Turf maintenance or working apparatus with automatically controlled laterally and angularly displaceable swath-based implement

A turf maintenance or working apparatus, which comprises:

• (a) a transport vehicle which carries a swath-based implement for performing a turf maintenance or working operation, the swath-based implement being laterally displaceable relative to the transport vehicle during the maintenance or working operation;
• (b) at least one first actuator carried on the transport vehicle operatively connected to and acting between the transport vehicle and the swath-based implement for effecting lateral displacement of the swath-based implement relative to the transport vehicle during the turf maintenance or working operation, wherein the swath-based implement and the at least one first actuator are carried together on a pivotal frame portion of the transport vehicle that is angularly pivotal relative to a remainder of the transport vehicle about a substantially vertical pivot axis provided on the transport vehicle;
• (c) at least one second actuator carried on the transport vehicle operatively connected to and acting between the remainder of the transport vehicle and the pivotal frame portion for angularly displacing the pivotal frame portion including the swath-based implement and the at least one first actuator carried on the pivotal frame portion about the vertical pivot axis;
• and
• (d) a controller for automatically controlling the operation of the at least one first actuator to cause lateral displacement of the swath-based implement in order to maintain a reference point on the swath-based implement substantially on a swath matching path for the reference point during successive passes of the transport vehicle over an area of the turf that is to be maintained or worked on, wherein the controller further automatically controls the operation of the at least one second actuator to cause angular displacement of the pivotal frame portion about the vertical pivot axis in order to maintain the swath-based implement substantially perpendicular relative to the swath matching path during the successive passes of the transport vehicle over the area of the turf that is to be sprayed.