Caterpillar Inc.

Darren M Knutson

Jeffrey Stephen Alig

W Christopher Swick

Clayton L Padgett

When operating a work machine having more than one function, there are situations in which an operator may need to simultaneously control both functions. For instance, when a backhoe loader operator would like to perform a maneuver referred to as the &ldquo;duck walk&rdquo;, the operator must simultaneously control at least one aspect of a backhoe and one aspect of a loader. A work machine that has an operator control station with at least two controllers, which may be assigned a first mode pattern, a second mode pattern, and a hybrid mode pattern. When the at least two controllers are in the first mode pattern, the at least two controllers are operably coupled to a first set of equipment, such as a loader. When the at least two controllers are in the second mode pattern, the at least two controllers are operably coupled to a second set of equipment, such as a backhoe. When the at least two controllers are in the hybrid mode pattern, the at least two controllers are simultaneously operably coupled to at least a portion of the first set of equipment (loader) and at least a portion of a second set of equipment (backhoe).

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Washington, IL, United States of America

Darren M Knutson