Front-Mounted Boom Mower for Utility Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Boom mowers attached to landscaping utility vehicles often obstruct the operator's view while mowing, are difficult to remove, and have complex controls and limited cutting range, making them inefficient for various applications.
Innovation Solution
A boom mower attachment that is selectively mountable to the front end of a compact tractor, allowing the operator to see while mowing, easily removable, and featuring simplified controls for one-handed operation, with a cutting mechanism that can be raised, lowered, extended, and retracted to a greater degree than previous designs, using a single control to move the mechanism in three distinct movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the boom mower is mounted to the rear end of the vehicle, then the cutting range is extended, but the operator cannot monitor the vegetation being mowed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional mounting arrangement by attaching the boom mower to the front end of the utility vehicle instead of the rear end. This inversion allows the operator to directly observe the cutting mechanism and vegetation being mowed while maintaining an extended cutting range, thus resolving the contradiction between cutting range and operator visibility.
2Ease of operation
If the boom mower is mounted to the front end of the vehicle, then the operator can see the vegetation being mowed, but the cutting range is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The boom assembly incorporates multiple hydraulic actuators that enable dynamic adjustment of the boom's position, angle, and extension. This dynamic capability allows the cutting mechanism to reach vegetation at various distances and heights from the vehicle, maintaining an extended cutting range while the boom remains front-mounted for operator visibility.
3Length of moving object
If multiple controls are used to operate the cutting mechanism, then the cutting range and positioning are improved, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple control functions into a single integrated control system. A single operator input device controls the hydraulic actuators that manage boom extension, elevation, and cutting mechanism positioning, thereby maintaining extended cutting range while reducing control complexity to one-handed operation.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the boom mower is permanently attached to the vehicle, then the structural stability is improved, but the vehicle versatility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The boom mower is designed as a separable attachment that can be easily detached from the utility vehicle. The connection mechanism allows for quick attachment and detachment while maintaining structural stability during operation, enabling the vehicle to be used for multiple purposes beyond mowing.
Data Source
AI summary
A boom mower having a frame, a boom assembly carried by the frame, a cutting mechanism operably engaged with the boom assembly, and at least one translation assembly operably engaged with the boom assembly and the cutting mechanism that moves the cutting mechanism in one or more of the first movement, the second movement, and the third movement. There is a break-away mechanism that enables the cutting mechanism to pivot relative to the at least one translation assembly.