Turf groomer for natural and artificial turf surfaces

摘要

A groomer for turf surfaces includes a groomer frame that mounts a first style of grooming brush for use on an artificial turf surface and a second style of grooming brush for use on a natural turf surface. The first style of grooming brush comprises a brush formed by spaced brush walls with each brush wall having a substantially single row of brush bristles with no bristles being placed between the brush walls. The second style of grooming brush is that similar to a push broom where the brush bristles are packed across the width of the brush head. When configured for artificial turf surfaces, a front row of scarifying spring tines helps the trailing brushes to level out the infill material and the attitude of the groomer frame can be tilted tail down to put more downpressure on the infill material. A debris remover attached to the rear of the frame can pick up and hold metallic debris that is often found in the turf surface.

主权项

1. A groomer for use in grooming an artificial turf surface having a backing material that is laid atop the ground with the backing material having upstanding ribbons of artificial fibers that resemble blades of grass, the backing material having granular or particulate infill material placed atop the backing material to substantially fill in the spaces between the artificial fibers, which comprises:
(a) a groomer frame which is movable over the artificial turf surface to traverse the artificial turf surface, the groomer frame having a front and a rear taken with respect to a forward direction of motion of the groomer frame over the artificial turf surface; (b) at least one grooming brush carried on the groomer frame in a substantially static manner and depending downwardly from the groomer frame with the grooming brush during a grooming operation extending down at least partially into and substantially continuously engaging with the infill material of the artificial turf surface as the groomer frame traverses the artificial turf surface during the grooming operation, wherein the grooming brush extends at least partially laterally relative to the forward direction of motion of the groomer frame, and wherein the grooming brush comprises:
(i) a first brush wall comprising a substantially single row of brush bristles with top ends of the brush bristles being substantially closely packed together and with lower portions of the brush bristles fanning out as the brush bristles extend downwardly from their packed together top ends; and(ii) a second brush wall which is substantially identical to the first brush wall and which is parallel to but spaced away from the first brush wall by a gap, wherein the gap between the brush walls is large enough so that the first and second brush walls act substantially independently of one another on the infill material.