Two-stage deadman control for walk-behind mower
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorJohn J. Hoch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lawn mower is provided with a control mechanism for a propel drive clutch. The control mechanism includes a deadman control lever which operates to hold a clutch-control lever in a clutch-engage position only when the deadman control lever is held in a lever-holding position. Upon release of the deadman control lever, the latter automatically moves to a lever-release position which permits the clutch-control lever to automatically move to a clutch-disengage position.
Claims4
In combination with a self-propelled, walk-behind implement having a main frame and an upwardly and rearwardly extending guide handle fixed to the frame, a two-stage control mechanism adapted for operating a normally spring-disengaged traction drive clutch, comprising:
- a clutch control lever, in the form of a flat bar, adapted for connection to the clutch and pivotally mounted on the handle for movement along a predetermined path between clutch-release and clutch-engage positions;
- a deadman control lever including a cantilevered spring metal strap bent to form a detent having a ramp at its free end, the deadman control lever being pivotally mounted on the handle for movement between a lever-release position, wherein the spring metal strap is clear of said path, and a lever-holding position wherein the ramp of the spring metal strap is disposed in the path and blocks movement of the clutch control lever from its clutch-engage position, whereby the clutch control lever may be moved to its clutch-engage position after the deadman control lever is moved to its lever-holding position by engaging the ramp and deflecting the spring metal strap;
- and biasing means connected between the handle and the deadman control lever and urging the latter towards its lever-release position.
In combination with a self-propelled, walk-behind implement having a main frame and an upwardly and a rearwardly extending guide handle fixed to the frame and including an upwardly and rearwardly facing plate, a two-stage control mechanism adapted for operating a normally spring-disengaged traction drive clutch, comprising:
- a deadman control lever formed by a rod having axially aligned transverse ends pivotally received in the handle and respectively joined to a transverse grip portion by opposite legs extending orthogonally to the ends, the deadman control lever thus being mounted on the handle for pivotal movement between lever-release and lever-hold positions;
- one of said last-mentioned legs having a transverse offset therein;
- a clutch control lever adapted for connection to the clutch and pivotally mounted on the handle for movement along a predetermined path between clutch-release and clutch-engage positions;
- said clutch control lever having a portion underlying a portion of the transverse offset of the dedman control lever;
- said transverse offset including a vertical projection defining a detent surface and extending below the level of the portion of the clutch control lever extending beneath the offset portion only when the deadman control lever is in its lever-hold position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.