Mowing and bagging machine

Claim 2

A mowing and bagging machine comprising: a generally circular housing having a downwardly directed skirt; spaced wheel means secured to said housing for supporting said housing and permitting traverse thereof over the ground; an engine mounted on said housing and having a shaft extending therethrough and generally centrally thereof, said engine having an exhaust pipe; a rotating blade mounted on said shaft and rotatable within said housing; a chute forming the upper surface of said housing about said engine and curling around said engine and upwardly and rearwardly of said housing, said chute having an upward and rearward terminus having means thereon for deflecting material downwardly therefrom; a bag support assembly mounted rearwardly on said housiNg and having a lower platform and upwardly extending side elements and an upper frame, said upper frame being securable to said chute and to said side elements; a bag removably secured to said upper frame and located to receive discharge from said chute, said bag being supported by said bag support assembly and removable rearwardly therefrom upon disenagement from said upper frame; and handle means pivotally secured to said housing and having a pushing position, said handle being pivotable from said pushing position forwardly and over said bag support assembly to permit rearward removal of said bag.

Claim 3

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 1 wherein said wheel means includes an adjustable caster wheel assembly mounted forwardly on said housing and having spaced wheels on an axle.

Claim 4

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 2 wherein said caster wheel assembly further includes a bracket member secured at one end to said housing and extending outwardly therefrom, a sleeve mounted on the outer end of said bracket member, a shaft secured to said axle and extending through said sleeve, said shaft being slidable and rotatable in said sleeve and having a plurality of annular grooves formed therein, and a member slidably mounted on said bracket and extendable into one of said annular grooves on said shaft to secure said shaft relative to said sleeve and relative to the ground, said member being slidable out of engagement with said shaft to permit slidable adjustment of said shaft relative to said sleeve and the ground.

Claim 5

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 2 wherein said wheel means further include spaced wheels mounted rearwardly of said housing and on opposite sides thereof, the outer vertical plane of each of said wheels being inward of the outermost vertical planes of said housing.

Claim 6

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 4 wherein said spaced rear wheels include adjustment means in the axles thereof for adjusting the height of said housing relative to said wheels.

Claim 7

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 5 wherein said housing at each side thereof includes a plurality of spaced apertures, each of said apertures being at the same distance from a point, and said adjustment means includes a plate at each side of said housing pivotally mounted on said housing at said point, each of said axles being secured to one of said plates and being pivotable therewith about said point, and a pin extending through each of said axles and through said plates and into an aperture in said housing, said pins being spring-biased toward said housing and withdrawable in said axles and out of said aperture for adjustment of said axles and said wheels relative to said housing.

Claim 8

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 1 wherein said wheel means include four spaced wheels, two of said wheels being adjustably mounted rearwardly of said housing and inwardly of the vertical side planes of said housing, and the other two of said wheels being adjustably mounted for vertical movement and pivoted movement forwardly of said housing.

Claim 9

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 1 and further including a chamber in said housing and adjacent said engine, said exhaust pipe from said engine being located to discharge into said chamber, and outlet means from said chamber to said chute for discharging exhaust gases from said chamber into said chute.

Claim 10

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 8 wherein said outlet means from said chute includes a nozzle disposed in said chute and directing exhaust gases upwardly of said chute.

Claim 11

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 9 wherein said chamber is disposed beneath the upper surface of said housing.

Claim 12

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 1 wherein said bag support assembly further includes a cover receivable over the rearward terminus of said chute and over said upper frame.

Claim 13

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in clAim 11 wherein said cover is hingedly secured to said chute.

Claim 14

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 11 wherein said cover is of a fabric material and is secured around said chute, and further including resilient means in said cover for removably securing said cover around said upper frame.

Claim 15

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 11 wherein said bag support assembly is pivotally mounted on said housing for movement from an upper position adapted to support said bag to a downward position permitting rearward unloading of said bag.

Claim 16

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 14 and further including latch means secured to said chute and engageable with said bag support assembly for latching said bag support assembly in said upper position and releasable to permit said bag assembly to be moved to said downward position.

Claim 17

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 11 wherein a rearward portion of said upper frame is hingedly connected to the remaining portion of said upper frame, said rearward portion being movable to an upper position to permit location of said bag over said rearward portion and said remaining portion and movable to a downward position to tighten and secure said bag in said upper frame.

Claim 18

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 11 wherein said upper frame of said bag support assembly is secured to said chute.

Claim 19

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 17 wherein the perimeter of said upper frame plus twice the vertical distance from said upper frame to the bottom of said chute plus the lateral dimension of said chute substantially equals the dimension of the opening of said bag.

Claim 20

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 17 wherein the opening dimension of said bag is sufficient to permit mounting of said bag under said chute and upwardly to said upper frame and around said upper frame, said bag being foldable over said upper frame to retain said bag in place in said bag support assembly.

Claim 21

The mowing and bagging machine set forth in claim 1 wherein said bag is of a debris retaining air porous material.

Claim 22

In a mowing and bagging machine having a wheeled housing and a downwardly discharging chute, a bag support assembly comprising: a bag support member secured to said housing and extending rearwardly and upwardly therefrom; side elements secured to said support member and extending upwardly therefrom; a generally rectangular upper frame secured to said side elements and to said machine, said frame having an opening therein adjacent said chute and substantially the width of said chute, said upper frame being located with said opening above said chute; said upper frame having a perimeter dimension substantially equal to the circumference of a bag minus the width and minus twice the height of said chute; whereby a bag is entrained around the lower surface and the two side surfaces of said chute and through said opening in said upper frame and around said upper frame to retain the bag on said frame to receive discharge from said chute.

Claim 23

In a mowing and bagging machine having a wheeled housing and a downwardly discharging chute, a bag support assembly comprising: a bag support member secured to said housing and extending rearwardly and upwardly therefrom; side elements secured to said support member and extending upwardly therefrom; a generally rectangular upper frame secured to said side elements and to said machine, said frame having an opening therein adjacent said chute and substantially the width of said chute, said upper frame being located with said opening above said chute; said upper frame having a perimeter dimension substantially equal to the circumference of a bag minus the width and minus twice the height of said chute; whereby a bag is entrained around the lower surface and the two side surfaces of said chute and through said opening in said upper frame and around said upper frame to retain the bag on said frame to receive discharge from said chute.

Claim 24

The bag support assembly set forth in claim 21 and further including a cover member hingedly secured to said machine and covering said upper frame and the discharge end of said chute.

Claim 25

The bag support assembly set forth in claim 22 and further including side and forward wall means secured to said side elements and to said support member without obstruction rearwardly of said side elements for supporting said bag.

Claim 26

In a mowing and bagging machine having a wheeled housing and a downwardly discharging chute, a bag support assembly comprising: a generally rectangular base frame pivotally secured to said housing and extending rearwardly therefrom, said frame having an upward bag support position and a downward bag discharge position; a bag support member secured to said base frame and moveable therewith and extending to said housing and engaging the rearward portion thereof; spaced side elements secured to said base frame and extending upwardly therefrom; a generally rectangular upper frame secured to said side elements, said upper frame having a first peripheral portion pivotally secured about an axis to a second peripheral portion, and said first portion having one position 90* disposed about said axis relative to said second portion for installation or removal of a bag and another position 180* disposed about said axis relative to said second portion to tighten and secure said upper frame within the opening of a bag; a cover secured to the discharge end of said chute and extending over said upper frame, said cover having resilient means therein for securing said cover about said upper frame; and latch means on said machine and removably securing said upper frame when said base frame is in said upward bag support position and releasable to permit said base frame and said side elements and said upper frame to move as a unit to said second position of said base frame and permit rearward discharge of a bag from said bag support assembly.

Claim 27

In a mowing and bagging machine having a wheeled housing and a downwardly discharging chute, a bag support assembly comprising: a generally rectangular base frame pivotally secured to said housing and extending rearwardly therefrom, said frame having an upward bag support position and a downward bag discharge position; a bag support member secured to said base frame and moveable therewith and extending to said housing and engaging the rearward portion thereof; spaced side elements secured to said base frame and extending upwardly therefrom; a generally rectangular upper frame secured to said side elements, said upper frame having a first peripheral portion pivotally secured about an axis to a second peripheral portion, and said first portion having one position 90* disposed about said axis relative to said second portion for installation or removal of a bag and another position 180* disposed about said axis relative to said second portion to tighten and secure said upper frame within the opening of a bag; a cover secured to the discharge end of said chute and extending over said upper frame, said cover having resilient means therein for securing said cover about said upper frame; and latch means on said machine and removably securing said upper frame when said base frame is in said upward bag support position and releasable to permit said base frame and said side elements and said upper frame to move as a unit to said second position of said base frame and permit rearward discharge of a bag from said bag support assembly.

Claim 28

In a mowing and bagging machine having a housing and rear wheels, wheel adjusting and support means comprising: a plate member secured to each side of said housing and rearwardly thereof, each of said plate members having a plurality of apertures therein disposed in spaced relation on an arc about a point on said plate; an axle assembly at each side of said housing, each axle assembly including a plate portion and an axle shaft extending outwardly therefrom, said plate portion being pivotally secured to said plate member at said point and being rotatable therearound; a pin extending through each of said axle assemblies, each of said pins extending through said axle shaft and said plate portion and into one of said apertures in said plate member to locate said axle assembly relative to said housing; a spring engaging each of said pins and each of said axle assemblies and biasing each of said pins into said apertures, said pins being slidable in said axle assemblies against said springs to permit disengagement of said pins from first apertures in said plate members and rotation of said axle assemblies about said point and re-engagement of said pins in other apertures in said plate member; and a wheel rotatably mounted on each of said axle shafts.

Claim 29

In a mowing and bagging machine having a housing and rear wheels, wheel adjusting and support means comprising: a plate member secured to each side of said housing and rearwardly thereof, each of said plate members having a plurality of apertures therein disposed in spaced relation on an arc about a point on said plate; an axle assembly at each side of said housing, each axle assembly including a plate portion and an axle shaft extending outwardly therefrom, said plate portion being pivotally secured to said plate member at said point and being rotatable therearound; a pin extending through each of said axle assemblies, each of said pins extending through said axle shaft and said plate portion and into one of said apertures in said plate member to locate said axle assembly relative to said housing; a spring engaging each of said pins and each of said axle assemblies and biasing each of said pins into said apertures, said pins being slidable in said axle assemblies against said springs to permit disengagement of said pins from first apertures in said plate members and rotation of said axle assemblies about said point and re-engagement of said pins in other apertures in said plate member; and a wheel rotatably mounted on each of said axle shafts.