The Toro Company

Cal N Kosieracki

Joseph P Thelen

Andrew J Kjolhaug

Larry W Schmidt

David J Martin

Benjamin A Street

Miguel Angel Pizano

Daniel Mark Treu

A vehicle attached rake for grooming a granular surface includes a center section and two pivotal wing sections that carry rubber trowel members having a serrated lower edge that forms a plurality of downwardly extending teeth. The tips of the teeth are located on a large diameter, upwardly facing curve to better groom upwardly curved side walls in a golf course bunker. When the rake is attached to a ZRT vehicle, the wing section on the inside of a zero radius turn is automatically lifted up off the granular surface by a flexible tether that becomes taut. Another embodiment of the rake includes a rigid plate behind a rubber trowel member with a lower portion of the trowel member folding forwardly during reverse motion of the vehicle such that the plate engages the granular surface to act as a bulldozer blade.

Powered vehicle and rakes mountable thereon for grooming granular ground surfaces

Zero radius turn sand grooming vehicle

A groomer for turf surfaces includes a groomer frame that mounts a first style of grooming brush for use on an artificial turf surface and a second style of grooming brush for use on a natural turf surface. The first style of grooming brush comprises a brush formed by spaced brush walls with each brush wall having a substantially single row of brush bristles with no bristles being placed between the brush walls. The second style of grooming brush is that similar to a push broom where the brush bristles are packed across the width of the brush head. When configured for artificial turf surfaces, a front row of scarifying spring tines helps the trailing brushes to level out the infill material and the attitude of the groomer frame can be tilted tail down to put more downpressure on the infill material. A debris remover attached to the rear of the frame can pick up and hold metallic debris that is often found in the turf surface.

Turf groomer for natural and artificial turf surfaces

A turf edger is attached to a traction unit in the form of a self-propelled turf grooming or working vehicle. The turf edger has a narrow U-shaped edging blade carried on an edger frame. The edging blade oscillates to cut and free a strip of material along a boundary between a turf surface and a non-turf surface. When this strip of material is brushed away, a clean edge is provided along the boundary without the need for any manual hoeing. Side walls of the edging blade at least partially nest around a ground engaging roller on the edger frame to more easily cut horizontal grass runners in the turf surface. The edger frame is selectively movable between a lowered edging position and a raised transport position by the operator. Limited ground following action is provided for the edger frame when the edger frame is in the edging position.

Turf edger for cutting a clean edge along a boundary between a turf surface and a soft non-turf surface

A water pump assembly includes a frame having a mount for mounting the frame to a vehicle. A water pump is mounted within a bottom bowl on the frame and is substantially surround by an encircling U-shaped foot to protect the water pump from damage. A pivotal arch is carried on the frame and a water discharge nozzle is carried on the arch. A flexible conduit connects the nozzle to an outlet of the water pump. Pivoting of the arch flexes the conduit in a fore and aft direction to raise or lower the trajectory of the water stream being thrown from the nozzle. In addition, pivoting of the nozzle about a vertical axis on the arch laterally changes the direction of throw of the water stream by flexing or twisting the conduit in a side to side manner. The nozzle is carried on the arch using a nozzle support sleeve in which the nozzle is free to slide back and forth to accommodate changes in the orientation of the conduit.

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis Park, MN, United States of America

Cal N Kosieracki