An electric work machine, such as a lawn mower includes a motor case (22) fixed inside a main-body housing (10). A brushless motor (21) is housed inside the motor case (22) and includes a stator (23) having a stator core (40), coils (45), and upper and lower insulators (42, 43), and a rotor (24) disposed inward of the stator (23) and having a rotary shaft (25). A spindle (17) is driven by the rotary shaft (25). The motor case (22) holds the stator (23) and axially supports the rotary shaft (25) via bearings (68, 76). One or more insulating members, such as an insulating cap (67) and/or a resin layer (78), provide electrical insulation between the stator core (40) and the rotary shaft (25).

A hub bearing assembly for the rotatable mounting of a soil cultivating disc (D) on a support shaft (A) of an agricultural machine, the assembly being provided with a hub bearing unit which in turn is provided with a flanged outer ring carrying two integral outer raceways for respective rows of rolling bodies, a flange fixed to the flanged outer ring for mounting a disc (D), and, for each outer raceway, an inner ring axially adjacent to the other inner ring, both of which can be engaged by the support shaft (A); and a sealing device mounted on a side of the hub bearing assembly opposite the side of the flange, composed of a first sealing stage and a second sealing stage arranged sequentially along the support shaft (A) and housed in respective seats formed directly in the flanged outer ring.

A handle adjustment assembly is attached to a walk-behind lawn mower, wherein the handle adjustment assembly is rotatably adjustable relative to a deck of the mower to allow the handle to be adjusted to multiple different heights relative to the ground at distinct operative positions. The handle adjustment assembly is also rotatable to allow the handle to be adjusted to a stored position adjacent to the deck, wherein the mower can be stored in a substantially vertical orientation.

A configuration of a direct drive lawnmower spindle assembly to protect sensitive electric motor components is provided. A spindle shaft of the spindle assembly is supported by upper and lower bearings. An upper end of the spindle shaft is mounted to a rotor of the electric motor and a lower end of the spindle shaft extends through the clearance opening. The lower bearing is supported by a lower bearing carrier that is mounted to the bottom of the spindle housing. The lower bearing can be serviced by removing the lower bearing carrier. A clearance gap between the spindle shaft and the clearance opening is sufficiently small to limit spindle shaft tipping to a degree that will not damage the motor. The invention also provides a friction coupling system for coupling a blade with the rotating spindle shaft.

A rotary milking platform (1) comprises a platform (3) having a circular carrier beam (7) secured to the underside of the platform (3). The carrier beam (7) is supported on a plurality of support elements (10), each of which comprise a freely rotatable roller (35) which is configured to rollably engage an under surface (38) of the carrier beam (7). Each support element (10) comprises an anchor plate (27) adjustably mounted on a corresponding ground engaging element (20) which is secured to the ground. A carrier plate (40) is carried on four guide bolts (50) extending upwardly from the anchor plate (27). Side members (41) extending downwardly from the carrier plate (40) rotatably carry the roller (35). Compression springs (59) acting between abutment washers (55) secured to the guide bolts (50) and the carrier plate (40) urge the carrier plate (40) against heads (53) of the guide bolts (50). The compression springs (59) accommodate downward and upward movement of the roller (35) in order to accommodate rising and falling of the under surface (38) of the beam (7). The compression springs (59) permit tilting movement of the roller (35) about a tilt axis (61) which extends in the direction of motion of the beam (7) in order to facilitate tilting of the roller (35) to follow any non-horizontality of the under surface (38) of the beam (7). The tilt axis is located just below a line of contact (67) of the roller (35) with the under surface (38) of the beam (7) to minimise lateral movement of the roller relative to the beam (7) as the roller (35) tilts about the tilt axis.

The protection system (5) comprises a first tubular member (13) and a second tubular member (15) which can be slidably inserted into each other and a protection (8) at one end of the first tubular member (13). The protection comprises a protective boot (40) and a first annular element (21) fixed to the first tubular member (13). Further provided for is a second annular element (33) which can be torsionally coupled to the first annular element (21) and which can be decoupled therefrom by means of a mutual movement between the first annular element (21) and the second annular element (33) in a direction approximately parallel to the axis (A-A) of the first tubular member (13). The second annular element (33) is coupled to the protective boot (40) which is provided with members (49) for coupling to a stationary plate (51) which can be connected to a power take-off (9). A drive shaft provided with such a protection system is also described.

A rotary milking platform 1 has a deck 2, a circular upper beam 4 connected to and supporting the deck, a circular lower beam 6 and a series of carriages 5 connected end to end to form a ring between the beams. The platform is formed such that the upper beam 4 is arranged to rest and rotate on the ring of carriages 5 to rotate the deck 2. Each carriage has at least one carriage roller 10, and each roller 10 arranged to rotate on the lower beam 4. Each roller 10 also has a retention flange 11 at only one side. The flanges 11 of some of the rollers 10 are at or adjacent an inner side of the ring, and the flanges 11 of others of the rollers are at or adjacent an outer side of the ring. The rollers 10 of the ring are arranged such that at least one roller is oriented with its flange 11 on an opposite side to another of the flanged rollers immediately adjacent to it. The flanges prevent the carriages from moving off the lower beam 4 when the platform 1 is in use. Further, at least some of the carriages can be disconnected from the ring and swung laterally to be moved free of the beams 4, 6 for maintenance, repair or replacement.

A sealing assembly for bearings, in particular for use in agriculture, the sealing assembly having a first shield, which extends from an outer surface of the inner ring to an inner surface of the outer ring, and is mounted on the outer surface of the inner ring, and a seal with a plurality of contact lips supported by the first shield, and provided with a predetermined number (N) of contact lips arranged in series axially next to one another. The contact lips may lie, when in a respective pre-assembly configuration, in respective planes (P) inclined with respect to a central axis (A) of the bearing, and may have radial lengths decreasing axially towards the bearing.

A sealing assembly for bearings, in particular for use in agriculture, comprising a primary sealing barrier and a secondary sealing barrier, which are arranged in series along a potential path (P) of ingress of contaminants into the bearing, and have, respectively, a first seal and a second seal with a plurality of contact lips. The contact lips of the first and second seal with a plurality of contact lips may be static lips that do not rotate about an axis (A) of rotation of the bearing.

A hub bearing assembly includes a housing with a vertical bore, a bearing outer ring disposed within the bore and coupled with the housing and a bearing inner ring disposed within the bearing outer ring and having a central bore configured to receive a portion of the shaft. A set of rolling elements are disposed between the bearing outer and inner rings. An upper seal is disposed within the housing bore externally of the outer ring and includes an annular elastomeric seal body and a garter spring biasing a seal lip radially inwardly. A lower seal is disposed between the bearing outer and inner rings. Either the bearing inner ring is sized such that upper seal is disposed about the bearing inner ring or the hub bearing assembly further comprises an annular spacer disposed within the upper seal and adjacent to the upper axial end of the bearing inner ring.