Multipurpose rear grooming assembly for a vehicle and method of storage of multiple grooming assemblies therewith
AssigneeAgri-Fab, Inc.
InventorRonald Joe Hickenbottom
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multipurpose rear grooming assembly for a lawn garden vehicle, and more specifically, to a rear grooming assembly capable of use as a spike aerator, a plug aerator, a dethatcher, or even a roller where the grooming assembly also serves as storage for two or more implements. The grooming assembly includes a universal frame with implements when in the operating position and to accommodate more than one of the plurality of lawn-grooming implements, much like a protective rack, when the universal frame is oriented vertically in a storage configuration.
Claims12
A multipurpose lawn-grooming assembly comprising:
- a universal frame comprising a main body, support assembly, and tongue;
- a plurality of different lawn-grooming implements, each configured for tool-less connection to the frame;
- the main body including a central portion and a mounting portion disposed at each longitudinally opposed end of the central portion, each mounting portion extending likewise from the central portion and including a coupling assembly having a slot defined in the mounting portion with an open end at a distal end of the mounting portion and a latch having a latch slot and a biasing element;
- the support assembly including a crossbar and a ground-engaging element, the support assembly connected to the frame for relative movement with respect thereto;
- the tongue including a tow bar connected to the frame that extends from the main body, the tongue being adapted to facilitate operative connection to a tow vehicle;
- the plurality of different lawn-grooming implements each separately connectable to the frame by selective engagement with the coupling assembly and all collectively connectable to the frame when the tongue is disposed in a storage configuration, which is defined when the tongue and the main body is disposed generally vertically and the crossbar and ground-engaging element are contiguous with a ground surface, and wherein only a single of the lit of different lawn-grooming implements is connected to the frame when the tongue is disposed in an operative configuration.
A method of using a multipurpose lawn-grooming assembly for operation and storage of a plurality of different lawn-grooming implements comprising:
- selectively and tool-lessly connecting one of the plurality of different lawn-grooming implements to a mounting portion of a main body of a frame of the multipurpose lawn-grooming assembly by actuating a coupling assembly so that a mounting bearing disposed on one of the plurality of lawn-grooming implements is in cooperative registration with a mounting portion slot and a latch slot;
- orienting the multipurpose lawn-grooming assembly in an operative configuration, which is defined when a tongue connected to the frame is disposed generally horizontally;
- orienting the multipurpose lawn-grooming assembly in a storage configuration when the tongue and the main body are disposed generally vertically and a crossbar and ground-engaging element of a support assembly that is connected to the frame for relative movement with respect thereto are contiguous with a ground surface;
- and
- connecting at least two of the plurality of different lawn-grooming implements to the frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.