Abstract:
A grass groomer for a reel cutting unit of a mower comprises a grooming reel that rotates about a substantially horizontal axis. The grooming reel has a plurality of helical blade tip flights with the blade tips in each flight acting sufficiently against the turf to cut horizontal grass runners and to dethatch the turf. The helical blade tip flights are spaced from one another around a circumference of the grooming reel. The grooming reel also carries a plurality of helical brushes that are also spaced from one another around the circumference of the grooming reel, the helical brushes being disposed between the helical blade tip flights. The helical brushes are disposed to rotate with the grooming grass and to ruffle and wipe the grass in the turf simultaneously with the rotation of the grooming reel.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   This invention relates to mowers having reel cutting units in which a rotatable cutting reel sweeps grass against a bedknife to cut the grass. More particularly, this invention relates to a grass groomer placed in advance of the cutting reel of a reel cutting unit. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Reel cutting units are well known for use on greens mowers, fairway mowers and other mowers designed for precision grass cutting on golf courses and the like. Each cutting unit has a frame that mounts a rotatable cutting reel which sweeps grass against a sharpened bedknife to cut the grass. Front and rear rollers carried on the frame allow the cutting unit to roll over the ground. The cutting unit is linked to the mower and is propelled by the motion of the mower itself. 
   A grass groomer is an accessory that is often used on a reel cutting unit between the front roller and the cutting reel. The grass groomer comprises a rotatable grooming reel formed by a series of laterally spaced, toothed blades. The tips of the blades are offset relative to one another to form helical flights of blade tips that extend along the length of the grooming reel. The blade tips extend down into the grass below the height of cut. 
   As the grass groomer rotates during operation of the reel cutting unit, the blade tips cut horizontal grass growth called stolons. Cutting stolons produces new roots and tillers from the nodes, leading to healthier turf. The plants reaction to grooming is to develop a new growing point at the crown. 
   In addition, the blade tips pull up and remove thatch. The material cut and brought up by the groomer is then recut by the action of the cutting reel against the bedknife and is discharged from the cutting unit along with the rest of the grass clippings. It is well known that the use of a grass groomer to cut horizontal growth and to remove thatch improves the health of the turf and promotes the growth of the grass. 
   Because the grooming reel is made from a plurality of laterally spaced blades, the grass groomer acts on the turf at a plurality of laterally spaced, disconnected contact points along the length of the groomer. Each contact point is represented by the point where one blade contacts the turf. The blade tips will pull up and remove some of the material, particularly the horizontal growth, that lies between the contacts points of adjacent blades. However, some material lying between the contact points may be missed and not removed. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a grass groomer that acts on the turf more uniformly in the areas lying between the contact points of the laterally spaced groomer blades. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   One aspect of this invention relates to a grass groomer for use on a reel cutting unit of a mower. The reel cutting unit has a cutting reel and a bedknife for cutting grass. The grass groomer is used on the reel cutting unit in advance of the cutting reel with reference to a forward direction of movement of the mower. The grass groomer comprises a grooming reel having a plurality of laterally spaced, toothed blades. The grooming reel is mountable on the reel cutting unit for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis thereon to allow the blades to groom the turf by cutting horizontal grass growth and by pulling up thatch during rotation of the grooming reel. At least one grass engaging brush is fixed to the grooming reel during operation of the grooming reel to rotate with the grooming reel. 
   Another aspect of this invention relates to a grass groomer for use on a reel cutting unit of a mower. The reel cutting unit has a cutting reel and a bedknife for cutting grass. The grass groomer is used on the reel cutting unit in advance of the cutting reel with reference to a forward direction of movement of the mower. The grass groomer comprises a grooming reel comprising a plurality of laterally spaced blades each of which has a plurality of generally radial, circumferentially spaced teeth. The blade teeth each have a leading edge, a blade tip, and a trailing edge taken with reference to a direction of rotation of the grooming reel. The teeth are adapted to groom the turf as the reel cutting unit passes over the turf and the grooming reel is rotated. Each blade has at least one radially outwardly facing seat located thereon between the leading edge of one tooth and the trailing edge of a preceding adjacent tooth. A brush comprises a base for holding brush bristles. The base of the brush is sized to be received in the seats in a plurality of the blades such that the brush has a length that is long enough to span across a plurality of the laterally spaced blades forming the grooming reel. The brush bristles extend radially outwardly between the leading and trailing teeth edges that are on either side of the blade seats in which the base is received. 
   Yet another aspect of this invention relates to a grass groomer for a reel cutting unit of a mower. The grass groomer comprises a grooming reel that rotates about a substantially horizontal axis. The grooming reel has a plurality of helical blade tip flights with the blade tips in each flight acting sufficiently against the turf to cut horizontal grass growth and to dethatch the turf. The helical blade tip flights are spaced from one another around a circumference of the grooming reel. The grooming reel also carries a plurality of helical brushes that are also spaced from one another around the circumference of the grooming reel, the helical brushes being disposed between the helical blade tip flights. The helical brushes are disposed to rotate with the grooming grass and to ruffle and wipe the grass in the turf simultaneously with the rotation of the grooming reel. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be described more completely in the following Detailed Description, when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a mower having a plurality of reel cutting units with which the grass groomer of this invention may be used; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a grass groomer according to this invention, particularly illustrating one blade and one brush of the groomer in exploded form; and 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the grass groomer shown in  FIG. 2 , particularly illustrating the brushes located between the teeth of a blade of the grooming reel. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  shows a mower  4  having a plurality of reel cutting units  6  for mowing grass. Each reel cutting unit  6  includes a transversely arranged rotatable cutting reel  8  that sweeps grass against a sharpened bedknife (not shown) to sever the same. Reel cutting unit  6  is well known in the mowing art and need not be further described. 
   Grass groomer  2  of this invention comprises a grooming reel  10 . Grooming reel  10  comprises a horizontal shaft  12  that is rotatably carried on reel cutting unit  6  between cutting reel  8  and a front roller  9 . A set or series of blades  14  is stacked along the length of shaft  12  with adjacent blades  14  being laterally spaced or separated from one another by cylindrical spacers  16 . When a sufficient number of blades  14  and spacers  16  have been assembled along shaft  12  to make a grooming reel  10  of sufficient length, end caps  18  may be threaded onto shaft  12  to hold the array of blades  14  and spacers  16  tightly on shaft  12 . 
   Each blade  14  is star-shaped having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially outwardly extending teeth  20 . Each tooth  20  has a leading edge  22 , a tip  24 , and a trailing edge  26  taken with respect to the usual direction of rotation of grooming reel  10  as shown by arrow A in  FIG. 3 . The leading and trailing edges  22  and  26  and tip  24  of each tooth  20  could be sharpened or blunt. The number of teeth  20  on each blade  14  can obviously vary although each blade  14  has at least one tooth  20 . 
   Each blade  14  has a hexagonal bore  28  in the center thereof which non-rotatably mates with a hexagonal central section  30  of shaft  12 . Different blades  14  have their hexagonal bores  28  offset relative to one another in a predetermined number of different index positions. Thus, when these blades  14  are stacked consecutively on central section  30  of shaft  12  beginning with a blade having the first index position through a blade having the last index position and then repeating, tips  24  of adjacent teeth  20  will be circumferentially offset relative to one another. Thus, corresponding teeth  20  on blades  14  will have their tips  24  disposed in a helical flight  32  that winds a number of turns around shaft  12 . Since blades  14  have a plurality of teeth  20 , a plurality of helical blade tip flights  32  will be formed around shaft  12  corresponding to the number of teeth  20 , i.e. with five teeth  20  as shown there will be five helical blade tip flights  32 . 
   Each blade  14  also has a plurality of outwardly facing brush receiving seats  34 . Seats  34  are located between the leading and trailing edges of adjacent teeth  20 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , each seat  34  is U-shaped having a bottom  36  and opposed sides  38 . The midpoint of bottom  36  of each seat  34  lies generally along the outer diameter of spacers  16 . Like the helical blade tip flights  32  themselves, seats  34  will also be disposed in helical flights extending along the length of grooming reel  10  as blades  14  are consecutively stacked on shaft  12  in their circumferentially offset positions. 
   A replaceable helical brush  40  is removably received in each helical flight of seats  34 . Brush  40  comprises a channel shaped base  42  having a flight of brush bristles  44  disposed therein. Base  42  of brush  40  is flexible enough to allow brush  40  to be installed in a helical flight of seats  34  by dropping one side of base  42  into one end of the helical flight of seats  34  and by then twisting and manipulating base  42  around blades  14  to drop the rest of base  42  into the remaining seats  34  in the helical flight. Other brushes  40  can be installed in other flights of seats  34  in the same manner. Once a brush  40  is received in a flight of seats, the base  42  of each brush  40  will rest against the bottom  36  of each seat  34  and along the outer diameters of spacers  16  as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
   Brushes  40  can be retained within seats  34  in any desirable way. One way is to use a plurality of flexible, cinchable ties  46  to tie brushes  40  onto grooming reel  10 . One such tie  46  is shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Bristles  44  could be notched, as shown at  48 , to allow a tie  46  to pass down through bristles  44  without deforming bristles  44  to rest tightly against the top of base  42 . When a particular tie  46  is cinched shut, tie  46  will press radially inwardly on the bases  42  of all the helical brushes  40  to clamp brushes  40  tightly against seats  34  in blades  14 . See  FIG. 3 . 
   Blade tips  24  lie slightly radially beyond the outer radial tips of brush bristles  44 . This helps protect brush bristles  44  and permits blades  14  to extend down somewhat further into the turf than brushes  40  to prevent brushes  40  from being too aggressive. However, the outer radial tips of brush bristles  44  could lie even with or radially outside of blade tips  24  if so desired. 
   When grooming reel  10  is rotated from cutting reel  8  by a belt drive (not shown) as is typical of grass groomers  2 , brushes  40  will obviously rotate with blades  14 —brushes  40  and blades  14  are integrated together into a single rotary unit. One brush  40  will lie in advance of each tooth  20  of grooming reel  10 . However, unlike teeth  20 , brush  40  extends substantially continuously along the length of each blade tip flight  32 , i.e. brush  40  also extends across and fills in the gaps or areas between adjacent blades  14 . Thus, brush  40  ruffles the grass immediately in front of the oncoming teeth  20  in each blade tip flight  32  to help stand the grass and thatch up, even in the areas between adjacent blades  14 . Consequently, when teeth  20  arrive to cut and pull up horizontal growth and thatch, the teeth  20  are effective to cut and pull up more of this growth and thatch from the areas between adjacent blades  14 . Thus, the addition of brushes  40  to grass groomer  2  produces a more effective turf grooming action. 
   In addition, if the turf being groomed is wet or damp, even from the morning dew, brushes  40  will brush or sweep away much of this moisture prior to the grass being acted upon by grooming reel  10  or cutting reel  8 . This is desirable in reducing the clumping of grass clippings that can occur when the turf being groomed and cut is damp to improve clipping dispersion. In fact, when the turf is covered with dew or moisture, it has sometimes been the practice prior to cutting the grass to try and reduce the inevitable clumping of clippings by wiping away the dew from the grass using a hose, rope or the like which is dragged over the top of the grass prior to mower  4  passing over the turf. This separate, time-consuming and labor intensive dew removal operation is not required with grass groomer  2  of this invention since the integrated brushes  40  do the same thing during operation of grass groomer  2  and mower  4 . 
   Moreover, even if the turf being groomed is dry, the sweeping action provided by brushes  40  opens up the canopy of the grass. This allows the grass clippings to better disappear into the canopy for dispersion and recycling when a basket is not being used on mower  4  to collect the clippings. If a basket is being used and the grass clippings are being collected, brushes  40  help flick the clippings into the basket. As noted earlier, when brushes  40  extend across the length of grooming reel  10 , they provide full width turf maintenance as opposed to the narrow spaced areas previously acted on only by blades  14 . 
   Various modifications of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, while it is preferred to have a helical brush  40  in advance of each helical blade tip flight  32 , some helical brushes  40  could be deleted as long as grooming reel  10  has at least one such brush  40 . In addition, blade tips flights  32  and brushes  40  need not be helical as shown herein, but could be straight across the length of shaft  12 . Other ways of attaching brushes  40  to grooming reel  10  could be used. 
   Furthermore, brushes  40  could comprise small laterally extending sections across the length of grooming reel  10  with such sections being separated from one another to form a non-continuous flight of brush bristles. For example, each spacer  16  could be indexed on shaft  12  and could carry a bristle section affixed thereto (or a plurality of bristle sections affixed thereto around the circumference of spacer  16 ). In this case, brushes  40  would not extend in front of blade teeth  20 , but would extend only in the gaps or spaces between adjacent blades  14 . Such individual bristle sections could be helically or linearly aligned with one another from one spacer to the next to, in effect, form a transverse flight of non-continuous brush bristles, but this also need not be the case. Separate bristle sections need not be aligned with one another to form a brush. Thus, the scope of this invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.