Unitized frame for a self-propelled lawn mower

摘要

A unitized frame for a self-propelled lawn mower and fabricated from stamped sheet steel and steel beams welded together. The frame includes a stamped sheet steel component having a forward end that includes an upwardly and forwardly inclined portion which forms an operator's footrest and having a pair of downwardly extending side portions formed integrally therewith to form front wheel axle supports. The sheet steel component also forms an intermediate stepped portion that forms a transmission mounting, and it also has a rearward stepped portion forming an engine mounting. The unitized frame also includes a rear wheel mounting member welded to and between the rear ends of the pair of steel beams; the rear wheels mounting member is of generally U-shaped cross-section fabricated sheet steel and on which can be pivotally mounted a pair of rear steerable wheels about a fore-and-aft extending axis. The frame also has sheet reinforcing gussets stamped into the downwardly extending opposite side portions of the frame and which act to reinforce the front wheel axle supports.