REEL MOWER

摘要

A reel mower has a double A arm suspension that lowers a reel cutting unit into a cutting position in a tail down orientation and that levels the reel cutting unit out as it lifts the reel cutting unit into a transport position. The reel cutting unit yaws during turns about a substantially vertical axis having a negative caster angle. The suspension has clamps that can be flipped open or closed to quickly attach or detach the reel cutting unit. A drive motor can be quickly attached or detached to the reel cutting unit using a pivotal wire form. An active counterbalance system automatically offsets the increasing weight of a grass basket on the reel cutting unit to maintain quality of cut. The grass basket maintains a constant spacing relative to the reel cutting unit when the reel cutting unit pitches to improve clipping collection.

主权项

1. A reel mower for cutting grass, which comprises:
(a) a mower frame supported for rolling over the ground; (b) a power source carried on the mower frame; (c) a reel cutting unit carried on the mower frame, which comprises:
(i) a cutting unit frame;(ii) a reel rotatable on the cutting unit frame about a substantially horizontal axis;(iii) a bedknife on the cutting unit frame cooperating with the reel to shear standing grass between the bedknife and the reel as the reel rotates to cut the grass; and(iv) at least one ground engaging roller for supporting the cutting unit frame for rolling over the ground during operation of the reel mower as the reel cutting unit cuts grass; and (d) a suspension for operatively connecting the reel cutting unit to the mower frame, wherein the suspension includes:
(i) a plurality of transversely spaced, pivotal clamps that tightly clamp the reel cutting unit against a remaining portion of the suspension when the clamps are tightened to thereby releasably attach the reel cutting unit to the remaining portion of the suspension; and(ii) a tab or finger that can be moved back and forth manually by an operator in opposite directions to loosen and tighten each pivotal clamp without using a tool to thereby allow the reel cutting unit to be quickly detached from and attached to the remaining portion of the suspension, respectively.