FR2728136A1 - Lawnmower grass cutting collection bin - Google Patents

Abstract

The lawnmower collection bin is in the shape of a tank with a top opening (8) for receiving the clippings. It has a main body (14) forming the front and a rear emptying shell (15) which forms a rear wall (13). The emptying shell is hinged on the main body about a horizontal spindle in its upper edge (16). The bin is mounted on lawnmower support arms (3), which can take two removable bins, by means of a slot (10) in its front wall, under an upper cover (5). A control lever (17) activated by the driver sitting on the lawnmower opens and closes the emptying shell. The main body has an upper peripheral edging (8) and the emptying shell is pivoted on its rear wall (19).

Description

DRAIN COLLECTOR
FOR SELF-RIDING MOWER WITH BIN SUPPORT
REMOVABLE, AND MOWER COMPRISING SUCH A BIN.

 The invention relates to a collecting tank for mowing residues for a lawn mower of the ride-on type, that is to say essentially consisting of a motor vehicle driven by a driver carried seated in a seat of the vehicle. The invention also relates to a ride-on mower equipped with such a container.

 There are two distinct types of ride-on mowers with a pickup device.

 Known mowers of the first type are equipped with a tubular support capable of receiving two removable rigid or flexible tubs, of small capacity (conventionally of the order of or less than 75 liters) to be able to be easily handled and carried at full load in view of their manual transport and their subsequent manual emptying by tilting. The mowing residues are brought by a lateral duct to a hinged cover extending above the support to cover the two removable trays. The tubular support comprises three parallel longitudinal horizontal tubes extending in a rearward jib, each tray being inserted between two tubes.

 Known mowers of the second type are equipped with a non-removable receptacle mounted integral with the frame of the mower. The capacity of the receptacle is conventionally greater than 150 liters, generally between 200 and 300 liters. The receptacle receives the mowing residues through a supply duct. It has a drain hull mounted on a metal structure hinged to a corresponding metal structure fixed to the frame of the mower. The shell can thus pivot around a horizontal axis passing through the middle part of the lateral faces of the receptacle. An articulated mechanism with connecting rods and levers allows the operator to control the emptying shell.

 Until now, it is considered that a ride-on mower must belong to one or the other of these two types, the choice having to be made by the user in an irreversible manner when acquiring the mower in according to his personal constraints of use.

 Despite these common prejudices and despite the apparent technical incompatibilities of the two types of collection devices (in the first type, the presence of two separate removable trays, of small size, and of the upper cover hinged on the chassis, a priori excludes the possibility and the advantage of equipping the device with a drainage system; in the second type, the presence of a specific fixed receptacle, its large capacity and the pivoting movements upwards of the draining shell, a priori exclude the possibility and advantage of making such a receptacle removable), the inventors have determined that it would be advantageous and possible to design a container which can be mounted, in particular in a removable manner, on a support for removable containers, but which furthermore is provided with a drainage device adapted to be able to be operated by a driver seated on the mower in the manner of the fixed receptacles of mowers of the second type mentioned above. Indeed, the two types being mutually exclusive, it is commonly accepted that distributors must have stocks for each type of ride-on mower, which is in itself a drawback.

 The invention therefore aims to provide a collection bin and a mower which allow the use or sale of the same mower equipped either with removable bins, or with a receptacle for emptying device which can be operated by the driver seated on the vehicle seat.

 The invention further aims to provide a tank and a mower which allow the mower to be fitted either with removable bins or with a receptacle for emptying device, and this instantaneously, without tools and without modification of the mower, its chassis or bin support.

 The invention further aims to provide a bin and a mower which jointly have the advantages of collection devices with removable bins and collection devices with fixed emptying receptacle, and this at a lower cost, in particular at a cost similar to that of front mowers.

 The invention further aims to provide a bin and a mower whose collection device is, whatever the configuration chosen, robust, simple, easy and safe to handle.

To do this, the invention relates to a lawn mower collection tank, characterized in combination in that
- it is generally in the form of a tank with an upper opening to collect mowing residues from above,
it comprises a main body defining at least one front part of the tank, and a rear draining shell completing the main body towards the rear by defining at least partially a rear wall of the tank,
the emptying shell has a horizontal upper free edge and is articulated to the main body about a horizontal axis passing at least substantially through a vertical plane containing its rear upper free edge,
- it is suitable to allow its compatible mounting on a mower support suitable for receiving two removable bins of portable type at full load, and under an upper cover for collecting mowing residues,
- It comprises means for maneuvering the drain shell adapted to be able to be actuated by a driver seated on the mower in order to control the opening and / or closing of the drain shell.

 According to the invention, the main body defines an upper peripheral belt delimiting the upper opening, and the drain shell is articulated to the rear wall of this belt. More particularly and according to the invention, the drain shell is articulated by its horizontal upper free edge transverse to the rear wall of the upper peripheral belt.

 A container according to the invention can be of the flexible type and provided with a metallic reinforcement and / or support structure, or of the rigid type, in particular of rigid synthetic material. Advantageously and according to the invention, the drain shell is rigid, forms at least in part the bottom of the tank, and has a front edge (that is to say delimiting the drain shell forward) coming against a posterior edge (that is to say delimiting the main body towards the rear) rigid of the main body.

 Advantageously and according to the invention, the main body defines at least the upper opening (upper peripheral belt), the front wall and all or part of the side walls of the tank, and the rear drain shell defines at least one part, in particular the major part- of the bottom and part or all of the side walls and the rear wall of the tank.

 Advantageously and according to the invention, a container according to the invention has a width corresponding to that of a mower support capable of receiving two traditional portable removable containers at full load not equipped with emptying device. In other words, the width of a container according to the invention is at least substantially around twice that of a removable portable container at full load, and of the order of the width of the rear part of the mower. . A container according to the invention thus has a width of between 0.8 and 2 m, in particular of the order of 1.5 m.

 The volume of a container according to 1 invention is advantageously greater than 100 liters, in particular of the order of 150 liters.

 Therefore, a container according to the invention is equipped with a draining device, is of the removable type (that is to say can be installed or removed instantly without tools), but is however not portable at full load.

 The shapes and dimensions of the upper opening of the container according to the invention correspond to those of the cover hinged on the mower above the support for which the container is intended, so that the mowing residues arriving inside the cover are collected in the tank until it is filled.

 The upper opening of the container, and more particularly its upper peripheral belt, are adapted to form a generally closed and sealed assembly for mowing residue with the cover hinged on the mower when the container is in place on the support and the cover is folded down on the tray.

 According to the invention, the means for operating the emptying shell comprise a rigid operating lever rigidly associated with and carried by the emptying shell (or its structure).

 According to the invention, the operating lever extends under the bottom of the emptying shell with which it is rigidly associated and, from the bottom, on one side of the tank, extending upwards and forwards, then is bent backwards and upwards.

 Advantageously and according to the invention, the container comprises means for locking the emptying shell in the closed position against the main body, and means for controlling the locking means by a driver seated on the mower.

 The invention also relates to a ride-on lawn mower comprising a support adapted to receive two removable portable collection bins at full load, characterized in that it comprises a container according to the invention, and in particular one and only one container according to the invention occupying the place of two removable portable containers on the support.

 The invention also relates to a container and a mower comprising in combination all or part of the characteristics mentioned above or below.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear better on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which refers to the appended figures in which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container and a mower according to the invention before mounting the container on the mower,
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container and a mower according to the invention during assembly of the container on the support of the mower,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a container and a mower according to the invention after mounting the container in the mowing position,
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, the tank being shown in the emptying position,
FIG. 5 is a schematic elevation view of a mower according to the invention equipped with a container according to the invention,
FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a container according to the invention, the drain hull being closed locked,
- Figure 7 is a side detail view of the locking mechanism of the emptying shell of a container according to the invention.

 In FIG. 1, a tank 1 according to the invention has been shown before it is mounted on a mower 2. The mower 2 is equipped with a support 3 suitable for receiving two removable and portable type tanks at full load (which are known and are not part of the present invention). This support 3 consists of three longitudinal members, generally tubular, horizontal, longitudinal, parallel 3a, 3b, 3c extending in a bracket, towards the rear of the mower 2, the support 3 having the general shape of a horizontal fork with three teeth. .

 This tubular support 3 is for example fixed to the upper end of a vertical beam 4 rigidly associated with the rear of the frame of the mower 2. The mower 2 is further equipped with an upper cover 5 for collecting residues of mowing which is articulated around a horizontal axis transverse to the upper end of the beam 4, so that this cover 5 can be placed either in the raised position (Figure 1), to allow the insertion or extraction of a tray in or of the support 3, either in the lowered position (Figure 3) above the support 3 to cover the tray in the mowing position. A supply line 6 lateral to the mowing residues opens out inside the cover 5. This pipe 6 extends on the side of the mower 2 (FIG. 5) from the cutting device 7 and up to the cover 5.

 The tank 1 according to the invention is in the general shape of a tank defining an upper opening 8 for collecting the mowing residues from the top.

The opening 8 has generally the same dimensions and the same shape as the cover 5 so that it can be covered by this cover 5. In addition, the tank 1 is adapted to allow its compatible mounting on the support 3 and under the cover 5. Thus, the tray 1 shown has a rigid peripheral upper edge 9 projecting outwardly, horizontally, and which is adapted to come to rest on the tubular frame of the support 3 of mower. More particularly, the tray 1 has a width such that it can be inserted between the two side rails 3a, 3c of the support 3, the upper flange 9 coming to rest on each side above each of these side rails 3a, 3c. Lights 10, 11 are formed through the front walls 12, respectively 13 rear, of the tank 1 for the passage of the median beam 3b of the mower support 3.

 Tray 1 has the general shape of a parallelepiped open from above. It comprises a main body 14 defining at least one front part of the tank, and a rear emptying shell 15 completing the main body 14 towards the quarry by defining at least partially the rear wall 13 of the tank 1.

 In the example shown and according to the invention, the drain shell 15 defines the major part of the rear wall 13. The drain shell 15 has a transverse horizontal rear upper free edge 16, and is articulated to the main body 14 around 'a transverse horizontal pivot axis passing at least substantially through this rear upper free edge 16, for example by means of two hinges 39 with transverse horizontal axis.

 The main body 14 defines an upper peripheral belt 18 delimiting the upper opening 8 and extending downward from the upper peripheral rim 9. At least on the rear side, this belt 18 extends over a small height, in particular over a height less than half the total height of the tank 1. This peripheral belt 18 has a rear wall at least substantially flat vertical transverse 19 which forms therefore the upper portion of the rear wall 13 of the tank 1. The drain shell 15 is articulated by its rear upper free edge 16 to the rear wall 19 of the belt 18 by the hinges 39, and more particularly at the lower free edge transverse horizontal 20 of this rear wall 19. Thus, the articulation axis of the drain shell 15 on the main body 14 passes through the plane of the rear wall 19 of the belt 18 (which is also the rear wall of the body main 14).

 In this way, during the pivoting movements of the emptying shell 15 around its articulation axis which passes through its rear upper free edge or more generally at least by a vertical plane containing its rear upper free edge (when the hull is in the closed position), no portion of the drain shell 15 passes above the opening 8 or at the front of the rear wall 19.

 The cover 5 articulated to the frame of the mower 2 having a generally rectangular lower peripheral edge, the opening 8 is also generally rectangular. In the example shown, the tank 1 is generally parallelepipedic and comprises a generally vertical front wall 12, two generally vertical side walls 21, and a generally vertical rear wall 13. The vertical walls 12, 13, 21 may or may not be plane, for example curved. The tank 1 also includes a bottom bottom 22 which is generally horizontal, flat or curved.

 The drain shell 15 is rigid, forms at least in part the bottom 22 of the tank 1, and completes downwards the rear wall 19 of the belt 18 to form the rear wall 13 of the tank 1. The drain shell 15, in the example shown, forms the major part of the rear wall 13 and the bottom 22 of the tank 1, as well as the lower rear part of the side walls 21 of the tank 1. The drain shell 15 has a free front edge 23 which comes against a free rigid rear edge 24 corresponding to the main body 14 in the closed position.

 The main body 14 defines the upper front part of the side walls 21, the upper peripheral belt 18, and the front wall 12 of the tank 1.

 The tray 1 thus formed has a width which corresponds to that of the support 3 and of the cover 5, that is to say overall the width of the rear part of the mower 2. It has a volume greater than 100 liters, in particular of the '' order of 150 liters (not including the internal volume of the cover 5). In the embodiment shown, advantageously and according to the invention, the tank 1 is formed from a rigid synthetic material.

 As seen in Figure 2, mounting the tray 1 on the mower 2 is extremely simple.

It suffices to raise the cover 5, and to engage the flange 9 above the lateral tubular beams 3a, 3c, the median beam 3b being inserted through the slots 10, 11. Once the tank 1 is in place in the support tubular 3, the cover 5 is folded down in the position shown in FIG. 3. The mower can then be used normally.

The mowing residues emerging in the cover 5 fall inside the tank 1.

 The drainage shell 15 of the tank 1 carries a rigid operating lever 17, rigidly fixed to the drainage shell 15. The operating lever 17 extends under the bottom 22 of the drainage shell 15, and more particularly in a recess transverse horizontal recessed upward in the bottom 22. The operating lever 17 is fixed to the drain shell 15 by any appropriate means (bolting, riveting, flange ...). The operating lever 17 comprises a lower portion 25 extending from the bottom 22 on one side of the tank 1 upwards and forwards over a certain length, in particular at least substantially up to the height of the belt upper 18. The operating lever 17 comprises an end arm 26 extending backwards and upwards and connected to the lower portion 26 by an elbow 27 forming an angle of between approximately 400 and approximately 1200 - in particular of around 90 - with the lower portion 25.

The free end of the upper arm 26 is provided with an operating handle 28 which is thus at least substantially at the height of the driver seated in the seat of the mower 2, that is to say generally at the same level as the steering wheel of the mower 2. It should be noted that the assembly formed by the lower portion 25 and the upper arm 26 extending it is rigid. In addition, the lever 17 is not articulated on the drain shell or on the tank 1.

 As seen in Figure 4, by lowering the operating handle 28, the driver rotates the drain shell 15 about its hinge axis so that this drain shell 15 opens, thus allowing the fall by gravity of the mowing residue contained in bin 1.

 The tank 1 further comprises means 29, 30 for locking the emptying shell 15 in the closed position against the main body 14, and means 31, 32, 33 for controlling the means 29, 30 for locking by a conductor seated on the mower (Figures 6 and 7).

 A transverse horizontal control shaft 33 is carried by the drain shell 15 in the vicinity of its front horizontal lower edge, by means of brackets 34 fixed to the shell 15 and crossed by the shaft 33. The shaft 33 carries two hooks 29 locking integral in rotation with this shaft 33. The free ends of the hooks 29 oriented towards the main body 14 are in the form of a latch bolt to allow automatic locking by means of a spiral torsion spring 35 one end of which is fixed to a bracket 34, while the other end is fixed to the shaft 33 or to a hook 29. The spring 35 recalls the hooks 29 in the locked position. The main body 14 has a flange 30 projecting downwardly to cooperate with the locking hooks 29. Advantageously, this flange 30 is reinforced and / or constituted by a transverse horizontal metal angle 37 fixed to the main body 14. L 'control shaft 33 is controlled in its rotations by a control cable 32 associated with a connecting rod 38 integral in rotation with the shaft 33. The control cable 32 extends along the lever 17 for maneuvering up to l end of the upper arm 26 which carries a hinged handle 31 for controlling the cable 32. In this way, by actuating the handle 31, the cable 32 rotates the connecting rod 38 and therefore the shaft 33 by unlocking the hooks 29. When the handle 31 is released, the hooks 29 return to the locked position under the effect of the spring 35.

 The motorized ride-on mower 2 is traditionally provided with a tilting seat, a steering wheel, a powertrain, wheels, etc. and can be equipped with a tank 1 according to the invention in an extremely simple and economic.

Claims (12)

 1 / - Ride-on lawn mower collection bin, characterized in combination that  - it is generally in the form of a tank with an upper opening (8) for collecting shearing residues from above,  - It comprises a main body (14) defining at least a front part of the tank, and a rear drain shell (15) completing the main body (14) towards the rear by defining at least partially a rear wall (13) ,  this draining shell (15) has a horizontal upper free edge (16) and is articulated to the main body (14) about a horizontal axis passing at least substantially through a vertical plane containing its upper free edge (16),  it is adapted to allow its compatible mounting on a support (3) of mower suitable for receiving two removable bins of portable type at full load, and under an upper cover (5) for collecting mowing residues,  - It comprises means (17) for maneuvering the drain shell (15) adapted to be able to be actuated by a driver seated on the mower in order to control the opening and / or closing of the drain shell (15) .  2 / - Tray according to claim 1, characterized in that the main body (14) defines an upper peripheral belt (18) delimiting the upper opening (8), and in that the drain shell (15) is articulated at the rear wall (19) of this belt (18).  3 / - Tray according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the drain shell (15) is rigid, forms at least partially the bottom (22) of the tray, and has a front edge (23) coming against a rigid rear edge (24) of the main body (14).  4 / - Tray according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it has a width corresponding to that of a support (3) of mower capable of receiving two removable portable trays at full load.  5 / - Tray according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it has a volume greater than 100 liters, in particular of the order of 150 liters.  6 / - Tray according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the drain shell (15) carries an operating lever (17).  7 / - Tray according to claim 6, characterized in that the operating lever (17) is rigid and rigidly associated with the drain shell (15).  8 / - Tray according to one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the operating lever (17) extends under the bottom (22) of the drain shell (15), and, from the bottom ( 22), on one side of the tank (1) extending upwards and forwards, then is bent backwards and upwards.  9 / - Tray according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises means (29, 30) for locking the drain shell (15) in the closed position against the main body (14), and means (31, 32, 33) for controlling the means (29, 30) for locking by a conductor seated on the mower.  10 / - Tray according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises an upper rigid flange (9) projecting outwardly adapted to come to rest on a tubular frame of the support (3) of mower.  11 / - Tray according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises lights (10, 11) for passage of a median beam (36) of the support (3) of mower.  12 / - Ride-on lawn mower comprising a support (3) adapted to receive two removable portable collection bins at full load, characterized in that it comprises a tank (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11.