Deere + Company

Brent Gordon Rinholm

Richard David Thier

Chris Michael Georgoulias

Randall John Griffin

Tracy T Lanier

Zackary P Sipper

Ronald Lee Reichen

Sanjeev M Hallale

Jeffrey David Witwer

Bradley P Aldridge

Paul Robert Heide

David A Straka

Jacob C Kallara

Michael Joseph Buchheit

Jason Mclamb Honeycutt

Daniel R Schneider

Bryce A Carnahan

James E Roach

Chris Guillory

Paul A Boruff

Joseph H Stevenson

Michael J Buchheit

Richard D Thier

Daniel Schneider R

Tracy Lanier

A mower cutting unit lift system includes a rotary motor connected to a power supply and turning an output shaft connected to a bell crank. A flexible link between the bell crank and a lift arm is used to lift a cutting unit to a transport position if the rotary motor turns the output shaft and the bell crank in a first direction, and lower the cutting unit to a mowing position if the rotary motor turns the output shaft and the bell crank in a second direction.

Mower cutting unit lift system with flexible link

An adjustable lift rate system on a grass mowing machine such as a riding greensmower having a lift and lower circuit including a plurality of hydraulic lift cylinders to lift and lower a plurality of cutting units, and a controller providing a current to a proportional solenoid valve to bypass the hydraulic lift cylinders. An operator control may be used to adjust the current to the proportional solenoid valve to adjust the lift and lower rate of the cutting units.

Adjustable lift rate system for grass mowing machine

A hydraulic leak detection system includes a leak detection switch responsive to a level of hydraulic fluid in a tank used by a hydraulic mowing circuit and a lift and lower circuit of a grass mowing machine. The system includes a controller that activates a warning indicator if the leak detection switch indicates the level of hydraulic fluid in the tank is low, but allows the hydraulic mowing circuit and the lift and lower circuit to continue operating until the lift and lower circuit reaches a fully raised position. A solenoid valve may control the level of hydraulic fluid in the tank based on temperature of the hydraulic fluid.

Mower hydraulic leak detection system

An adaptive engine speed control system for a grass mowing machine having an internal combustion engine, a hydrostatic traction drive circuit and a hydraulic mowing circuit for operating a plurality of cutting units. A controller provides a traction feedback output signal if the grass mowing machine is moving at an actual ground speed that is below a pedal based desired ground speed, and uses the traction feedback output signal to command the internal combustion engine to an increased speed above a pedal based engine speed control range.

Adaptive engine speed control system

A pair of reel mower cutting unit steering limiters including a pair of pivoting members that may be independently pivoted between an engaged position providing a full range of steering of a reel mower cutting unit in a first direction on a vertical yaw axis, and a disengaged position reducing the steering of the reel mower cutting unit in the first direction. The maximum steering angle may be independently adjustable in each direction.

Reel mower cutting unit steering limiters

A triplex greensmower open foot platform provides an opening in front of an operator seat providing visibility from the operator seat to a center reel cutting unit. The opening has sufficient dimensions for removal or installation of the center reel cutting unit or a grass catcher therethrough. A pair of platform sections provides a perimeter at least partially around the opening. Each of the platform sections including a footrest and a rearwardly extending coupling that is manually removable from the triplex greensmower.

Triplex greensmower open foot platform

A triplex greensmower lift system includes a yoke mount attached to a reel cutting unit forwardly and below a center of gravity of the reel cutting unit, an upper lift arm attached to the yoke mount and extending rearwardly behind the reel cutting unit to a horizontal pivot axis on a lower lift arm located at a height between a top of the reel cutting unit and the center of gravity of the reel cutting unit, and a spring connected to the upper lift arm and biasing the upper lift arm upwardly and rearwardly to reduce ground pressure on the reel cutting unit.

Triplex greensmower lift system

A grass mowing machine has a plurality of cutting units, and a diverter valve diverting hydraulic flow from a raise/lower sub-circuit to a mowing sub-circuit when the engine runs at a reduced or economy mode speed and the cutting units are at the lowered position.

Grass mowing machine with hydraulic circuit having diverter valve

A reel mower grass catcher carrier includes a bail having side rods under the left and right sides of a grass catcher, a front link having an inverted U-shape and having connected to the left and right side rods and a central portion extending forwardly in front of the grass catcher, and a hanger extending forwardly over the grass catcher and connected to the central portion of the front link. The grass catcher can be installed or removed from the side of the carrier while the bail, front link and hanger stay connected together.

Reel mower grass catcher carrier

A height of cut adjuster for a reel mower cutting unit with a removable attachment includes a front roller with a shaft positionable in front of the cutting reel axis, and a roller bracket assembly having a bottom bracket removably attached to a top bracket to provide a gap therebetween where the front roller shaft is held. The roller bracket assembly may be pivoted, and the top bracket may be connected to the bottom bracket in a different position further from the cutting reel, so that an attachment such as a conditioner may be installed between the front roller and the cutting reel.

Height of cut adjuster assembly for reel mower cutting unit with removable attachment

A reel mower cutting unit having a cutting reel with a horizontal axis is supported by a front roller and a rear roller in a mowing position. A lift arm may raise and lower the cutting reel between a mowing position and a transport position. A pair of gauge wheels are mounted forwardly of the front roller at a front left corner and a right front corner of the unit. If the unit is lowered to a sloped surface, the gauge wheel contacts the surface and prevents the unit from marking or damaging the turf.

Reel mower cutting unit with gauge wheels

An auxiliary drive mounted to a reel mower cutting unit includes a cutting reel shaft rotated by a motor and having a horizontal axis, an auxiliary drive housing positioned adjacent the reel mower cutting unit and pivotable on the axis of the cutting reel shaft, an auxiliary drive input shaft engaged to the cutting reel shaft, and an auxiliary drive output shaft coaxially engaged to an end of an attachment outside the auxiliary drive housing by inserting one of the auxiliary drive output shaft and the attachment end through a collet and tightening a nut over the collet. A transverse pin in one of the output shaft and the attachment end may be engaged by a split end in the other of the output shaft and the attachment end.

Auxiliary drive shaft connection on reel mower cutting unit

An auxiliary drive mounted to a reel mower cutting unit includes an auxiliary drive housing with an input shaft rotated by the reel mower cutting unit, an output shaft for rotating an attachment, and a belt transmitting rotational power from the input shaft to the output shaft. An eccentric bearing housing is positioned in an opening in the auxiliary drive housing. The output shaft is inserted through a bore in the eccentric bearing housing that is offset from the center of the eccentric bearing housing. The eccentric bearing housing may be rotated within the opening to tighten the belt by shifting the position of the output shaft with respect to the input shaft.

Belt tensioning mechanism for auxiliary drive on reel mower cutting unit

A roller configuration for a grass mowing machine is provided to reduce roller overlap marks. The roller configuration may be used on a grass mowing machine having a first row of cutting units and a second row of cutting units. Each cutting unit has a roller with a reduced diameter portion adjacent a full diameter end portion. The full diameter end portions of the rollers on the first row of cutting units are aligned with the reduced diameter portions of the rollers on the second row of cutting units during mowing operations, and the reduced diameter portions of the rollers on the first row of cutting units aligned with the full diameter end portions of the rollers on the second row of cutting units during mowing operations.

Roller configuration having reduced overlap for a grass mowing machine

A bedknife assembly for a reel mower cutting unit includes a cutting reel rotatably mounted to a frame, and a bedknife mounted to a bedknife support pivotally mounted to the frame in either a first position having a first pivot axis closer to the ground surface, or a second position having a second pivot axis further from the ground surface. The first pivot axis is further from the central axis of the cutting reel than the second pivot axis is from the central axis. The adjustable pivot axis may include a pair of eccentric pivot bushings mounted to the frame in either the first position or the second position. The adjustable pivot axis permits adjustment of the reel-to-bedknife gap after the reel is worn and its diameter is reduced, without dragging the bedknife on the turf, and extends the useful life of a cutting reel by increasing the adjustment range of the bedknife assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Fuquay-Varina, NC, United States of America

Brent Gordon Rinholm