Deere + Company

Nathan L Yolitz

Stephan R Hayden

Steven Paul Dobrot

Jeremie Alan Wade

Donald William Ertmer

Hany K Nakhla

Shankar Narayana

An automatic park lock for an off road or recreational utility vehicle includes a shift interlock solenoid with a spring biased plunger engaging and locking an operator shift lever in the park position. A cam surface on the operator shift lever slopes between a first end and a second end, and has a groove to lock the plunger to the park position. A controller energizes the shift interlock solenoid to retract the plunger when a plurality of operating parameters are satisfied.

Automatic park lock

A continuously variable transmission clutch sheave cover is a one-piece plastic member having a plurality of snap-fit fasteners located between an outer perimeter and a central opening. The snap-fit fasteners releasably engage features positioned on the face of an outer sheave of a driven clutch assembly.

Continuously variable transmission clutch sheave cover

A continuously variable transmission belt guide is mounted next to a driven clutch assembly and in close proximity with the CVT belt at the CVT's lowest drive ratio. The CVT belt connects between a pair of moveable sheaves of the drive and driven clutch assemblies to provide a variable CVT drive ratio between a lowest drive ratio and a highest drive ratio. When contacting the CVT belt, the CVT belt guide prevents a ripple or wave from appearing in the un-tensioned side of the belt, prevents the CVT belt from losing contact with the driven clutch, and prevents undesirable vehicle performance at the lowest drive ratio.

Continuously variable transmission belt guide

A continuously variable transmission cooling fan includes a moveable sheave cover attached to a drive clutch assembly of a continuously variable transmission, with a plurality of fan blades molded into the moveable sheave cover and arranged around the perimeter of the moveable sheave cover. Each fan blade may have a different length, curvature and angle of position than the adjacent fan blades. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan also may include a plurality of openings in the moveable sheave cover located radially inwardly from the fan blades.

Continuously variable transmission cooling fan

A utility vehicle occupant side retention system includes a net assembly having a lower edge sliding along a guiderail secured to the utility vehicle. A rear edge of the net assembly may be attached to at least one rear attachment point on a roll over protection structure of the utility vehicle, and a front edge may be releasably attached to a front attachment point on the roll over protection structure. The guiderail may be sloped sufficiently to a vertical peak so the front edge of the net assembly may be releasably attached to the front attachment point on the rollover protection structure only if a part of the lower edge slides forwardly and upwardly to a forward end of the guiderail.

Growing community of inventors

Horicon, WI, United States of America

Nathan L Yolitz