Back to results
US 9,546,462 B2Granted
Rotor and rotor housing for a snowthrower
AssigneeThe Toro Company
InventorsNathan J. Friberg, Philip G. Stalpes, Derek S. Duchscherer, Nicholas J. Wersal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-propelled snowthrower wherein, in one embodiment, drive members on each side of the snowthrower provide variable speed propulsion. A transmission that delivers power to the drive members may be adapted to de-clutch one of the two drive wheels when the ground speed of that wheel exceeds the driving speed of the transmission. In other embodiments, the snowthrower includes a rotor having a snow ejection surface forming a negative rake angle. Yet other embodiments include a chute rotation control mechanism that permits manual discharge chute rotation via one-handed input.
Claims28
A snowthrower rotor housing comprising:
- two spaced-apart sidewalls connected to one another by a rear wall to define a front-facing collection opening, wherein the rear wall or an upper wall of the housing further defines a discharge outlet;
- and
- a rotor positioned within the housing between the collection opening and the rear wall, the rotor adapted to rotate in a first direction, relative to the housing, about a rotor axis, wherein the rotor comprises:
- a rotor shaft;
- a collecting portion comprising a helical flyte adapted to collect snow, the helical flyte connected directly to the rotor shaft by one or more radial legs;
- and
- a central discharge portion comprising a paddle that is offset from the rotor axis, the paddle supported in space by connection to the helical flyte such that a gap is formed between the paddle and the rotor shaft, the gap extending along a length of the paddle, wherein the discharge portion receives the snow transported by the collecting portion and ejects it outwardly from the housing through the discharge outlet;
- wherein the paddle comprises a snow ejecting surface that is inclined at a rake angle such that an outermost radial edge of the snow ejecting surface lying on a plane normal to the rotor axis trails an innermost radial edge of the snow ejecting surface also lying on the plane when the rotor rotates in the first direction.
5 more elements
A snowthrower rotor housing comprising:
- two spaced-apart sidewalls connected to one another by a rear wall to define a front-facing collection opening, wherein the rear wall further defines a discharge outlet;
- and
- a rotor positioned within the housing between the collection opening and the rear wall, the rotor adapted to rotate in a first direction, relative to the housing, about a rotor axis, wherein the rotor comprises:
- a rotor shaft
- a collecting portion comprising a helical flyte adapted to collect snow, the helical flyte connected directly to the rotor shaft by one or more radial legs, the helical flyte comprising a first thickness;
- and
- a central discharge portion comprising a paddle that is offset from the rotor axis, the paddle supported in space via attachment to the helical flyte such that a gap is formed between the paddle and the rotor shaft, the gap extending along a length of the paddle, wherein the discharge portion receives the snow from the collecting portion and ejects it outwardly from the housing through the discharge outlet as the rotor rotates in the first direction, the paddle comprising a second thickness two or more times greater than the first thickness;
- wherein the paddle comprises a snow ejecting surface that is inclined at a rake angle such that an outermost radial edge of the snow ejecting surface lying on a plane normal to the rotor axis trails an innermost radial edge of the snow ejecting surface also lying on the plane when the rotor rotates in the first direction.
5 more elements
A snowthrower rotor housing comprising:
- two spaced-apart sidewalls connected to one another by a rear wall to define a front-facing collection opening, wherein the rear wall or an upper wall of the housing further defines a discharge outlet;
- and
- a rotor positioned within the housing between the collection opening and the rear wall, the rotor adapted to rotate in a first direction, relative to the housing, about a rotor axis, wherein the rotor comprises:
- a rotor shaft;
- two collecting portions each comprising a helical flyte adapted to collect snow, each helical flyte connected to the rotor shaft by a radial leg, wherein each helical flyte comprises an inner portion that extends along the rotor axis inwardly past its respective radial leg;
- and
- a central discharge portion located between the two collecting portions, the central discharge portion comprising a paddle that is radially offset from the rotor axis, wherein the paddle is supported via connection to the inner portion of each of the two helical flytes such that a gap is formed, along a length of the paddle, between the paddle and the rotor shaft, and wherein the discharge portion is adapted to eject snow outwardly from the housing through the discharge outlet.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.