Quick-Change Grooming Attachment Mounting for Reel Mowers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing turf grooming attachments for reel mowers are difficult and time-consuming to install and remove, requiring partial disassembly of the mower and potential lubricant spillage, and frequent swapping is necessary due to wear and different attachment types.
Innovation Solution
A drive and mounting system featuring paired stub shafts and clamps allows the turf grooming attachment to be easily installed and removed without disassembling the mower, with the attachment nested between the stub shafts and clamped in place, eliminating the need to move or disassemble the shaft supports and avoid opening the drive housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional mounting systems are used for turf grooming attachments, then the attachments can be securely mounted, but the installation and removal process becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into separate components: the attachment shaft with mounting brackets, the reel mower stub shafts, and clamps. This segmentation allows the attachment to be independently installed and removed without disassembling the mower itself, enabling quick changes while maintaining secure mounting during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system transitions from a static, permanently fixed arrangement to a dynamic, easily changeable configuration. The clamps provide a mechanism that can be quickly engaged and disengaged, allowing the attachment to be dynamically added or removed from the stub shafts without complex disassembly procedures.
2Ease of operation
If traditional drive housing designs are used, then the drive transmission is protected, but opening the housing causes lubricant spillage
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment shaft is extracted from the drive housing entirely, mounting externally on the stub shafts. This eliminates the need to open the drive housing for attachment installation, thereby preventing lubricant spillage while still allowing secure mounting and drive transmission to the attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The stub shafts serve as intermediaries between the drive transmission inside the housing and the attachment outside. Power is transmitted through these intermediaries without requiring the attachment to be inside the housing, thus avoiding lubricant exposure during installation or removal.
3Stability of the object's composition
If bearing supports are fixed to the frame, then structural stability is maintained, but the shafts cannot be moved or disassembled for attachment installation
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented so that the attachment shaft mounts externally to the stub shafts that extend from the bearing supports. This segmentation allows the bearing supports to remain fixed and stable on the frame while the attachment can be independently installed on the exposed stub shafts without moving the supports.
Data Source
AI summary
A reel mower has a drive and mounting system for easily and quickly installing a turf grooming attachment. A pair of bearing supports on opposite sides of the reel mower frame provides laterally spaced stub shafts between which the through shaft of the attachment can be nested. A pair of identical clamps releasably couples the opposite ends of the through shaft of the attachment to the adjacent stub shafts. Installation and removal of the clamps is sufficient to install or remove the attachment without requiring disassembly or lateral movement of the bearing supports or of the stub shafts rotatably journalled therein.