Riding Mower Rack Assembly with Trailer Hitch Stability Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional riding lawn mowers lack convenient storage space and capacity for hauling items, limiting their utility for homeowners who need to transport tools, gardening supplies, and other equipment.
Innovation Solution
A selectively mountable rack assembly is designed for riding lawn mowers, featuring a substantially flat floor with mounting pins that secure to the mower's frame and a stability support that rests on the trailer hitch mechanism, providing additional storage and stability for carrying items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a rack assembly is added to a riding lawn mower to provide storage space, then the carrying capacity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rack assembly is divided into separate functional components: a rack body for carrying items, support members for forward attachment to the mower frame, and a stability support for rearward attachment to the trailer hitch. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall attachment process.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack assembly utilizes existing structures on the riding lawn mower (the frame and trailer hitch mechanism) for support and attachment, rather than requiring a completely new mounting system. This multi-functional approach allows the rack to leverage already-present structural elements, reducing the need for additional complex components.
2Stability of the object's composition
If support members extend forward from the rack to be received in the mower frame, then the rack stability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support members are designed with movable or adjustable characteristics, allowing them to be easily positioned and secured. The connection between the support members and the mower frame likely involves simple insertion or clipping mechanisms that enable quick attachment and detachment, balancing stability with operational ease.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a stability support extends downward to rest on the trailer hitch mechanism, then the rack stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stability support utilizes the existing trailer hitch mechanism on the riding lawn mower as its foundation, converting an already-present structural element into a support point for the rack. This approach provides enhanced stability without requiring a completely new support system, as the trailer hitch is designed to bear loads.
4Manufacturing precision
If mounting pins are spaced to register with recesses in the frame, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into discrete mounting pins on the rack and corresponding recesses in the mower frame. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately with standard tolerances, and the precise alignment is achieved through the geometric fit of the pin-recess interface rather than requiring ultra-precise manufacturing of both parts simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A rack assembly to be selectively coupled to a riding lawn mower, the rack assembly including a rack configured to have a forward and a rearward edge, one or more support members configured to extend forward from the rack proximate the forward edge and to be at least partially received in a riding lawn mower frame, a stability support configured to extend downward and forward from the rack proximate the rearward edge and to rest upon a trailer hitch mechanism of the riding lawn mower frame.