The Toro Company

Other

Outboard Marine Corporation

Leslie W Foster

Henry B Tillotson, Iii

Disclosed herein is an internal combustion engine including a mechanism for providing a potential capable of producing a spark when applied to a spark plug, first and second trigger means respectively and selectively operable for applying the potential to the spark plug to produce a spark at a normal timing relative to top dead center and at a retarded timing relative to top dead center, and a switch connected to the first trigger means and operable in response to engine rotation above a given speed for interrupting the operation of the first trigger means so as to change the timing of sparking operation from the normal timing to the retarded timing.

Engine including means for retarding sparking operation to control

A pump particularly adapted to produce a pressurized fluid flow has an upper drive section attached to and separated from a lower pumping section by a diaphragm. The diaphragm maintains the integrity of each section to prevent contamination of the fluid, for example. In a housing of the drive section is a rotary drive shaft having an end formed with a camming surface. The drive shaft camming surface engages a camming surface formed on an end of a reciprocating member slideably carried in the housing on a spring. A lower end of the reciprocating member extends through the diaphragm and has a piston positioned in a piston chamber of a cylinder of the pumping section. As the drive shaft rotates, the engaging camming surfaces with the spring reciprocate the reciprocating member. Fluid flow into and from the piston chamber is selectively regulated by valving devices. During operation any fluid bypassing the piston caused, for example, when pump pressure is excessive, may collect in an overflow chamber formed in the cylinder. This bypass fluid may be ejected from the pump and returned to a reservoir. A flexing of the diaphragm by the reciprocating member promotes this return.

Pump

A line metering apparatus (20) for use on a vegetation cutting device (22) includes a driving portion (40) and a driven portion (42). A pivotable pawl (58) selectively couples the driving and driven portions (40) and (42). Whenever the motor (28) is de-energized by turning it off, the driven portion (42) overruns the driving portion (40) causing the pawl (58) to disengage and allow filament line indexing to occur.

Line metering apparatus

An improved spark plug and a compression relief adapter are described which are designed to permit a portion of the gases in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine to vent during the starting operation so as to make it easier to manually start the engine.

Compression relief adapter

A clutch and brake apparatus (2) includes a drive member (8) and a driven member (14) axially fixed to drive member (8). An array (50) of friction discs (52 and 54) is axially movable in a clutch chamber (22) in driven member (14). Friction discs (52) continuously engage drive member (8). Springs (48) force array (50) into engagement with thrust surface (60) on driven member (14) to couple driven member (14) to drive member (8). The driving connection is broken by a movable shell (66) which engages against the lowermost friction disc (54) through pins (74) to selectively move array (50) downwardly against the force of the springs (48). Shell (66) is moved downwardly by fingers (86) which also engage against a brake pad (76) on shell (66) to stop rotation of driven member (14).

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Wayzata, MN, United States of America

Leslie W Foster