NL2015255B1

NL2015255B1 - Guarded mower implements.

Info

Publication number: NL2015255B1
Application number: NL2015255A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Bergum Eric; R Lyng Thomas; Bentzinger Rustin
Original assignee: Forage Innovations Bv
Priority date: 2015-07-02
Filing date: 2015-08-03
Publication date: 2017-02-20

Abstract

Mower implements having adjustable side guards are disclosed. The side guards may be capable of pivoting between a first raised position in which an outer edge portion of the side guard extends outward to provide safety distance guarding and a second lowered positon in which the outer edge portion extends downward to provide a rigidimperforate guard.

Description

Guarded mower implements FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The field of the disclosure relates to mower implements and, in particular, mower implements having side guards that are adjustable.

BACKGROUND

Mower implements are commonly used to cut crops for agricultural use or to maintain proper grass height along roadways or in residential or recreational settings. Commonly used mowers include rotary disk, drum and flail mowers. The mowers generally include various safety guards to help prevent contact with the cutting implement.

Guarding of mowing implements may be provided in one of two ways. A “safety distance barrier” may be provided which is located in such a way to prevent a person from nearing the cutting path of the implement. Alternatively, a “rigid imperforate guard” may be provided in which the guard is located near and partly below the cutting element. The rigid imperforate guard acts as a barrier to entry into the path of the cutting element. The agricultural industry has developed standards for safety distance barriers and rigid imperforate guards such as those of ISO 4254-12(2012-06-15) entitled “Agricultural Machinery - Safety - Part 12: Rotary Disk and Drum Mowers and Flail Mowers”, which is incorporated herein by reference for all relevant and consistent purposes. A need exists for guarded mower implements that allow the guards to be adjustably positioned for different purposes.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a guarded mower implement for cutting crop material. The implement has a lengthwise axis and includes a cutting assembly having two sides generally parallel to the lengthwise axis. The cutting assembly includes a cutting assembly frame. The implement includes a side guard having an outer edge portion for guarding a side of the cutting assembly. The side guard is pivotally attached to the cutting assembly frame and has a first raised position in which the outer edge portion extends outward from the cutting assembly frame to provide safety distance guarding and a second lowered positon in which the outer edge portion extends downward from the cutting assembly frame to provide a rigid-imperforate guard.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a guarded mower implement for cutting crop material. The implement has a lengthwise axis and includes a cutting assembly having two sides generally parallel to the lengthwise axis. The cutting assembly includes a cutting assembly frame. The implement includes a side guard having an outer edge portion for guarding a side of the cutting assembly. The implement includes a pivot bracket attached to the cutting assembly frame and the side guard to pivot the side guard relative to the cutting assembly.

Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to any of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure, alone or in any combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mowing implement with both side guards in a raised position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the mowing implement with one side guard in a raised position and one side guard in a lowered position;

Figure 3 is a schematic of the cutting path of the baling implement;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a side guard in a raised position;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a side guard in a lowered position;

Figure 6 is a side view of a pivot bracket with the side guard in a raised position; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the pivot bracket with the side guard in a raised position;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the pivot bracket with the side guard in a lowered position;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a locking member and side guard with the side guard in a lowered position; and

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a back guard.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to Figure 1, an implement 1 for mowing a growing material (e.g., agricultural and forage crops and various grasses that are maintained at a proper height) is shown. While the implement 1 is generally shown and described herein as a disc mower, any implement that includes a cutting element (e.g., drum or flail mower) may be used unless stated otherwise.

The mower 1 includes a cutting assembly 3 that is suspended from a support frame 5. The cutting assembly 3 is suspended from the support frame 5 by various linkages 9 and hydraulic cylinders 11 that act as a suspension system to reduce the ground contact force of the cutting assembly 3. The mower 1 includes a tongue 15 for towing the mower 1 by a pull vehicle (e.g., tractor). In other embodiments, the mower 1 is mounted to a pull vehicle by use of a three-point hitch system in which the cutting assembly 3 is supported by the pull vehicle (as opposed to the support frame 5) and the pull vehicle raises and lowers the cutting assembly 3. In other embodiments, the mower 1 is mounted to the front of a vehicle and is pushed through the field.

The mower 1 is powered by a power-take-off (PTO) of the pull vehicle through a PTO drive system 17. The mower 1 may also include various hydraulic components (e.g., hydraulic cylinders and accumulators) that are charged by use of a hydraulic pump of the pull vehicle.

In other embodiments, the mower 1 is self-driven (i.e., operates autonomously without a pull vehicle) and does not include a hitch system for attachment to a pull vehicle. In such embodiments, the cutting elements and hydraulic components of the mower 1 may be powered by systems on the mower.

The mower 1 has a lengthwise axis A that is parallel to the direction of travel of the mower 1. The cutting assembly 3 includes a first side 27 and a second side 29 that are generally parallel to the lengthwise axis A; and a front 31 and a rear 33 that are generally transverse to the lengthwise axis and to the sides 27, 29.

The cutting assembly 3 incudes a cutting assembly frame 19 that extends partially around the cutting path of the mower 1. A flexible protective hood or “curtain” 23 is suspended from the cutting assembly frame 19 at the front 31, rear 33 (partially) and sides 27, 29 of the cutting assembly. The hood 23 prevents cut material from being broadcast outside of the mower and protects persons from contacting the cutting elements. The hood 23 may hang freely from the frame 19 or may be held in place by magnets or other fasteners.

The cutting assembly 3 also includes a crop conditioner (not shown) such as a roller conditioner or a tine conditioner to crimp or crush the material to allow it to more rapidly cure. The crop conditioner is partially encased by a discharge cover 30. In other embodiments, the mower 1 does not include conditioner elements.

The mower 1 includes a number of mower disks 34 (Fig. 3) having cutting elements 35 for cutting crop material. As the mower disks 34 rotate, the cutting elements 35 define a cutting path P around the cutting elements 35. The cutting assembly 3 may include a number of skid shoes (not shown) below the disks 34 that contact the ground and protect the disks 34 and cutting elements 35 during operation of the mower 1.

The implement 1 includes a first side guard 41 (Fig. 1) for guarding the first side 27 of the cutting assembly 3 and a second side guard 43 for guarding the second side 29 of the cutting assembly 3. The first side guard 41 is generally identical to the second side guard 43 and any description herein of the first side guard 41 should be considered to also apply to the second side guard 43 unless indicated otherwise. The first side guard 41 and second side guard 43 each include an outer edge portion 46 (Fig. 4) for guarding persons from the cutting path of the mower (i.e., in a lowered position or in a raised position) and for guarding the cutting assembly 3 and its related cutting elements 35 from encroaching objects (especially in the lowered position).

Referring now to Figure 4, the first side guard 41 is pivotally connected to the cutting assembly frame 19 by use of two pivot brackets 51, 55. In other embodiments, the pivot connection between the guards and the frame 19 may be achieved by other structures such as hinges and the like. The pivot brackets 51, 55 allow the first side guard 41 to pivot between a first raised position (Fig. 4) and a second lowered position (Fig. 5). In the raised position (Fig. 4) the outer edge portion 46 extends outward from the cutting assembly frame 19 to provide safety distance guarding (for implement operators and other persons) for the first side 27 of the cutting assembly 3. As referenced herein, safety distance guarding provides a distance barrier to the cutting path with the barrier distance varying with the height of the barrier (i.e., height of the outer edge portion 46) with higher heights corresponding to higher set back distances. As referenced herein, the safety distance guarding of the first and second side guards 41, 43 in their raised position generally complies with the safety distance guarding standards set forth in ISO 4254-12(2012-06-15) entitled “Agricultural Machinery - Safety - Part 12: Rotary Disk and Drum Mowers and Flail Mowers” (see side view of Figure 1), which is incorporated herein by reference for all relevant and consistent purposes.

In the lowered position (Fig. 5) the outer edge portion 46 (and shield 50 discussed further below) extends downward from the cutting assembly frame 19 to provide a rigid-imperforate guard. Such rigid-imperforate guards extend below the cutting path (e.g., at least about 3 mm below). As referenced herein, the rigid-imperforate guarding of the first and second side guards 41,43 in their lowered position generally complies with the rigid-imperforate guarding standards set forth in ISO 4254-12(2012-06-15) entitled “Agricultural Machinery - Safety - Part 12: Rotary Disk and Drum Mowers and Flail Mowers” (see side view of Figure 1), which is incorporated herein by reference for all relevant and consistent purposes.

In the lowered position (Fig. 5), the first side guard 41 and the second side guard 43 may also act as crop dividers. Certain crops can become entangled (e.g., star grass) and the guards 41,43 in their lowered positions may act to divide the crop into a portion to be cut and an uncut portion as the mower 1 is propelled through the field.

The first side guard 41 and the second side guard 43 each include a shield 50 that acts as an impermeable barrier in the lowered position. In the illustrated embodiment, the shield 50 extends only partially from the outer edge portion 46 (Fig. 4). In other embodiments, the shield 50 extends over the entire height of the side guard 41.

The mower 1 includes a first pivot bracket 51 (Fig. 4) and a second pivot bracket 55 for pivoting each side guard 41, 43. In the illustrated embodiment, two pivot brackets 51, 55 are used to pivot each guard 41, 43. In other embodiments, a single pivot bracket or more than two pivot brackets may be used to pivot each respective side guard 41,43.

Each pivot bracket 51, 55 is attached to the cutting assembly frame 19 and to the corresponding side guard 41. Each pivot bracket 51, 55 includes a frame leg 61, 63 attached to the cutting assembly frame 19 and pivot legs 67, 69 attached to a first arm 71 and second arm 73 of the side guard 41. The pivot legs 67, 69 are capable of pivoting relative to the frame legs 61, 63. As shown in Figure 6 which is a side view of the pivot bracket viewed from the opposite direction of Figure 4, the frame leg 61 is attached to the pivot leg 67 by a bushing pivot bracket 77. The bushing pivot bracket 77 includes a bushing 78 therein to allow the pivot leg 67 to pivot about a pin 79 that defines a pivot axis P.

Each frame leg 61, 63 includes an opening 80 (Fig. 7) for receiving a locking pin 81. Each pivot leg 67, 69 includes a first opening 84 for receiving the locking pin 81 to lock the side guard 41 in a raised position and a second opening 85 for receiving the locking pin 81 to lock the side guard 41 in a lowered position. To move the side guard 41 from the raised positon (Fig. 4) to the lowered position (Fig. 5), the locking pin 81 is removed from the first opening 84. This is repeated for the second pivot bracket 55 (Fig. 4) and the side guard 41 is lowered to its lowered positon. Each locking pin 81, 83 is then positioned through the corresponding frame leg opening 80 and through the second opening 85 of the corresponding pivot leg 67, 69 (Fig. 8) to lock the side guard 41 in the lowered position.

The side guard 41 includes a securement bracket 91 (Fig. 4) attached to the outer edge 46 of the side guard 41 to further secure the side guard in the lowered position. The securement bracket 91 mates with a locking member 93 (Fig. 9) that is attached to the frame (not shown) of the cutting assembly. A fastener 95 (e.g., a pin secured through the securement bracket 91 and locking member 93) further secures the side guard 41 in its lowered position.

The range of motion of the side guards 41, 43 (Fig. 1) is limited by a number of built-in stops to prevent the cutting assembly 3 from being unguarded at its sides 27, 29 and to prevent the side guards 41, 43 from entering the cutting path of the mower 1. As shown in Figure 4, the first and second arms 71, 73 of the side guard 41 abut (or nearly abut) the frame 19 in the raised position of the side guard 41 and act as a stop to prevent the side guard 41 from being raised beyond the raised position in which the side guard 41 acts as a safety distance barrier. As shown in Figure 9, the outer edge portion 46 of the side guard abuts the locking member 93 in the lowered position and acts as a stop to prevent the side guard 41 from pivoting beyond its lowered position in which the side guard is a rigid-imperforate guard and into the cutting path of the mower 1.

The locking member 93 maintains a proper distance of the side guard 41 from the cutting elements 35 (Fig. 3) in the lowered position. In the lowered position, the outer edge portion 46 of the side guard 41 extends below the cutting path P of the cutting elements 35 (Fig. 3). This allows the outer edge portion 46 to vertically overlap the cutting path by a distance (e.g., 1/16” or more) which allows all crop that passes inward of the side guard 41 to be cut during mowing. Locking mechanisms other than the illustrated pivot brackets 51, 55 and associated locking pins 81, 83 and/or securement bracket 91 and locking member 93 may be used to hold each side guard 41,43 in a lowered position and a raised position.

The cutting assembly 3 also includes two back guards 97 (one shown in Fig. 10) that act as rigid-imperforate guards to help prevent persons entering the cutting path of the mower from the rear of the cutting assembly 3 from each side of the discharge cover 30 (Fig. 1).

Compared to conventional guarded mowers, the guarded mower 1 of the present disclosure has several advantages. The side-guards 41, 43 are adjustable, which allow the mower 1 to be adjustably positioned for different purposes. In the lowered position, the side guards 41,43 act as a rigid-imperforate guard to help protect persons from the cutting path of the cutting elements and may further act as a crop divider, if desired. In the lowered position, the side guards 41, 43 may also act as visual guides to see the cutting path of the mower 1 to assist in mowing near structures such as fence lines and around fence posts and trees (i.e., allowing close access there around yet impeding any potential protrusions such as tree limbs). In the raised positon, the side guards 41, 43 act as a safety distance guard to help prevent persons from nearing the cutting path. Advantageously, each side guard 41, 43 acts as a guard in all positions throughout its range of motion by acting as a distance safety barrier or as rigid-imperforate guard. The side guards 41, 43 cannot be moved to an unguarded position, due to built-in stops between the guard arms 71, 73 (Fig. 4) and the cutting assembly frame 19. Further, the locking member 93 acts as a stop to prevent the side guards 41, 43 from being moved to a position in which the side guards intersect the cutting path. In embodiments in which the cutting assembly includes back guards 97 (Fig. 10), the length of the side guards 41 (i.e., length across the lengthwise axis A) may be reduced.

As used herein, the terms “about,” “substantially,” “essentially” and “approximately” when used in conjunction with ranges of dimensions, concentrations, temperatures or other physical or chemical properties or characteristics is meant to cover variations that may exist in the upper and/or lower limits of the ranges of the properties or characteristics, including, for example, variations resulting from rounding, measurement methodology or other statistical variation.

When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiment(s) thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the" and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," “containing” and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The use of terms indicating a particular orientation (e.g., "top", "bottom", "side", etc.) is for convenience of description and does not require any particular orientation of the item described.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawing[s] shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

1. Een afgeschermde maai-inrichting voor het afsnijden van oogstmateriaal en hebbende een lengte-as, de inrichting omvattende: een maai-eenheid met twee zijkanten hoofdzakelijk parallel aan de lengte-as, de maai-eenheid omvat een maai-eenheidframe; en een zijafscherming met een buitenste randdeel voor het afschermen van een zijkant van de maai-eenheid, de zijafscherming is zwenkbaar verbonden met het maai-eenheidframe en heeft een eerste geheven stand waarin het buitenste randdeel zich buiten het maai-eenheidframe uitstrekt om te voorzien in een veiligheidsafstand en een tweede neergelaten stand waarin het buitenste randdeel zich neerwaarts uitstrekt vanaf het maai-eenheidframe om te voorzien in een voor vaste delen ondoordringbare afscherming.A shielded mowing device for cutting crop material and having a longitudinal axis, the device comprising: a mowing unit with two sides substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the mowing unit comprising a mowing unit frame; and a side shield with an outer edge portion for shielding a side of the cutting unit, the side shield is pivotally connected to the cutting unit frame and has a first raised position in which the outer edge portion extends outside the cutting unit frame to provide a safety distance and a second lowered position in which the outer edge portion extends downwardly from the mowing unit frame to provide a solid-impermeable shield.

2. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 1 waarbij de zijafscherming een eerste zijafscherming is voor het afschermen van een eerste zijkant van de maai-eenheid, de inrichting omvattende een tweede zijafscherming, de tweede zijafscherming heeft een buitenste randdeel voor het afschermen van de tweede zijde van de maai-eenheid, de tweede zijafscherming is zwenkbaar verbonden met het maai-eenheidframe en heeft een eerste geheven stand waarin het buitenste randdeel zich uitstrekt buiten het maai-eenheidframe om te voorzien in een veiligheidsafstand en een tweede neergelaten stand waarin het buitenste randdeel zich uitstrekt neerwaarts van het maai-eenheidframe om te voorzien in een voor vaste delen ondoordringbare afscherming.The shielded mowing device according to claim 1, wherein the side shield is a first side shield for shielding a first side of the mowing unit, the device comprising a second side shield, the second side shield having an outer edge portion for shielding the second side of the cutting unit, the second side shield is pivotally connected to the cutting unit frame and has a first raised position in which the outer edge portion extends outside the cutting unit frame to provide a safety distance and a second lowered position in which the outer edge portion extending downwardly from the mowing unit frame to provide a solid-impermeable shield.

3. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 1 of conclusie 2 verder omvattende een trekboom voor het voortrekken van de inrichting.The shielded mowing device according to claim 1 or claim 2 further comprising a drawbar for pulling the device forward.

4. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 1 tot 3 waarbij de inrichting een scharnier omvat voor het verzwenken van de zijafscherming ten opzichte van het maai-eenheidframe.The shielded mowing device according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the device comprises a hinge for pivoting the side shield relative to the mowing unit frame.

5. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 4 waarbij het scharnier ingericht is om selectief de zijafscherming te vergrendelen in de geheven stand of in de neergelaten stand.The shielded mowing device of claim 4 wherein the hinge is adapted to selectively lock the side shield in the raised position or in the lowered position.

6. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 4 waarbij het scharnier ingericht is om de zijafscherming te vergrendelen in alleen de geheven stand of in de neergelaten stand.The shielded mowing device according to claim 4, wherein the hinge is adapted to lock the side shield in the raised position only or in the lowered position.

7. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 1 tot 6 omvattende een vergrendeling plaatsbaar aan het buitenste randdeel voor het vergrendelen van de afscherming in de neergelaten stand.The shielded mowing device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a lock which can be placed on the outer edge part for locking the cover in the lowered position.

8. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 1 tot 7 waarbij het buitenste randdeel zich beneden een snijbaan van de inrichting bevindt en verticaal overlapt met de snijbaan in de neergelaten stand om toe te laten dat nagenoeg het gehele gewas dat aan de binnenkant van de zijafscherming passeert te worden gemaaid in de neergelaten stand.The shielded mowing device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the outer edge portion is below a cutting path of the device and overlaps vertically with the cutting path in the lowered position to allow substantially the entire crop that is on the inside of the side shield passes to be mowed in the lowered position.

9. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens in één der conclusies 1 tot 9 waarbij in de neergelaten stand de zijafscherming gewas scheidt in een afgesneden deel en in een niet-afgesneden deel.The shielded mowing device according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein in the lowered position the side shield separates crop into a cut-off part and into a non-cut-off part.

10. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 1 tot 9 waarbij de zijafscherming een bewegingsbereik heeft tussen begrenzers, de zijafscherming een snijbaan van de inrichting afschermt over haar gehele bewegingsbereik.The shielded mowing device according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the side shield has a range of movement between limiters, the side shield shields a cutting path of the device over its entire range of movement.

11. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 1 tot 10 waarbij de inrichting een doek omvat opgehangen vanaf het maai-eenheidframe aan de zijkanten van de maai-eenheid.The shielded mowing device according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the device comprises a cloth suspended from the mowing unit frame on the sides of the mowing unit.

12. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 11 waarbij de maai-eenheid een voorzijde heeft loodrecht op de lengte-as van de inrichting, het doek is opgehangen vanaf het maai-eenheidframe aan de voorzijde van de maai-eenheid.The shielded mowing device of claim 11 wherein the mowing unit has a front perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the device, the cloth is suspended from the mowing unit frame on the front of the mowing unit.

13. Een afgeschermde maai-inrichting voor het afsnijden van oogstmateriaal en hebbende een lengte-as, de inrichting omvattende: een maai-eenheid met twee zijkanten hoofdzakelijk parallel aan de lengte-as, de maai-eenheid omvattende een maai-eenheidframe; een zijafscherming hebbende een buitenste randdeel voor het afschermen van een zijde van de maai-eenheid; en een scharnier verbonden met het maai-eenheidframe en de zijafscherming om de zijafscherming te verzwenken ten opzichte van de maai-eenheid.A shielded mowing device for cutting crop material and having a longitudinal axis, the device comprising: a mowing unit with two sides substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the mowing unit comprising a mowing unit frame; a side shield having an outer edge portion for shielding a side of the cutting unit; and a hinge connected to the mowing unit frame and the side shield to pivot the side shield relative to the mowing unit.

14. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 13 waarbij de maai-eenheid een begrenzer bevat om het opwaarts verzwenken van de zijafscherming te begrenzen.The shielded mowing device according to claim 13, wherein the mowing unit comprises a limiter for limiting upward pivoting of the side shield.

15. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 14 waarbij de begrenzer het maai-eenheidframe is.The shielded mowing device of claim 14 wherein the limiter is the mowing unit frame.

16. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 13 tot 15 waarbij de maai-eenheid een begrenzer bevat om het neerwaarts zwenken van de zijafscherming te begrenzen om te voorkomen dat de zijafscherming een snijbaan van de maai-inrichting doorsnijdt.The shielded mowing device according to any of claims 13 to 15, wherein the mowing unit comprises a limiter to limit the downward pivoting of the side shield to prevent the side shield from cutting through a cutting path of the mowing apparatus.

17. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 16 waarbij de begrenzer een aan het buitenste randdeel plaatsbare vergrendeling is voor het vergrendelen van de zijafscherming in de neergelaten stand.The shielded mowing device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the limiter is a lock that can be placed on the outer edge part for locking the side shield in the lowered position.

18. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens conclusie 13 waarbij de maai-eenheid een eerste begrenzer bevat om het opwaarts verzwenken van de zijafscherming te verhinderen en een tweede begrenzer het neerwaarts verzwenken van de zijafscherming te verhinderen, de zijafscherming heeft een bewegingsbereik tussen de eerste begrenzer en de tweede begrenzer, de zijafscherming schermt de maai-eenheid af langs het gehele bewegingsbereik.The shielded mowing device according to claim 13, wherein the mowing unit comprises a first limiter to prevent pivoting upward of the side guard and a second limiter to prevent pivoting downward movement of the side guard, the side guard has a range of movement between the first limiter and the second limiter, the side shield, shields the mowing unit along the entire range of motion.

19. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 13 tot 18 waarbij het scharnier ingericht is om de zijafscherming te vergrendelen in een geheven stand of in een neergelaten stand.The shielded mowing device according to any of claims 13 to 18, wherein the hinge is adapted to lock the side shield in a raised position or in a lowered position.

20. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 13 tot 19 waarbij het scharnier ingericht is om de zijafscherming te vergrendelen in alleen een geheven stand of in een neergelaten stand.The shielded mowing device according to any of claims 13 to 19, wherein the hinge is adapted to lock the side shield in only a raised position or in a lowered position.

21. De afgeschermde maai-inrichting volgens één der conclusies 13 tot 20 waarbij de zijafscherming een eerste zijafscherming is voor het afschermen van een eerste zijde van de maai-eenheid en het scharnier een eerste scharnier is, de inrichting omvat verder: een tweede zij-afscherming hebbende een buitenste randdeel voor het afschermen van de tweede zijde van de maai-eenheid; en een tweede scharnier verbonden met het maai-eenheidframe en de tweede zijafscherming om de tweede zijafscherming te verzwenken ten opzichte van de maai-eenheid.The shielded mowing device according to any of claims 13 to 20, wherein the side shield is a first side shield for shielding a first side of the mowing unit and the hinge is a first hinge, the device further comprising: a second side shield having an outer edge portion for shielding the second side of the cutting unit; and a second hinge connected to the mowing unit frame and the second side shield to pivot the second side shield relative to the mowing unit.