The Toro Company

Ocz Technology

Ryan M Petersen

John O Hurst

Chris A Wadzinski

Todd A Porter

Khari S Clarke

John T Gill

Chadwick Aaron Shaffer

Brandon N Imsdahl

Mark C Daly

Franz Michael Shuette

A grounds maintenance apparatus adapted for movement from a horizontal operating orientation to a vertical storage orientation. An operator handle of the apparatus may be moved from an operating position during operation, to a folded position for storage. A passive retainer may hold the handle in the folded position. Embodiments of such grounds maintenance apparatus further provide an auxiliary lift handle adapted for gripping by an operator when moving the apparatus between the horizontal operating orientation and the vertical storage orientation.

Grounds maintenance apparatus with folding handle

A mower includes a cutting deck supporting a cutting blade having a fixed blade sail and a door having a first position in which the door covers an opening through which grass clippings can pass, and a second position in which the door does not cover the opening. The mower also has a switch configured to send a mode signal indicating that the door is in the first position or the second position. The mower also has a controller configured to receive the mode signal and adjust the cutting blade to rotate at a first speed when the mode signal indicates that the door is in the first position, and a second speed when the mode signal indicates that the door is in the second position. The mower also includes an electric battery to power rotation of the cutting blade.

Mulch door with sensor

A grounds maintenance apparatus such as a lawn mower adapted for movement from a horizontal operating orientation to a vertical storage orientation. Embodiments of the apparatus provide supplemental storage wheels adapted to permit rolling of the apparatus over a ground surface while in the vertical storage orientation.

Vertical storage grounds maintenance apparatus

A control system for controlling engagement of a first and second transmission of an all-wheel drive (AWD) walk-behind power equipment unit such as a lawn mower. The control system may include a mechanical load balancer to split an input drive force vector into two output force vectors. These two forces act upon associated first and second connection elements coupled to the first and second transmissions, respectively. One transmission may include a resistance element selected to sequence engagement of the first and second transmissions so that both transmissions begin driving their respective wheels at or near the same time even when the wheels associated with one transmission are more heavily-loaded than the wheels associated with the other transmission.

Walk-behind power equipment unit having all-wheel drive control system

Growing community of inventors

Shoreview, MN, United States of America

Ryan M Petersen