The Toro Company

Other

Bart T Ellson

Jay J Kakuk

Chadwick Aaron Shaffer

Robert W Beachy

John O Hurst

Brannon W Polk

Timothy Patrick Sosnowski

Robert H Lovett

David J Norlander

Robert J Bisson

David J Martin

Anthony N Pink

Chris A Wadzinski

Gerald E Peterson

Thomas J Beckey

Kenneth R Parker

Darrell W Hinklin

Jonathan P Van Dore

Todd A Otto

Steve A Swinney, Ii

Kip S Vangsgard

Richard T Cairns

Chakradhari Ratala

A vehicle mounted sprayer has a plurality of spray booms equipped with downwardly facing spray nozzles. A control console includes a rounded palm rest with the most often used operational spray controls placed directly ahead of the palm rest for easy actuation by the operator as the operator rests the palm of one hand on the palm rest. A pivotal hose reel for manual spraying has pivotal motion about a vertical axis into one of a plurality of adjusted positions relative to the sprayer to ease unwinding and rewinding of the hose from the hose reel. A hill assist system holds the sprayer on a hill for a predetermined time to give the operator enough time to place the sprayer into forward motion up the hill from a standing stop. The spray through the booms can be selectively added to flow in a tank agitation system to boost agitation effectiveness.

Sprayer with easily locatable operational controls, hill assist, pivotal hose reel, and agitation boost

A turf sprayer has a truss shaped center boom and a pair of pivotal truss shaped wing booms within which spaced spray nozzles are supported. A drift shroud system comprises three integral and one-piece drift shrouds comprising a center shroud for the center boom and a pair of side shrouds for the wing booms. Each shroud is attached to an underside of the corresponding boom in a manner such that the shrouds project below the booms and not substantially above the booms to leave the truss-shapes of the booms open and unobscured to provide access to the spray nozzles within the booms. The shrouds each have openings in a top wall thereof for receiving the spray exiting from the nozzles with the spray passing downwardly between spaced front and rear walls of the shrouds.

Drift shroud system for spray booms of turf sprayer

This invention relates to a sprayer having a center boom and pivotal wing booms. The wing booms can be pivoted from an extended spray position to an elevated transport position by lifting and lowering each wing boom about a longitudinal lift pivot axis. In addition, each wing boom can bi-directionally breakaway relative to the center boom by virtue of a breakaway pivot arranged between the lift pivot axis and the innermost end of the wing boom. The breakaway pivot has at least one pair of nested cams that are biased into their nested condition by at least one spring. The center boom carries a pair of support cradles that direct or cam one wing boom forwardly and the other wing boom rearwardly as the wing booms are lifted into the transport position such that the wing booms form an X-shape relative to one another. The support cradles are partially flexible to allow the wing booms to release from the cradles if they strike an obstruction.

Sprayer with pivotal wing booms having forward and reverse breakaway and folded X-shaped transport position

A filament trimmer includes a rotatable trimmer head having an outwardly extending filament. The trimmer has an upper handle that the operator can grip to operate the trimmer in either a trim mode or an edge mode. In the trim mode, the filament extending outwardly from the trimmer head is positioned in a generally horizontal cutting plane, while in the edge mode the trimmer is reoriented such that the filament is positioned in a generally vertical cutting plane. The upper handle of the trimmer includes dual triggers for selectively starting and stopping rotation of the trimmer head. One trigger is actuated when the trimmer is operated in the trim mode and the other trigger is actuated when the trimmer is operated in the edge mode.

Filament trimmer with dual triggers

A filament trimmer includes a rotatable trimmer head having an outwardly extending filament. The trimmer has a rear shield and a front wire guard. A cutoff blade is adjustably mounted on the rear shield to move between two different radially inward and outward positions. In the radially outward position, the cutoff blade cuts off the filament at a length in which the filament extends beyond the front guard prior to the filament becoming shortened due to breakage or wear. In the radially inward position, the cutoff blade cuts off the filament at a length in which the filament extends short of the front guard prior to the filament becoming shortened due to breakage or wear.

Filament trimmer with adjustable cutoff blade

Vehicle

A control system for selectively actuating a component on an outdoor power equipment unit, such as a blade on a lawn mower, uses two separate and distinct operator actions to prevent inadvertent actuation. The control system includes a pivotal bail that must be pivoted from a first component disengaged position to a second component engaged position in which the bail lies flat against the handle assembly of the outdoor power equipment unit. A slide is slidably mounted on a housing, carried on one of the legs of the bail, for movement towards and away from the pivot axis of the bail. The slide must be pushed down to engage the lower end of the slide with a notch in a pivotal cam to temporarily link the cam to the bail in order to actuate the component. When the bail is released to return to its initial position, camming surfaces on the lower end of the slide and the notch are effective to mechanically cam the slide back up to its disengaged position where the lower end of the slide has disengaged the notch.

Control system for outdoor power equipment

A mulching lawn mower has a closed cutting chamber in a mulching mode such that the grass clippings are confined within the cutting chamber except for when they fall out through the open bottom face of the chamber. The cutting chamber has a first portion of toroidal or doughnut form generally closely surrounding the blade tips. In addition, the front portion of the cutting chamber includes a forwardly protruding wedge-shaped extension having side walls that converge towards one another in a pie-shaped fashion. The wedge-shaped extension further includes a top wall that extends between the side walls. This top wall is sloped or inclined downwardly as it extends to the front of the mower such that the height of the wedge-shaped extension gradually decreases until the wedge-shaped extension disappears at its front edge. The wedge-shaped extension reduces power consumption of the mower when the mower is placed in its mulching mode and is used to mulch grass.

Mulching mower

A light fixture (10) adjustable in focus and/or beam direction. Light fixture (10) is of the 'vertical' or 'downlighting' type, and preferably includes a bulb/lens assembly (16) mounted atop a relatively short post (14). Bulb/lens assembly (16) includes a lens (30) which rotatably carries a cap (72). Inside lens (30) and beneath cap (72) is a bulb (42) and a reflector assembly (48). Reflector assembly (48) includes a reflector holder (50) having a plurality of outwardly-extending posts (70) which are first received by vertical slots (46) in lens (30) and finally by cam grooves (80) in cap (72). Rotation of cap (72) relative to lens (30) causes cam grooves (80) to act upon posts (70) to move reflector assembly (48) relative to bulb (42). Reflector assembly (48) can be moved vertically relative to bulb (42) to adjust the width or focus of the light beam; and/or tilted vis-a-vis bulb (42) to adjust the direction of the light beam.

Adjustable light fixture

Multi-outlet center

A convertible light fixture (10) capable of selectively functioning as a spotlight or floodlight. A preferred light fixture (10) includes a ground stake (12) supporting a bulb/lens assembly (14). An electrical cable (16), protected by the preferred S-shaped ground stake (12), makes contact with the bulb/lens assembly (14) at the rear thereof. More specifically, a pair of prongs (60), which also support a bulb (62), protrude from the rear of bulb/lens assembly (14) and make contact with electrical cable (16). Preferred bulb/lens assembly (14) includes a stationary housing (40) and a rotatable focus ring (70) wherein rotation of the latter relative to the former causes axial movement of a reflector (80) relative to bulb (62) to change the degree of focus of the light beam produced by fixture (10). Another feature of preferred bulb/lens assembly (14) is a lens (90) which produces a rectangular light beam adjustable in orientation.

Convertible light fixture

A low voltage light fixture (10) including a bulb/lens assembly (12) mounted atop an integral post/stake assembly (14). Post/stake assembly (14) includes a hollow tubular portion (20) and a ground stake portion (22). A preferred post/stake assembly (14) is formed from a single piece of plastic, and consists of a pair of elongate legs (94, 96) which are joined to a female adapter (90) through the use of a pair of 'living hinges' (100). To assemble post/stake assembly (14), it is merely necessary to draw legs (94, 96) together until a pair of locking fingers (104) extending from leg (94) engage a pair of slots (110) formed in the other leg (96). Light fixture (10) also preferably includes a unique internally ribbed lens which includes a large plurality of internal side ridges (114) and a smaller plurality of top ridges (116). An improved light fixture (10) also preferably includes a pair of integral bulb contact/prong elements ( 84) and provides for aesthetic customization by allowing the selective removal of one of the louvres (32).

Growing community of inventors

Excelsior, MN, United States of America

Bart T Ellson