Abstract:
A weed and grass trimmer attachment and riding mowers having weed and grass trimmer attachments are provided. The trimmer attachment attaches to a riding mower using a structural support arm and a mounting member. The trimmer attachment takes power from the mower drive shaft to operate a trimmer attachment. The trimmer attachment includes a floating trimmer shaft that compensates for ground variations. The trimmer attachment enables a seated operator to both mow a lawn and trim grass and weeds.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    There are no current related applications. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to weed and grass trimmers. More particularly the disclosed subject matter is directed to trimmer attachments for riding mowers. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Americans spend countless hours maintaining and beautifying their lawns and landscape. Whether the property being maintained is residential, commercial, or industrial, as a matter of pride and personal expression Americans manicure their grass, plant and maintain flowers, shrubs, bushes, and trees, all for the sake of enhancing the aesthetic qualities of their property. 
         [0004]    Lawn care is neither easy nor cheap. Good lawns can require turf, seeds, fertilizers, weed killers as well as an assortment of machinery and tools including lawnmowers, weed and grass trimmers, hoes, grass edgers, rakes, and shovels. American homeowners alone are reported to spend over six billion dollars ($6B) a year on lawn care, all to create a healthy expanse of green. Industrial and commercial interests may match that figure. 
         [0005]    Proper lawn maintenance requires grass cutting. Because of the different types and sizes of properties many different lawn mowers have been developed. If there are large areas of grass to be cut zero turning radius riding mowers are very popular and highly effective. Such mowers allow their users to cut relatively large areas of grass in a minimal amount of time, while allowing the user to sit in comfort. More conventional riding lawn mowers remain popular, as do lawn tractors and other types of riding mowers. 
         [0006]    While zero turning radius and other types of riding mowers are very useful they do have problems. Because of their rather large size, riding mowers are not very adept at cutting close to objects such as fences, buildings, trees, and the like. They can cut large areas of grass quickly, but they are ill-suited for fine lawn trimming As a result close cuts can require the user to return and use a string type trimmer This removes the benefits of saving time and being able to sit down. 
         [0007]    In view of the foregoing there exists a need for a grass trimming attachment for riding lawn mowers. Preferably such an attachment would be well suited for use with conventional zero turning radius riding mower and could also be adapted for use with other types of conventional riding mowers, garden tractors and the like. Preferably such an attachment would enable a user to ride while trimming, would work around fences, trees, buildings and the like. Ideally such an apparatus would be highly configurable and could be attached to and removed from a wide range of lawn mowers using brackets. It would be beneficial if the trimmer mechanism itself could be electrically operated or run off a power take off (PTO). It would be useful if such and apparatus could be made available as a separate piece of riding equipment or as a kit. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The principles of the present invention provide for trimming attachments for riding lawn mowers such as zero turning radius riding mowers, conventional riding mowers, garden tractors and the like. The inventive trimming attachments enable a user to ride while trimming around fences, trees, buildings and the like. The trimming attachments are highly configurable and can be attached to and removed from a wide range of lawn mowers using brackets. Suitable trimmer mechanisms include gas operated, electrically operated or power take off (PTO). The trimming attachments can be made available as separate pieces of riding equipment or a kit. 
         [0009]    A trimmer attachment that is in accord with the present invention includes a trimmer head assembly having a structural support arm, a trimmer frame member, and a housing. A trimmer drive shaft rotatably extends through the housing and a trimmer drive pulley is attached to the trimmer drive shaft. A string plate is attached to the bottom of the trimmer drive shaft. The string plate is configured to receive string stock. The trimmer attachment also includes a multi-groove mower deck pulley for attaching to a mower drive shaft. In addition a trimmer drive belt for transferring rotation of the multi-groove mower deck pulley to the trimmer drive shaft is included. 
         [0010]    In practice the housing is cylinder-shaped while the structural support arm includes mounting ears for attaching the structural support arm to the trimmer frame member. Preferably the multi-groove mower deck pulley has a center shaft aperture that is dimensioned to slide onto an existing mower deck drive shaft. In addition the trimmer drive belt may be a “V”-type belt. 
         [0011]    The housing preferably includes a first bearing, a second bearing, and a vertical stop plate. In practice the trimmer drive shaft slides along the first bearing and the second bearing while the stop plate limits the distance the trimmer drive shaft slides. Beneficially the string plate has a convex bottom and/or a plurality of integral rings on an upper perimeter edge for receiving string stock. 
         [0012]    A riding mower that is in accord with the present invention includes a mower frame having an operator&#39;s seat, wheels, and a steering control; and a mower deck attached to the mower frame, with the mower deck including a mower deck drive shaft. The riding mower further includes a trimmer head assembly having a structural support arm, a trimmer frame member, and a housing. A trimmer drive shaft rotatably extends through the housing and a trimmer drive pulley is attached to the trimmer drive shaft. A string plate is attached to the trimmer drive shaft. The string plate is configured to receive string stock. The riding mower also includes a multi-groove mower deck pulley attached to the mower deck drive shaft. In addition, a trimmer drive belt is disposed between the multi-groove mower deck pulley and the trimmer drive pulley. 
         [0013]    In practice the housing is cylinder-shaped while the structural support arm includes mounting ears for attaching the structural support arm to the trimmer frame member. Preferably the multi-groove mower deck pulley has a center shaft aperture dimensioned to slide onto the existing mower deck drive shaft. In addition the trimmer drive belt may be a “V”-type belt. 
         [0014]    The housing preferably includes a first bearing, a second bearing, and a vertical stop plate. In practice the trimmer drive shaft slides along the first bearing and the second bearing while the stop plate limits the distance the trimmer drive shaft slides. Beneficially the string plate has a convex bottom and/or a plurality of integral rings on an upper perimeter edge for receiving string stock. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a front environmental view of a trimmer attachment  10  for a riding mower according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a side environmental view of the trimmer attachment  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the trimmer attachment  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; and, 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of a trimmer head assembly  20  of the trimmer attachment  10  taken along section line A-A of  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
       [0020]      10  trimmer attachment 
         [0021]      20  trimmer head assembly 
         [0022]      22  housing 
         [0023]      24  trimmer drive shaft 
         [0024]      26  trimmer drive pulley 
         [0025]      28  string plate 
         [0026]      30  trimmer drive belt 
         [0027]      32   a  first bearing 
         [0028]      32   b  second bearing 
         [0029]      34  vertical stop plate 
         [0030]      40  ring 
         [0031]      42  string stock 
         [0032]      50  support arm 
         [0033]      52  mounting ear 
         [0034]      60  mower deck pulley 
         [0035]      62  shaft aperture 
         [0036]      70  trimmer frame 
         [0037]      72   a  first attachment ear 
         [0038]      72   b  second attachment ear 
         [0039]      80  fastener 
         [0040]      82  fastener aperture 
         [0041]      90  ground 
         [0042]      100  riding mower 
         [0043]      110  mower frame 
         [0044]      115  mower deck 
         [0045]      116  deck drive belt 
         [0046]      120  front wheel 
         [0047]      125  rear wheel 
         [0048]      130  operator&#39;s seat 
         [0049]      135  steering control means 
         [0050]      140  deck drive shaft 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0051]    The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 4 . However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention, and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
         [0052]    The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
         [0053]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , respectively front and side environmental views of a trimmer attachment  10  that is in accord with the present invention on a riding mower  100 . The trimmer attachment  10  enables an operator of the riding mower  100  to perform weed and grass trimming tasks while remaining seated on the riding mower  100 . 
         [0054]    The trimmer attachment  10  is envisioned as being introduced in several models for custom attachment to popular makes of riding mowers  100 . The riding mower  100  is envisioned as being a conventional riding-type unit having generally expected features such as a mower frame  110 , a mower deck  115 , a pair of front wheels  120 , a pair of rear wheels  125 , an operator&#39;s seat  130 , and steering control means  135 . 
         [0055]    The trimmer attachment  10  includes a forward protruding trimmer head assembly  20 . The trimmer head assembly  20  is attached to a mower frame  110  of a riding mower  100  via a structural support arm  50  and trimmer frame  70  members. As shown, trimmer head assembly  20  is beneficially attached to the front center position of the riding mower  100 . Preferably the trimmer frame  70  is mounted to the mower frame  110  using existing fasteners. 
         [0056]    Referring now primarily to  FIG. 4 , the trimmer head assembly  20  includes a cylinder-shaped housing  22  which provides a protective enclosure for a trimmer drive shaft  24 , a trimmer drive pulley  26 , and a string plate  28 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the trimmer drive pulley  26  is in mechanical communication with the existing mower deck  115  via a two-groove mower deck pulley  60  that is attached to a mower deck drive shaft  140 . In practice, the mower deck pulley  60  replaces an original drive pulley of the mower deck  115 . Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a trimmer drive belt  30  is installed within grooves of the trimmer drive pulley  26  and the mower deck pulley  60 . The trimmer drive belt  30  transfers the rotation of the mower deck pulley  60  to the trimmer drive pulley  26 . The trimmer drive pulley  26  spins the string plate  28 , which is also within the housing  22 . The string plate  28  rotates the attached string stock  42  to perform trimming 
         [0057]    Referring primarily to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the trimmer attachment  10  supports cantilevered positioning of the trimmer head assembly  20  in the forward center position via the integral support arm  50 . The support arm  50  includes a pair of opposing horizontal mounting ear  52  the enable removable attachment to a trimmer frame  70  using fasteners  80 . The trimmer frame  70  is bolted to the forward mower frame  110  of the riding mower  100  using additional fasteners  80 . It is envisioned that various configurations of the trimmer frame  70  would be made available for attaching to different models of riding mowers  100 . 
         [0058]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a perspective view of the trimmer attachment  10 , the support arm  50  and the trimmer frame  70  are envisioned as being made of steel or aluminum rectangular structural tubing. The trimmer frame  70  is shown with fastener apertures  82  along a top surface as well as an integral first attachment ear  72   a  and an integral second attachment ear  72   b  that are located at opposing ends of the trimmer frame  70 . The attachment ears  72   a,    72   b  have fastener apertures  82 . The fastener apertures  82  and the attachment ears  72   a,    72   b  enable rigid attachment to the mower frame  110  of the riding mower  100 , preferably by using existing fastening features such as bolts. It is envisioned that various configurations of the trimmer frame  70  would be introduced to fit different models of riding mowers  100 . 
         [0059]    Still referring primarily to  FIG. 3 , mechanical power is supplied to the mower deck  115  by the engine of the riding mower  100 . The mechanical power is directed to the trimmer head assembly  20  by the two-groove mower deck pulley  60  which is located on the mower deck  115  in place of an original drive pulley. The two-groove mower deck pulley  60  has a center shaft aperture  62  that is dimensioned to slide onto an existing mower deck drive shaft  140  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The two-groove mower deck pulley  60  is connected to the trimmer head assembly  20  using the connecting “V”-type trimmer drive belt  30 . 
         [0060]      FIG. 4  presents a sectional view of the trimmer attachment  10  taken along section line A-A of  FIG. 3 . The trimmer head assembly  20  is envisioned as being made using machined or cast metal. The trimmer head assembly  20  provides a mounting attachment for drive components including the trimmer drive shaft  24 , the trimmer drive pulley  26 , the string plate  28 , a first bearing  32   a,  a second bearing  32   b,  and a vertical stop plate  34 . 
         [0061]    The trimmer drive shaft  24  is a vertical rod that is slide into and laterally supported by the first bearing  32   a  and the second bearing  32   b.  This configuration allows the trimmer drive shaft  24  to float vertically. The first bearing  32   a  and the second bearing  32   b  are envisioned as being standard ball or roller type components that are positioned along a common vertical axis and then press-fit into the housing  22 . The trimmer drive shaft  24  floats vertically within the bearings first bearing  32   a  and the second bearing  32   b.  This enables the trimmer head assembly  20  to adjust to ground  90  variations during operation. 
         [0062]    The string plate  28  is attached to the bottom end of the trimmer drive shaft  24  via a fastener  80  such as a split pin, set screw, bolt, or the like. The string plate  28  provides an attachment for a trimming string stock  42 . The string plate  28  is a circular member having a flat upper surface and a convex or spherical bottom surface that are designed to compliantly slide along the ground  90  while causing the affixed trimmer drive shaft  24  to float up and down. The trimmer drive shaft  24  further includes the integral disc-shaped vertical stop plate  34  which extends horizontally from an upper end of the trimmer drive shaft  24 . The vertical stop plate  34  can contact the top of the housing  22  to limit a downward positioning of the trimmer drive shaft  24  as it moves vertically during operation. 
         [0063]    The string plate  28  preferably includes a trimmer string tie having a plurality of integral rings  40  along an upper perimeter edge. This provides a mechanism to tie lengths of heavy-duty string stock  42 . However, it should be understood that other string plate designs which utilize various types of trimming string securement and feeding mechanisms may be used. 
         [0064]    In use, rotating torsion is applied to the trimmer drive shaft  24  via the trimmer drive pulley  26 , which is attached to the trimmer drive shaft  24  using a fastener  80  such as a split pin, set screw, bolt, or the like. The trimmer drive pulley  26  is preferably a “V”-groove pulley that is driven by the trimmer drive belt  30  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). 
         [0065]    It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention. While only one particular configuration is shown and described, that is for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
         [0066]    The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the trimmer attachment  10 , it would be installed as indicated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0067]    The method of installing and using the trimmer attachment  10  may be achieved by: procuring a model of the trimmer attachment  10  having a trimmer frame  70  which fits on an existing riding mower  100 ; removing the existing drive pulley from the existing mower deck  115 ; installing the two-groove mower deck pulley  60  on the existing deck drive shaft  140 ; re-installing the existing deck drive belt  116  to a lower groove of the two-groove mower deck pulley  60 ; pre-assembling the trimmer head assembly  20  and integral support arm  50  to the trimmer frame  70 ; attaching the trimmer frame  70  to the existing mower frame  110 , preferably utilizing existing fastener features of the mower frame  110 , using provided fasteners  80 ; installing the trimmer drive belt  30  on the trimmer drive pulley  26  and on the upper groove of the mower deck pulley  60 ; tying a section of heavy-duty string stock  42  to each ring  40  of the string plate  28 ; operating the riding mower  100  in a normal manner; utilizing the controls of the existing riding mower  100  and mower deck  115  to activate and position the trimmer head assembly  20 ; utilizing the trimmer attachment  10  to trim grass and remove other unwanted growth upon the ground  90 ; and, benefiting from reduced effort while string trimming large or difficult areas afforded a user of the trimmer attachment  10 . 
         [0068]    The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.