Outboard Marine Corporation

Ronald M Stolley

Loren F Hansen

John E Hicks

Richard E Pearce

The riding lawn mower includes a prime mover supported on wheels for movement over the ground, a blade housing carrying one or more cutter blades and having leading and trailing end portions, one or more ground engaging wheels partially supporting the blade housing for gaging the distance the leading end portion of the blade housing travels above the ground, and a suspension system mounting the trailing end portion of the blade housing on the front end of the prime mover and arranged to transfer a portion of the weight of the blade housing to the prime mover so that the prime mover front wheels gage the distance and trailing end portion of the blade housing travels above the ground. The suspension system includes one or more longitudinally extending push arms, a mount pivotally mounting one end of each push arm on the prime mover for pivotal movement of the push arm relative to the prime mover about a first generally horizontal axis, and a mount pivotally mounting the other end of each push arm on the trailing end portion of the blade housing for permitting upward pivotal movement of the trailing end portion of the blade housing relative to the push arm about a second generally horizontal axis and for limiting downward pivotal movement of the trailing end portion relative to the push arm about the second axis and thereby controlling the minimum distance the trailing end portion travels above the ground.

Blade housing mount for riding mowers

A lawn mower comprises a housing enclosing a rotary cutting blade. The housing includes a continuous sidewall having therein a side grass discharge opening and a top wall extending from the sidewall and having therein a top grass discharge opening. A deflector is located on the housing adjacent to the side discharged opening and is operative for movement between an open position permitting the escape of grass clippings through the side discharge opening and a closed position blocking the escape of grass clippings through the side discharge opening. The deflector is biased toward the open position. A grass discharge chute is detachably attached on the housing in communication with the top discharge opening. The chute includes a tab member which engages the deflector and moves the deflector from its open position to its closed position against the action of the bias during attachment of the grass discharge chute on the housing. The tab member also maintains the deflector in its closed position against the action of the bias when the grass discharge chute is attached on the housing.

Grass discharge chute deflector for rotary lawn mower

Disclosed herein is a self-propelled vehicle for transporting personnel and/or small cargoes including a seat for the driver and a cargo-carrying bed or floor located rearwardly of the seat. The floor includes a stationary, generally flat first platform and a movable section including a generally flat second platform and a rear wall member extending generally perpendicular to the second platform. The movable floor section is supported from the rear portion of the vehicle frame for selective pivotal movement between a raised or cargo-carrying position where the second platform is generally coplanar with the first platform and the rear wall member serves to confine cargo on the floor and a lowered or passenger-carrying position where the rear wall member can serve as a step for a passenger to step up and sit on the stationary platform and also serve as a foot rest for a rearward-facing passenger(s) sitting on the stationary platform. The movable floor section is releasably held in the raised position by a pair of laterally spaced arms, each of which, at the outer end, is pivotally supported from the movable floor section and, at the inner end, is provided with a detent notch which is biased into releasable engagement with a pin located on the vehicle frame beneath the stationary platform by a spring connected between the inner end of the arm and the vehicle frame.

Vehicle with convertible step and foot rest

Disclosed herein is a vehicle which is particularly adaptable for transporting palletized loads from one location to another and which includes a chassis, a steering and traction unit mounted on the rear portion of the chassis, and a pair of laterally spaced, generally horizontal side frame members which extend from the front end of the chassis and have a free end. The side frame members are sufficiently spaced apart to straddle the load to be transported and each is supported by a ground-engaging front wheel located near the free end thereof. A load-lifting frame, including a pair of laterally spaced forks which can be inserted into a pallet, is disposed between the side frame members and is pivotally connected to the front end of the chassis by a linkage arrangement which is arranged so that the load-lifting frame is automatically tilted rearwardly as the load-lifting frame is moved from a lowered position to a raised or transporting position by a lift mechanism connected between the chassis and the load-lifting frame.

Growing community of inventors

Lincoln, NE, United States of America

Ronald M Stolley