Outboard Marine Corporation

Gerald H Wick

Ronald B Lloyd

A lawn mower including a blade housing supporting a prime mover which drives a cutter blade. The prime mover causes rotation of a drive shaft and a clutch driven by the drive shaft is engagable and disengagable with the cutter blade. A handle is connected to the housing and a control is pivotally attached to the handle. The lawn mower further includes an arrangement operable to permit the engagement and disengagement of the clutch by the pivotal movement of the dead man control. This arrangement includes a flexible member connecting the control and the clutch and an arrangement restricting a substantial portion of the flexible member to a predetermined path along the handle. The restricting arrangement includes a pulley rotatably attached to the handle between the control and the housing and the flexible member is guided around the pulley. In one embodiment, the mower includes a mower propelling arrangement and an upper handle is movably attached to a guiding handle. A link connects the upper handle to the mower propelling arrangement and the link is movable in response to movement of the upper handle to cause engagement of the mower propelling arrangement. The self-propelled lawn mower has the control movably attached to the upper handle and the pulley has a periphery generally adjacent the attachment of the upper handle to the guiding handle so the upper handle and control can be operated independently.

Lawn mower dead man control

A lawn mower including a blade housing supporting a prime mover which drives a cutter blade. The prime mover causes rotation of a drive shaft and a clutch driven by the drive shaft is engagable and disengagable with the cutter blade. A handle is connected to the housing and a dead man control is pivotally attached to the handle. The lawn mower further includes an arrangement operable to permit the engagement and disengagement of the clutch means by the pivotal movement of the dead man control. This arrangement includes a flexible member connecting the dead man control and the clutch and an arrangement restricting a substantial portion of the flexible member to a predetermined path along the handle. The restricting arrangement includes a pulley rotatably attached to the handle between the dead man control and the housing and the flexible member is guided around the pulley. In one embodiment, the mower is self-propelled and includes wheels connected to the housing to support travel of the housing over the ground. The mower also includes a mower propelling arrangement engagable with the wheels. An upper handle is movably attached to a guiding handle and a link connects the upper handle to the mower propelling arrangement. The link is movable in response to movement of the upper handle to cause engagement of the mower propelling arrangement. The self-propelled lawn mower has the dead man control movably attached to the upper handle and the pulley has a periphery generally adjacent the attachment of the upper handle to the guiding handle so the upper handle and dead man control can be operated independently.

Disclosed herein is a combined clutch and brake comprising a drive assembly including a driving member rotatable about an axis and a driving disk fixedly extending on the driving member for common rotation therewith and against axial movement therebetween, a driven assembly mounted on the drive assembly for relative rotation therebetween and against axial movement of the driven assembly, a ring member located in encircling relation to the driving member between the disk and the driven assembly and including an upper surface having an annular friction pad including a radially inner portion in facing relation to the disk and a radially outer portion, a spring biasing the ring axially towards the disk for driving engagement by the disk with the inner portion of the friction pad, a brake member fixed against rotary movement and movable axially between a retracted position and a braking position engaged with the outer portion of the friction pad so as to disengage the ring from the disk against the action of the spring and so as to prevent rotation of the ring, and a coupling connecting the ring and the driven assembly for common rotation thereof and for relative axial movement therebetween, which coupling comprising one or more studs extending from the ring in parallel relation to the rotary axis in the direction away from the disk, and in radially outward relation from the spring and a corresponding one or more fingers extending fixedly from the driven assembly and including apertures receiving the studs to afford common rotary movement therewith and relative axial movement therebetween.

Lawn mower brake and clutch device

The internal combustion engine for a lawn mower or the like includes a carburetor, a throttle member or plate disposed in the carburetor throat and movable between an open position and a flow restricting position, a rotatable shaft carrying the throttle plate and connected to a movable air vane, an engine fan, such as a finned flywheel, for blowing air against the air vane and urging the throttle plate toward a flow restricting position, a torsion spring encircling the throttle shaft with a first end connected thereto for biasing the throttle plate toward the open position and adjustment means connected to the spring for adjusting the biasing force of the spring on the throttle plate. The adjustment means includes a speed control member or lever connected to the second end of the spring and mounted remotely from the throttle shaft for reciprocative movement in a direction transversely of the rotational axis of the throttle shaft between first and second spring force level positions. The adjustment means also includes a collar surrounding the throttle shaft and connected to the first end of the spring and interlocking means on the air vane and on the collar for effecting common rotation of the air vane and collar and for releasably permitting rotation of the collar relative to the air vane for adjusting the biasing force of the spring on the throttle plate.

Air vane governor for internal combustion engine

Disclosed herein is a lawn mower including a blade housing, wheels for supporting the blade housing for movement along the ground, a rotary blade supported in the blade housing, and an internal combustion engine supported by the blade housing and rotatably driving the blade. The internal combustion engine includes a carburetor, a movable throttle control for controlling fluid flow through the carburetor, the throttle control being movable from an open position to a flow restricting position, a movable air vane connected to the throttle control for moving the throttle control, and a fan for forcing air against the air vane and for urging the throttle control to the flow restricting position. The engine further includes a spring connected to the throttle control for urging the throttle control to the open position, and a control member connected to the spring, the control member being movable between a first spring force level position and a second spring force level position for varying the force of the spring on the throttle control.

Air vane carburetor with adjustable speed

Disclosed herein is a lawn mower comprising a cutter blade housing supported for movement along the ground, a cutter blade assembly including a cutter blade, and a gear housing fixed to the cutter blade and including therein a first pinion and a second pinion in mesh with the first pinion, a drive shaft extending into the gear box and having fixed thereon the first pinion, and mechanism mounting the second pinion in the gear box about a rotary axis fixed with respect to the gear box, which mechanism is operable to selectively prevent and permit rotation of the pinion relative to the gear box.

Lawn mower planetary gear blade clutch and brake

Disclosed herein is a lawn mower comprising a blade housing supported for travel over the ground, a drive shaft mounted for rotation by the blade housing and including thereon a clutch drum, an engine drivingly connected to the drive shaft for rotation thereof, a cutter blade located in the blade housing and mounted for rotation coaxially with and relative to the drive shaft, a clutch shoe connected to the cutter blade for common rotation therewith and for movement relative to a position of engagement with the clutch drum, a spring urging the clutch shoe into the position of engagement, a brake surface fixed to the clutch shoe, and a brake member movable between a first position wherein the brake member is spaced from the brake surface, and a second position wherein the brake member engages the brake surface to brake rotation of the cutter blade and to displace the clutch shoe from the position of engagement against the action of the spring.

Growing community of inventors

Galesburg, IL, United States of America

Gerald H Wick