EP-4736623-A1 - MULCH PLUG FOR MOW DECK DISCHARGE CHUTE FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY WALK-BEHIND MOWING APPARATUS

EP4736623A1EP 4736623 A1EP4736623 A1EP 4736623A1EP-4736623-A1

Abstract

A high efficiency turf maintenance apparatus having low power consumption, good cutting performance and a mulch plug for a mulching mode is presented herein. The mulch plug can sit conformally within a discharge opening in a mow deck of the high efficiency turf maintenance apparatus. The mulch plug can define multiple flow vanes, including a flow vane that directs material around an interior perimeter of the mow deck to recirculate the material within the mow deck and a flow vane that directs second material away from the interior perimeter and toward a surface on which the high efficiency turf maintenance apparatus rests. The mulch plug can be removed to allow vegetation clippings cut by a blade apparatus to be ejected from the mow deck through the discharge opening to facilitate a bagging or discharge mode of operation.

Inventors

ZEHENTBAUER, Daniel S.
WERTENBERGER, Christopher M.
HARRISON, Anthony A.

Assignees

MTD Products Inc

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20251024

Claims (15)

A mulching plug for a mow deck of a walk-behind power equipment device, comprising: an interior surface; an exterior surface that includes an operator insertion or extraction mechanism; and a surface edge that fits substantially conformal with a perimeter of a discharge opening in a mow deck of a mowing apparatus, wherein the interior surface of the mulching plug is exposed to an interior of the mow deck and defines: a first flow vane configured to direct material circulating within the interior of the mow deck of the mowing apparatus and received at an input of the first flow vane, along a first flow path within the interior of the mow deck; and a second flow vane configured to direct second material circulating within the interior of the mow deck of the mowing apparatus and received at an input of the second flow vane, along a second flow path within the interior of the mow deck that is non-contiguous with the first flow path, and wherein: the second flow path is configured to recirculate at least a portion of the second material around an interior perimeter of the mow deck to return to the input of the first flow vane or the input of the second flow vane, or both.
The mulching plug of claim 1, wherein the walk-behind power equipment device comprises a discharge body adjacent to the mow deck, and wherein the discharge body defines: an intake opening in fluid communication with the discharge opening in the mow deck; an outtake; and a discharge chute connecting the intake opening to the outtake; and wherein the mulch plug further comprises a discharge extension surface extending from an edge of the exterior surface and that fits conformally with a surface of the discharge chute and has a length dimension approximately equal to a depth of the discharge chute through the discharge body.
The mulching plug of claim 2, wherein the mulch plug further comprises a sleeve surface at an opposite end of the bottom surface from the exterior surface that seats upon a back surface of the discharge body and prevents the interior surface of the mulching plug from extending through the discharge opening in the mow deck.
The mulching plug of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first flow vane terminates in a kickdown element at an upper surface of the mow deck, and wherein the kickdown element directs a portion of the material circulating within the interior of the mow deck downward from the upper surface of the mow deck toward an apparatus operating within the interior of the mow deck.
The mulching plug of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the interior surface further defines an input vane edge that separates the first flow vane from the second flow vane and physically separates the material directed along the first flow path by the first flow vane from the second material directed along the second flow path by the second flow vane.
The mulching plug of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the operator insertion or extraction mechanism is an operator handle.
The mulching plug of any one of the preceding claims, wherein: the walk-behind power equipment device includes a blade apparatus that comprises a lift blade having a wing element at an outer portion of the lift blade; the wing element generates upward air flow within the interior of the mow deck in response to operation of the blade apparatus within the mow deck; and wherein the first flow path directs the first material inward within the interior of the mow deck and away from a perimeter of the mow deck.
The mulching plug of claim 7, wherein an approximate center of the first flow path intersects the wing element of the lift blade; or wherein an approximate center of the first flow path intersects the lift blade at a flat portion thereof not having the wing element.
A walk-behind power equipment device, comprising: a mow deck, the mow deck further comprising: a front portion, a rear portion and a side portion of the mow deck; a plurality of frame mounts at the rear portion of the mow deck; a center portion defining an opening through a surface of the mow deck, a support ledge and one or more mounts; a discharge opening defining a second opening through the surface of the mow deck near a perimeter of the mow deck and between the rear portion and the side portion; a frame and a discharge body secured to the mow deck at least in part by way of the plurality of frame mounts at the rear portion of the mow deck, wherein the discharge body defines a discharge body input fluidly coupled to the discharge opening through the surface of the mow deck; an electric motor supported at the support ledge of the center portion of the mow deck and powering a blade apparatus, wherein the electric motor and blade apparatus are secured to the one or more mounts and the blade apparatus includes a lift blade rotatable within an interior of the mow deck; and a removable mulch plug according to any one of the preceding claims, seated within the discharge body.
The walk-behind power equipment device of claim 9, wherein the first flow path recirculates the material about an interior perimeter of the interior of the mow deck leaving the removable mulch plug at an exit edge thereof and directing the material toward an input edge thereof.
The walk-behind power equipment device of claim 10, wherein the second flow path directs the second material away from a perimeter of the mow deck and downward toward a surface underlying the walk-behind power equipment device.
The walk-behind power equipment device of claim 11, wherein the second flow path further directs at least a portion of the second material inward toward a center of the mow deck and overlying a lift blade of the walk-behind power equipment device.
The walk-behind power equipment device of claim 12, wherein the lift blade has a length extending from a tip of the lift blade to a center of rotation of the lift blade, and comprises an airlift portion that extends from approximately the tip of the lift blade to about one half to about one fifth the length of the lift blade.
The walk-behind power equipment device of claim 13, wherein the second flow path directs at least the portion of the second material over the airlift portion of the lift blade; or wherein the second flow path directs at least the portion of the second material between the airlift portion and the center of rotation of the lift blade.
The walk-behind power equipment device of any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein a vertical distance between a cutting edge of an upper blade of the blade apparatus and a lower edge of the first flow vane near an input edge of the removable mulch plug is between about 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) and about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm); and/or wherein a horizontal distance between an end of an upper blade of the blade apparatus and the second flow vane near an input edge of the removable mulch plug is between about 0.15 inches (0.38 cm) and about 0.5 inches (1.27 cm); and/or wherein the first flow vane has a vertical height between about 1.0 inches (2.54 cm) and about 2.25 inches (5.72 cm) at an input edge of the removable mulch plug between a lower edge of the first flow vane and an upper edge of the first flow vane.

Description

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE The disclosed subject matter pertains to an electric-powered walk-behind power equipment device with a mow deck and cutting system that enhances cutting efficiency and reduces power consumption for the power equipment device. Manufacturers of power equipment for outdoor maintenance applications offer many types of machines for general maintenance and mowing applications. Generally, these machines can have a variety of forms depending on application, from general urban or suburban lawn maintenance, rural farm and field maintenance, to specialty applications. Even specialty applications can vary significantly. For example, mowing machines suitable for sporting events requiring moderately precise turf, such as soccer fields or baseball outfields may not be suitable for events requiring very high-precision surfaces such as golf course greens, tennis courts and the like. Modern maintenance machines also offer multiple options for power source. The various advantages associated with electric motor engines, gasoline engines, natural gas engines, diesel engines and so forth also impact the mechanical design and engineering that go into these different maintenance devices. Meeting the various challenges associated with different maintenance and mowing applications and the benefits and limitations of different power sources results in a large variety of maintenance machines to meet consumer preferences. BRIEF SUMMARY The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. According to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments herein, provided is a mulching plug for a mow deck of a walk-behind power equipment device. The mulching plug can seat conformally with a discharge opening in a mow deck of the walk-behind power equipment device, and can define a plurality of flow vanes at an interior surface of the mulching plug. The plurality of flow vanes can direct different portions of vegetation clippings within the mow deck toward different flow paths within an interior of the mow deck. A first flow path can direct clippings toward a surface underlying the mow deck (e.g., a surface on which the walk-behind power equipment device rests) and away from a perimeter of the mow deck, and a second flow path can recirculate second clippings from an output edge of the mulch plug around the interior perimeter back toward the mulch plug at an input edge thereof. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a mulching plug for a mow deck of a walk-behind power equipment device. The mulching plug can comprise an interior surface, and an exterior surface that includes an operator insertion or extraction mechanism. Further, the mulching plug can comprise a surface edge that fits substantially conformal with a perimeter of a discharge opening in a mow deck of a mowing apparatus. The interior surface of the mulching plug is exposed to an interior of the mow deck. Moreover, the interior surface can define a first flow vane configured to direct material circulating within the interior of the mow deck of the mowing apparatus and received at an input of the first flow vane, along a first flow path within the interior of the mow deck. The interior surface can also define a second flow vane configured to direct second material circulating within the interior of the mow deck of the mowing apparatus and received at an input of the second flow vane, along a second flow path within the interior of the mow deck that is non-contiguous with the first flow path. In various aspects, the second flow path is configured to recirculate at least a portion of the second material around an interior perimeter of the mow deck to return to the input of the first flow vane or the input of the second flow vane, or both. In one or more additional aspects of the present disclosure, the interior surface can define greater than two flow vanes that direct respective material along respective (more than two) flow paths within the interior of the mow deck. In further aspects of the disclosed embodiments, there is provided a walk-behind power equipment device. The walk-behind power equipment device can comprise a mow deck, further comprising: a front portion, a rear portion and a side portion of the mow deck, a plurality of frame mounts at the rear portion of the mow deck, a center portion defining an opening through a surface of the mow deck, a support ledge and one or more mounts and a discharge opening defining a second opening through the surface of the mow deck near a perimeter of the mow deck and between the rear portion and the side portion. The walk-behi