The Toro Company

Other

Daniel Mark Treu

Thomas F Langworthy

Scott Michael Coffin

Benjamin A Street

Cal N Kosieracki

Gerald J Pomerening

Dennis J Berndt

Joseph P Thelen

Jack R Gust

Miguel Angel Pizano

A turf edger is attached to a traction unit in the form of a self-propelled turf grooming or working vehicle. The turf edger has a narrow U-shaped edging blade carried on an edger frame. The edging blade oscillates to cut and free a strip of material along a boundary between a turf surface and a non-turf surface. When this strip of material is brushed away, a clean edge is provided along the boundary without the need for any manual hoeing. Side walls of the edging blade at least partially nest around a ground engaging roller on the edger frame to more easily cut horizontal grass runners in the turf surface. The edger frame is selectively movable between a lowered edging position and a raised transport position by the operator. Limited ground following action is provided for the edger frame when the edger frame is in the edging position.

Turf edger for cutting a clean edge along a boundary between a turf surface and a soft non-turf surface

A reel gang mower has a row of front reel cutting units and a row of rear reel cutting units that cut an unbroken swath of grass in each pass. Each cutting unit is connected for propulsion to the mower frame by a four-bar linkage having front and rear pivot links that converge towards a focal point that establishes a virtual pull point through which propulsive force acts on the cutting unit. The rear pivot links can attach to the mower frame at a selected one of different attachment points to thereby longitudinally shift the pull point fore-and-aft relative to the center of gravity of the cutting unit, thus changing the fore-and-aft weight distribution. The rear cutting units in the gang can be configured to have a tail heavy weight distribution relative to the front cutting units to help eliminate marking in the overlap areas between the cutting units.

Reel gang mower having reel cutting units with adjustable pull point locations

A device ( ) for removing lint from a dryer lint screen ( ). Device ( ) preferably includes a trash container ( ) and a trash container lid ( ), the latter of which forms a slot ( ) for receiving the dryer lint screen ( ). Attached to the underside of lid ( ) adjacent slot ( ) are bristles ( ). Lint is removed from the lint screen ( ) by inserting it into slot ( ) and then withdrawing it. Bristles ( ) contact the lint and strip it off of screen ( ) as the screen is withdrawn from the slot ( ). The lint can then fall into trash container ( ) for subsequent disposal.

Method and apparatus for cleaning dryer lint screens

A mower includes a plurality of cutting units carried on a traction vehicle in a staggered and overlapped orientation to provide a cutting swath. The cutting units are rotary type cutting units having cut-outs at each front corner thereof to eliminate or reduce streaking between adjacent cutting units. In addition, each cutting unit has two spaced, ovately shaped ground engaging rollers adjacent each front corner. The ovately shaped rollers are positioned so that a tapered outer end of each roller points to the outside of the cutting unit with the broader, basal end of the roller being positioned closer to the longitudinal centerline of the cutting unit. Such rollers support the front of the cutting unit and allow the front of the cutting unit to roll over the ground.

Rotary cutting unit with ovate rollers and front corner cut-outs

A rotary cutting deck has a rear grass discharge outlet formed by a cut-away portion of the peripheral wall of the cutting chamber located in one or more rear quadrants of the cutting chamber. An annular grass discharge channel is formed between an inner concentric shroud and the peripheral wall of the cutting chamber with the rear grass discharge outlet opening into this channel. A grass deflecting ramp is located within the grass discharge channel with a front end of the ramp located in advance of the entrance to the rear grass discharge outlet and a rear end of the ramp located in one of the rear quadrants of the cutting chamber to be adjacent some portion of the rear discharge outlet. The grass deflecting ramp progressively lowers between its front and rear ends to deflect grass clippings generally downwardly towards the rear discharge outlet. The ramp can have a downwardly extending divider vane to promote more even side-to-side distribution of the grass clippings. A horizontal baffle can be provided on the lower edge of the peripheral wall of the cutting chamber in advance of the rear grass discharge outlet to minimize side streaking or dribbling of grass clippings.

Rear discharge rotary cutting deck for mower

A triplex trim mower ( ) including a vehicle ( ) having two front drive wheels ( ) and one rear steerable wheel ( ). Mounted generally forward of the front wheels ( ) are two reel-type cutting units ( ) laterally offset about the longitudinal axis ( ) of the vehicle ( ). Mounted between the front and rear wheels and substantially centered between the forward cutting units ( ) is a rear reel-type cutting unit ( ). A lateral support frame ( ) is incorporated into the main frame of traction vehicle ( ). The cutting units ( ) are supported by a lateral carrier frame ( ) which is slidably engaged to lateral support frame ( ) such that carrier frame ( ) can move laterally relative to support frame ( ). A hydraulic cylinder ( ) permits carrier frame ( ) to be laterally displaced under operator command. Second and third hydraulic cylinders ( ) permit cutting units ( ) to be moved between a transport position and an operating position. A single joystick ( ) permits the operator to control all aspects of cutting unit position including transport or operating position and lateral offset position. The reel-type cutting units ( and ) can be replaced with rotary cutting units ( and ).

Growing community of inventors

Eagan, MN, United States of America

Daniel Mark Treu