The Toro Company

Rex R Bergsten

David H Torborg

David J Scherbring

Jackie Ray Gust

Kelly S Meemken

Thomas F Langworthy

Michael N Zenner

Timothy Patrick Sosnowski

John B Heckel

Daniel E Peterson

James R Gaebel

Brandon John Anderson

Jon P Rydquist

Garrett V Pommeranz

Jeffrey J Barkow

Richard D Gerhardson

Brandon J Anderson

Craig R Schaler

Michael Ryan Davern

A detection system for use with a powered ground maintenance vehicle, the detection system adapted to detect and avoid contact of a ground maintenance implement carried by the vehicle with an object associated with the ground surface. In some embodiments, the detection system may automatically disengage the implement from the ground surface before the implement contacts the object and, optionally, automatically re-engage the implement with the ground surface after the implement has passed the object.

Vehicle with detection system for detecting ground surface and sub-surface objects, and method for controlling vehicle

A vehicle combining the attributes of a tractor and a utility vehicle includes a three point linkage and other locations to which a plurality of attachments for performing grooming or working operations on a ground or turf surface may be couple. The vehicle includes a front mounted engine, a mid-mounted operator compartment and a rear mounted bed or box. A PTO shaft and/or a hydraulic power system of the vehicle power attachments that require power. A control system and a visual display and data entry device linked thereto are provided for allowing an authorized person to setup, store and thereafter use an operational profile for each attachment that is to be coupled to the vehicle. In a rate dependent attachment, the control system maintains the ground speed and the attachment implement in a fixed ratio. A down/up control is used to signal the start and end of an operational sequence to the control system.

Outdoor power equipment vehicle adapted for performing work operations on turf surfaces

This invention relates to an outdoor power equipment unit, such as a mower, having an electronic controller comprising a circuit board with a plurality of connector pins affixed thereto and with a connector housing surrounding the pins. A Macromelt overmold encapsulates the circuit board and is bonded to the connector housing to form a controller that needs no external housing and no separate wire harness extending from the connector pins to the circuit board. The controller can log the length of time of various operations of the unit as well as the number of various occurrences. In addition, the controller can prevent overheating by automatically disabling operation of the working implement carried by the unit but permitting continued operation of the prime mover when overheating of the prime mover is detected.

Outdoor power equipment unit having encapsulated, housing free electronic controller

A mower having a cutting deck for cutting grass has four drive wheels arranged in a square or rectangular configuration on the mower's frame. Four wheel drive and four wheel steering are employed with the drive wheels. The four wheel drive is provided by a hydraulic drive system that employs a pair of identical serial circuits which have their own pumps with each pump serially sending its output through a rear drive motor and a front drive motor that are catty-corner to one another on the frame, i.e. are on opposite sides of the motor. Various flow crossover paths and flow recirculation paths are provided in the serial circuits to ensure the drive motors receive adequate flow in maximum turns of the mower. The flow recirculation paths around a pair of drive motors at one end of the frame are shut off during reverse and during braking so that all drive motors retain hydraulic braking in these conditions.

Mower with four wheel steering and hydraulic four wheel drive

This invention relates to a mower and a tracked implement that convert from one to the other by coupling a mower unit or a tracked unit to a common drive unit. The drive unit is thus used in both products to provide cost savings in the purchase of the equipment. In the tracked unit, a cab for enclosing the operator's station is part of the tracked unit and gets mounted to the drive unit when the tracked unit is coupled to the drive unit. A pair of idlers rotate on pivot axes that are fixed relative to a pivotal idler support that carries the idlers. The pivot point for the idler support is chosen to prevent track elongation when the tracked unit climbs obstructions such as a curb. In the mower unit, a relatively heavy cutting deck is used and spring biased weight transfer arms transfer some of the deck weight to the mower frame.

Mower with ground following cutting deck and weight transfer between deck and frame

Tracked implement with pivotal front and trailing idlers and powered rear drive member

Mower convertible into a tracked implement and vice versa

A mower, such as a riding mower, has two side cutting units and a front cutting unit operatively connected to a traction frame. Each side cutting unit can pivot about a substantially vertical axis relative to the traction frame when impact shocks occur on the outer sides of the cutting units. A shock absorber cushions and absorbs such impact shocks, and resists the pivoting motion of the side cutting units, in a bi-directional fashion to be effective during forward or reverse motion of the traction frame.

Rotary side cutting unit for mower with bi-directional shock absorber for cutting unit

A rotary cutting deck for a mower includes a cutting deck supported by wheels at three of the four corners of the deck. The other corner of the cutting deck, namely a corner of the deck that is close to the mower, is supported by a corner suspension that lifts upwardly with a biasing force sufficient to elevate that corner of the deck above the ground. This corner suspension takes the place of the caster wheel that would normally support this corner of the deck, and thus permits the deck to be moved closer to the side of the mower, thus reducing overall mower width without decreasing the width of the cutting swath.

Rotary cutting desk corner suspension

A riding mower having two side cutting units and a front cutting unit operatively connected to a traction frame. Each side cutting unit can pivot about a substantially vertical axis relative to the traction frame when impact shocks occur on the outer sides of the cutting units. A shock absorber cushions and absorbs such impact shocks, and resists the pivoting motion of the side cutting units, in a bi-directional fashion to be effective during forward or reverse motion of the traction frame. The mower also includes a front cutting unit. The cutting units, both the side cutting units and the front cutting unit, have multiple cutting blades and a single drive motor mounted on the cutting unit for driving all the cutting blades contained on that cutting unit. The drive motor is mounted coaxially on the blade spindle of one of the cutting blades and adjacent blades on the cutting unit are driven by one or more drive belts arranged in straight belt runs. The drive belts are identical in size so that common drive belts can be used on all the cutting units.

Growing community of inventors

Burnsville, MN, United States of America

Rex R Bergsten