Portable hand-held blower unit

Abstract

A portable, hand-held blower unit is powered by a small internal combustion engine having movable choke and throttle control elements linked to a single adjustment knob. Rotation of the knob between full throttle and full choke positions thereof simultaneously adjusts the engine's throttle and choke settings and maintains predetermined engine start and run positional relationships therebetween. The engine carburetor has mounted thereon a specially designed air intake box which substantially reduces engine air intake noise. In the normal operating position of the unit the engine drive shaft is generally vertically oriented, with the carburetor being secured to the top of the engine and the underside of the air intake box. The lower end of the drive shaft is coaxially secured to the unit's blower fan impeller which is spaced upwardly apart from a pull rope starter pulley rotatably carried by the fan impeller housing. When the starter rope is pulled, a toothed pinion member carried by the starter pulley is moved upwardly into rotationally driving engagement with a central toothed portion of the fan impeller to effect engine starting. Upon starter rope release, the pinion member is automatically moved downwardly out of driving engagement with the fan impeller.