Drop-Down Panel Stops Mower Stone-Throwing

Drop-Down Panel Stops Mower Stone-Throwing FARM HOME With the touch of a button Logan Goldschmidt can stop his mower from throwing grass and stones His powered drop-panel attachment drops down quickly to cover the chute opening as needed “When I ran a lawn service it was always a problem when grass flew out across a sidewalk or rocks got thrown ” recalls Goldschmidt “I wanted a way to close off the grass chute or to partially shut it down ” After returning from a tour in Iraq he and his father Larry came up with a solution “We use two solenoids to close the panel and a spring to open it when the solenoids are turned off ” says Goldschmidt “Initially we used an internal hinge but it took too much power for the solenoids to close it The external hinge works better ” Currently Goldschmidt has a switch for the solenoids by the mower ignition key However he plans to relocate it to the steering handle for faster reaction time by the operator “It will close in half a second no matter how much grass is coming out ” he says “The two solenoids have a total pull of about 60 lbs ” Originally he used a double layer of mud flap material for the 6-in wide by 13-in long panel He is switching to ABS plastic to reduce grass buildup Regardless of the material Goldschmidt means for the panel to be the weak link in his attachment “I wanted the hinge really strong and the panel weak ” he says “If the operator drives into something with the panel extended it will give The hinge and other components won’t be damaged Replacing the plastic is cheap and easy ” Goldschmidt has attachments designed for Toro and Cub Cadet zero-turn mowers He encourages interested zero-turn operators to call for pricing and availability Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Logan Goldschmidt 4809 Hwy FF Fisk Mo 63940 ph 573 772-0095; logangoldschmidt@hotmail com

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