Variable mulching mower with edger attachment

A lawn mowing and trimming apparatus comprising a mobile deck member having an upper platform and a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels mounted thereto, said deck member having a deck skirt member extending downwardly from along the periphery of said upper platform to a spaced distance above the plane defined by the lower surfaces of said wheels;

• a motor mounted on said deck member, said motor having a motor drive shaft extending downwardly through said upper platform;
• at least one elongate primary rotary cutting blade affixed substantially at its mid-point to said motor drive shaft in a substantially perpendicular radial orientation with respect to the shaft axis, said primary cutting blade having upturned upwardly facing surfaces at its end portions which create a vortex-like air stream within said deck member upon rotation of said primary blade and a suction force beneath said primary blade for vacuuming grass clippings into said air stream;
• a power take-off shaft extending laterally from said motor drive shaft and coupled thereto by a gearing drive connection;
• an edger assembly mounted on one side of said deck member, said edger assembly including an edger arm mounted on said deck member for pivotal movement relative thereto;
• an edger blade mounted on said edger arm at a location remote from the pivot point for rotary movement in a vertical plane;
• drive means adapted to interconnect said power take-off shaft with said edger blade for effecting rotation of the edger blade;
• clutch means which are manually operable for releasing or connecting said drive means to operate said edger;
• and
• means comprising an edger blade guard attached to said edger arm for guiding the edger air stream generated by rotation of the edger blade and the edger clippings carried by said edger air stream to join and enforce the air stream produced by said primary mower blade and enhance the suction force produced by the merged air streams for vacuuming the grass clippings produced by said edger blade.

A lawn mowing and trimming apparatus comprising:

• a mobile deck member having an upper platform and a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels mounted thereto, said deck member having a deck skirt member extending downwardly from along the periphery of said upper platform to a spaced distance above the plane defined by the lower surfaces of said wheels;
• a motor mounted on said deck member, said motor having a motor drive shaft extending downwardly through said upper platform;
• an elongate primary rotary cutting blade affixed substantially at its mid-point to said motor drive shaft in a substantially perpendicular radial orientation with respect to the shaft axis;
• a secondary rotary cutting blade affixed substantially at its mid-point to said motor drive shaft in a substantially perpendicular radial orientation with respect to the shaft axis, said second rotary cutting blade being vertically spaced above said primary blade and being mounted on said motor drive shaft at an acute leading angle with respect to said primary blade in the direction of blade rotation, said primary blade having upturned upwardly facing surfaces at its end portions which induce a vortex-like air stream within said deck member upon rotation of said primary blade whereby said clippings are cut into finer particles by said blades and said finer particles are adapted to be deposited on said lawn, said apparatus being adapted to be moved across a lawn during a mowing operation.

A lawn mowing and trimming apparatus comprising a mobile deck member having an upper platform and a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels mounted thereto, said deck member having a deck skirt member extending downwardly from along the periphery of said upper platform to a spaced distance above the plane defined by the lower surfaces of said wheels;

• a motor mounted on said deck member, said motor having a motor drive shaft extending downwardly through said upper platform;
• at least one elongated rotary cutting blade affixed substantially at its mid-point to said motor drive shaft in a substantially perpendicular radial orientation with respect to the shaft axis, said elongated cutting blade having upturned upwardly facing surfaces at its end portions which create a vortex-like air stream within said deck member upon rotation of said primary blade and a suction force beneath said cutting blade for vacuuming grass clippings into said air stream,
• a discharge chute mounted to said deck member and having an inlet communicating with the volumetric space interiorly of said skirt member and below said deck platform, and
• an adjustable mulching control valve means for varying the proportion of grass clippings which are delivered to said discharge chute for collection and the proportion of grass clippings which are returned to the lawn as a mulch during a mowing operation of said apparatus, said proportions being variable in the range of zero to one hundred percent.