US 4,048,787 AGranted

Combination clutch and brake for rotary power mower

AssigneeBriggs & Stratton Corporation

InventorsJoseph R. Harkness, Daniel E. Braun

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Abstract

A combination clutch and brake for rotary power mowers of the type wherein the blade is fixed to a spindle driven by the engine through an endless belt type drive transmission. A medially pivoted lever has an idler roll at one end to engage and tension the belt and thereby activate the drive transmission when the lever is rocked in one direction and a claw at its other end which, upon movement of the lever in the opposite direction, engages the notched periphery of a brake disc encircling the blade spindle and frictionally engaged with a companion disc that is fixed with respect to the spindle. The lever is spring-biased in the direction to engage the brake disc and thereby stop blade rotation concomitantly with deactivation the drive transmission whenever a deadman control on the mower handle is released.

Claims11

Dependent claims

In a rotary power lawn mower having a chassis with a substantially horizontal deck, a prime mover on the deck, and a rotary blade fixed to a spindle that is drivingly connected with the drive shaft of the prime mover,

the improvement whereby rotation of the blade can be abruptly stopped concomitantly with disconnection thereof from the drive shaft of the prime mover,
said improvement comprising the combination of:
A. bearing means fixed with respect to the deck of the chassis and the prime mover, with the axis thereof vertical and spaced laterally from the drive shaft;
B. a spindle journaled in said bearing means with the lower portion thereof beneath the deck and having the blade fixed thereto;
C. a disengageable clutch through which the spindle is drivingly connectable with the drive shaft
D. a brake for stopping rotation of the spindle, comprising
1. frictionally engaged complementary fixed and free brake elements encircling the spindle, the fixed brake element having a torque transmitting connection with the spindle and the free brake element having no torque transmitting connection with the spindle except through its frictional engagement with the fixed brake element, and
2. brake applying means operable to abruptly stop rotation of the free brake element;
D. means interconnecting said brake applying means and said disengageable clutch, whereby application of the brake is concomitantly accompanied by disengagement of the clutch and vice versa;
and
E. control means operatively connected with said interconnecting means and through which concomitant functioning of said brake and clutch may be manually controlled.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.