Roller for reel type lawn mowers

Claim 2

In a roller for a lawn mower of the type having a cutting reel with its length extending across the width of the mower, roller mounting members on each side of said lawn mower and extending rearwardly of said cutting reel relative to the foreand-aft direction of said mower, a roller rotatably mounted on said mounting members and extending between the latter and parallel to and for the length of said reel, said roller having a first circumferential surface extending throughout the intermediate length of said roller for at least one-third the entire length of said roller for presenting an anti-scalping support for said reel, said roller having an additional circumferential surface of a diameter larger than the diameter of said first circumferential surface and on each end of said roller and contiguous to said first circumferential surface for supporting the mower on the ground at the locations of the spaced-apart said additional circumferential surfaces, the improvement comprising each said additional circumferential surface being provided by a stack of flat rubber rings compressed onto each end of said first circumferential surface and being affixed thereto to rotate with said first circumferential surface.

Claim 3

The roller as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said rubber rings is of a thickness less than the radial wall dimension of said rubber ring, and the inner diameter of each of said rings is substantially the dimension of the outer diameter of said first circumferential surface.

Claim 4

The roller as claimed in claim 2, including a stop on said first circumferential surface at each end of said stack of rings, for affixing said stacks onto said first circumferential surface.

Claim 5

The roller as claimed in claim 1, including support rings of a rigid material and of an outer diameter less than that of said rubber rings and disposed in said stack intermediate said rubber rings.

Claim 6

In a roller for a lawn mower of the type having a cutting reel with its length extending across the width of the mower, roller mounting members on each side of said lawn mower and extending rearwardly of said cutting reel relative to the fore-and-aft direction of said mower, a roller rotatably mounted on said mounting members and extending between the latter and parallel to and for the length of said reel, said roller including a rotatable tubular base piece extending across the length of said reel and having an exposed outer circumferential surface extending throughout the intermediate length of said base piece for presenting an anti-scalping support for said reel, cylindrically shaped means on each end of said base piece and having an outer circumferential surface of a diameter larger than the diameter of the circumferential surface of said base piece for supporting the mower on the ground at the locations of the spaced-apart said cylindrically shaped means, said base piece being a hollowed piece and a rotation bearing disposed within each end of said base piece and fully within the end limits thereof for the rotatable mounting of said base piece, the improvement comprising said cylindrically shaped means both being a plurality of flat rings of rubber material in compact relation adjacent each other and having an inner ring diameter of a snug fit with the outer circumference of said base piece to rotate in unison with the rotation of said base Piece.

Claim 7

In a roller for a lawn mower of the type having a cutting reel with its length extending across the width of the mower, roller mounting members on each side of said lawn mower and extending rearwardly of said cutting reel relative to the fore-and-aft direction of said mower, a roller rotatably mounted on said mounting members and extending between the latter and parallel to and for the length of said reel, said roller including a rotatable tubular base piece extending across the length of said reel and having an exposed outer circumferential surface extending throughout the intermediate length of said base piece for presenting an anti-scalping support for said reel, cylindrically shaped means on each end of said base piece and having an outer circumferential surface of a diameter larger than the diameter of the circumferential surface of said base piece for supporting the mower on the ground at the locations of the spaced-apart said cylindrically shaped means, said base piece being a hollowed piece and a rotation bearing disposed within each end of said base piece and fully within the end limits thereof for the rotatable mounting of said base piece, the improvement comprising said cylindrically shaped means both being a plurality of flat rings of rubber material in compact relation adjacent each other and having an inner ring diameter of a snug fit with the outer circumference of said base piece to rotate in unison with the rotation of said base Piece.

Claim 8

The roller as claimed in claim 5, including a shaft extending through said base piece for rotatably supporting said bearings and having a length of threads on the ends of said shaft, and an end cap adjacent each said bearing and being threaded with and along said threads on said shaft for selective axial shifting of said roller relative to said mower.

Claim 9

The roller as claimed in claim 5, including an oil seal disposed in each end of said base piece and axially outwardly from said bearings, for retaining oil in said base piece and on said bearings.