The Toro Company

Jeremy A Fohrenkamm

Jamie R Larson

Kelly S Meemken

Gordon R Schmidt

Rebecca A Springman

David A Plautz

Timothy P McLeod

Erik A Wiebold

Greg L Lawrence

Patrick J Clint

Nathan Wiater

Ryan Foss

A compact utility vehicle including a chassis supporting a prime mover, ground engaging wheels or tracks, an implement, and a rear standing platform operably coupled to the chassis. The vehicle can be equipped with a control console that is operably coupled to the chassis at an elevation above the rear standing platform. The console can have two manual input devices, including a first manual input device configured to control the ground engaging wheels or tracks located along the lateral direction of the vehicle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle and 50% of a distance to a first side of the control console, and a second manual input device defining a rigid grip and a thumb switch control portion to control the operation of the implement, located along the lateral direction of the vehicle between the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle and 50% of a distance to a second side of the control console.

Compact utility vehicle

A system and method are described to help ensure that gears contained within the transmission system are shifted to the correct position before the user can apply the throttle. An electronic control unit (ECU) is connected to a shift position sensor that measures a position of a shifting axle within the engine. If the shift position sensor provides measurement data indicating that the shifting assembly is rotationally positioned to engage a specific gear, the ECU allows the user actuated throttle input to control the throttle level of the engine. If the shift position sensor provides measurement data indicating that the shifting assembly is rotationally positioned in between positions that actuate specific gears (also known as a 'dead zone'), the ECU prevents the user actuated throttle input from controlling the throttle level of the engine.

Throttle input limiting system

A smart governor system that intercepts and adjusts throttle commands when certain criteria are met based on vehicle operations and a user-selected transmission mode. The governor, when engaged, reduces a throttle command in order limit engine and/or ground speed.

Electronic speed control system

A utility vehicle has a frame that is separable at a location passing through an operator compartment of the vehicle into front and rear sections with the seat base and seat assembly of the operator compartment remaining with the rear section and the rest of the operator compartment remaining with the front section. A seat extension kit is provided having a frame extension, a seat module, and a floorboard module that may be inserted between the split front and rear sections with the frame extension being fastened to such sections using pre-existing fastener holes in the vehicle frame and the frame extension. When so inserted, the seat module forms a new front row of seating with the floorboard module extending between the seat module and the original seat base and seat assembly, which now form a rear row of seating. This expands the vehicle seating capacity from two people to four people.

Method and kits for converting a two seat utility vehicle to a four seat configuration and for providing an extended bed thereon

A continuously variable transmission for a vehicle comprises a primary pulley, a secondary pulley, and a belt entrained around both pulleys in an opposite manner between the fixed and movable sheaves thereof. One pulley carries a selectively deployable stop that may be placed into position to mechanically limit the range of motion between the fixed and movable sheaves. This establishes an actual maximum transmission ratio that is larger than the nominal minimum transmission ratio but smaller than the nominal maximum transmission ratio achievable by the transmission during normal operation thereof. When such a transmission is used on a utility vehicle attached to a substance dispensing applicator operatively driven by the vehicle's engine, the application rate stays substantially constant despite changes in engine speed when the user keeps the transmission upshifted to the actual maximum transmission ratio set by the position of the deployed stop.

Growing community of inventors

River Falls, WI, United States of America

Jeremy A Fohrenkamm