object of the invention, the grass collector adapted to be attached to a rear of a riding-type mower for receiving cut grass from a mower unit through a duct comprises a front container section having a rearwardly facing opening and adapted to be attached to the riding-type mower, the front container section carrying a first bottom plate having a substantially horizontal position; and a rear container section supported pivotably about a pivot point located in a rear upper region of the front container section and pivotable between a first position wherein the rear container section substantially covers the opening of the front container section and a second position pivoted from the first position to allow cut grass to fall, the rear container section having a second bottom plate having a substantially horizontal position.  
         [0006]     Since the front container section has the first bottom plate having a substantially horizontal position, the invention provides a grass collector has a relatively large collecting volume. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the entire mower tractor,  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of the entire mower tractor,  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a right side view showing the grass collecting apparatus in its grass collecting state,  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a right side view showing the grass collecting apparatus in its ejection state,  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a grass collecting container where respective sections are separated,  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a vertical sectional side view showing the grass collecting apparatus in its grass collecting state,  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a vertical sectional side view showing the grass collecting apparatus in its ejection state,  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  is a vertical section back view of a grass collecting apparatus,  
         [0015]      FIG. 9  is a vertical section back view of a grass collecting container,  
         [0016]      FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of a grass collecting container coupling portion,  
         [0017]      FIG. 11  is a vertical sectional side view showing the connection part of the mower and the duct. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     The left lateral side view of the mower tractor with the grass collecting apparatus to which the present invention is directed is shown in  FIG. 1  and its plan view is shown in  FIG. 2 . The mower unit  5  is arranged below the four-wheel-drive riding type vehicle  3  having the front wheels  1  and the rear wheels  2 . The mower unit  5  is connected to the riding vehicle  3  vertically movably through the lift linkage mechanism  4  of the parallel linkage mechanism which consists of front links  4   a  and rear links  4   b . The grass cut by the mower unit  5  is guided through the duct  6  to the rear of vehicle, and is collected with the grass collecting container  7 . The grass collecting apparatus A which has the grass collecting container  7  is attached to the vehicle rear portion. The engine  9  is mounted to the front upper part of the main frame  8  of the vehicle  3 . The front-axle case  10  which steerably supports the right and left front wheel  1  is connected to the front lower part of the main frame  8 . The transmission case  11  which supports the rear wheel  2  is connected to the rear portion of the main frame  8 .  
         [0019]     The power from an engine  9  is transmitted to a transmission case  11  with a shaft and is transmitted to the hydraulic continuously variable speed change device  13  connected to the rear face of the transmission case  11 . The shift operation portion of the hydraulic continuously variable speed change device  13  is connected by a linkage to the speed change pedal  14  arranged at the feet area of the operator&#39;s station of the riding vehicle  3 .  
         [0020]     The continuous speed change in a forward travel is performed by a step in operation of the speed change pedal  14  in a forward direction, and the continuous speed change in a reverse travel is performed by a step in operation to the rearward direction of the speed change pedal  14 . The gear change power of the hydraulic continuously variable speed change device  13  is input into a transmission case  11 . Then, the power branches to two lines. One branched power is transmitted to the rear wheel  2 . The other is transmitted to the front-axle case  10  through the power transmission shaft  15 .  
         [0021]     The mower unit  5  has three bar-shaped blades  17  driven through vertical axis at a center, right and left locations of a deck  16 . The cut grass is joined by the wind generated by each bar blade  17 , and is guided and sent out from the cut grass exhaust port  18  which protrudes in a tunnel manner in the lateral middle region on the top face of a rear portion in a deck  16 . The input case  19  is provided in the lateral center of a top face of a deck  16 , and the operating power taken out from the front face of the transmission case  11  is transmitted to the input case  19  through the power transmission shaft  20 . This power is transmitted to each blade  17  with a belt.  
         [0022]     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the duct  6  is fixedly connected to the vehicle lower part. The duct  6  is formed in the shape of a tunnel which opens downwardly. The front part of the duct  6  is connected to the cut grass exhaust port  18  such that the connection permits lifting movements of the mower unit  5 . The back end of the duct  6  extends to and in communication with the front face of the grass collecting container  7 . In addition, the cut grass sent out with sufficient velocity towards the back upper part from the mower unit  5  flows rearwardly along the ceiling areas of the cut grass exhaust port  18  and the duct  6 .  
         [0023]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the grass collecting container  7  has a divided configuration in the fore and aft direction having the front container section  7 A and the rear container section  7 B. The front container section  7 A is fixedly connected to the rear end part of the main frame  8 . The rear container section  7 B is vertically pivotably connected to the front container section  7 A about the pivot point p extending in a transverse direction at a location near the top back end of the front container section  7 A.  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the front container section  7 A is made with sheet metal, has an opening that opens rearwardly, and generally has an approximate box-shape. A cut grass entrance opening  21  of a rectangular shape, though which the rear end part of the duct  6  communicates with the collector  7 , is formed in the central lower part of the front wall surface of the front container section  7 A. The ventilation portions  22  with the sheet steel with a large number of small hole punched through or metal netting are formed on the right and left side wall surface of the front container section  7 A. Since the air flow blown in from the cut grass entrance opening  21  escapes from the ventilation portions  22 , right and left areas of the front container section  7 A are filled up with cut grass.  
         [0025]     The rear bottom plate  23  that is broad in a lateral direction but short in the fore and aft direction forming the base of the front container section  7 A, and the laterally narrow but long bottom plate  24  forming a base of the duct  6  is formed as one piece sheet steel bottom plate member  25  of a flat configuration having a T-shape. This bottom plate member  25  is supported pivotally to a lower portion of the front container section  7 A about a pivot q that extends laterally in the front end region of the bottom plate  23  of the front container section  7 A. This bottom plate member  25  can be pivoted between a grass collecting position which is substantially horizontal in the fore and aft direction, and the ejecting position in which the front part of the bottom plate member  25  is inclined upwardly.  
         [0026]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , when the bottom plate member  25  is in the grass collecting position, the back end of the bottom plate  23  approaches the base front end of the rear container section  7 B. And the front bottom plate  24  is located along the lower part of the duct  6  forming one long base covering the grass collecting container  7  from a duct rear portion.  
         [0027]     When the bottom plate member  25  moves to the ejecting position as shown in  FIG. 7 , the front bottom plate  24  is pivoted up to the top of a duct  6  within the duct  6 , the rear bottom plate  23  is pivoted to a steep inclined position such that its rear portion is lower than its front portion. The right outer surface in the front container section  7 A has the control lever  26  which can be pivoted about the pivot point a.  
         [0028]     The operation arm  27  that pivots with the control lever  26 , and the operating arm  28  pivots with the bottom plate member  25  are operatively connected through the rod  29 . The control lever  26  extends to the right side of the operator&#39;s seat  30  of the vehicle  3 , and the operator who sits in the operator&#39;s seat  30  can vertically swing the bottom plate member  25  by pivoting the control lever  26 .  
         [0029]     The rear container section  7 B is explained next with reference to  FIG. 6 . The steel sheet bottom plate  32  is connected to the underside of the support frame  31 . The sheet material  33  of woven resin or cloth with appropriate mesh size is fixed on the upper wall side, right and left side wall surfaces, and the back wall side of the rear container section  7 B.  
         [0030]     The rear container section  7 B has the box-like configuration having an opening which opens generally toward the front. The support frame  31  is formed by assembling a metal round pipe material to a box-shape. The upper cover  34  is arranged, with a suitable space, above the upper part of the rear container section  7 B. This allows the wind blown in with cut grass from the cut grass entrance slot  21  to escape from the upper wall side, lateral side wall surfaces, and a back wall side with air-permeable sheet material  34 . The wind which passed through the upper wall side is guided by the upper cover  34 , and flows towards a lower part from the upper part of a back wall side.  
         [0031]     The rear container section  7 B is supported detachably, and vertically pivotably about the pivot point p, to the front container section  7 A.  
         [0032]     The structures for allowing a pivoting, an attachment and detachment are explained next.  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the pivot shaft  35  which is the pivot point p of the rear container section  7 B penetrates and is fixed in the rear upper part of the right side wall of the front container section  7 A in a lateral direction. A pivot shaft  36  projects inwardly, and concentrically with said pivot shaft  35 , at the location above a rear portion of the left-hand side wall of the front container section  7 A. Connecting fittings  37  are fixed to the right and left front and upper positions of the support frame  31  in the rear container section  7 B, respectively. The engaging recess  38  formed in each connecting fitting  37  engages from above with the inwardly projecting parts of the right-hand side pivot shaft  35 , and the left-hand side pivot shaft  36  respectively.  
         [0034]     The rear container section  7 B is supported to and vertically pivotably about the pivot shafts  35  and  36  (pivot point p) with the section  7 B fixed in the lateral direction. The positioning pins  31   a  are formed in the front end lower part of the rear container section  7 B by extending the lateral ends of the support frame  31  to the outward directions. The steps  39  are formed in the lower part of the back ends of the lateral side wall surfaces in the front container section  7 A to abut and catch the positioning pins  31   a.    
         [0035]     The front opening end of the rear container section  7 B is connected in a proper grass collecting position to the back opening end of the front container section  7 A proper due to the steps  39  abutting and catching the positioning pins  31   a . The operation arm  41  pivotably supported by the outward projection of said pivot shaft  35  is arranged on the outside of the right side wall in the front container section  7 A. The rearwardly facing engaging recess  42  is formed in the free end portion of this operation arm  41 . The engaging pin  43  protrudes laterally on the right front end part of the support frame  31  in the rear container section  7 B and is releasably engageable with the engaging recess  42  of the operation arm  41 . The operating arm  41  has the control lever  44 .  
         [0036]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , by pivoting the control lever  44  forwardly, and swinging up the operation arm  41  rearwardly, the rear container section  7 B, which engages with the operating arm  41  through the engaging recess  42  and the engaging pin  43 , is pivoted downwardly to its ejection position with its opening facing downwardly. A gas spring  45  which urges the operation arm  41  upwardly is arranged between the operation arm  41  and the front container section  7 A to reduce the force required to operate the control lever  44 . The control lever  44  is supported to operation arm  41  such that the control lever  44  can be extended and contracted with respect to the operation arm  41 . That is, the boss section  41  extending in the vertically direction is fixed to the outside of the operation arm  41 , and the control lever  44  is held in it such that it can slide substantially vertically in this boss section  41   a . The control lever  44 , in a free state, slides to a lower limit point on its own weight. In this contracted position, the grip part  44   a  of the control lever  44  is in a location lower than the backrest top end of the operator&#39;s seat  15 , and is held at the height which does not pose as an obstacle for vehicle control or for watching the rear.  
         [0037]     When discharging the collected cut grass by pivoting the rear container sections  7 B, the control lever  44  is slid up so that the grip part  44   a  moves to a location higher than the backrest top end of the operator&#39;s seat  30 . The stopper pin  44   b  provided in the upper part of the control lever  44  is caught by the upper end of the boss section  41   a , to restrict the downward slide of the control lever  44 . The upward slide of the control lever  44  is restricted by the large diameter stopper pin  44   b  provided in the lower-end portion of the control lever  44  abutting the lower end of the boss section  41   a.    
         [0038]     The base and the boss section  41   a  of said operation arm  41  are covered with a covering  50 .  
         [0039]     As shown in  FIG. 7 , when the collected cut grass is discharged by pivoting the rear container section  7 B upwardly, the front container section  7 A is opened rearwardly by the pivoting of the rear container section  7 B, and much of the cut grass in the front container section  7 A is discharged. However, cut grass collected in the rear portion of the duct  6  and the cut grass collected on the bottom of the front container section  7 A remain. By operating the control lever  26  to switch the bottom plate member  25  to the ejecting position where its front portion is lifted and inclined to an angle, cut grass collected on the rear portion of a duct  6  and cut grass collected on the bottom of the front container section  7 A can be discharged.  
         [0040]     The hook member  46  which engages with said positioning pin part  31   a  of the rear container section  7 B from above in the grass collecting position is provided in the front end lower part of the front container section  7 A. This hook member  46  pivotably supported in the vertical direction about the pivot point b, and is urged by the spring  47  in the engaging direction. This prevents an unintentional pivoting of the rear container section  7 B and formation of a gap between the front container section  7 A and the rear container section  7 B due to the vehicle bounce during travel when the rear container section  7 B is pivoted into a grass collecting position to collect cut grass. Thus this prevents the collected cut grass from falling.  
         [0041]     However, the hook shape and the strength of the spring  47  are set so that, as the hook member  46  is pushed by the positioning pin part  31   a  of the rear container section  7 B, it pivots rearwardly against the spring  47  when operating the control lever  44  to pivot the rear container section  7 B intentionally.  
         [0042]     The lateral inner surface in the front container section  7 A has the restraint pin  51  and the restraint projection  57  both extending inwardly at locations distant from the pivot shafts  35  and  36 .  
         [0043]     The guide groove  52  which is in the shape of arc centering on the pivot point p and which is continuous with said engaging recess  38  is formed in the connecting fitting  37  of the rear container section  7 B.  
         [0044]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , when the rear container section  7 B is pivoted downwardly and is in the grass collecting position, the restraint pin  51  is out of the guide groove  52 . In this state, by raising the rear container section  7 B up, and removing the connecting fittings  37  from the pivot shafts  35  and  36 , the rear container section  7 B can be removed from the front container section  7 A. As the rear container section  7 B is swung up from its grass collecting position as shown in  FIG. 7 , the restraint pin  51  is engaged by the guide groove  52  and the restraint projection  57  approaches the front side of the connecting fitting  37 . Therefore, it becomes impossible to move the connecting fitting  37  upwardly and forwardly with respect to the pivot shafts  35  and  36 . That is, the attachment-and-detachment restraint structure is provided that permits an attachment and detachment of the rear container section  7 B only when the rear container section  7 B is pivoted downwardly and in the low grass collecting position.  
         [0045]     In addition, the handles  53  connected with the support frame  31  at a forward and a rearward location of the top face in the rear container section  7 B are provided and are used for attachment and detachment of the rear container section  7 B. Before removal of the rear container section  7 B, and after operating the extended control lever  44  rearwardly against the gas spring  45 , the shortened control lever  44  is engaged with the pin  58  which protrudes on the side face of the front container section  7 A, and the operation arm  41  is held in the location separated from the engaging pin  43 . Thus, by fixing the control lever  44 , the operation arm  41 , now free of the weight of the rear container section  7 B, is prevented from pivoting upwardly by the gas spring  45 .  
         [0046]     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the bottom plate  54  which forms the base of the cut grass exhaust port  18  is provided in the back lower part of the deck  16  of the mower unit  5 . This bottom plate  54  is vertically pivotable about the pivot point c and can be manually pivoted by the control lever  55 . When cut grass clogs the cut grass exhaust port  18  or near a connection with a duct  6 , cut grass can be discharged by pivoting the bottom plate  54  from the space d formed between this bottom plate  54  and the bottom plate  24  of a duct  6 . When a large amount of cut grass is clogged, it becomes difficult to move the bottom plate  54 . The cut out portion  56  is formed in the side front part of a duct  6  to lower the height of the duct  6  in this area so that some cut grass pushed by the pivoting of the bottom plate  54  is forced out from the cut out portion  56  which facilitates removal of the clog. Therefore, the bottom plate  54  can be pivoted by a greater degree by pivoting the bottom plate  54  several times. Therefore, clogged cut grass can all be discharged from Cavity d.  
       Other Embodiments  
       [0047]     (1) the control lever  26  is used as mentioned above as an operator manipulated implement for pivoting said bottom plate member  25 . An operating pedal may also be used that can be operated by an operator in the operator&#39;s seat  15 .  
         [0048]     (2) It is also possible to form the bottom plate  23  of the front container section  7 A, separate from the bottom plate  24  of a duct  6  so that they may be pivoted vertically independently. In this case, it is possible to locate a pivot point for the bottom plate  23  of the front container section  7 A in its rear end region so that it is tilted up in its ejecting position. This would increase the drop height between the bottom of the front container section  7 A and the ground when ejecting the cut grass.  
         [0049]     (3) The bottom plate member  25  can also be operatively connected to the operation arm  41  so that an upward pivoting actuation of the rear container section  7 B pivots the bottom plate member  25  into its ejecting position.  
         [0050]     (4) When the capacity of the grass collecting container  7  is large, said operation arm  41  may be moved with actuators, such as an hydraulic cylinder or an electric cylinder.