Operating mechanism for cruise control and motion control in an off-road vehicle operating on hydrostatic transmission

An operating mechanism for controlling ground speed of an off-road vehicle in forward and reverse directions, the vehicle including an engine that is operably coupled to a hydrostatic transmission for driving a pair of ground wheels, the mechanism comprising:

• a forward pedal and a reverse pedal disposed adjacent to each other and engageable by a foot of an operator in a manner that the level of depression of the forward and reverse pedals corresponds to the controlled ground speed of the off road vehicle in forward and reverse directions, respectively;
• and
• a linkage assembly operably connected between a servo shaft rotatably coupled to the hydrostatic transmission and the forward and reverse pedals, the servo shaft including a radial arm and angularly rotatable in opposite directions to control actuation of the oil control valves of the hydrostatic transmission, the linkage assembly including:
• a bracket member rigidly attached to a transmission casing of the off road vehicle and having a pin protruding perpendicularly therefrom;
• a sleeve rotatably mounted over the pin and formed to have a pair of top radial arms and at least one bottom radial arm, one of the top radial arms oriented along a front side of the vehicle and operably connected to the forward pedal through a first connecting link that allows the sleeve to be angularly rotated in clockwise direction when the forward pedal is depressed, the other top radial arm oriented along a rear side of the vehicle and operably connected to the reverse pedal through a second connecting link that allows the sleeve to be angularly rotated in counter-clockwise direction when the reverse pedal is depressed;
• a third connecting link pivotally connected between the at least one bottom radial arm and the radial arm of the servo shaft, the third connecting link linearly displaceable so as to convert the angular rotations of the sleeve into an equal and opposite angular rotations of the servo shaft;
• and
• an automatic pedal return means operably coupled to the sleeve, the automatic pedal return means allowing the sleeve to be returned to its neutral position when the operator releases the forward and reverse pedals.