Universal lawn spreader attachment for lawn mowers

Abstract

A universal spreader comprising a hopper; a cable by which the speading of fertilizer/chemical/seed/pesticide/etc., in the hopper may be initiated or terminated; a rotatable, driven agitator which distributes and controls the amount of the fertilizer; an adjustable width drive for the agitator; a series of moveable fertilizer delivery tubes or "fingers" for delivering the fertilizer from the hopper to the ground which allows spreader to be fit on lawnmowers of most sizes with handles of different and varied configurations; and a guide securing device which also assists in spreading the fertilizer from the "fingers" while also serving to provide a base for anchoring and adjusting the width of the "fingers" to coincide with the swath of the lawn cut by the blades of the mower. Two additional, accessory devices include handle lock to prevent forward and rearward motion of the lawnmower handle and a temporary, wheel contacting, mounting tool to assist the user in mounting and attaching the hopper unto the lawnmower in a one man operation.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A spreader attachment, for wheeled lawnmowers with a rearwardly extending handle for manipulation of the lawnmower by the user, for dispensing fertilizer and the like on the ground in association with the lawnmower, comprising: hopper means, including associated flow control means for controlling the flow of fertilizer from said hopper means to the ground, for mounting on top of the lawnmower in front of and above the lawnmower handle and for holding the fertilizer prior to dispensing the fertilizer to the ground;   mounting connector means attachable to said hopper means for mounting said hopper means on and connecting it to the lawnmower for transport across the ground in association with the lawnmower;   drive wheel means connected to said flow control means for engaging at least one wheel of the lawnmower as a source of motive power and for rotationally driving said flow control means in response to the movement of the engaged lawnmower wheel;   fertilizer distribution means connectable to said hopper means for extending down from said hopper means at the back of the lawnmower and at least in part in the central, back area of the lawnmower down to an area adjacent the ground level and behind the lawnmower housing; and   separate handle locking accessory means for locking the lawnmower handle in position with respect to the rest of the lawnmower, the lawnmower including a handle which is pivoted at its lower end for upward, forward movement and a housing having a rear, downturned, lower lip, said handle lock means comprising an elongated member connectable between the handle of the lawnmower and the lower, rear lip of the lawnmower housing, said elongated member being inextendible when said handle lock means is in operative disposition on the lawnmower between the handle and the lower, rear lip of the lawnmower housing preventing any upward, forward movement of the handle.   
     
     
       2. A spreader attachment, for wheeled lawnmowers with a rearwardly extending handle for manipulation of the lawnmower by the user, for dispensing fertilizer and the like on the ground in association with the lawnmower comprising: hopper means, including associated flow control means for controlling the flow of fertilizer from said hopper means to the ground, for mounting on top of the lawnmower in front of and above the lawnmower handle and for holding the fertilizer prior to dispensing the fertilizer to the ground;   mounting connector means attachable to said hopper means for mounting said hopper means on and connecting it to the lawnmower for transport across the ground in association with thelawnmower;   drive wheel means connected to said flow control means for engaging at least one wheel of the lawnmower as a source of motive power and for rotationally driving said flow control means in response to the movement of the engaged lawnmower wheel; and   fertilizer distribution means connectable to said hopper means for extending down from said hopper means at the back of the lawnmower and at least in part in the central, back area of the lawnmower down to an area adjacent the ground level and behind the lawnmower housing, said fertilizer distribution means comprising a plurality of laterally spaced, discrete, separate, downwardly extending channel means, at least the side end ones of which are flexible but capable of being self-supporting in their rigidity, for extending down, at least in the area of the lawnmower where the lawnmower handle extends and adjacent to the lawnmower housing, for distributing the fertilizer from the hopper to the ground through the spaced channel means, said channel means comprising separate, straight, flexible but capable of being self-supporting, elongated tubes disposed down and rearwardly in at least general parallal array; and   laterally extending, elongated .[.splash.]. .Iadd.attachment .Iaddend.element means connected to and extending laterally across the bottom end portions of said tubes for .[.further.]. .Iadd.the positioning of said tubes for .Iaddend.distributing the fertilizer from the ends of said tubes out to the ground and for holding said tubes in position at their lower ends.     
     
     
       3. The spreader attachment of claim 2, wherein the flexible, side end ones of said plurality of channel means straddle the lawnmower handle, at least one each of said channel means being located outboard of the lawnmower handle. 
     
     
       4. The spreader attachment of claim 3.Iadd., .Iaddend.wherein said distribution means further comprises a series of said discrete, laterally separate and spaced channels disposed across at least most of the lateral extent of said hopper means, with each channel extending from an area at least adjacent the bottom of said hopper means down to and adjacent the ground level. 
     
     
       5. The spreader attachment of claim 2, wherein the connection between said .[.splash.]. .Iadd.attachment .Iaddend.element means and said tubes comprises a snap fastening system in which a bulbous projection on one part is removeably fastened into an indentation on the other part. 
     
     
       6. The spreader attachment of claim 2, wherein the connection between said .[.splash.]. .Iadd.attachment .Iaddend.element means and said tubes comprises a "Velcro" type system in which the hooks on one part are removably fastened into the loops on the other part. 
     
     
       7. The spreader attachment of claim 2.Iadd., .Iaddend.wherein said drive wheel means includes axial adjustment means connected to said flow control means for varying the lateral position of said drive wheel means for different lawnmower wheel placements on different lawnmowers, said axial adjustment means comprising an axle which is laterally moveable in and out but lockable in its desired position. 
     
     
       8. The spreader attachment of claim 2.Iadd., .Iaddend.wherein said drive wheel means comprises two, rotatable, drive wheels located on opposite sides of said hopper means and mountable over and in contact with one set of lawnmower wheels, and wherein said mounting connector means comprises handle connectors extendable and connectable from the rear of said hopper means back to the lawnmower handle for connecting said hopper means to the lawnmower handle, said drive wheels and said handle connectors being the only structural support and structural connections between said hopper means and the lawnmower. 
     
     
       9. The spreader attachment of claim 2.Iadd., .Iaddend.wherein there is further included separate handle locking accessory means for locking the lawnmower handle in position with respect to the rest of the lawn mower. 
     
     
       10. The spreader attachment of claim 2.Iadd., .Iaddend.wherein said hopper means comprises a hopper having a generally triangular, inverted configuration along its sides and a lateral width comparable to the lateral width of the lawnmower and being mountable above and forward of the lawnmower handle and directly above the rear wheels of the lawnmower. 
     
     
       11. The spreader attachment of claim 2.Iadd., .Iaddend.wherein said flow control means is a rotatable, mechanical agitator located in the bottom of said hopper means, said agitator being rotatable in conjunction with the rotation of said drive wheel means which in turn is rotatable in conjunction with the rotation of the lawnmower wheels. .Iadd. 
     
     
       12.  The spreader attachment of claim 2, wherein the attachment means also serves as a splash plate means extending behind the lower ends of said tubes for further distributing the fertilizer after it leaves said lower ends..Iaddend.