Patent ID: 6854248

Claim:
An apparatus including a frame mounted on a pair of wheels, said frame having a front end with respect to a forward direction of travel, cutting means adapted for cutting vegetation, an engine carried on said frame for providing power to drive said cutting means, and means for supplying air to said engine, wherein said engine has an associated engine air intake having a first cross-sectional area A 1 , and said air is supplied at a predetermined air volumetric flow rate, F, to define a constant first velocity V 1 , wherein V 1 =F/A 1 , the apparatus comprising: filtering means for filtering said air supplied to said engine, said filtering means including a generally planar filter air intake having an associated second cross-sectional area A 2 , wherein at said predetermined air volumetric flow rate F, A 2 has a predetermined value so that the velocity, V 2 , of air passing through said filter air intake is less than V 1 , wherein V 1 -V 2 is a predetermined amount, wherein said filter air intake is positioned downwardly with respect to a plane normal to said forward direction of travel.