Adjustable handle assembly for walk-behind garden implement

Abstract

A walk-behind garden implement including a wheel-supported frame carrying a horizontal base member. A handle extends upwardly and rearwardly from the base member for manual guidance. A yoke of U-shaped cross section is interposed between the handle and base member. The lower end of the handle is pivoted between the side walls of the yoke for adjustment of angular elevation. The bottom wall of the yoke has a vertically extending pivot connection for side-to-side, or azimuthal, adjustment of the handle. The handle carries an arcuately arranged set of spaced recesses at its lower end and the base member is also formed with a set of recesses. A first latching member pivoted in the yoke has an upwardly projecting tooth for holding the handle rigidly at a selected elevation. A second latching member pivoted in the yoke has a downwardly projecting tooth for engaging one of the recesses in the base member so that the handle is held rigidly at a selected azimuth. The latching members are pivoted for rocking movement about a common horizontally extending axis in scissoring relation so that their adjacent outwardly presented ends move vertically in opposite directions as the latch members are engaged and disengaged. A single manually operated releasing member is coupled to the latching members for temporarily moving the same to their disengaged positions for adjustment purposes. In an alternate embodiment the latching members are embodied in a single centrally pivoted lever.