Multi-bladed rotary cutting deck with mulching and discharge/collection modes
AssigneeThe Toro Company
InventorJay J. Kakuk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotary cutting deck has dual, side-by-side cutting chambers each of which houses a rotary cutting blade. The blades rotate so that grass clippings exit to the rear of the cutting deck through a central, rearwardly extending exit tunnel. A pivotal mulch door is located within the exit tunnel with the mulch door swinging between two positions. In one position, the exit tunnel is open to permit operation of the cutting deck in a discharge/collection mode of operation. In the other position, the exit tunnel is closed to convert the cutting deck to a mulching mode of operation. A V-shaped baffle with a forwardly facing apex is placed in the bottom and rear of the exit tunnel to enhance performance in the mulching mode of operation.
Claims21
A rotary cutting deck for a mower, which comprises:
- (a) a cutting deck having dual, side-by-side, downwardly facing cutting chambers which are open to one another generally over a central portion of the cutting deck;
- (b) a cutting blade contained in each cutting chamber, wherein each cutting blade is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis in a horizontal cutting plane to cut grass and create grass clippings, wherein the cutting blades in the dual chambers rotate in opposite directions which are chosen so that the grass clippings created by the cutting blades merge together in a stream of grass clippings that is directed rearwardly on the cutting deck between the rotational axes of the cutting blades;
- (c) a rearwardly extending exit tunnel located on the cutting deck between the rotational axes of the cutting blades in a position to intercept the grass clipping stream created by the cutting blades;
- and
- (d) a pivotal mulch door inside the exit tunnel for pivotal movement between a first position in which the exit tunnel is open and a second position in which the exit tunnel is closed, whereby the exit tunnel can be open in the first position of the mulch door to provide a discharge/collection mode of operation or can be closed in the second position of the mulch door to provide a mulching mode of operation.
A rotary cutting deck for a mower, which comprises:
- (a) a cutting deck having side-by-side cutting chambers;
- (b) a cutting blade contained in each cutting chamber, wherein each cutting blade is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis in a horizontal cutting plane to cut grass and create grass clippings, wherein the grass clippings created by the cutting blades are directed longitudinally on the cutting deck between the rotational axes of the cutting blades;
- (c) a longitudinally extending exit tunnel located on the cutting deck between the rotational axes of the cutting blades in a position to intercept the grass clippings created by the cutting blades;
- and
- (d) a pivotal mulch door inside the exit tunnel for pivotal movement between a first position in which the exit tunnel is open and a second position in which the exit tunnel is closed, whereby the exit tunnel can be open in the first position of the mulch door to provide a discharge/collection mode of operation or can be closed in the second position of the mulch door to provide a mulching mode of operation.
A rotary cutting deck, which comprises:
- (a) a cutting deck having dual, side-by-side cutting chambers each of which houses a rotary cutting blade wherein the blades rotate so that grass clippings are directed towards the rear of the cutting deck through a central, rearwardly extending exit tunnel on the cutting deck;
- (b) a pivotal mulch door located within the exit tunnel with the mulch door swinging between one position in which the exit tunnel is open to permit operation of the cutting deck in a discharge/collection mode of operation and another position in which the exit tunnel is closed to convert the cutting deck to a mulching mode of operation;
- and
- (c) a V-shaped baffle with a forwardly facing apex placed in the bottom and rear of the exit tunnel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.