US-12616086-B2 - Brush attachment system for a turfgrass mower

US12616086B2US 12616086 B2US12616086 B2US 12616086B2US-12616086-B2

Abstract

A brush attachment system for a turfgrass mower with a crossbeam, a brush mount, and left and right mounting brackets. The brush mount is suspended from the crossbeam and is configured to support a brush. The left and right mounting brackets are attached to the left and right ends of the crossbeam, respectively. Each of the mounting brackets may have a bracket plate and a clamp. The bracket plate has a clamping surface, and the clamp is configured to butt against the clamping surface of the bracket plate. Slots extend into the bracket plate and slots extend into the clamp. The slots align when the clamp butts against the clamping surface to form holes through the mounting brackets. The brush attachment system is configured to attach to the turfgrass mower by passing two crossbars of the turfgrass mower through the holes of the mounting brackets.

Inventors

Harold F. Howard

Assignees

Harold F. Howard

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230808

Claims (19)

1 . A brush attachment system for a turfgrass mower comprising: a crossbeam extending between a left end and a right end distal to the left end; a brush mount suspended from the crossbeam and configured to support a brush; a left adjustment plate and a right adjustment plate attached to the left end and the right end of the crossbeam, respectively, each of the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate having a plurality of height adjustment holes extending therethrough; and a left mounting bracket and a right mounting bracket attached to the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate, respectively, wherein the height adjustment holes of the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate enable adjustment of a position of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket on the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate, respectively, each of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket having: a bracket plate having a plurality of planar surfaces including a first planar surface, a second planar surface, and a clamping surface extending between the first planar surface and the second planar surface; a clamp configured to butt against the clamping surface of the bracket plate; at least two semicircular slots extending into the bracket plate and at least two semicircular slots extending into the clamp, wherein when the clamp butts against the clamping surface, the at least two semicircular slots of the bracket plate align with the at least two semicircular slots of the clamp to form two circular holes; and a bolt hole extending through the bracket plate between the at least two semicircular slots of the bracket plate and through the clamp between the at least two semicircular slots of the clamp, the bolt hole configured to receive a bolt, wherein when the bolt extends through the bolt hole and a nut is tightened onto the bolt, the clamp is pressed against the clamping surface of the bracket plate; wherein each of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket is configured to attach to a turfgrass mower having two crossbars by attaching the clamp to the bracket plate with the two crossbars of the turfgrass mower passing through the two circular holes.
2 . The brush attachment system of claim 1 , wherein the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket are configured to be rotationally fixed in all directions with respect to the turfgrass mower when the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket are attached to the turfgrass mower.
3 . The brush attachment system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of bolts configured to pass through the bracket plates of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket to attach the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket to the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate, respectively.
4 . The brush attachment system of claim 1 , wherein the first planar surface and the second planar surface are parallel.
5 . A brush attachment system for a turfgrass mower comprising: a crossbeam extending between a left end and a right end distal to the left end; a brush mount suspended from the crossbeam and configured to support a brush; and a left mounting bracket and a right mounting bracket attached to the left end of the crossbeam and the right end of the crossbeam, respectively, each of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket having: a bracket plate having a clamping surface; a clamp configured to butt against the clamping surface of the bracket plate; at least two slots extending into the bracket plate and at least two slots extending into the clamp, wherein when the clamp butts against the clamping surface, the at least two slots of the bracket plate align with the at least two slots of the clamp to form two holes; and a bolt hole extending through the bracket plate and through the clamp, the bolt hole configured to receive a bolt, wherein when the bolt extends through the bolt hole and a nut is tightened onto the bolt, the clamp is pressed against the clamping surface of the bracket plate; wherein each of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket is configured to attach to a turfgrass mower having two crossbars by attaching the clamp to the bracket plate with the two crossbars of the turfgrass mower passing through the two holes.
6 . The brush attachment system of claim 5 , further comprising a left adjustment plate and a right adjustment plate attached to the left end and the right end of the crossbeam, respectively, wherein the left mounting bracket is attached to the left end of the crossbeam through the left adjustment plate and the right mounting bracket is attached to the right end of the crossbeam through the right adjustment plate.
7 . The brush attachment system of claim 6 , wherein each of the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate has a plurality of height adjustment holes extending therethrough, the plurality of height adjustment holes configured to enable adjustment of a position of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket on the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate, respectively.
8 . The brush attachment system of claim 5 , wherein each bracket plate has a plurality of planar surfaces including a first planar surface, a second planar surface, and the clamping surface, wherein the clamping surface extends between the first planar surface and the second planar surface, wherein the first planar surface and the second planar surface are parallel.
9 . The brush attachment system of claim 5 , wherein the at least two slots of the clamping of the bracket plate and the at least two slots of the clamp are semicircular, and the two holes formed by the slots are circular.
10 . The brush attachment system of claim 5 , wherein the bolt hole extends through the bracket plate between the at least two slots of the bracket plate and through the clamp between the at least two slots of the clamp.
11 . The brush attachment system of claim 5 , wherein the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket are configured to be rotationally fixed in all directions with respect to the turfgrass mower when the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket are attached to the turfgrass mower.
12 . A brush attachment system for a turfgrass mower comprising: a crossbeam with a brush mount suspended from the crossbeam and configured to support a brush; and at least one mounting bracket attached to the crossbeam, each of the at least one mounting bracket having: a bracket plate having a clamping surface; a clamp configured to butt against the clamping surface of the bracket plate; at least two slots extending into the bracket plate and at least two slots extending into the clamp, wherein when the clamp butts against the clamping surface, the at least two slots of the bracket plate align with the at least two slots of the clamp to form two holes through the at least one mounting bracket; and a bolt hole extending through the bracket plate and through the clamp, the bolt hole configured to receive a bolt, wherein when the bolt extends through the bolt hole and a nut is tightened onto the bolt, the clamp is pressed against the clamping surface of the bracket plate; wherein each of the at least one mounting bracket is configured to attach to a turfgrass mower having two crossbars by attaching the clamp to the bracket plate with the two crossbars of the turfgrass mower passing through the two holes.
13 . The brush attachment system of claim 12 , wherein the bolt hole extends through the bracket plate between the at least two slots of the bracket plate and through the clamp between the at least two slots of the clamp.
14 . The brush attachment system of claim 12 , further comprising an adjustment plate attached to the crossbeam, wherein the at least one mounting bracket is attached to the crossbeam through the adjustment plate.
15 . The brush attachment system of claim 14 , wherein the adjustment plate has a plurality of height adjustment holes extending therethrough, the plurality of height adjustment holes configured to enable adjustment of a position of the at least one mounting bracket on the adjustment plate.
16 . The brush attachment system of claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of bolts configured to pass through the bracket plate of the at least one mounting bracket to attach the at least one mounting bracket to the adjustment plate.
17 . The brush attachment system of claim 12 , wherein the bracket plate has a plurality of planar surfaces including a first planar surface, a second planar surface, and the clamping surface, wherein the clamping surface extends between the first planar surface and the second planar surface, and wherein the first planar surface and the second planar surface are parallel.
18 . The brush attachment system of claim 12 , wherein the at least two slots of the clamping of the bracket plate and the at least two slots of the clamp are semicircular, and the two holes formed by the slots are circular.
19 . The brush attachment system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one mounting bracket is configured to be rotationally fixed in all directions with respect to the turfgrass mower when the at least one mounting bracket is attached to the turfgrass mower.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/396,513 entitled “Brush Attachment System for a Turfgrass Mower” to Harold F. Howard that was filed on Aug. 9, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by this reference. TECHNICAL FIELD Aspects of this document relate generally to turfgrass mowers, and more specifically to brush attachments for turfgrass mowers. BACKGROUND In caring for turfgrass, it is desirable to have each blade of grass be as close to the same length as possible, as this increases the aesthetic appeal of the grass and allows the grass to apply a consistent effect to any objects traveling over the grass, such as a golf ball. To this end, turfgrass may be brushed prior to cutting so that each blade will be as close to the same length as possible. SUMMARY One aspect of this document relates to a brush attachment system for a turfgrass mower that includes a crossbeam extending between a left end and a right end distal to the left end. A brush mount is suspended from the crossbeam and configured to support a brush. A left adjustment plate and a right adjustment plate are attached to the left end and the right end of the crossbeam, respectively, each of the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate having a plurality of height adjustment holes extending therethrough. A left mounting bracket and a right mounting bracket are attached to the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate, respectively, wherein the height adjustment holes of the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate enable adjustment of a position of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket on the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate, respectively. Each of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket have: a bracket plate having a plurality of planar surfaces including a first planar surface, a second planar surface, and a clamping surface extending between the first planar surface and the second planar surface; a clamp configured to butt against the clamping surface of the bracket plate; at least two semicircular slots extending into the bracket plate and at least two semicircular slots extending into the clamp, wherein when the clamp butts against the clamping surface, the at least two semicircular slots of the bracket plate align with the at least two semicircular slots of the clamp to form two circular holes; and a bolt hole extending through the bracket plate between the at least two semicircular slots of the bracket plate and through the clamp between the at least two semicircular slots of the clamp, the bolt hole configured to receive a bolt, wherein when the bolt extends through the bolt hole and a nut is tightened onto the bolt, the clamp is pressed against the clamping surface of the bracket plate. Each of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket is configured to attach to a turfgrass mower having two crossbars by attaching the clamp to the bracket plate with the two crossbars of the turfgrass mower passing through the two circular holes. Particular implementations may comprise one or more of the following features. The left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket are configured to be rotationally fixed in all directions with respect to the turfgrass mower when the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket are attached to the turfgrass mower. The brush attachment system may further include a plurality of bolts configured to pass through the bracket plates of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket to attach the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket to the left adjustment plate and the right adjustment plate, respectively. The first planar surface and the second planar surface are parallel. Another aspect of this document relates to a brush attachment system for a turfgrass mower that includes a crossbeam extending between a left end and a right end distal to the left end. A brush mount is suspended from the crossbeam and configured to support a brush. A left mounting bracket and a right mounting bracket are attached to the left end of the crossbeam and the right end of the crossbeam, respectively. Each of the left mounting bracket and the right mounting bracket have: a bracket plate having a clamping surface; a clamp configured to butt against the clamping surface of the bracket plate; at least two slots extending into the bracket plate and at least two slots extending into the clamp, wherein when the clamp butts against the clamping surface, the at least two slots of the bracket plate align with the at least two slots of the clamp to form two holes; and a bolt hole extending through the bracket plate and through the clamp, the bolt hole configured to receive a bolt, wherein when the bolt extends through the bolt hole and a nut is tightened onto the bolt, the clamp is pressed