Mower with flip up mowing deck

Abstract

A mower deck assembly which essentially “flips up” or raises from a mowing configuration to an access configuration with minimal manipulation of controls and manual lifting. A deck is connected to a frame by a parallelogram suspension which includes front and rear support arms. A rear of the deck removably connects through a height adjustment mechanism that includes the hook and capture device selectively allows the rear of the deck to swing freely so that when the mower is in a non mowing configuration. The deck has mounted thereon a plurality of pulleys, including blade pulleys connected by a single drive belt and driven by a single motor. One of the pulleys is a tension pulley that can be manipulated to disengage the pulley system. The front of the suspension includes a fine height adjustment mechanism.

1 . A mower adapted to traverse ground comprising: 
 a) a mobile frame mounted on wheels;    b) a suspension structure supported by said frame;    c) a mower deck that is suspended from said frame by a suspension structure with a plurality of cutting blades mounted thereon;    d) a height-adjustment mechanism cooperating between said frame and said deck to position said deck;    e) a plurality of pulleys mounted on said deck including a tension pulley and a mower blade drive pulley for each cutting blade;    f) a motor mounted on said frame and having a motor drive pulley;    g) a single drive belt that is reeved between all said pulleys, so as to follow a route that is generally in a single plane during use in the mowing configuration; and    h) said tension pulley being moveable by a manual handle between a tension configuration and a tension release configuration.    
   
   
       2 . The mower according to claim  17  wherein: 
 a) tension on said drive belt can be selectively increased or released by said tension pulley by said manual handle; said drive belt being removable by hand from said motor drive pulley when said tension is released so that said drive belt swings free to allow said deck to transition from the mowing configuration to an access configuration thereof.    
   
   
       3 . The mower according to claim  18  wherein: 
 a) said tension pulley is mounted on a pivotal arm manipulated by said manual handle; and    b) said manual handle has an over center lock position to secure said tension pulley in a tension producing position.    
   
   
       4 . A mower comprising: 
 a) a mobile frame;    b) a mowing deck having at least one cutting blade mounted thereon;    c) a suspension mechanism for suspending said mowing deck beneath said frame; said suspension mechanism including at least one front support arm and at least one rear support arm; and    d) a fine adjustment mechanism pivotally joining a selected arm chosen from said front support arm and said rear support arm to an attachment chosen from said mowing deck and said frame; said fine adjustment mechanism including a horizontally moveable mount that is secured to said attachment by a slideable pin and pivotally attached to said selected arm; said mount being constrained to allow movement thereof from front to rear by manipulation of a position adjustment nut to allow fine adjustment modification of the angle of the selected arm relative to the attachment.    
   
   
       5 . The mower according to claim  20  wherein: 
 a) said mount comprises a first clevis mounted on said deck to allow selective movement relative to said deck from front to rear; said first clevis being pivotally joined to said support arm by a pivot pin.    
   
   
       6 . The mower according to claim  21  including: 
 a) a second clevis fixedly attached to said deck and at least partially surrounding said first clevis; said second clevis having an elongate front to rear slot for receiving said pivot pin.    
   
   
       7 . The mower according to claim  22  including: 
 a) a bolt secured to and extending rearwardly of said first clevis; said second clevis having a pass through aperture for receiving said bolt; and an adjustment nut located rearwardly of said aperture on said bolt adapted to allow an operator to adjust the position of the first clevis relative to the second clevis.    
   
   
       8 . The mower according to claim  23  including: 
 a) a gross height adjustment mechanism operating in conjunction with said fine height adjustment mechanism.    
   
   
       9 . The mower according to claim  24  wherein: 
 a) said gross height adjustment mechanism includes a pivot rod mounted on said frame and having a radially outward extending loop and a radially outward extending operator control handle; said gross height adjusting mechanism further including a hook fixedly mounted near a rear of said mowing deck that is sized and positioned to selectively engage said loop as said pivot rod is rotated so as to allow an operator to engage said hook and loop and then raise or lower said deck.    
   
   
       10 . The mower according to claim  22  wherein: 
 a) said suspension mechanisms includes front and rear spaced support arms;    b) said rear support arm being bifurcated into upper and lower sections; the upper end of each support arm joining to said frame near a common location; and said rear support arm upper section resting against said frame when said mower is in the mowing configuration.    
   
   
       11 . The mower according to claim  26  wherein: 
 a) said front support arm and said rear support arm lower sections are approximately the same length and said rear support arm upper section and the distance between whereat said front and rear support arms join to said deck being approximately equal, so as to form a parallelogram configuration for maintaining the deck generally parallel to the ground while in the mowing configuration; and    b) said rear support arm upper section being swingable free of said frame to allow said deck to transition to said access configuration when said gross height adjustment mechanism is disengaged.    
   
   
       12 . A mower adapted to traverse ground comprising: 
 a) a frame;    b) a deck;    c) a height-adjustment mechanism that is mounted on said frame;    d) a capture bail mounted on said deck; and    e) a hook mounted on said height-adjustment mechanism so as to operably engages said bail in a mowing configuration and disengages said bail in an access configuration.