Exmark Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Ransomes America Corporation

Deere & Company

Outboard Marine Corporation

Joseph J Oliver

Christopher L Young

Richard D Bednar

Kenneth L McConnell

Loren F Hansen

Daniel James Knight

Larry Dean Swanson

David M Converse

Jon Cary Gilbeck

Mark L Cozine

Darren Deblack

Gregory Alan Camenisch

Robert A Ostdiek

Donald J Huber, Deceased

Kenneth John Piber

Sandra J Johnson

Foot pedal

Mower deck height-of-cut matrix structure

Roll-over protective structure

A convertible cargo rack has a platform attached to a rear seat back and pivots between a seating position and a cargo position. A side rail is linked to the platform and pivots together with the platform. The side rail provides a retaining structure above and around the perimeter of the platform in the cargo position, and is generally coplanar with the front, side and rear walls of the cargo box in the cargo position. Linkages between the platform and the side rail align the platform and the side rail so they are generally parallel to each other in any position.

Convertible cargo rack

A removable cover for attachment to a structure such as a housing. In one embodiment, the cover extends over a mechanical drive system of an implement. The exemplary cover may be used to shield a driven pulley and at least a portion of an associated belt of a lawn mower cutting deck when the cover is attached to the deck. The cover may, at one end, include one or more portions configured to engage the housing. At a second end, the cover may include a resilient lip that, at least in one embodiment, is defined by an opening formed in the cover. The lip may selectively interlock with an anchor attached to the housing to secure the cover relative to the deck.

Removable cover and implement incorporating same

Provided is a self-calibrating system which self-calibrates for operation regardless of the particular reservoir or expansion tank, which further detects when a hydraulic fluid system adapted to a turf care machine has developed a leak and which warns the machine operator of such a leak before an appreciable amount of hydraulic fluid is allowed to leak from the system. The system includes a reservoir for holding a quantity of hydraulic fluid. The reservoir is connected via a connecting tube or hose located at the upper-most portion of the reservoir and connected to an expansion tank mounted substantially adjacent to the reservoir. The expansion tank includes a fitting having an elongated tube extending down into the expansion tank. The end of this tube is maintained substantially below the level of hydraulic fluid in the expansion tank during operation of the turf care machine to which it is attached. As the machine is operated, the hydraulic fluid expands with rising temperatures, and the connecting tube communicates the expanding fluid to the expansion tank. When operation of the machine is discontinued the hydraulic fluid contracts as it cools. As the hydraulic fluid contracts, the hydraulic fluid in the expansion tank is automatically drawn by a siphoning action through the elongated tube within the expansion tank through the connecting tube and back into the reservoir. The self-calibrating leak detection system is adaptable to a variety of self propelled machines having hydraulically actuated devices. In particular, significant savings could be gained by the early detection of hydraulic system leaks on large, earth-moving equipment and the like. Further, the self-calibrating hydraulic fluid leak detection system may be retrofit onto existing hydraulic systems by the addition of an expansion tank to the hydraulic system reservoir.

Retrofit hydraulic fluid leak detection system

A hydraulic fluid lead detection system which self-calibrates for operation regardless of the particular reservoir or expansion tank. A reservoir stores a quantity of hydraulic fluid and is connected via a connecting tube or hose located at the upper-most portion of the reservoir and connected to an expansion tank mounted substantially adjacent to the reservoir. An elongated tube extends down into the expansion tank. The end of this tube is maintained substantially below the level of hydraulic fluid in the expansion tank during operation of the turf care machine. During operation, the hydraulic fluid expands with rising temperatures, and the connecting tube communicates the expanding fluid to the expansion tank. A float type fluid level sensor measures the level of hydraulic fluid within the expansion tank and outputs an electronic signal corresponding to the fluid level in the expansion tank to the microcomputer based monitoring unit, which also senses the fluid temperature. The monitoring unit includes memory for storing a table of fluid temperatures versus fluid levels in the expansion tank stored during calibration of the system. During operation, the monitoring unit receives and interprets electronic signals from the float and temperature and compares the table values in memory to the values received from the float and temperature sensors to identify possible fluid leaks in the system.

Self-calibrating hydraulic fluid leak detection system

A system such as one for detecting when a hydraulic fluid system adapted to a turf care machine, has developed a leak and to warn the machine operator of such a leak before an appreciable amount of hydraulic fluid is allowed to leak from the system. The system includes a reservoir for holding a quantity of hydraulic fluid. The reservoir is connected via a connecting tube or hose to an expansion tank mounted adjacent to the reservoir. The expansion tank includes a fitting having an elongated tube extending down into the expansion tank. The end of this tube is maintained substantially below the level of hydraulic fluid in the expansion tank during operation of the turf care machine to which it is attached. As the machine is operated, the hydraulic fluid expands with rising temperature, and the connecting tube communicates the expanding fluid to the expansion tank. When operation of the machine is discontinued the hydraulic fluid contracts as it cools. As the hydraulic fluid contracts, the hydraulic fluid in the expansion tank, is automatically drawn by a siphoning action through the elongated tube within the expansion tank through the connecting tube and back into the reservoir. A float type fluid level sensor is provided and mounted to measure the level of hydraulic fluid within the expansion tank. The float level sensor sends an electronic signal corresponding to the fluid level in the expansion tank to a microcomputer based monitoring unit. The monitoring unit also senses the fluid temperature and interprets these electronic signals and, compensating for volumetric fluctuations due to the changing fluid temperature, and determines if conditions exist which indicate a hydraulic fluid leak exists. If such conditions exist, the monitoring unit produces a warning signal which is communicated to the vehicle operator.

Hydraulic fluid leak detection system and method

A machine for gathering and collecting particles from a ground surface or the like includes an upwardly inclined conveyor or elevator mounted on the side of a transport vehicle and having a lower receiving end cooperative with forwardly diverging gathering arms which guide particles on the ground surface to the receiving end of the conveyor for transfer to an upper conveyor end where the particles are discharged into a receptacle. The conveyor is supported on the transport vehicle by a rigid truss frame arrangement including upper and lower pivot arms having ball joint connection to the conveyor so as to allow rotation of the conveyor substantially about its longitudinal axis in response to changes in ground contour. The conveyor is movable between lowered operating and raised transport positions. Counterbalance springs limit the contact force of the conveyor acting on the ground surface during operation.

Machine for collecting ground particles and the like

Growing community of inventors

Lincoln, NE, United States of America

Joseph J Oliver