Soil tiller

Claim 1

A POWER-OPERATED, MANUALLY-MANIPULATED, SOIL TILLING DEVICE COMPRISING A FRAME MOUNTED ON A PAIR OF GROUND WHEELS AND HAVING A HANDLE BAR FOR THE MANIPULATION OF THE DEVICE, A TINED SOIL ENGAGING ROTOR OPERABLE UPON ROTATION TO TILL THE SOIL AND PROPEL THE DEVICE ALONG THE GROUND, A DRIVE SHAFT JOURNALLED IN THE FRAME AND BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID ROTOR TO EFFECT ROTATION THEREOF, A MOTOR PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AND HAVING A PORTION OF ITS POWER SHAFT EXTENDING IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, A BELT PULLEY MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE SHAFT, A BELT PULLEY MOUNTED ON SAID POWER SHAFT, A BELT TRAINED OVER SAID PULLEYS AND OPERABLE UNDER TENSION TO EFFECT FORWARD ROTATION OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND ROTOR, A FRICTION DRUM MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE SHAFT, A FRICTION DRUM MOUNTED ON SAID POWER SHAFT, SAID DRUMS BEING OPERABLE UPON ENGAGEMENT TO EFFECT REVERSE ROTATION OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND ROTOR, SAID MOTOR BEING MOUNTED FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT IN A FIRST DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID DRIVE SHAFT TO BELT TENSIONING POSITION AND IN A SECOND DIRECTION TOWARD SAID DRIVE SHAFT TO DRUM ENGAGING POSITION, SPRING MEANS NORMALLY SUPPORTING SAID MOTOR IN A NEUTRAL POSITION INTERMEDIATE SAID BELT TENSIONING POSITION AND SAID DRUM ENGAGING POSITION AND YIELDINGLY RESTRAINING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MOTOR TOWARD SAID DRUM ENGAGING POSITION, A MANUAL CONTROL LEVER MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE BAR AND BEING SELECTIVELY MOVABLE FROM NEUTRAL POSITION TO FORWARD AND REVERSE POSITIONS, LINKAGE CONNECTING SAID LEVER TO SAID MOTOR AND OPERABLE, UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER FROM NEUTRAL POSITION TO REVERSE POSITION, TO PIVOTALLY MOVE SAID MOTOR INTO DRUM ENGAGING POSITION AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID SPRING MEANS, SAID SPRING MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE UPON MANUAL RELEASE OF SAID LEVER TO RETURN SAID MOTOR TO SAID NEUTRAL POSITION, SAID LINKAGE BEING OPERABLE UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER FROM NEUTRAL POSITION TO FORWARD POSITION, TO MOVE SAID ENGINE INTO BELT TENSIONING POSITION, SAID LINKAGE INCLUDING A TOGGLE CONNECTION MOVABLE OVER CENTER TO HOLD SAID ENGINE IN BELT TENSIONING POSITION WHEN SAID LEVER IS IN FORWARD POSITION.