Grounds maintenance vehicle with remote or automatic operator suspension adjustment

A grounds maintenance vehicle comprising:

• a chassis comprising a front end, a rear end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the front and rear ends;
• a support platform extending along the longitudinal axis, wherein the support platform is positioned at an operating position under operator load;
• at least one hand control carried by the support platform and configured to control at least one of propulsion and steering of the vehicle;
• a suspension system comprising:
• a first suspension apparatus operatively acting between the chassis and the support platform, wherein the first suspension apparatus comprises one or more springs, and wherein the one or more springs are configured to elastically deflect when the support platform is displaced relative to the chassis;
• and
• an actuator configured to adjust a preload applied to the one or more springs;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to the actuator and configured to move the actuator to adjust the preload to maintain the operating position of the support platform within a range of travel.