Kubota Corporation

Junichi Kitamura

Kazuo Samejima

Yoshio Tomiyama

Yoshikazu Togoshi

Koji Fujiwara

Osami Fujiwara

Yoshiyuki Esaki

Yoshihiro Kawahara

Hironori Tsuchihashi

Teruo Shimamura

Hiroshi Oshima

Masatoshi Yamaguchi

Hirofumi Sadakane

Matsuo Tachibana

Hideya Umemoto

Masatake Murakawa

Junji Miyata

Hideo Okura

Yoshiaki Matsuda

Colin Fulford

A mulching mower unit comprising a mower deck having a top plate, and a plurality of rotary blades arranged side by side inside the mower deck. A mulching baffle for providing at least part of boundary walls of a plurality of mulching chambers is detachably attached to the interior of the mower deck. A vertical guide wall constituting the mulching baffle has an inclined surface. A terminal end guide surface is formed in a terminal end portion of the vertical guide wall with respect to a direction of rotation of the rotary blade in a region around an opening for allowing the adjacent mulching chambers to communicate with each other, whereby grass clippings are deflected inwardly of the mulching chamber with which the terminal end guide surface is associated.

Mulching mower unit

A reel-type cutting unit including a reel blade for cutting grass in cooperation with a fixed blade. The reel blade is rotatable about a horizontal axis extending transversely of a vehicle body, to move from front to rear relative to the fixed blade with respect to a forward traveling direction of the vehicle body. The cutting unit has a main case surrounding the reel blade to define a space for carrying grass clippings in a rotating direction of the reel blade to a top level of the reel blade. A guide member is connected to the main case for receiving the grass clippings carried to the top level. The guide member defines a grass receiving space having a grass discharge opening. The grass discharge opening is connected to a grass catcher through a duct.

Reel mower apparatus

A lawn tractor includes a vehicle body, a center reel-type cutting unit, and side reel-type cutting units arranged laterally of the center reel-type cutting unit with respect to a moving direction of the vehicle body, wherein a cutting track by the center reel-type cutting unit and cutting tracks by the side reel-type cutting units partly overlap one another. A first lift mechanism vertically movably connects the center reel-type cutting unit to the vehicle body, wherein the first lift mechanism is operable to raise and lower the center reel-type cutting unit without displacing the center reel-type cutting unit transversely of the moving direction. Second lift mechanisms vertically movably connect the side reel-type cutting units to the vehicle body, respectively, wherein the second lift mechanisms are operable to raise and lower the side reel-type cutting units without displacing the side reel-type cutting units transversely of the moving direction.

Lift mechanism for reel-type cutting units

A reel mower having side reel mower units and a center reel mower unit connected to a vehicle body to be vertically movable between a lower position for a grass cutting operation and an upper position for a non-operational run. The side reel mower units and center reel mower unit have reels driven by reel drives under control of a control mechanism. A forcible stopping device is provided for forcibly stopping the reel drives of the reel mower units with priority over control of the reel drives by the control mechanism when the side reel mower units and center reel mower unit are all in the upper positions.

Reel mower

A lawn mower for use both as walking operator type and riding type, having a grass cutting unit, an engine located rearwardly thereof, a driver's seat located above the engine, a floor step located over the grass cutting unit to be movable between an open position and a closed position, and right and left rear wheels driven by the engine. The rear wheels have respective stepless transmissions operable independently of each other to transmit engine drive in different speeds to the rear wheels. These transmissions are operable by shift levers located on opposite sides of the driver's seat when the lawn mower is used as the riding type, and by control levers extending rearwardly of the driver's seat when the lawn mower is used as the walking operator type.

Lawn mower for use both as riding and walking operator type

A lawn mower for use in a walking mode and a riding mode, having a chassis frame, an engine mounted on a rearward position of the chassis frame, front wheels, driven rear wheels, transmissions for transmitting drive from the engine to the rear wheels after varying speed of the drive, a grass cutting unit suspended from the chassis frame, a driver's seat mounted on the chassis frame, and a handle post supporting control levers for controlling the transmissions. The handle post is pivotable between a first position for the walking mode in which the control levers are disposed rearwardly of the chassis frame, and a second position for the riding mode in which the control levers are disposed adjacent the driver's seat. The handle post includes a vertical post portion extending laterally of the lawn mower, and a horizontal post portion curved from the vertical post portion to extend transversely of the lawn mower. The control levers are provided on the horizontal post portion.

Lawn mower having a steering handle switchable between a walking mode

A walking operator type lawn mower having stepless transmissions allocated to right and left rear wheels for changing speed of engine drive and outputting the drive to the right and left rear wheels, respectively, whereby the right and left rear wheels may be driven at different speeds. Right and left control members operable by a speed control lever frictionally fixable to a selected position are interlocked to change speed arms through springs, respectively. The change speed arms are pivotable, following operation of the shift levers, for controlling change speed rates of the stepless transmissions. The change speed arms are also operable by a pair of right and left auxiliary levers to move toward a backward drive position regardless of speed setting position of the speed control lever. A constant speed straight cruising run is obtained by retaining the speed control lever in a selected position to operate the change speed arms of the right and left transmissions substantially the same amount. In this state, one of the right and left auxiliary levers may be operated to shift the corresponding change speed arm from the selected speed position to a different speed position, e.g. to a lower speed position or to a backward drive position, thereby realizing a desired turning mode.

Transmission system capable of driving right and left drive wheels at

A lawn mower controllable by a walking operator and having two control levers each for controlling a brake and a propelling clutch. Each control lever is pivotable to a 'run' position to engage the clutch and render the brake inoperative, a 'neutral' position to disengage the clutch and render the brake inoperative, and a 'stop' position to disengage the clutch and operate the brake. Each control lever is constantly urged to the 'stop' position by a spring. The lawn mower further includes a locking lever for maintaining the control levers in the respective 'neutral' positions and 'stop' positions. The lawn mower is driven by an engine to engage in a grass cutting operation with the control levers maintained in the 'run' positions by the urging springs. The operator may push the mower to engage in a grass cutting operation with the control levers maintained in the 'neutral' positions by the locking lever. When the control levers are locked to the 'stop' positions by the locking lever, the lawn mower is stopped to allow the operator to engage in a different operation.

Working vehicle controllable by walking operator and having

A blower for transporting grass clippings from a grass cutting unit to a grass catcher of a lawn mower comprises a housing with a protective liner extending over peripheral inside walls thereof. The liner includes a lining material formed of an elastic resin, and a core formed of a plastically deformable metal and embedded in the lining material.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Junichi Kitamura