Universal mulching machine and method

A method of mulching solid material received from the discharge of a mower deck comprising:

• a. receiving solid material from the discharge from a mower deck;
• b. passing said solid material through a housing from an inlet at the top periphery of said hosing to an outlet through passageways in said housing having a minimum dimension of about four inches;
• c. comminuting said solid material in said housing by contacting said solid material with a plurality of counter-rotating knives in a first stage cutter assembly in combination with a flinger assembly having at least one rigid bar in a flexible pivot attachment rotatable over a pivot rotation angle of at least about 150 degrees to a drive means;
• and
• d. connecting a suction hose to said discharge from said mower deck through at least one conduit fitting having a configuration forming an angle between said discharge and said inlet of less than about sixty degrees.

A mulching apparatus for comminuting solid landscaping material in combination with a mower deck comprising:

• a. a mower deck supported on a drive vehicle;
• b. a wheeled frame with hitch receiver for attachment to said drive vehicle;
• c. a housing on said frame, said housing having an inlet opening at the top of the periphery of said housing and an inlet opening;
• d. a power-driven, rotatable shaft mounted in said housing;
• e. a fan chamber containing a fan blade assembly driven by said shaft for propelling said solid material between said inlet opening and said outlet opening, wherein said fan blade extends from said rotatable shaft;
• f. a first sage cutter chamber containing a pair of counter-rotating cutter knife assemblies in combination with a comminuting chamber containing a flinger assembly comprising a plurality of flexible flinger bars rotatably driven by said shaft, each flinger bar comprising a substantially rigid bar member movably affixed pivotally on said flinger assembly over a range of rotation of flinger bars on said flinger assembly of 360 degrees and having an inertial mass of at least the mass provided by a one-quarter inch thick steel bar of at least one inch width and at least three inches length pivotally attached to its drive member;
• g. means for inhibiting clogging of said solid material comprising a first passageway between said first stage cutter chamber and said comminuting chamber and a second passageway between said comminuting chamber and said fan chamber, each said passageway having a minimum dimension of about four inches;
• and
• h. means for connecting a suction hose to a discharge from said mower deck through at least one conduit fitting having a configuration forming an angle between said discharge and said inlet of less than about sixty degrees.