Electric drive riding mower

A turf maintenance machine, which comprises:

• (a) a movable frame;
• (b) at least one electrically powered cutting unit carried on the frame for cutting grass;
• (c) an electrically powered traction system for propelling the frame;
• and
• (d) a drive system carried on the frame for powering the cutting unit and the traction system, the drive system including:
• (i) an internal combustion engine that powers an electric power generating device that at least at various times partially supplies electrical energy to the cutting unit and the traction system during a hybrid mode of operation;
• (ii) a battery power source that also at least at various times partially supplies electrical energy to the cutting unit and the traction system during the hybrid mode of operation and that entirely supplies electrical energy to the cutting unit and the traction system during an all battery mode of operation;
• and
• (iii) a selectively actuable switch having two positions for selecting between the hybrid and all battery modes of operation with the switch in one position thereof deactivating the engine to enter the all battery mode of operation and the switch in the other position activating the engine to enter the hybrid mode of operation, wherein the switch is selectively actuable only by manual control by a user of the machine such that only the user is able to switch back and forth between the hybrid and all battery modes of operation by the user manually moving the switch back and forth between the two positions thereof.

An electrically driven turf maintenance machine, which comprises:

• (a) a frame;
• (b) a plurality of ground engaging wheels attached to the frame for supporting the frame for movement over the ground;
• (c) at least one electric motor operatively connected to at least one of the ground engaging wheels for propelling the wheel to provide traction for the frame;
• (d) a plurality of reel cutting units carried on the frame for mowing grass, wherein each reel cutting unit comprises a rotatable cutting reel that sweeps grass against a sharpened bedknife for cutting the grass, wherein the reel cutting units are disposed in a predetermined side-to-side distribution and front-to-back distribution of cutting units in a ganged configuration relative to the frame;
• (e) a plurality of electric motors for driving the plurality of reel cutting units with at least one electric motor being carried on each reel cutting unit for powering the rotatable cutting reel of each reel cutting unit;
• and
• (f) an electric drive system carried on the frame for providing electric power to the electric motors, the electric drive system comprising:
• (i) an internal combustion engine;
• (ii) an electric power generating device mechanically driven by the engine for supplying the electric power;
• (iii) a battery power source for supplying the electric power;
• and
• (iv) a display having a plurality of current draw indicators for the motors powering the reel cutting units so that the current draw from each reel cutting unit is displayed to an operator of the mower, wherein the display includes a plurality of pictorial symbols with each symbol representing one of the reel cutting units carried on the frame and with the symbols being collectively arranged on the display in a pictorial symbol arrangement that mimics the ganged configuration of the reel cutting units on the frame with some symbols being ahead of other symbols to mimic the front to back distribution of cutting units in the ganged configuration and with some symbols being displaced to the side of other symbols to mimic the side to side distribution on cutting units in the ganged configuration, and wherein the current draw indicator for the motor of a particular cutting unit is arranged adjacent the symbol that represents the particular cutting unit in the pictorial arrangement of cutting units on the display.

An electrically driven turf maintenance machine, which comprises:

• (a) a frame;
• (b) a plurality of ground engaging wheels attached to the frame for supporting the frame for movement over the ground;
• (c) at least one electric motor operatively connected to at least one of the ground engaging wheels for propelling the wheel to provide traction for the frame;
• (d) a plurality of reel cutting units carried on the frame for mowing grass, wherein each reel cutting unit comprises a rotatable cutting reel that sweeps grass against a sharpened bedknife for cutting the grass;
• (e) a plurality of electric motors for driving the plurality of reel cutting units with at least one electric motor being carried on each reel cutting unit for powering the rotatable cutting reel of each reel cutting unit;
• and
• (f) an electric drive system carried on the frame for providing electric power to the electric motors, the electric drive system comprising:
• (i) an internal combustion engine;
• (ii) an electric power generating device mechanically driven by the engine for supplying electric power;
• (iii) a battery power source for supplying electric power;
• (iv) an electric power supply circuit connected to the electric motors to supply electric power to the electric motors at least from either the electric power generating device or from both the electric power generating device and battery power source;
• and
• (v) a switch for shutting off the internal combustion engine to thereby disable the electric power generating device, thereby making the battery power source the sole source of electric power for the electric motors, wherein the switch is selectively operable under the control of a user of the machine to allow the user to select when the battery power source shall serve as the sole source of electric power for the electric motors;
• and
• (vi) an automatic reel to bedknife adjustment system that is activated to loosen the reel to bedknife adjustments on the reel cutting units whenever the shut off switch is operated by the user enter into an all battery mode of operation.