Control mechanism for a walk-behind rotary tiller

In a walk-behind powered implement including a frame, an engine mounted on the frame, a working tool mounted on the frame, a drive train connecting the engine to the tool and including a drive belt encircling drive and driven pulleys and engaged by an idler pulley pivotally mounted on the frame for movement between drive-effecting and drive-disengaging positions;

• a handle having a pair of transversely extending legs fixed to the frame at their forward ends and joined at their rearward ends by a transverse grip portion, the improvement of a control mechanism for the idler pulley, comprising;
• said idler pulley being pivotally supported on the frame by means of a first rod having parallel, spaced transversely extending first and second ends;
• said pulley being journaled on said first end and said second end being pivotally received in the frame;
• an intermediate generally Z-shaped crank portion joining said first and second ends;
• a drive control rod having first and second axially aligned transversely extending ends respectively received in the pair of legs of the handle adjacent the transverse grip portion of the latter;
• first and second crank portions respectively joined in orthogonally extending relationship to the last-mentioned first and second ends;
• the control rod having a transverse grip portion joining the first and second crank portions and swingable therewith about the first and second ends between a drive-disengage and engage position respectively wherein the grip portion of the rod is disposed away from and adjacent to the grip portion of the hand;
• one of said crank portions having a downwardly extending bend disposed beneath one of the pair of handle legs such as to engage the leg to support the control rod in its drive-disengage position, and a flexible element extending between and having its opposite ends connected to the Z-shaped crank portion of the first rod and the bend of the control rod.