Open-Box Mower Deck with Four-Bar Linkage Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large cut width mowers face challenges in maintaining even cutting height and preventing scalping on uneven terrain, as existing mechanisms require tool usage and are time-consuming, especially in areas like golf courses with varying grass heights.
Innovation Solution
A wide area mower with an open-box deck structure that flexes and adjusts cutting height without tools, featuring a four-bar linkage system for tool-free height adjustment and anti-scalp rollers to maintain blade distance from the ground.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large cut width mower is used to reduce mowing time, then productivity is improved, but the mower tends to scalp grass or tilt on uneven terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The mower deck is divided into multiple independently adjustable height sections (front, middle, rear) rather than a single rigid structure. Each section can be adjusted separately to compensate for terrain variations, preventing scalping while maintaining the large cut width needed for high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mower deck incorporates dynamic height adjustment mechanisms that allow real-time modification of cutting height at different deck sections. This dynamic adaptability enables the mower to respond to uneven terrain during operation, maintaining cutting height stability despite the large deck width that provides high productivity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional height adjustment mechanisms are used, then cutting height can be changed, but tool usage is required which increases time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The height adjustment mechanism is designed to be operated without tools by the operator during normal mower operation. The system includes quick-adjust levers or knobs that allow tool-free height changes, enabling the operator to adapt to different terrain or grass conditions without stopping the mowing process or requiring additional tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional tool-based mechanical adjustment system is replaced with a simplified mechanism that can be operated by hand. This may involve replacing bolt-and-wrench systems with lever-based or cam-based quick-adjust mechanisms that provide the same height adjustment functionality without requiring external tools.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cut heights are required for different areas (greens and fairways), then adaptability is improved, but the time required for height setting increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mower deck is segmented into multiple height-adjustable zones, allowing different sections to be set at different cutting heights simultaneously. This enables the operator to mow both greens and fairways with a single pass by adjusting the appropriate deck sections, rather than requiring separate passes with full height reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The height adjustment system allows dynamic reconfiguration of cutting heights during operation. The operator can quickly adjust specific deck sections to different heights as needed for different grass areas, enabling rapid adaptation between greens and fairways without the time-consuming process of adjusting all corners of a traditional deck.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient cutting of large areas with reduced time spent on height adjustments and minimizes scalping by allowing the mower to adapt to terrain changes while maintaining consistent blade height.
Implementation Method 1
The open-box deck construction allows the deck to flex, bend, or tilt as one part of the deck is lifted or drops down into a hollow
Implementation Method 2
The open-box deck construction allows the deck to flex, bend, or tilt as one part of the deck is lifted or drops down into a hollow
Implementation Method 3
The open-box deck construction allows the deck to flex, bend, or tilt as one part of the deck is lifted or drops down into a hollow
Implementation Method 4
The adjustment mechanism comprises a first assembly that is used to raise or lower a right side of the mower deck and a second assembly that is used to raise or lower a left side of the mower deck. The mower deck itself is configured to allow part of the deck to ride over a bump or into a depression but keeps the rest of the mower in contact with the flat terrain. This is possible because the open-box deck construction allows the deck to flex, bend, or tilt as one part of the deck is lifted or drops down into a hollow.
Data Source
AI summary
A wide area mower with an open-box structure mower deck. The deck has a width from the left to right side of about 72 to 120 inches. The deck's length is about 24 to 70 inches. A left and right front wheel are positioned in front of the deck. The wide mower deck will flex, twist, or bend when one of the left or right wheels travels over uneven terrain while the rest of the mower travels over substantially level terrain. A cutting height adjustment mechanism is provided on the mower that allows an operator to raise or lower an entire left side or an entire right side of the mower deck to a selected cutting height. This is done simply by disengaging a locking mechanism and manipulating a lever on a four-bar linkage attached to each side of the deck and then re-engaging the locking mechanism.