The present invention relates to a powered grass collector and grass collection net assembly in which the powered grass collector is height adjustable and can be raised and lowered relative to a grass collector net.

Prior art powered grass collectors and grass collection net assemblies have a modular design. The powered grass collector is a separate module to the grass collection net and is separately removably attached to the lawn tractor. One end of the powered grass collector is attached to the lawn tractor and the grass collection net is attached to its other end. When it is required to raise the powered grass collector, the grass collection net is raised along with it. The grass collection net is heavy, particularly when it is filled with grass, which increases the difficulty of the raising operation. Consequently, there is a need for a powered grass collector which can be raised and lowered without also having to raise the grass collection net.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a powered grass collector and grass collection net assembly, for fitment to a lawn tractor chassis, comprising a grass collection net for attachment to the lawn tractor chassis, a lifting mechanism for attachment to the lawn tractor chassis and a powered grass collector attached to the lifting mechanism, the powered grass collector comprising a rotating brush and a grass channel with an inlet and an outlet, wherein the rotating brush is located at least partially within the inlet of the grass channel, the inlet is located outside of the grass collection net and the outlet is located inside the grass collection net, wherein, in use, the lifting mechanism moves the powered grass collector relative to the lawn tractor chassis and the grass collection net. The assembly facilitates raising and lowering of the height of the powered grass collector relative to the grass that is being cut without the need to lift the grass collection net.

Preferably, the grass collection net comprises a fixed frame sub-assembly for attachment to the lawn tractor chassis and a moving floor sub-assembly that is pivotably connected to the fixed frame sub-assembly, wherein, in use, the moving floor sub-assembly is pivotable relative to the fixed frame sub-assembly from a closed position in which grass cuttings are collected in the grass collection net to an open position in which collected grass cuttings can drop out from the grass collection net. This arrangement is advantageous because it enables easier emptying of the grass cuttings from the grass collection net. This is because ere is no requirement to tilt the grass collection net in its entirety, it is only necessary to swing the floor away to create an opening for emptying. Preferably, the grass collection net is provided with a cut-out within which the channel of the powered grass collector is located, wherein, in use, the lifting mechanism lifts the powered grass collector through the cut-out in a substantially vertical direction. Locating the channel of the powered grass collector within the grass collection net enables the assembly to be compact. Furthermore, the grass collection net can also be used for lawn tractors that are not provided with a powered grass collector (subject to a modification of its floor), so that all lawn tractors within a model range will have a consistent appearance.

Preferably, the grass channel comprises a front wall, a back wall, and two side walls, which define the inlet and the outlet, wherein the inlet is located towards the bottom of the grass channel and the outlet is located towards the top of the grass channel, wherein the rotating brush comprises a drive shaft that is supported at one end on one of the side walls and supported at its other end on the other of the side walls and that rotates about a substantially horizontally orientated axis X-X.

Preferably, the front wall comprises a throwplate, which is inclined rearwardly, and the back wall comprises a deflector plate, which is substantially vertically orientated, the throwplate and the deflector plate defining between themselves and the sidewalls a substantially vertical outlet of the grass channel. The arrangement of the channel is advantageous because it causes the grass cuttings to be directed into the grass collection net in an optimised direction, for example, in a direction that enables the grass collection net to be filled with the maximum amount of grass cuttings before it needs to be emptied.

Preferably, the powered grass collector comprises nearside and offside upper attachment pins that are slidably connected to nearside and offside pivoting lift arm plates, that are moved by an actuator, and nearside and offside lower attachment pins that are slidably connected to nearside and offside guide plates and constrained to move in a vertical direction. Constraining the powered grass collector to move in a substantially vertical direction means that it can remain in close proximity to the floor of the grass collection net irrespective of the height at which it is set. If the powered grass collector was to move away from the vertical when being raised or lowered then an opening could be created between the powered grass collector and the floor, through which grass cuttings could escape from the grass collection net.

Preferably, the rotating brush comprises a drive shaft provided at a first end with a drive socket and at the other end with a retaining socket, wherein each of the drive socket and the retaining socket is provided with a clamp for clamping the drive socket and the retaining socket to the drive shaft. Preferably, the drive socket comprises a lower clamp part provided at the end of a drive spindle, wherein the lower clamp part of the drive socket is provided with a cut-out for receiving at least part of the end of the drive shaft, the drive socket further comprising an upper clamp half that is removable from the drive socket, and wherein the retaining socket comprises a lower clamp part provided at the end of a retaining spindle, wherein the lower clamp part of the retaining socket is provided with a cut-out for receiving at least part of the other end of the drive shaft, the retaining socket further comprising an upper clamp half that is removable from the retaining socket. This arrangement facilitates easy replacement of the rotating brush, for example if it has become worn out, or if a different type of rotating brush, such a road sweeping brush, needs to be fitted.

Preferably, the rotating brush further comprises a plurality of bristled sweeping rotors that are slideably attached to the drive shaft. This facilitates replacement of just some of the bristles, should they become damaged, rather than replacement of an entire rotating brush.

Preferably, the rotating brush is driven by a variable speed drive arrangement. It is advantageous to be able to operate the rotating brush at the correct speed for an application. For example, it is desirable to drive the rotating brush at a relatively high rotational speed in order to sweep a lawn and collect grass cuttings, but driving a road sweeping brush at that relatively high speed will create undesirable dust clouds. Driving a road sweeping brush at a lower speed will reduce the amount of dust that is thrown up into the air. Other applications for which the rotational speed needs to be selected appropriately include lawn scarifying brushes.

Preferably, the variable speed drive arrangement is a belt drive arrangement that is provided with a drive belt that can be attached to a first pulley for driving the rotating brush at a first speed, or that can be attached to a second pulley, that has a diameter larger than the diameter of the first pulley, for driving the rotating brush at a second speed that is lower than the first speed.

In an alternative embodiment, the variable speed drive arrangement comprises an electric motor. In this alternative embodiment, the rotating brush is not driven by power supplied from the lawn tractor’s engine via a belt drive assembly, but is driven, either directly or indirectly, by an electric motor. Preferably, the lifting mechanism comprises an electrical linear actuator and in use, operation of the electrical linear actuator moves the powered grass collector relative to the lawn tractor chassis and the grass collection net. Alternatively, the lifting mechanism comprises a manually operated actuator to move the powered grass collector relative to the lawn tractor chassis and the grass collection net.

The present invention will be described here with reference to the following figures:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of an integrated grass collector and a grass net attached to a lawn tractor chassis;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the integrated grass collector of Figure 1 , without the grass net, and with part of the lawn tractor chassis shown;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the integrated grass collector of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a nearside perspective view of the powered grass collector;

Figure 5 is a partially cutaway offside view of the powered grass collector;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing how the powered grass collector engages with the grass collection net;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the grass collection net;

Figure 8 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional perspective view of the two-speed belt drive assembly and the rotating brush; and

Figure 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the rotating brush.

An embodiment of a powered grass collector and grass net assembly 1 according to the present invention is shown in Figure 1 , attached to a lawn tractor chassis 3. A powered grass collector 5 is positioned within a grass collection net 7 and can be raised and lowered relative to the grass collection net 5. Figures 2, 3 and 4 are perspective views of the powered grass collector and grass net assembly 1 . The powered grass collector 5 comprises a rotating brush 9 that is driven by a two-speed belt drive assembly 11 (that is powered by the lawn tractor’s engine - not shown), a grass channel 13 and a grass roller 15. The powered grass collector 5 is movably attached to the lawn tractor chassis 3 by a lifting mechanism 17 and an electrical linear actuator 19 is connected between the chassis 3 and the lifting mechanism 17. A back plate 21 is fixedly attached to the chassis 3 and the grass collection net 7 is attached to the back plate 21. The powered grass collector 5 is not intended to be removed from the lawn tractor chassis 3 during normal operation by a user. It remains attached to the lawn tractor chassis 3, whether it is in use (for example, in a fully lowered position) or out of use (for example, in a fully raised position).

The grass channel 13 of the powered grass collector 1 is an upwardly directly inclined channel that is formed at its forward edge by a throwplate 23, that is inclined rearwardly at an angle to the vertical, at its rearward edge by a deflector plate 25 that is inclined vertically, and at its sides by a vertical side plate 27 and an offside vertical side plate 29. The bottom horizontal edge of the throw plate 23 is slightly lower than the bottom horizontal edge of the deflector plate 25 and a rectangular horizontal inlet 31 is formed between them and the side plates 27,29 at the bottom end of the grass channel 13. The top horizontal edge of the throwplate 23 is substantially vertically above the top horizontal edge of the deflector plate 25 and a rectangular vertical outlet 33 is formed between them and the side plates 27,29 at the top end of the grass channel 13, as shown in Figure 5.

The rotating brush 9 is located within the inlet 31 and it rotates around a horizontal axis X-X that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the lawn tractor chassis 3 and to the side plates 27,29, as shown in Figure 5. The rotating brush 9 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction when viewed from the offside of the powered grass collector, as shown by the arrow in Figure 5. The axis of rotation is positioned vertically so that the final drive pulley 35 that is attached to the drive shaft 37 of the rotating brush 9 is located above a bottom edge of the side plates 27,29 and so that part of the bristles 39 of the rotating brush 9 are located below the bottom edge of the side plates 27,29.

A nearside lift plate 41 and an offside lift plate 43 are attached to the forward facing side of the throwplate 23 and the lifting mechanism 17 is attached to the lift plates 41 ,43. The lift plates 41 , 43 are each provided with an upper attachment pin 45 and a lower attachment pin 47. The upper attachment pin 45 on the nearside lift plate 41 is slidably engaged with a slot 49 in the rearward end of a rotatable nearside lift arm plate 51. The lower attachment pin 47 on the nearside lift plate 41 is slidably engaged with a vertically orientated slot 53 in a nearside guide plate 55 that is fixedly attached to the lawn tractor chassis 3. The upper and lower attachment pins 45, 47 on the offside lift plate 43 are respectively engaged with a slot 49 in the rearward end of a rotatable offside lift arm plate 57 and with a vertically orientated slot 53 in an offside guide plate 59 that is fixed to the lawn tractor chassis 3. The forward end of each of the nearside and offside lift arm plates 51 , 57 are fixedly attached to the nearside and offside ends of a lifting rod 61 that rotates within nearside and offside bushes 63 that are attached to the lawn tractor chassis 3. A lift connector arm 65 is fixedly attached at one end to the lifting rod 61 , between the nearside and offside lift arm plates 51 , 57, and at an offset of ninety degrees in a clockwise direction from them. The lift connector arm 67 is pivotally attached at its other end to the electrical linear actuator 19.

The lifting mechanism 17 and the nearside and offside lift plates 41 , 43 of the powered grass collector 5 constrain the powered grass collector to move in a vertical direction only, under the action of the electrical linear actuator 19. That vertical movement is facilitated by sliding of the upper and lower attachment pins 45, 47 in the slots 49 and 53 respectively.

The grass roller 15 is pivotally attached to the powered grass collector 5 by a roller carrier arm 67 located at the nearside and offside ends of the grass roller 5. A forward end of each roller carrier arm 67 is pivotally attached to the respective side plate 27, 29 and the grass roller 15 is rotatably attached between the rearward ends of the carrier arms 67. The carrier arms 67 are sprung loaded in an anticlockwise direction when viewed from the offside (spring not shown).

Figure 6 shows how the powered grass collector 5 engages with the grass collection net 7. A perspective view of the grass collection net 7 is shown in Figure 7. The grass collection net 7 comprises a fixed frame sub-assembly 69 and a moving floor sub-assembly 71. A top cover 73 is provided as part of the fixed frame sub-assembly 69 and a floor 75 is provided as part of the moving floor sub-assembly 71.

The fixed frame sub-assembly 69 comprises a tubular framework formed from a top tube 77 and a bottom tube 79 that provide the shape of the grass collection net. Netting (not shown) is attached to the top tube 77 and to the bottom tube 79 and extends between the top cover 73 and the floor 75 to create a net within which cut grass can be collected. The tubular framework is connected to the back plate 21 by nearside and offside net guide plates 81.

The floor 75 of the moving floor sub-assembly 71 is made from a rigid material. The cross- sectional shape of the floor 75, in a vertical plane that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lawn tractor chassis 3, is created by a bottom wall 83 that has substantially horizontal lower surface that extends rearwardly from a front edge before curving upwardly into a substantially vertical surface that finishes in a horizontal rear edge. The front edge of the bottom wall 83 is provided with a cut-out 84 that is complementary in shape to the external form of the powered grass collector 5, so that the bottom wall 83 can extend around the powered grass collector 5. Side walls 85 extend vertically upwardly from the nearside and offside edges of the bottom wall 83 and between the front edge and the rear edge of the wall 85 are generally triangular in shape. A floor pivot bracket 87 extends perpendicularly from the upper edge of each of the nearside and offside side walls 85 and each floor pivot bracket 87 is provided with a floor pivot aperture 89. The fixed frame sub-assembly 69 is provided on each of the nearside and the offside with a floor pivot bar 89 which is pivotally located within a floor pivot aperture 89. The curved shape of the floor 75 enables it to be pivoted in a clockwise direction (viewed from the offside) around the top cover 73, thereby creating an opening in the bottom of the grass collection net 7. A handle 93 is attached to the floor 75 to facilitate pivoting of the floor 75.

The rotating brush 9 and belt drive assembly 11 are shown in a partially cutaway cross- sectional perspective view in Figure 8. The belt drive assembly 11 comprises an input drive pulley 95 keyed to one end of a transfer shaft 97 and an intermediate drive pulley 99 keyed to its other end. A drive belt 101 is located around the intermediate drive pulley 99 and the final drive pulley 35. A belt tensioning pulley 103 is placed in contact with the drive belt 101. As described above, the final drive pulley 35 is attached to the drive shaft 37 of the rotating brush 9. The input drive pulley 95 is provided with two concentrically arranged pulleys, a relatively low diameter small pulley 96 and a larger diameter large pulley 98. An input drive belt (not shown) can be attached to the small pulley 96 to drive the final drive pulley 35 at a higher speed, or can be attached to the large pulley 98 to drive the final drive pulley 35 at a lower speed.

The drive shaft 37 comprises at one end a drive socket 105 and at the other end a retaining socket 107 each of which is provided with a clamp 109 with a square internal cross-sectional profile relative to the longitudinal axis X-X of the rotating brush 9. A common sweeper shaft 110 with a square cross-sectional profile is fitted within the clamp 109 of each of the drive socket 105 and the retaining socket 107.

The drive socket 105 has a cylindrical drive spindle 111 that is provided at one end with a keyway 113 and at the other end with a cylindrical flange 115 that is aligned concentrically with the drive spindle 111. A lower clamp half 117 of the clamp 109 extends away from the cylindrical flange 115, on the opposite side to the drive spindle 111 , and is in the form of a semi-circular half-cylinder, that is aligned concentrically with the drive spindle 111 and with the cylindrical flange 115. A cut-out 119 with a rectangular cross-sectional profile extends along the length of the lower clamp half 117 from the cylindrical flange 115 to the free end of the lower clamp half 117. The upper side of the cut-out 119 is in the same plane as the noncurved longitudinally orientated face of the lower clamp half 117, such that it forms the lower clamp half 117 into a generally U-shaped cross-sectional profile. An upper clamp half 121 abuts the lower clamp half 117. The upper clamp half 121 is also in the form of a semi-circular half-cylinder and is also provided with a rectangular cross-sectional profile cut-out 123 that extends along the length of the upper clamp half 121 from one end to the other. The upper side of the cut-out 123 is in the same plane as the non-curved longitudinally orientated face of the upper clamp half 121 , such that it forms the upper clamp half 121 into a generally U- shaped cross-sectional profile. The cross-sectional profile created by the lower clamp half 117 combined with the upper clamp half 119 is slightly smaller than the external square profile of the common sweeper shaft 110, so that when the lower and upper clamp halves 117,119 are bolted together (by a bolt that is not shown), the common sweeper shaft 110 is clamped firmly to the drive socket 105.

The retaining socket 107 is provided with the same type of clamping arrangement as that provided for the drive socket 105. The retaining socket 107 has a retaining spindle 125 for fitment within a bush 127 provided on the nearside vertical side plate 27 of the powered grass collector 5. The retaining spindle 125, a cylindrical flange 129, a lower clamp half 131 with a cut-out 133, and an upper clamp half 135 with a cut-out 137 are arranged in the same way as the corresponding features of the drive socket 105, so that when the lower and upper clamp halves 131 ,135 are bolted together (by a bolt that is not shown), the common sweeper shaft 110 is clamped firmly to the retaining socket 107.

The common sweeper shaft 110 is fitted with a plurality of bristled sweeping rotors 139. Figure 9 is a close-up view of the rotating brush 9, with the two end sweeping rotors 139 hidden in order to show the common sweeper shaft 110 and the features of the drive socket 105 and the retaining socket 107. Each sweeping rotor 139 comprises a generally cylindrical bristle holder 141 with three bristle grips 143 spaced equally around its circular perimeter. A shaft aperture 145 runs through the bristle holder 141 along its longitudinal axis and has a square cross-sectional profile that is slightly larger than the square cross-sectional profile of the common sweeper shaft 110.

In use, the rotating brush 9 of the powered grass collector 5 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction (viewed from the offside) and using its bristles 39 sweeps grass cuttings from the surface of a lawn into the grass channel 13 via the inlet 31. The grass cuttings are thrown against the throwplate 23 by the rotating brush 9 and they travel upwards along the throwplate 23 until the are forced out of the outlet 31 and into the grass collection net 7. Any grass cuttings that contact the deflector plate 25 are deflected back towards the throwplate 23 and carried upwards and out of the outlet 31. The grass channel 13 causes the grass cuttings to be thrown upwardly towards the back and top of the grass collection net, so the grass cuttings fall down and collect from the bottom back corner of the net. This enables the grass collection net to be filled with the maximum amount of grass cuttings before it needs to be emptied. A net full indicator (not shown) is provided on the powered grass collector and is triggered when the grass cuttings reach a level just below the top edge of the deflector plate 25.

The rotating brush 9 can be lowered towards the surface of a lawn by operating the linear electrical actuator 19 so that it rotates the lift connector arm 65 in an anti-clockwise direction (when viewed from the offside). Rotation of the lift connector arm 65 causes the lifting rod 61 and the nearside and offside lift arm plates 51 ,57 to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction. This lowers the powered grass collector 5 and it is constrained to move vertically downwards as a result of the lower attachment pins 47 being guided by the vertical slots in the nearside and offside guide plates 55,59.

The rotating brush can be raised from the surface of a lawn by operating the electrical actuator 19 so that it rotates the lift connector arm 65 in a clockwise direction (when viewed from the offside). The lifting mechanism 17 also constrains the powered grass collector 5 to moving vertically when it is being raised.

To empty the grass collection net 7, the moving floor sub-assembly 71 is swung rearwardly around the floor pivot bars 91 using the handle 93. The moving floor sub-assembly 71 moves around the outside of the fixed frame sub-assembly 69 and its top cover 73. Movement of the moving floor sub-assembly 71 creates an opening between the floor 75 and the powered grass collector 5, through which the grass cuttings can escape. The handle can be pivoted in the opposite direction to close the grass collection net.

If it is necessary to replace a bristle 39 on the rotating brush 9, or to swap one type of rotating brush 9 for another one, then the clamps 109 at either end of the drive shaft can be undone. The upper clamp halves 121 ,135 can be removed from the drive socket 105 and retaining socket 107 respectively and the drive shaft 37 and sweeping rotors 139 can be removed from the powered grass collector 5. If a bristle 39 needs to be replaced then the sweeping rotors 139 can be slid along the drive shaft 37 to facilitate removal and replacement of the worn or damaged sweeping rotor 139. The drive shaft 37 can then be replaced in the drive socket 105 and the retaining socket 107 and the clamps 109 re-secured. The two-speed belt drive assembly 11 can be used to drive the final drive pulley 35 at a higher speed, for example for sweeping grass cuttings from a lawn, or at a lower speed, for example for sweeping a hard surface, such as a road. The user will attach an input drive belt (not shown) to the small pulley 96 of the input drive pulley 95 for the higher speed operation and to the large pulley 98 of the input drive pulley 95 for the lower speed operation.