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AssigneeThe Toro Company
InventorsMatthew J. Decker, Luke R. Nahorniak, John B. Heckel
Estimating the term…
An outdoor grounds maintenance vehicle is self-propelled by a hydrostatic traction drive system that provides dynamic braking to the vehicle without the need for separate service brakes acting on the wheels of the vehicle. An engine kill device can be manually actuated by the operator to access the dynamic braking of the traction drive system by reducing the speed of the prime mover that powers the pump of the traction drive system. This provides an auxiliary braking system that can be used in an emergency or on demand by the operator in the event the accelerator pedal does not properly control the pump swashplates. The operator can control the rate at which the auxiliary brake system reduces the speed of the prime mover to zero.
An outdoor grounds maintenance vehicle, which comprises:
The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the auxiliary brake system has an auto-kill speed setting and initiates a complete reduction of the rotational speed of the prime mover to zero when the rotational speed of the prime mover reaches the auto-kill speed setting.
The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the auxiliary brake system automatically engages a parking brake system that is separate from the auxiliary brake system when the rotational speed of the prime mover substantially approaches or reaches zero.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.