Mulcher attachment for lawn mower

A mulching adapter for a rotary lawn mower of the type having a blade housing supported on wheels and defining a top engine mounting deck and a downwardly extending skirt portion for containing a blade attached to a lower portion of a vertical drive shaft of a prime mover of said lawn mower, said skirt portion being interrupted to define a side discharge chute,

• said adapter including:
• a hopper having a base defining an attachment means for mounting said hopper on said deck,
• said base having an outlet opening in alignment with an opening in said deck,
• said hopper having a debris receiving inlet at a location above said deck and providing a passage for debris from said inlet to said outlet,
• a mulching plate for replacement of a conventional lawn mower blade,
• said plate including a disk having means at the center thereof for attachment to said drive shaft,
• said disk having opposite top and bottom faces and a substantial uninterrupted outer circular periphery,
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings in said disk radially inward of the periphery for circumferential passage beneath said opening in said deck,
• each opening having a blade supporting portion adjacent an edge rearward of said opening in relation to a direction of rotation of said plate, and
• a blade cutting edge positioned forward of each blade supporting portion in relation to said direction of rotation and axially spaced from one of said faces of the disk,
• each blade edge being defined by a blade member formed separately of said disk and affixed to said disk at said blade supporting portion rearward of each opening, said blade member having an intermediate portion defining a disk engaging portion and a cutting portion extending forwardly at an angle relative to said intermediate portion and thereby providing said cutting edge in a plane axially spaced above said top surface of said disk in a mulching mode.

A mulching blade for attachment to a mulching plate of the type including a disk having front and rear surfaces and means at the center for attachment to a rotating drive shaft and being provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings radially inward of the periphery thereof;

• said blade having an intermediate portion defining a flat disk engaging surface on one side thereof,
• a cutting portion formed integrally with a leading part of said intermediate portion and
• a tail portion formed integrally with a trailing part of the intermediate portion,
• said cutting portion having a cutting edge disposed forwardly of said intermediate portion in a direction of rotation of said mulching plate,
• said cutting portion extending from said intermediate portion in an angular direction from a plane of the side of said intermediate portion defining said disk engaging surface to thereby project through one of said openings of said disk when attached to said rear face of said disk and to dispose said cutting edge in a plane axially spaced from the front surface of the disk,
• said tail portion extending angular from said intermediate portion in a direction from a plane of a side of said intermediate portion opposite said disk engaging surface,
• said tail portion having a trailing edge disposed axially spaced from said rear surface of said disk when said blade is attached to said disk.

A mulcher adapter for a rotary lawn mower of the type having a blade housing supported on wheels and defining a top engine mounting deck and a downwardly extending skirt portion for containing a blade attached to a lower portion of a vertical drive shaft of a prime mover of said lawn mower, said skirt portion being interrupted to define a side discharge chute,

• said adapter including:
• a hopper having a base defining an attachment means for mounting said hopper on said deck, said base having an outlet opening in alignment with an opening in said deck,
• said hopper including an upper tapered portion and a lower tubular portion for reception in said opening in said deck,
• said lower tubular portion forming said base,
• said attachment means defined by said base including means for connecting said lower tubular portion to said deck surrounding said opening in said deck,
• said hopper having a debris receiving inlet at a location above said deck and providing a passage for debris from said inlet to said outlet,
• a mulching plate for replacement of the conventional lawn mower blade,
• said plate including a disk having means at the center thereof for attachment to said drive shaft
• said disk having opposite top and bottom faces and a substantial uninterrupted outer circular periphery,
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings in said disk radially inward of the periphery for circumferential passage beneath said opening in said deck,
• each opening having a blade supporting portion adjacent an edge rearward of said opening in relation to a direction of rotation of said plate, and
• a blade cutting edge positioned forward of each blade supporting portion in relation to said direction of rotation and thus providing a plurality of cutting edges axially spaced from one of said faces of the disk,
• a lower end of said tubular member having a lower end edge defining said outlet opening of said hopper,
• said lower end edge being in a plane above and substantially parallel to said cutting edges of said mulching plate,
• a portion of said lower end of said tubular member facing the direction of travel of said cutting edges upon rotation of said plate being cut away.

A mulching adapter for a rotary lawn mower of the type having a blade housing supported on wheels and defining a top engine mounting deck and a downwardly extending skirt portion for containing a blade attached to a lower portion of a vertical drive shaft of a prime mover of said lawn mower, said skirt portion being interrupted to define a side discharge chute,

• said adapter including:
• a hopper having a base defining an attachment means for mounting said hopper on said deck,
• said base having an outlet opening in alignment with an opening in said deck,
• said hopper including an upper tapered portion and a lower tubular portion for reception in said opening in said deck,
• said lower tubular portion forming said base,
• said attachment means defined by said base including means for connecting said lower tubular portion to said deck surrounding said opening in said deck,
• said hopper having a debris receiving inlet at a location above said deck and providing a passage for debris from said inlet to said outlet,
• a mulching plate for replacement of a conventional lawn mower blade,
• said plate including a disk having means at the center, thereof for attachment to said drive shaft
• said disk having opposite top and bottom faces and a substantial uninterrupted outer circular periphery,
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings in said disk radially inward of the periphery for circumferential passage beneath said opening in said deck,
• each opening having a blade supporting portion adjacent an edge rearward of said opening in relation to a direction of rotation of said plate, and
• a blade cutting edge positioned forward of each blade supporting portion in relation to said direction of rotation and thus providing a plurality of cutting edges axially spaced from one of said faces of the disk,
• a lower end of said tubular member having a lower end edge defining said outlet opening of said hopper, said lower end edge being in a plane disposed within said blade housing and immediately above and substantially parallel to said cutting edges of said mulching plate.

A mulching adapter for a rotary lawn mower of the type having a blade housing supported on wheels and defining a top engine mounting deck and a downwardly extending skirt portion for containing a blade attached to a lower portion of a vertical drive shaft of a prime mover of said lawn mower, said skirt portion being interrupted to define a side discharge chute,

• said adapter including:
• a hopper having a base defining an attachment means for mounting said hopper on said deck,
• said base having an outlet opening in alignment with an opening in said deck,
• said hopper including an upper tapered portion and a lower tubular portion for reception in said opening in said deck,
• said lower tubular portion forming said base,
• said attachment means defined by said base including means for connecting said lower tubular portion to said deck surrounding said opening in said deck,
• said hopper having a debris receiving inlet at a location above said deck and providing a passage for debris from said inlet to said outlet,
• a mulching plate for replacement of the conventional lawn mower blade,
• said plate including a disk having means at the center thereof for attachment to said drive shaft
• said disk having opposite top and bottom faces and a substantial uninterrupted outer circular periphery,
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings in said disk radially inward of the periphery for circumferential passage beneath said opening in said deck,
• each opening having a blade supporting portion adjacent an edge rearward of said opening in relation to a direction of rotation of said plate, and
• a blade cutting edge positioned forward of each blade supporting portion in relation to said direction of rotation and thus providing a plurality of cutting edges axially spaced from one of said faces of the disk,
• a lower end of said tubular member having a lower end edge defining said outlet opening of said hopper,
• said lower end edge being in a plane above and substantially parallel to said cutting edges of said mulching plate,
• said attachment means including adjustment means for permitting selected axial movement of said lower tubular portion whereby spacing between said lower end edge and said cutting edges may be varied.