Claims:We claim:
1. A safety guard (200) for a power take off (PTO) shaft (207), said safety guard (200) comprising:
a flange (301) mounted on a PTO gear housing (205);
a sleeve (303) connected to said flange (301), said sleeve (303) is mounted on said PTO shaft (207); and
a first locking member (305), one end (405) of said first locking member (305) is connected to said sleeve (303) and another end (407) of said first locking member (305) is coupled to a PTO hand operated lever (209) for locking said PTO hand operated lever (209) at a neutral position thereby preventing operation of said PTO shaft (207).
2. The safety guard (200) for said PTO shaft (207) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first locking member (305) is coupled to said PTO hand operated lever (209) through a second locking member (307), wherein one end of said second locking member (307) is connected to a PTO gear engagement shaft (309) and another end of said second locking member (307) is connected to said end (407) of said first locking member (305); and
said PTO gear engagement shaft (309) is coupled to said PTO hand operated lever (209) through a PTO gear engagement lever (311) and a PTO lever cable (313).
3. The safety guard (200) for said PTO shaft (207) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second locking member (307) includes a tubular casing (307T) mounted onto said PTO gear engagement shaft (309), and a locking portion (307L), said locking portion (307L) extends from said tubular casing (307T);
said first locking member (305) defines a locking portion (409) at said another end (407), said locking portion (409) of said first locking member (305) is engaged with said locking portion (307L) of said second locking member (307) for locking said PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral (disengaged) position thereby preventing operation of said PTO shaft (207); and
said locking portion (409) of said first locking member (305) is an opening and correspondingly said locking portion (307L) of said second locking member (307) is one of a rod or a tube.
4. The safety guard (200) for said PTO shaft (207) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sleeve (303) of said safety guard (200) includes female splines or grooves (701) adapted to be engaged with male splines (401) of said PTO shaft (207).
5. The safety guard (200) for said PTO shaft (207) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said said first locking member (305) includes a first portion (305F) connected to said sleeve (303), a second portion (305S), said second portion (305S) transversely extends from said first portion (305F) in an upward direction and a third portion (305T), said third portion (305T) adjoins said second portion (305S) and is connected to said locking portion (307L) of said second locking member (307), and
said locking portion (409) of said first locking member (305) adapted to be engaged with said locking portion (307L) of said second locking member (307) only when said PTO hand operated lever (209) is in the neutral position.
6. The safety guard (200) for said PTO shaft (207) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said locking portion (409) of said first locking member (305) defines a ‘U’ shape profile, and
said locking portion (409) is positioned on said third portion (305T) of said first locking member (305).
7. A method (800) of preventing operation of a power take off (PTO) shaft (207) by using a safety guard (200), said method (800) comprising:
engaging a sleeve (303) of said safety guard (200) with said PTO shaft (207); and
locking a PTO hand operated lever (209) at a neutral position by coupling a first locking member (305) of said safety guard (200) with said PTO hand operated lever (209) thereby preventing operation of said PTO shaft (207).
8. The method (800) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said locking said PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral (disengaged) position by coupling said first locking member (305) of said safety guard (200) with said PTO hand operated lever (209) includes,
engaging said first locking member (305) of said safety guard (200) with a second locking member (307) for locking said PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral position thereby preventing operation of said PTO shaft (207).

9. The method (800) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said method (800) comprises,
mounting a tubular casing (307T) of said second locking member (307) onto a PTO gear engagement shaft (309), wherein said PTO gear engagement shaft (309) is coupled to said PTO hand operated lever (209) through a PTO gear engagement lever (311) and a PTO lever cable (313) prior to said locking said PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral (disengaged) position by coupling said first locking member (305) of said safety guard (200) with said PTO hand operated lever (209).
10. The method (800) as claimed in claim 9, wherein said method (800) comprises,
mounting a flange (301) of said safety guard (200) onto a PTO gear housing (205);
defining a ‘U’ shaped locking portion (409) at a portion (305T) of said first locking member (305); and
defining a locking portion (307L) extending from said tubular casing (307T) of said second locking member (307),
wherein,
said locking portion (409) of said first locking member (305) adapted to be engaged with said locking portion (307L) of said second locking member (307) only when said PTO hand operated lever (209) is in the neutral (disengaged) position.

, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The present disclosure relates in general to a safety guard for a power take off (hereinafter referred as PTO) shaft and more particularly, the disclosure relates to the safety guard for the PTO shaft of an agricultural vehicle such as tractor, which locks a PTO hand operated lever at a neutral (disengaged) position for preventing unintentional operation of the PTO shaft.
BACKGROUND
[002] Generally, vehicles used in an agricultural and constructional environment include tractor, bulldozer, excavator, harvester, cultivator, cargo vehicle, utility vehicle, multifunctional vehicle, multipurpose vehicle, leisure vehicle, pickup vehicle, transport vehicle, agricultural vehicle, farm vehicle, skid loader, industry vehicle, load vehicle and the like are specially designed for off-road applications. Typically, a work implement is attached to these vehicles to perform the off-road applications such as rotavator for ploughing, mower for leveling grass and sprayer for spraying pesticides. These work implements have mechanisms driven by a separate source of power, typically from the vehicle which are attached to it. An engine of the vehicle transfers rotational power to move both the vehicle and the towed work implement along the ground. The engine also delivers power to the work implement through a power outlet, commonly known as a power take off shaft or PTO shaft. Usually, the PTO shaft is a rotating splined shaft which projects rearwardly from the rear of the vehicle for a short distance. However, the PTO shafts may also project from front end of the vehicle as well. The PTO shaft of the vehicle is typically the output shaft of the vehicle gearbox, and the PTO shaft may be rearwardly directed so as to be readily connected to the work implement. The work implement has a driveline comprising of a splined drive shaft which can be extended to connect to the vehicle PTO shaft. When the work implement is coupled to the vehicle draw bar or the three-point hitch linkage, the work implement is towed along the ground while its working mechanism performs the intended task. The PTO shaft of the vehicle is typically driven at standard rated speeds 540 rpm or 1,000 rpm for driving the work implements.
[003] Generally, to couple the work implement to the vehicle, the operating person attaches a shaft of the work implement to the PTO shaft. Not only in the coupled state, but also when the PTO shaft is uncoupled, the PTO shaft must be protected against contact by the operating person or other working personnel around the vehicle or the work implement while the engine is operational. It must also be ensured that when the implement is decoupled from the PTO shaft, grass, materials or other substances should not be accommodated on the PTO shaft.
[004] It is customary to provide a safety guard secured to the vehicle and overlying around the PTO shaft which reduces the risk of injury of the operating person. The guard is sufficiently large to extend about and prevent accidental contact of the person with the PTO shaft when it is being used to drive the work implement. Guard fitted to the PTO shaft is formed of a plastic material to accommodate the coupling mechanism.
[005] Most of the safety guards which are currently used are having many drawbacks, for example the operating person forgot to fit the safety guard around the PTO shaft after disconnecting the work implement, and accidental engagement of a PTO hand operated lever results in unintentional operation the PTO shaft which increases the possibility injury to person if the safety guard is not fixed onto the PTO shaft. Further, unintentional operation of PTO shaft may damage the safety guard if it is fixed on the PTO shaft thereby causing the safety guard to fail to operate normally and become inefficient.
[006] Therefore, felt a need for developing a simple and efficient safety guard which prevents accidental engagement of a PTO hand operated lever thereby preventing unintentional operation of the PTO shaft and ensures safety of the operating personal, other work personal and also restricts accommodation of grass, material or other substances do not on the PTO shaft when the work implement is decoupled from the PTO shaft.
OBJECTS
[007] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
[008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an improved safety guard for a PTO shaft.
[009] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for locking a PTO hand operated lever at a neutral (disengaged) position for preventing operation of the PTO shaft when the safety guard is fitted onto the PTO shaft.
[0010] Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide the safety guard which is preventing accidental engagement of a PTO hand operated lever.
[0011] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide the safety guard which locks the PTO hand operated lever at the neutral (disengaged) position for preventing unintentional operation of the PTO shaft thereby ensuring safety of the operating personnel and other work personal working on the field.
[0012] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide the safety guard which restricts accommodation of grass, material or other substances on the rotating PTO shaft when the work implement is decoupled from the PTO shaft.
[0013] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide the safety guard which is simple in design.
[0014] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide the safety guard which reduces the possibility of damage to it when the operator or other person tries to engage the PTO hand operated lever.
[0015] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide the improved safety guard which ensures the operator fits the safety guard on the PTO shaft only when the PTO hand operated lever is neutral (disengaged) position.
[0016] These and other objects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0017] The embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
[0018] Figure 1 & 2 depicts a side view of the vehicle, according to an embodiment as disclosed herein;
[0019] Figure 3 depicts a perspective view of a PTO gear housing onto which the safety guard is secured thereon, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein;
[0020] Figure 4 depicts a perspective view of the safety guard mounted on a rear PTO shaft, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein;
[0021] Figure 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of the PTO gear housing, the safety guard, the PTO shaft and PTO gears, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein;
[0022] Figure 6 depicts a rear view of the PTO gear housing with the safety guard, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein;
[0023] Figure 7 depicts a perspective view of the safety guard, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein;
[0024] Figure 8 depicts a perspective view of a second locking member mounted onto a PTO gear engagement shaft, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein; and
[0025] Figure 9 depicts a flowchart indicating a method for locking the PTO hand operated lever for preventing operation of PTO shaft, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein. Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1 through Figure 9, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0027] For the purpose of this description and ease of understanding, the safety guard for a PTO shaft is explained herein below in conjunction with the safety guard used in the agriculture vehicle such as tractor for covering the PTO shaft and for locking the PTO hand operated lever for preventing unintentional operation of the PTO shaft. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to use the safety guard for the PTO shaft in any other vehicle without otherwise deterring the intended function can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings.
[0028] As discussed hereinbefore, the PTO shaft of a vehicle is typically an output shaft of the vehicle gearbox, and the PTO shaft may be rearwardly directed so as to be readily coupled to the work implement. When the work implement is decoupled from the PTO shaft, the PTO shaft end must be covered while the engine is operational.
[0029] Figure 1 & 2 depicts a side view of a vehicle (100), according to an embodiment as disclosed herein. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle (100) includes a pair of front wheels (101), a pair of rear wheels (103), an engine (105), a hood (107), a safety guard (200), a gear box (201), a rear axle (203), a PTO gear housing (205), a PTO shaft (207) and a PTO hand operated lever (209). The engine (105) is covered by the hood (107). The engine (105) drives the gears of the gearbox (201). The gearbox (201) includes two output shafts, one of which drives the rear axle (203) on which the rear wheels (103) are mounted, and the other output shaft of the gearbox (201) is the PTO shaft (207). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the safety guard (200) for the rear PTO shaft (207) is used. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the safety guard (200) for front power take off shaft (not shown).
[0030] Figure 3 depicts a perspective view of a PTO gear housing (205) onto which the safety guard (200) is secured thereon, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the safety guard (200) includes a flange (301), a sleeve (303) and a first locking member (305). The flange (301) of the safety guard (200) is mounted on the PTO gear housing (205). The sleeve (303) is connected to the flange (301) and is mounted onto the PTO shaft (207). The sleeve (303) of the safety guard (200) is adapted to cover the PTO shaft (207). One end (405) of the first locking member (305) is connected to the sleeve (303) and another end (407) of the first locking member (305) is coupled to the PTO hand operated lever (209) for locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) thereby preventing operation of the PTO shaft (207). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locking member (305) is welded to the sleeve (303). However, it is also within the scope of the invention to connect the first locking member (305) with the sleeve (303) by any mounting means such as bolts, screws, brackets or any other temporary or permanent joints.
[0031] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locking member (305) is coupled to the PTO hand operated lever (209) through a second locking member (307) for locking the PTO hand operated lever (209). One end of the second locking member (307) is connected to a PTO gear engagement shaft (309), (as shown in fig. 3) and another end of the second locking member (307) is connected to the end (407) of the first locking member (305) of the safety guard (200). The PTO gear engagement shaft (309) is coupled to the PTO hand operated lever (209) through a PTO gear engagement lever (311). The PTO gear engagement lever (311) connects the PTO gear engagement shaft (309) with the PTO hand operated lever (209) through a PTO lever cable (313). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the PTO shaft is operatively coupled to the transmission system of the vehicle (100). Whenever the PTO hand operated lever (209) is adapted to be moved to engaged position, the PTO lever (209) moves the PTO gear engagement lever (311) through the PTO lever cable (313) and the PTO gear engagement lever (311) in turn rotates the PTO gear engagement shaft (309) to engage PTO driven gear (503) with a PTO input shaft (501), (as shown in fig. 5 and fig. 6) thereby engaging the PTO input shaft (501) with the PTO shaft (207) for transferring the rotational power to the PTO shaft (207) directly from the transmission system, when the engine (105) is operational and clutch is engaged with the transmission system. When the clutch is disengaged from the transmission system, the power is not transferred to the transmission system thereby the PTO shaft (207) stops rotating. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide an independent PTO clutch apart from the vehicle clutch to independently control the PTO shaft (207) and vehicle clutch includes a two stage of transmission one of which is a first stage used to control the power transfer to the vehicle wheels (103) and a second stage used to control the PTO shaft (207). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second locking member (307) includes a tubular casing (307T) and a locking portion (307L). The tubular casing (307T) of the second locking member (307) is mounted onto the PTO gear engagement shaft (309). The locking portion (307L) extends from the tubular casing (307T). The locking portion (307L) of the second locking member (307) is engaged with the first locking member (305) for locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) thereby preventing operation of the PTO shaft (207).
[0032] Figure 4 depicts a perspective view of the safety guard (200) mounted on a rear PTO shaft (207), according to the embodiment as disclosed herein. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the PTO shaft (207) includes a plurality of male splines (401). The sleeve (303) of the safety guard (200) includes a plurality of female splines or grooves (701) (shown in Figure 7) adapted to be engaged with the plurality of male splines (401) of the PTO shaft (207). The flange (301) of the safety guard (200) is connected to the PTO gear housing (205) by connecting means such as bolt (403) with a washer. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the PTO gear housing (205) includes a threaded groove (not shown) in a corresponding location to receive the bolt (403) to connect the safety guard (200) onto the PTO gear housing (205). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the safety guard (200) can be connected to the PTO gear housing (205) only when the first locking member (305) is in an upward direction. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locking member (305) includes a first portion (305F), a second portion (305S) and a third portion (305T). The first portion (305F) of the locking member (305) is connected to the sleeve (303). The second portion (305S) transversely extends from the first portion (305F) in an upward direction. The third portion (305T) adjoins the second portion (305S) and is connected to the locking portion (307L) of the second locking member (307). One end (405) of the first locking member (305) is connected to the sleeve (303) and another end (407) of the first locking member (305) is coupled to the PTO hand operated lever (209) through the second locking member (307) for locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) thereby preventing operation of the PTO shaft (207). The locking portion (409) of the first locking member (305) is adapted to be engaged with the locking portion (307L) of the second locking member (307) only when the PTO hand operated lever (209) is in a neutral (disengaged) position. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking portion (409) of the first locking member (305) defines a ‘U’ shaped profile. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the other possible shapes such as ‘O’, ‘C’ and inverted ‘C’. The locking portion (409) is positioned on the third portion (305T) of the first locking member (305).
[0033] Figure 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of the PTO gear housing (205), the safety guard (200), the PTO shaft and PTO gears, according to the embodiment as disclosed herein. Figure 6 depicts a rear view of the PTO gear housing (205) with the safety guard (200), according to the embodiment as disclosed herein. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a PTO input shaft (501) is receiving the power from the transmission system and transferring the power to the PTO shaft (207) through a PTO driven gear (503). The PTO driven gear (503) is configured to operatively engage with the PTO input shaft (501) with the PTO shaft (207) whenever the PTO hand operated lever (209) is in engaged position.
[0034] Figure 7 depicts a perspective view of the safety guard (200) and Figure 8 depicts a perspective view of a second locking member (307) mounted onto a PTO gear engagement shaft (309), according to the embodiment as disclosed herein. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the safety guard (200) is made of cast iron. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the safety guard (200) to be made of steel or aluminum or any other metallic or non-metallic material. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking portion (307L) and tubular casing (307T) of the second locking member (307) is made of cast iron. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the locking portion (307L) and the tubular casing (307T) of the second locking member (307) to be made of any metal such as steel, aluminum or any other metallic or non-metallic material. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking portion (307L) is a circular rod which is welded to the tubular casing (307T). However, it is also within the scope of the invention, to consider the locking portion (307L) to be a hollow tube, either in a circular or a square shape. The PTO gear engagement shaft (309) is tightly engaged with the tubular case (307T) of the second locking member (307) thereby locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) whenever the first locking member (305) of the safety guard (200) is connected to the to the second locking member (307). To operate the PTO shaft (207), the flange (301) of the safety guard (200) is disengaged from the PTO gear housing (205) by removing the bolts (403) and thereafter, the first locking member (305) of the safety guard (200) is disengaged from the second locking member (307).
[0035] Figure 9 depicts a flowchart indicating a method (800) for locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral (disengaged) position for preventing operation of the PTO shaft when the safety guard (200) is fitted on the PTO shaft (207), according to the embodiment as disclosed herein. For the purpose of this description and ease of understanding, the method (800) is explained herein below with reference to locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral (disengaged) position for preventing operation of the PTO shaft (207) by using the safety guard (200). However, it is also within the scope of this invention to practice/implement the entire steps of the method (800) in a same manner or in a different manner or with omission of at least one step to the method (800) or with any addition of at least one step to the method (800) for preventing operation of the PTO shaft (207) by using the safety guard (200), without otherwise deterring the intended function of the method (800) as can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, at step 802, the method (800) includes, engaging the sleeve (303) of the safety guard (200) with the PTO shaft (207). At step 804, locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral (disengaged) position by coupling the first locking member (305) of the safety guard (200) with the PTO hand operated lever (209) thereby preventing operation of the PTO shaft (207).
[0036] Further, the method (800) includes, mounting the flange (301) of the safety guard (200) onto the PTO gear housing (205) by using connecting means such as bolts (403). Further, the method (800) includes mounting a tubular casing (307T) of the second locking member (307) onto the PTO gear engagement shaft (309) prior to method step 804, where the PTO gear engagement shaft (309) is coupled to the PTO hand operated lever (209) through the PTO gear engagement lever (311) and the PTO lever cable (313). The method step (804) of locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral (disengaged) position by coupling the first locking member (305) of the safety guard (200) with the PTO hand operated lever (209) includes, engaging the first locking member (305) with the second locking member (307) for locking the PTO hand operated lever (209) at the neutral (disengaged) position thereby preventing operation of the PTO shaft (207).
[0037] Further, the method (800) includes, defining a ‘U’ shaped locking portion (409) at a portion (305T) of the first locking member (305). Furthermore, the method (800) includes, defining a locking portion extending from the tubular casing (307T) of the second locking member (307).
[0038] Advantageously, the safety guard (200) of the present invention provides simple and efficient safety guard (200) for the power take off (PTO) shaft (207) which prevents accidental engagement of the PTO hand operated lever thereby preventing unintentional operation of the PTO shaft and ensures safety of the operating personnel, other work personal and also restricts accommodation of grass, material or other substances on the PTO shaft when the work implement is decoupled from the PTO shaft.
[0039] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments.
[0040] It is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation. The exemplary embodiments described in this specification are intended merely to provide an understanding of various manners in which this embodiment may be used and to further enable the skilled person in the relevant art to practice this invention.
[0041] Although, the embodiments presented in this disclosure have been described in terms of its preferred embodiments, the skilled person in the art would readily recognize that these embodiments can be applied with modifications possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in this specification by making innumerable changes, variations, modifications, alterations and/or integrations in terms of materials and method used to configure, manufacture and assemble various constituents, components, subassemblies and assemblies, in terms of their size, shapes, orientations and interrelationships without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
[0042] The numerical values given of various physical parameters, dimensions and quantities are only approximate values and it is envisaged that the values higher or lower than the numerical value assigned to the physical parameters, dimensions and quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure unless there is a statement in the specification to the contrary.
[0043] Throughout this specification, the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, shall be understood to imply including a described element, integer or method step, or group of elements, integers or method steps, however, does not imply excluding any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or method steps.
[0044] The use of the expression “a”, “at least” or “at least one” shall imply using one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as used in the embodiment of the disclosure in order to achieve one or more of the intended objects or results of the present invention.
[0045] The description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top”, and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g. “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion.
[0046] These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the corresponding apparatus or device be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms concerning attachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected”, refer to a relationship, wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.
REFERENCE NUMERAL
100 – Vehicle
101 – Pair of front wheels
103 – Pair of rear wheels
105 – Engine
107 – Hood
200 – Safety guard
201 – Gear box
203 – Rear axle
205 – PTO gear housing
207 – Power take off (PTO) shaft
209 – PTO hand operated lever
301 – Flange of safety guard
303 – Sleeve of safety guard
305 – First locking member of safety guard
305F – First portion of first locking member
305S – Second portion of first locking member
305T – Third portion of first locking member
307 – Second locking member
307L - Locking portion of second locking member
307T – Tubular casing of second locking member
309 - PTO gear engagement shaft
311 – PTO gear engagement lever
313 - PTO lever cable
401 – Male spline of PTO shaft
403 – Mounting means (connecting bolt)
405 – One end of first locking member
407 – Another end of locking member
409 – Locking portion of first locking member
501 – PTO input shaft
503 – PTO driven gear
701 – female splines or grooves of sleeve
800 - Method