Powered ground care implement

A powered ground care implement, which comprises:

• (a) active means for performing a grooming or working action on the ground or ground growing vegetation;
• (b) an elongated upwardly extending handle assemby having a lower end on which the active means is carried, the handle assembly being sufficiently long so that a standing operator can hold the handle assembly while positioning the active means closely adjacent to or in contact with the ground;
• (c) engine means for driving the active means;
• (d) means for mounting the engine means on the handle assembly, wherein the mounting means includes means for vibrationally isolating the engine means from the handle assembly to help an operator hold the handle assembly when the engine means is operating;
• and
• (e) a starter comprising an active element and a passive element selectively engagable with the active element for starting the engine means, wherein the active element is fixedly carried by the handle assembly and the passive element is carried on the engine means so that the engine vibration is not transmitted to the active element of the starter.

A powered ground care implement, which comprises:

• (a) active means for performing a grooming or working action on the ground or ground growing vegetation;
• (b) an elongated upwardly extending handle assembly having a lower end on which the active means is carried;
• (c) engine means for driving the active means, wherein the engine means includes a crankshaft having an output end;
• and
• (d) a flexible drive cable extending between the engine means and the active means for driving the active means, wherein the drive cable includes a driven end having a cross-sectional configuration which is shaped to be non-rotatably received in a recess in the output end of the crankshaft, whereby the drive cable is attached to the crankshaft simply by virtue of the mating of its driven end and the output end of the crankshaft, and wherein the drive cable is under compression between the active means and the crankshaft to retain the driven end of the cable in the output end of the crankshaft.

A powered ground care implement, which comprises:

• (a) active means for performing a grooming or working action on the ground or ground growing vegetation;
• (b) an elongated upwardly extending handle assembly having a lower end on which the active means is carried, the handle assembly being sufficiently long so that a standing operator can hold the handle assembly while positioning the active means closely adjacent to or in contact with the ground;
• (c) engine means for driving the active means;
• and
• (d) means for mounting the engine on the handle assembly, wherein the mounting means includes means for vibrationally isolating the engine means from the handle assembly to help an operator hold the handle assembly when the engine means is operating, and wherein the mounting means comprises:
• (i) a backing plate fixedly secured to the engine means;
• (ii) an engine housing fixedly secured to the handle assembly for receiving the backing plate;
• and
• (iii) a flexible means for mounting the backing plate in the engine housing so that vibration of the engine means is not transmitted to the housing.

A powered ground care implement, which comprises;

• (a) active means for performing a grooming or working action on the ground or ground growing vegetation;
• (b) a handle assembly on which the active means is carried;
• (c) engine means for driving the active means;
• and
• (d) means for mounting the engine means on the handle assembly, wherein the mounting means includes means for vibrationally isolating the engine means from the handle assembly to help an operator hold the handle assembly when the engine means is operating, wherein the mounting means comprises:
• (i) a backing plate fixedly secured to the engine means;
• (ii) an engine housing fixedly secured to the handle assembly for receiving the backing plate, the engine housing having a plurality of sets of opposed recesses therein;
• and
• (iii) a plurality of flexible mounting blocks for securing the backing plate to the engine housing, wherein the mounting blocks have a central portion received in the backing plate and outwardly extending ends substantially immovably received in the opposed recesses of each set in the engine housing, wherein the central portion is free relative to the housing to deflect up or down relative to the ends of the blocks to damp out motion of the backing plate in a first direction.

A powered ground care implement, which comprises:

• (a) an active means for performing a grooming or working action on the ground or ground growing vegetation;
• (b) a handle assembly on which the active means is carried;
• (c) engine means for driving the active means, wherein the engine means includes a cylinder and a carburetor for providing a fuel-air mixture which is burned in the cylinder;
• and
• (d) means for mounting the engine means on the handle assembly, wherein the engine mounting means comprises a non-metallic backing plate secured to the engine means and received on the handle assembly for mounting the engine means thereon, wherein the backing plate has a fuel passageway located between the carburetor and the cylinder which fuel passageway is sufficiently long to substantially reduce the rate of heat transfer from the engine means to the carburetor, whereby starting of the engine in a warm condition is enhanced.