US 11,479,296 B2Granted

Tractor having dual hydrostatic drive with single hand control and attachment adapter for powered attachments

OwnerSilvio Gallazziniinventor

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Abstract

A tractor has a base for supporting a motive power source, left and right driven wheels, and left and right transmissions for the respective left and right wheels; a handle structure coupled to the base for grasping by an operator from behind the tractor; a drive system for driving each of the left and right transmissions with motive power from the motive power source; wherein the left and right transmissions are hydrostatic transmissions, further having a speed regulator control lever on each transmission that allows seamless control of the transmission from reverse speed through neutral into forward speed; and a transmission control coupled to each speed regulator control lever; further wherein there is a longitudinally disposed space between the left and right transmissions, and a power take off shaft is disposed in the space extending anteriorly and driven by the motive power source for powering a powered attachment arranged to be attached at the anterior of the tractor, further including a shaft extension of said power take off shaft extending posteriorly for driving a rear power take off for powering a rear mounted powered attachment.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A tractor comprising:

a base for supporting a motive power source;
left and right driven wheels;
left and right transmissions for the respective left and right wheels, each transmission controlling speed and direction of motion of the respective left or right wheel;
a regulator lever connected to the left transmission to enable varying the speed of the left wheel and the direction of motion of the left wheel from a forward direction to a reverse direction and from the reverse direction to the forward direction;
another regulator lever connected to the right transmission to enable varying speed of the right wheel and direction of motion of the right wheel from the forward direction to the reverse direction and from the reverse direction to the forward direction;
a handle structure coupled to the base for grasping by an operator from behind the tractor;
a drive system for driving each of the left and right transmissions with motive power from the motive power source;
and
a single lever hand control mechanically connected to the regulator lever and the another regulator lever to control the speed of the left wheel and the right wheel, and the direction of motion of the left wheel and the right wheel, together for operation by a single hand of the operator to control both left and right transmissions seamlessly each between reverse speed through neutral and forward speed.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/371,443Filed 1 Apr 2019 · continuation
Priority: 6 Jan 2012
Published: US 2019/0225264 A125 Jul 2019
Granted: 25 Oct 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

B62D 11/006
Control systems: mechanical control systems
B60K 17/28
Arrangement or mounting of transmissions in vehicles: characterised by arrangement, location, or type of power take-off
B62D 11/04
By differentially driving ground-engaging elements on opposite vehicle sides: by means of separate power sources
B62D 11/12
Using gearings with differential power outputs on opposite sides, e.g. twin-differential or epicyclic gears: using separate change-speed gearings

Family

Application13/345,366Parent of this division · filed 6 Jan 2012
Application14/616,908Parent of this division · filed 9 Feb 2015
US 8,978,796 B2Parent of this division · filed 17 Mar 2015
Application15/642,991Parent of this continuation · filed 6 Jul 2017
US 9,731,759 B2Parent of this division · filed 15 Aug 2017
US 2019/0225264 A1Pre-grant publication · published 25 Jul 2019
US 10,246,129 B2Parent of this continuation
Application15/642,991Parent of this division
US 2013/0175105 A1Published application
US 2015/0151788 A1Published application
US 2017/0305461 A1Published application
US 11,479,296 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.