Deere + Company

Richard David Thier

Ronald Lee Reichen

Brent Gordon Rinholm

Mark Alvin Schmidt

Eric Alan Poulson

John Michael Flenniken

Donald Lewis Cripps

Phillip Orland Swenson

Donald Emil Niosi

Kenneth Edward Hunt

David Lawrence Phillips

Sanjeev M Hallale

Christopher Scott Thorman

Carl Steven Silbernagel

Tracy T Lanier

Mitchel R Torrie

Michael Joseph Buchheit

James Edward Muse

Daniel R Schneider

James E Roach

Ezekiel A Susman

Truluck Tillman Ammons, Iii

Howard V Speer

Brent Gordon Rinhoim

J M Flenniken

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 user interface and control system for adjusting the reel of a cutting reel unit includes a frame supported by at least one support element that is supported on, and is movable along, the ground. The system also includes a cutting reel, a bedknife, first and second actuators, a controller, and an operator input station, all carried on the frame. The reel and bedknife define a cutting line therebetween. The first actuator is adjustable to set a clearance between the reel and the bedknife. The second actuator is operatively connected between the frame and the bedknife to adjust the elevation of the cutting line to set a height-of-cut of the cutting reel. The controller is signal-connected to the first and second actuators, to adjust the actuators. The operator input station is signal-connected to the controller, the operator input station including a keypad portion and a display portion, wherein the clearance and the height-of-cut are indicated on the display portion and the clearance and the height-of-cut can be selectively changed via the controller by operator input to the keypad portion.

User interface and control for cutting reel system

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 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.

Adjustable pivot axis for bedknife assembly

An auxiliary drive mounted to a reel mower cutting unit includes an auxiliary drive input shaft engageable to a cutting reel shaft of the reel mower cutting unit. The auxiliary drive transmits rotational power to an attachment rotatably mounted to the reel mower cutting unit. The auxiliary drive has a housing with a flange positionable on a boss concentric with the cutting reel shaft. A plurality of holes extend through the flange, and a circumferential groove extends at least partially around the boss. A retaining clip is inserted through the holes in the flange and into the circumferential groove to axially retain the auxiliary drive housing to the boss while allowing the auxiliary drive housing to pivot on the cutting reel shaft.

Auxiliary drive mounted to reel mower cutting unit

A height of cut adjustment system for a reel type grass cutting unit includes adjustment screw mechanisms mounted at each corner of the cutting unit. Linkages between the adjustment screw mechanisms permit driving all of the adjustment screw mechanisms synchronously from a single adjustment point to change the cutting height. The linkages may be worm gear drives or other mechanical linkages.

Height of cut adjustment system for reel mower

A control system for a cutting reel unit includes a height-of-cut adjusting system and a reel-to-bedknife clearance adjusting system. The height-of-cut adjusting system includes a first frame; a second frame; a cutting reel supported by the second frame; a bedknife arranged adjacent to the cutting reel and supported by the second frame; at least one support element arranged to translate along the ground and arranged to support the first frame; and at least one first actuator connected between the first frame and the second frame and arranged to adjust the relative elevation of the second frame with respect to the first frame. The reel-to-bedknife clearance adjusting system includes at least one second actuator operatively connected between the reel and the second frame and a sound detector.

Cutting reel adjusting system

A control system for a cutting reel unit includes a reel-to-bedknife clearance adjusting system. The reel-to-bedknife clearance adjusting system includes at least one actuator operatively connected between the reel and the bedknife, and a sound detector. A controller is signal-connected to the actuator and the sound detector and coordinates the reel-to-bedknife clearance adjustment. During adjustment, reel-to-bedknife clearance is reduced by the actuator until a contact sound between the reel blades and the bedknife is detected and signaled to the controller, which then reverses the actuator and increases the clearance by a pre-selected precise amount.

Method and apparatus for setting and maintaining reel-to-bedknife clearance

A system adjusts the height-of-cut of a cutting reel unit. The system includes a cutting reel; a first frame supported on at least one support element that is supported on, and is movable along, the ground; and a second frame supporting the cutting reel. The system further includes an actuator that has a first portion connected to the first frame and a second portion connected to the second frame, wherein a distance between the first and second portions is adjustable. The actuator includes a motive mechanism that is activated to adjust the distance. The system can include at least one strut pivotally connected to the first frame and pivotally connected to the second frame on a second side of the second frame opposite to the first side. The strut extends between the first frame and the second frame. The strut defines the rotation of the second frame with respect to the first frame as the relative elevation of the second frame is adjusted with respect to the first frame.

Height-of-cut adjustment system for reel mower

A bedknife adjustment device includes a double legged bracket which supports a threaded rod, and a compression spring abuts one leg of the bracket for removing play from the linkage at both ends of the threaded rod. A nut positioned between the legs of the bracket can be tightened on the threaded rod for further compressing the compression spring to thereby remove the force of the spring from the linkage to allow the linkage to be easily swung out to a service position.

Bedknife adjustment linkage

A trailer adapted for transporting a pair of walkbehind greensmowers, having a first bracket which receives the first greensmower's front roller for blocking forward or upward movement of the first greensmower's front roller, at least one first rear arm pivotally coupled with the trailer and pivotable to a lowered position beneath the trailer floor whereat clearance is provided for the first greensmower to be rolled into position on the floor of the trailer, the first rear arm also being pivotable to a raised position whereat the first rear arm is abutable with a rear portion of the first greensmower for blocking the first greensmower from shifting rearwardly. A second bracket is fixed to a first rear arm for pivotal motion therewith, and is positioned behind the first greensmower for receiving the second greensmower's front roller for blocking forward and upward movement of the second greensmower's front roller. A second rear arm is pivotable between a lowered position beneath the trailer floor for providing clearance for the first and second greensmower to be rolled into position on the floor of the trailer, and a raised position whereat the second rear arm is abutable with a rear portion of the second greensmower for blocking the second greensmower from shifting rearwardly. First and second levers are engagable by an operator for swinging the respective first and second rear arms between their raised and lowered positions. A pivotable ramp is operatively coupled with the second lever for pivoting between raised and lowered positions as the second lever swings the second rear arm between raised and lowered positions.

Greensmower trailer

An engine mounting structure is provided for use with a turf care machine such as a greens mower. Single cylinder engines, such as are used on greens mowers and similar turf care cutting machines, generate significant vibration. Greens mowers and which are used for finish cutting lose cut quality and precision with excessive vibration. To reduce vibration, an improved mounting structure includes resilient mounts to support the rear portion of the engine on the machine frame. To avoid belt misalignment between the engine drive pulley and the driven pulley powering the cutting reel, which can occur when resiliently mounting an engine, the forward portion of the engine is rigidly secured to the machine frame.

Growing community of inventors

Juneau, WI, United States of America

Richard David Thier