Self-propelled garden tractor vehicle

Claim 2

A manually guided tractor vehicle having a guide handle and an engine with a crankshaft and a camshaft, and reduction gearing for transmitting motion between the crankshaft and the camshaft, said vehicle comprising the combination therewith of power takeoff means connected with the crankshaft, driving bull wheels for the vehicle, and motion transmitting connections from the camshaft to the bull wheels, the last-mentioned connections comprising a normally retracted driving clutch part and a driven clutch part, means biasing said driving clutch part to a normally retracted position in which it is out of engagement with the driven clutch part, and manually controlled means including a dead man''s grip pivoted to the guide handle in a position to be within the grasp of an operator manually guiding the vehicle and having motion transmitting connections for advancing the normally retracted part into engagement with the driven clutch part and maintaining such engagement by continued pressure on said grip.

Claim 3

A tractor according to claim 1, in which a frame supports said engine and is provided with bearings for a bull wheel shaft, a bull wheel shaft in said bearing provided with a driven gear, a jackshaft provided with a driving gear meshing with the driven gear, said driven clutch part including an elastomerically tired friction wheel operatively connected with the driving gear on the jackshaft, said friction wheel being adjustable axially of the jackshaft and parallel to the bull wheel shaft, a friction drive shaft extending substantially fore and aft on said frame, said motion transmitting connections from the camshaft to the bull wheels including means connecting said friction transmission shaft with said camshaft, said driving clutch part includes friction driving disc having means supporting it on the friction drive shaft for movement in the direction of the axis of said drive shaft and coupled for rotation therewith, said disc having a face engageable with the periphery of the elastomerically tired wheel for the transmission of motion to the jackshaft, said biasing means including a spring biasing said disc toward its said retracted position, said manually controlled means including said dead man''s grip and said motion transmitting train advancing said disc against the bias of said spring upon continued pressure on said grip, a motion transmitting train for adjusting the elastomerically tired wheel along the jackshaft between various positions offset from the axis of the friction drive shaft, and interlocking stop means comprising parts on the respective motion transmitting trains aforesaid for preventing the movement of the face of the friction drive disc into engagement with the periphery of the elastomerically tired wheel when the periphery of said wheel is substantially centered with respect to the axis of said disc. 15

Claim 4

A tractor according to claim 1, in which the jackshaft and the elastoMerically tired wheel are unitarily movable, the jackshaft being splined with respect to the gear which meshes with the bull wheel shaft gear, and means for holding against axial movement the said gear which meshes with the bull wheel shaft gear.

Claim 5

A manually guided tractor vehicle having an engine with a crankshaft and a camshaft, and reduction gearing for transmitting motion between the crankshaft and the camshaft, said vehicle comprising the combination therewith of power takeoff means connected with the crankshaft, driving bull wheels for the vehicle, and motion transmitting connections from the camshaft to the bull wheels, the motion transmitting connections including a rotary driving friction element with a friction face, a rotary driven friction element with a peripheral elastomeric tire, means mounting the driving friction element for advancing movement toward engagement with the tire of driven friction element, the said elements having their axes at an angle such that the periphery of the driven friction element is engaged by said face of the driving friction element when the latter is advanced, means for biasing the driving friction element toward a retracted position in which its said face is out of engagement with driven friction element, and means for adjusting the driven friction element between various positions offset radially from the axis of the driving friction element whereby to vary the ratio of motion transmission between said elements.

Claim 6

A manually guided tractor vehicle having an engine with a crankshaft and a camshaft, and reduction gearing for transmitting motion between the crankshaft and the camshaft, said vehicle comprising the combination therewith of power takeoff means connected with the crankshaft, driving bull wheels for the vehicle, and motion transmitting connections from the camshaft to the bull wheels, the motion transmitting connections including a rotary driving friction element with a friction face, a rotary driven friction element with a peripheral elastomeric tire, means mounting the driving friction element for advancing movement toward engagement with the tire of driven friction element, the said elements having their axes at an angle such that the periphery of the driven friction element is engaged by said face of the driving friction element when the latter is advanced, means for biasing the driving friction element toward a retracted position in which its said face is out of engagement with driven friction element, and means for adjusting the driven friction element between various positions offset radially from the axis of the driving friction element whereby to vary the ratio of motion transmission between said elements.

Claim 7

A tractor according to claim 4 in which a stop is positioned in the path of said last-mentioned means at a point such as to obstruct movement of the driving friction element into contact of its face with the periphery of the driven friction element when the latter is substantially coincident with the axis of the driving friction element.

Claim 8

A tractor according to claim 5, in which means provided for mounting the driven friction element comprises a yoke, means supporting the yoke for movement along the axis of the driven friction element, a shaft upon which the driven friction element is mounted and which is connected with the yoke for movement therewith, a gear with respect to which said shaft moves axially and which is constrained for rotation with said shaft, means for holding the gear against axial movement with the shaft, and a second gear with which said first-mentioned gear meshes and which has a driven shaft upon which it is mounted and to which said bull wheels are connected.

Claim 9

A tractor according to claim 5, in which the means mounting the driving friction element comprises a shaft to which such element is attached, whereby said last-mentioned shaft moves bodily with the driving friction element, bearings on the shaft having outer races positioned in a bushing, a fixed sleeve through which said bushing and bearings are axially movable with said shaft and driving element, and a shipping fork having connection with said bushing through said sleeve for controlling the position of the bushing and sleeve, the said shaft having a pulley movable therewith which constitutes a part of the motion transmitting connection from the camshaft to the bull wheels.