Turf maintenance machine with drive pulley height adjustment system
AssigneeMetalcraft of Mayville, Inc.
InventorsJames Hall, Craig Antonioni
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turf maintenance machine, such as a lawnmower, implements a belt alignment system, such as a drive pulley height adjustment system, that automatically changes a height of a drive pulley as a function of height adjustments of the machine's workpiece. In the case of a lawnmower, the drive pulley height adjustment system may movably support the drive pulley from a chassis frame, independently of a moveable support relationship of a cutter deck from the chassis frame. A single actuator, such as a handle or an electric actuator, may be controlled to simultaneously translate component movement through two paths of actuation to move the cutter deck and the drive pulley.
Claims17
A turf maintenance machine comprising:
- a chassis that includes a frame that supports a motive power source;
- a workpiece that includes a rotatable tool and that is configured to be supported by the frame so as to be positionally adjustable with respect to the frame during an adjustment procedure;
- a first pulley that is supported by the workpiece so as to be movable in unison with the workpiece during the adjustment procedure and that is configured to transmit power to the rotatable tool;
- a second pulley that is supported on the turf maintenance machine independently of the workpiece;
- a belt that transmits power from the second pulley to the first pulley and that defines a belt deflection angle value as an angle of the belt with respect to at least one of the first and second pulleys;
- and
- a belt alignment system that is configured to coordinate movement of the second pulley to the movement of the first pulley during the adjustment procedure so as to maintain the belt deflection angle value within a target belt deflection range and permit movement of the workpiece independently of the second pulley.
A method of maintaining pulley alignment while adjusting the height of a workpiece of a turf maintenance machine, the workpiece being driven by a driven pulley that connected to a drive pulley by a belt, the method comprising:
- manipulating an actuator during turf maintenance workpiece positional adjustment procedure;
- translating motion of the actuator along a first actuation path to move the workpiece and the driven pulley relative to a frame of the turf maintenance machine in a direction;
- translating motion of the actuator along a second actuation path to independently move the drive pulley relative to the frame in the same direction as a workpiece movement;
- and
- permitting movement of the workpiece independently of the drive pulley.
A drive system for a workpiece of a turf maintenance machine having a frame supporting a motive power source, the drive system comprising:
- a drive pulley that is configured to be rotatably coupled to the motive power source so as to be positionally adjustable relative to the frame;
- a workpiece that is configured to be supported on the frame for movement independently of the drive pulley so as to positionally adjustable relative to the frame in the same direction as the drive pulley, the workpiece having a rotatable tool;
- a driven pulley that is supported on the workpiece and that is configured to drive the rotatable tool to rotate;
- an endless belt that couples the driven pulley to the drive pulley;
- and
- a drive pulley height adjustment system that is configured to move the drive pulley relative to the frame in order to accommodate positional adjustment of the workpiece and permit movement of the workpiece independently of the drive pulley.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.