초록 ▼

A self-propelled lawn mower includes at least one cutting blade, at least first and second drive wheels, and hydro pumps for controlling the drive wheels. At least first and second belts are used to drive the pumps and blade(s) of the cutter deck, respectively. In certain example embodiments of this

A self-propelled lawn mower includes at least one cutting blade, at least first and second drive wheels, and hydro pumps for controlling the drive wheels. At least first and second belts are used to drive the pumps and blade(s) of the cutter deck, respectively. In certain example embodiments of this invention, the belt(s) for driving the hydro pumps is/are provided at an elevation lower than a belt(s) for driving the blade(s) of the cutter deck. In certain example embodiments of this invention, this advantageously permits the center of gravity of the mower to be lowered by permitting the hydro pumps and/or engine of the mower to be positioned at a lower elevation. In certain example embodiments, one or both of the hydro pumps is/are mounted on a pump deck which is at an elevation lower than that of the engine deck where the engine is mounted.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A lawn mower comprising: first and second drive wheels; a first pump for controlling the first drive wheel, and a second pump for controlling the second drive wheel, the first and second drive wheels being independently drivable via the pumps in both forward and reverse

The invention claimed is: 1. A lawn mower comprising: first and second drive wheels; a first pump for controlling the first drive wheel, and a second pump for controlling the second drive wheel, the first and second drive wheels being independently drivable via the pumps in both forward and reverse directions so as to permit zero radius turning of the mower; at least one cutting blade for cutting grass, the cutting blade being part of a cutter deck assembly; an engine mounted on an upper surface of an engine deck, the engine including an engine drive shaft extending downwardly from a bottom side thereof; at least one cutter deck drive belt supported by a plurality of cutting blade drive belt pulleys for driving at least one cutting blade of the mower, the cutter deck drive belt being driven by the engine drive shaft and extending between the engine drive shaft and the cutter deck assembly; at least one pump belt for driving at least one of the first and second pumps, the pump belt also being driven by the engine drive shaft; wherein the cutter deck drive belt and the pump belt are operable to be positioned at different substantially parallel elevations during at least some mower operations, and wherein the cutter deck drive belt is located at an elevation above an elevation of the pump belt; wherein all the cutting blade drive belt pulleys of the mower are located at an elevation above the elevation of the pump belt; and wherein the pumps are mounted on an upper surface of a pump deck, wherein the upper surface of the pump deck on which the pumps are mounted is at an elevation below the upper surface of the engine deck on which the engine is mounted. 2. The mower of claim 1, wherein the pumps are spaced apart from one another on the pump deck with a space provided therebetween, the first pump being closer to a right side of the mower and the second pump being closer to a left side of the mower, and wherein the cutter deck drive belt extends through the space between the pumps and is thus located at an elevation common with at least part of each of the pumps. 3. The mower of claim 1, wherein the mower is a riding mower, and wherein a seat of the mower is positioned laterally forward of at least part of the engine. 4. The mower of claim 1, further comprising a clutch located operably between the engine drive shaft and the cutter deck drive belt. 5. The mower of claim 1, wherein the pump belt drives each of the first and second pumps. 6. The mower of claim 1, further comprising a substantially vertically extending wall located between a rear end of the upper surface of the pump deck and a front end of the upper surface of the engine deck. 7. The mower of claim 6, wherein the substantially vertically extending wall has a hole defined therein, and wherein the cutter deck drive belt extends through the hole defined in the substantially vertically extending wall. 8. The mower of claim 1, wherein the first and second drive wheels are rear wheels of the mower. 9. The mower of claim 1, wherein the pumps are hydro pumps. 10. The mower of claim 1, wherein a seat of the mower is at least partially located laterally forward of both the engine and the pumps. 11. The mower of claim 1, wherein a height of the cutter deck assembly is adjustable, and wherein the cutter deck assembly moves upwardly and downwardly to adjust a cutting height of the mower and is not fixedly connected to the engine deck, so that the engine deck does not move upwardly and downwardly along with the cutter deck assembly. 12. The mower of claim 1, wherein a pump drive system of the mower comprises the pump belt, a first pulley attached to the engine shaft for rotation therewith, a second pulley operably connected to a shaft of one of the pumps, a third pulley operably connected to a shaft of the other one of the pumps, and an idler pulley, wherein the pump belt is mounted on each of the first, second, third and idler pulleys. 13. The mower of claim 12, wherein the first, second, third and idler pulleys are all substantially in a common plane which is below a plane of the pump deck. 14. A lawn mower comprising: first and second rear drive wheels; a first pump for controlling the first drive wheel, and a second pump for controlling the second drive wheel, the first and second drive wheels being independently drivable via the pumps in both forward and reverse directions so as to permit zero radius turning of the mower; a rotational axis about which the rear drive wheels rotate; at least one cutting blade for cutting grass, the cutting blade being part of a cutter deck assembly; an engine mounted on a surface of an engine deck, the engine including an engine drive shaft; at least one cutter deck drive belt for directly or indirectly driving at least one cutting blade of the mower, the cutter deck drive belt being driven directly or indirectly by the engine drive shaft, and the cutter deck drive belt extending between a rear area of the mower and the cutter deck assembly; at least one pump belt for driving at least one of the first and second pumps, the pump belt being driven directly or indirectly by the engine drive shaft; wherein the cutter deck drive belt is located at an elevation above an elevation of the pump belt; and wherein said rotational axis about which the rear drive wheels rotate is located at an elevation above the elevation of the pump belt. 15. The mower of claim 14, wherein the pumps are mounted on a surface of a pump deck, wherein the surface of the pump deck on which the pumps are mounted is at an elevation below the surface of the engine deck on which the engine is mounted. 16. The mower of claim 14, wherein the pumps are spaced apart from one another on a pump deck with a space provided therebetween, the first pump being closer to a right side of the mower and the second pump being closer to a left side of the mower, and wherein the cutter deck drive belt extends through the space between the pumps and is thus located at an elevation common with at least part of each of the pumps. 17. The mower of claim 14, wherein the mower is a riding mower, and wherein a seat of the mower is positioned laterally forward of at least part of the engine. 18. The mower of claim 14, wherein the mower comprises first and second cutter deck drive belts both being located at elevation(s) or in plane(s) above the pump belt. 19. The mower of claim 14, further comprising a substantially vertically extending wall located between a rear end of the surface of the pump deck on which the pumps are mounted and a front end of the surface of the engine deck on which the engine is mounted, the substantially vertically extending wall having a hole defined therein, and wherein the cutter deck drive belt extends through the hole defined in the substantially vertically extending wall. 20. The mower of claim 14, wherein the pumps are hydro pumps. 21. The mower of claim 14, wherein a seat of the mower is at least partially located laterally forward of both the engine and the pumps. 22. The mower of claim 14, wherein a pump drive system of the mower comprises the pump belt, a first pulley attached to the engine shaft for rotation therewith, a second pulley operably connected to a shaft of one of the pumps, a third pulley operably connected to a shaft of the other one of the pumps, and an idler pulley, wherein the pump belt is mounted on each of the first, second, third and idler pulleys, and wherein the first, second, and third pulleys are all substantially in a common plane which is below a plane of the pump deck. 23. A lawn mower comprising: first and second drive wheels; a first pump for controlling the first drive wheel, and a second pump for controlling the second drive wheel, the first and second drive wheels being independently drivable via the pumps, the first and second pumps being mounted on a surface of a pump deck; at least one cutting blade for cutting grass, the at least one cutting blade being part of a cutter deck assembly; an engine mounted on a surface of an engine deck, the engine including an engine drive shaft; the surface of the pump deck on which the pumps are mounted being at an elevation below an elevation of the surface of the engine deck on which the engine is mounted; at least one cutter deck drive belt for directly or indirectly driving the at least one cutting blade of the mower, the cutter deck drive belt being driven directly or indirectly by the engine drive shaft, and the cutter deck drive belt extending between a rear area of the mower and the cutter deck assembly; a substantially vertically extending wall located at least between the surface of the pump deck on which the pumps are mounted and the surface of the engine deck on which the engine is mounted, the substantially vertically extending wall having a hole defined therein, and wherein the cutter deck drive belt extends through the hole defined in the substantially vertically extending wall; and wherein all cutter deck drive belts of the mower are located at an elevation above an elevation of the pump belt. 24. The mower of claim 23, further comprising at least one pump belt for driving at least one of the first and second pumps, the pump belt being driven directly or indirectly by the engine drive shaft. 25. The mower of claim 23, wherein the pumps are spaced apart from one another on the pump deck with a space provided therebetween, and wherein the cutter deck drive belt extends through the space between the pumps. 26. The mower of claim 23, wherein a pump drive system of the mower comprises a pump belt, a first pulley attached to the engine drive shaft for rotation therewith, a second pulley operably connected to a shaft of one of the pumps, a third pulley operably connected to a shaft of the other one of the pumps, and an idler pulley, wherein the pump belt is mounted on each of the first, second, third and idler pulleys, and wherein at least the first, second, and third pulleys are all substantially in a common plane which is below a plane of the pump deck. 27. A lawn mower comprising: at least one drive wheel; at least one pump for controlling driving direction and speed of the drive wheel; at least one cutter deck drive belt supported by a plurality of cutting blade drive belt pulleys for directly or indirectly driving at least one cutting blade of the mower, the cutter deck drive belt being driven directly or indirectly by an engine of the mower; at least one pump belt for driving at least the pump, the pump belt being driven directly or indirectly by the engine and being supported and driven by a pump drive engine pulley which rotates along with a shaft of the engine; wherein a cutter deck engine pulley on which the cutter deck drive belt is mounted and located at an elevation above an elevation at which the pump drive engine pulley is located; wherein the pump for controlling driving direction and speed of the drive wheel is located at an elevation above the elevation at which the pump drive engine pulley is located; and wherein all the cutting blade drive belt pulleys of the mower are located at an elevation above the elevation of the pump belt. 28. The mower of claim 27, wherein the cutter deck engine pulley and the pump drive engine pulley are coaxial. 29. A lawn mower comprising: at least one drive wheel; at least one pump for controlling the drive wheel; at least one cutting blade for cutting grass, the cutting blade being part of a cutter deck assembly; an engine mounted on a surface of an engine deck, the engine including an engine drive shaft; at least one cutter deck drive belt supported by a plurality of cutting blade drive belt pulleys for directly or indirectly driving at least one cutting blade of the mower, the cutter deck drive belt being driven directly or indirectly by the engine drive shaft, and the cutter deck drive belt extending between a rear area of the mower and the cutter deck assembly; at least one pump belt for driving the pump, the pump belt being driven directly or indirectly by the engine drive shaft; wherein the cutter deck drive belt is located at an elevation above an elevation of the pump belt; wherein the pump for controlling the drive wheel is located at an elevation above the elevation of the pump belt; and wherein all the cutting blade drive belt pulleys of the mower are located at an elevation above the elevation of the pump belt. 30. The mower of claim 29, wherein the pump is mounted on a surface of a pump deck, wherein the surface of the pump deck on which the pump is mounted is at an elevation below the surface of the engine deck on which the engine is mounted.