Combination tiller and cultivator and drive control therefor
AssigneeGarden Way Incorporated
InventorDonald W. Ackerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A handle bar for a power operated machine has two operating positions in inverted relation to one another. A forward and reverse drive control is mounted on the handle bar for movement in each handle bar position from a neutral position toward and away from an operator into reverse and forward operative positions respectively for actuating a power transmission to effect machine movement in corresponding reverse and forward directions.
Claims8
A combination tiller and cultivator machine comprising an engine and rotatable tines mounted on opposite ends of a frame, a pair of drive wheels on opposite sides of the frame between the engine and tines, a reversible transmission mounted on the frame for drivingly connecting the engine to the wheels and the tines for rotating the wheels and the tines in selected angular directions, a handle bar pivotally supported on the frame for movement between a first position overlying the tines and a second position overlying the engine, and a transmission drive selector including a control arm rotatably supported on a pivot mounted in fixed relation to the handle bar, a spring biasing the control arm into a normally neutral position, a control connection between the control arm and transmission, the control connection disengaging the transmission when the control arm is in neutral position and engaging the transmission in forward and reverse modes when the control arm is moved away from and toward an operator respectively into opposite forward and reverse operating positions of the control arm in both the first and second positions of the handle bar, first and second control levers supported on the pivot in stacked relation to the control arm with the control arm interposed between the control levers, and detent means on the handle bar for maintaining the control levers individually in an inoperative position, the levers in inoperative position being alternatively engageable with the control arm in neutral position for moving the arm away from and toward an operator for selectively establishing forward and reverse transmission modes.
A combination tiller and cultivator machine comprising an engine and rotatable tines mounted on opposite ends of a frame, a pair of drive wheels on opposite sides of the frame, a reversible transmission mounted on the frame for drivingly connecting the engine to the wheels and the tines for rotating the wheels and the tines in selected angular directions, a handle bar with means pivotally supporting the same on the frame for movement about a horizontal transverse axis between a first position overlying one end of the frame and a second position overlying the opposite end of the frame, and a transmission drive selector including control means mounted on the handle bar and connected to the transmission, the control means being biased into a normally neutral position, disengaging the transmission, and manually movable from neutral to opposite forward and reverse operating positions for respectively actuating the transmission into forward and reverse power modes, first detent means on the handle bar for maintaining the control means in said neutral position, the control means being manually movable away from the operator into forward position in both the first and second positions of the handle bar, and second detent means cooperating with the control means for temporarily maintaining the control means in said forward position in both first and second positions of the handle bar in a forward transmission power mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.