Anti-vibration seat for riding mower

#This invention relates generally to mower seats, and more specifically, to a lawn mower seat that reduces the transmission of vibrations from the mower to the operator.

#Various mower seat configurations have been developed to increase operator comfort and to reduce fatigue of the operator.

#U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,816 discloses an arcuate seat for riding implements, which extends transversely to the direction of travel of the implement, whereby a rider may change sitting positions along the seat when the implement moves over a non-horizontal surface.

#FIG. 1 is a side view of the anti-vibration seat in a sitting position according to the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a side view of the anti-vibration seat in the lifted position according to the present invention; and

#FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the anti-vibration seat frame in the lifted position according to the present invention.

#FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an anti-vibration seat 10 for a mower, and particularly for a riding mower, according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the anti-vibration seat 10 in the sitting position, while FIG. 2 shows the anti-vibration seat 10 in the lifted position. The anti-vibration seat 10 includes a mower frame 12, bracket 14, seat frame 16, isolators 18 and seat 36.

#Referring now to FIG. 3, the bracket 14 is made of a unitary piece of metal having a main plate 20 and a pair of upwardly bent side edges 22. The plate 20 is bolted to the top of the mower frame 12. Two semi-circle cutouts 24 are provided in the front edge of the plate 20. The side edges 22 project upwardly at a ninety-degree angle from the sides of the plate 20. A pivot slot 26, having a vertical major axis, is provided near the front of each side edge 22.

#The seat frame 16 includes a pair of parallel support members 28 which extend from the front of the seat frame 16 to the back of the seat frame 16, and a pair of transverse members 30 integrally secured to the support members 28. A boss 32 is provided at one end of each support member 28. The boss 32 extends the width of the support member 28 and is generally cylindrically shaped with a longitudinal chamber extending through the boss 32. A nut and bolt assembly 34, provided through the chamber and the pivot slot 26, pivotally and slidably secures the seat frame 16 to the bracket 14. When the seat frame 16 is in the sitting position, the nut and bolt assembly 34 vertically floats within the pivot slot 26. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a seat 36 is fixedly secured to the seat frame 16 by any suitable manner such as, for example, nut and bolt assemblies.