Side flail mower

Claim 2

Mowing apparatus comprising: mower mounting means adapted for support by a tractor and providing mEans for mounting an outrigger at the side of such tractor, considering the fore and aft axis of a tractor as exemplifying longitudinal directions and horizontal lines perpendicular thereto as defining transverse directions extending from side to side of the tractor, a cutter including mowing means and rotatable ground support means for supporting the mowing means, an outrigger longitudinally hinged adjacent its inner edge to said mounting means at the side thereof and longitudinally hinged adjacent its outer edge to adjacent the inner end of said cutter, said mowing means including a rotatably mounted shaft on which is mounted a plurality of flails, and power means to rotate said shaft. the axis about which said cutter is hinged to said outrigger being spaced below the axis of said shaft a distance of the order of the distance from the axis of said shaft to the tip of one of said flails, whereby the inner edge of the swath cut by the mowing means is fixed at the outer edge of the outrigger regardless of the angle of the cutter to the outrigger.

Claim 3

Mowing apparatus comprising: mower mounting means adapted for support by a tractor and providing means for mounting an outrigger at the side of such tractor, considering the fore and aft axis of a tractor as exemplifying longitudinal directions and horizontal lines perpendicular thereto as defining transverse directions extending from side to side of the tractor, a cutter including mowing means and rotatable ground support means for supporting the mowing means, an outrigger longitudinally hinged adjacent its inner edge to said mounting means at the side thereof and longitudinally hinged adjacent its outer edge to adjacent the inner end of said cutter, and drive train means to connect said mowing means to power means on such tractor for operating said mower means; said drive train means including an element whose axis of rotation is coaxial with the axis about which said cutter is hinged to said outrigger, whereby said cutter can swing up and down about the axis of its hinged connection to said outrigger without interfering with the operation of said drive train means.

Claim 4

Mowing apparatus comprising: mower mounting means adapted for support by a tractor and providing means for mounting an outrigger at the side of such tractor, considering the fore and aft axis of a tractor as exemplifying longitudinal directions and horizontal lines perpendicular thereto as defining transverse directions extending from side to side of the tractor, a cutter including mowing means and rotatable ground support means for supporting the mowing means, an outrigger longitudinally hinged adjacent its inner edge to said mounting means at the side thereof and longitudinally hinged adjacent its outer edge to adjacent the inner end of said cutter, and drive train means to connect said mowing means to power means on such tractor for operating said mower means; said drive train means including an element whose axis of rotation is coaxial with the axis about which said cutter is hinged to said outrigger, whereby said cutter can swing up and down about the axis of its hinged connection to said outrigger without interfering with the operation of said drive train means.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said drive train means includes rotating means carried by said outrigger eccentric to the axis about which said outrigger is hinged to said mounting means, and universal joint means for connecting said rotating means to a front-end power takeoff from such tractor.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said drive train means further includes said tractor having a front-end tractor power takeoff, a pulley on said takeoff, a second pulley mounted on an arm pivotally connected to said mounting means, a belt connected to said pulleys, and a hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected at one end to said arm and at another end to said mounting means.

Claim 7

Mowing apparatus comprising: mower mounting means adapted for support by a tractor and providing means for mounting an outrigger at the side of such tractor, considering the fore and aft axis of a tractor as exemplifying longitudinal directions and horizontal lines perpendicular thereto as defining transverse directions extending from side to side of the tractor, a cutter including mowing means and rotatable ground support means for supporting the mowing means, an outrigger longitudinally hinged adjacent its inner edge to said mounting means at the side thereof and longitudinally hinged adjacent its outer edge to adjacent the inner end of said cutter, drive train means to connect said mowing means to power means for operating said mower means; and power means interconnecting said cutter with a part of the apparatus that is coaxial with the axis about which said outrigger is hinged to said mounting means for swinging said cutter relative to the axis about which said cutter is hinged to said outrigger without swinging the outrigger relative to the axis about whiCh it is hinged to said mounting means.

Claim 8

Mowing apparatus comprising: mower mounting means adapted for support by a tractor and providing means for mounting an outrigger at the side of such tractor, considering the fore and aft axis of a tractor as exemplifying longitudinal directions and horizontal lines perpendicular thereto as defining transverse directions extending from side to side of the tractor, a cutter including mowing means and rotatable ground support means for supporting the mowing means, an outrigger longitudinally hinged adjacent its inner edge to said mounting means at the side thereof and longitudinally hinged adjacent its outer edge to adjacent the inner end of said cutter, drive train means to connect said mowing means to power means for operating said mower means; and power means interconnecting said cutter with a part of the apparatus that is coaxial with the axis about which said outrigger is hinged to said mounting means for swinging said cutter relative to the axis about which said cutter is hinged to said outrigger without swinging the outrigger relative to the axis about whiCh it is hinged to said mounting means.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 5 including power means interconnecting said outrigger with said mounting means for swinging said outrigger about the axis relative to which it is hinged to said mounting means.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the last said power means comprises first hydraulic cylinder means, said apparatus further including second hydraulic cylinder means pivotally connected to said outrigger and said mounting means for swinging said outrigger relative to the axis about which it is hinged to said mounting means.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 7 including pin and socket means carried by said cutter and mounting means interengageable when said cutter is in a vertical position with the pin and socket aligned, being interengageable by lowering said outrigger with said second hydraulic cylinder means, thereby to lock said cutter in vertical position.

Claim 12

Mowing apparatus comprising: mower mounting means adapted for support by a tractor and providing means for mounting an outrigger at the side of such tractor, considering the fore and aft axis of a tractor as exemplifying longitudinal directions and horizontal lines perpendicular thereto as defining transverse directions extending from side to side of the tractor, a cutter including mowing means and rotatable ground support means for supporting the mowing means, an outrigger longitudinally hinged adjacent its inner edge to said mounting means at the side thereof and longitudinally hinged adjacent its outer edge to adjacent the inner end of said cutter, drive train means to connect said, mowing means to power means for operating said mowing means, and hydraulic cylinder means pivotally connected to said cutter and pivotal relative to said mower mounting means for swinging said cutter relative to the axis about which it is hinged to said outrigger whereby the cutter can be moved to a substantially vertical position, second hydraulic cylinder means pivotally connected to said outrigger and said mower mounting means for swinging said outrigger relative to the axis about which it is hinged to said mounting means whereby when said cutter is in such substantially vertical position it can be substantially translated up and down by actuation of the second hydraulic cylinder means, and mechanical means carried by said apparatus interengageable by downward translation of said cutter by means of said second hydraulic means when said cutter is in such substantially vertical position to lock said cutter against accidentally swinging out of elevated position.

Claim 13

Mowing apparatus comprising: mower mounting means adapted for support by a tractor and providing means for mounting an outrigger at the side of such tractor, considering the fore and aft axis of a tractor as exemplifying longitudinal directions and horizontal lines perpendicular thereto as defining transverse directions extending from side to side of the tractor, a cutter including mowing means and rotatable ground support means for supporting the mowing means, an outrigger longitudinally hinged adjacent its inner edge to said mounting means at the side thereof and longitudinally hinged adjacent its outer edge to adjacent the inner end of said cutter, drive train means to connect said, mowing means to power means for operating said mowing means, and hydraulic cylinder means pivotally connected to said cutter and pivotal relative to said mower mounting means for swinging said cutter relative to the axis about which it is hinged to said outrigger whereby the cutter can be moved to a substantially vertical position, second hydraulic cylinder means pivotally connected to said outrigger and said mower mounting means for swinging said outrigger relative to the axis about which it is hinged to said mounting means whereby when said cutter is in such substantially vertical position it can be substantially translated up and down by actuation of the second hydraulic cylinder means, and mechanical means carried by said apparatus interengageable by downward translation of said cutter by means of said second hydraulic means when said cutter is in such substantially vertical position to lock said cutter against accidentally swinging out of elevated position.