A walk-behind machine includes a clutch having a driving state where a motor drives wheels to rotate and an unlocked state where the wheels freely rotate relative to the motor. The clutch includes a movable member and a driving member. The movable member is capable of moving between a locked position where the clutch is in the driving state and an unlocked position where the clutch is in the unlocked state. The driving member transfers power to the wheels by means of friction. When the clutch is in the driving state, the motor drives the wheels to rotate in a first direction, when the motor stops rotating, the wheels rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction and can drive the driving member to move by frictional force so that the driving member pushes the movable member to move from the locked position to the unlocked position.

A control system for a walk-behind self-propelled machine including a handle, a power source, a drive assembly, and an implement selectively driven by the power source is disclosed. The control by-wire system can include a touch sensor located on the handle configured to transmit a contact signal indicative of an operator of the walk-behind self-propelled machine physically contacting the handle at a predetermined location. The system can further include a controller that is in electrical communication with the touch sensor and configured to enable the power source to drive the implement, such as a lawnmower blade, when the controller receives the contact signal.

A walk power mower having a cutting deck supported upon the ground by front and rear wheels. The mower includes a biased handle that permits the handle to be pivotally displaced downwardly, against an upward bias force, during operation. The bias force may be provided by a resilient member that compresses as the handle is displaced downwardly. The compression of the resilient member allows downward movement of the handle without initially producing corresponding upward movement of the front wheels of the mower during rearward pulling of the handle.

The invention relates to a transmission housing (1) comprising a housing (1) body (1A) which defines an enclosure (1B) and, arranged at least partly inside said enclosure (1B), an input shaft (2), an output shaft (3) and a mechanism (4) for transmitting the movement of the input shaft (2) to the output shaft (3), this movement transmitting mechanism (4) comprising at least one clutch (5), the clutch (5) comprising a driving element (6) and a driven element (7), the driven element (7) being mounted for conjoined rotation with the output shaft (3) and comprising an active part (8) of the clutch (5) and a sleeve (9) that carries said active part (8) of the clutch (5), wherein the active part (8) of the clutch (5) is in bearing contact with the driving element (6) of the clutch (5) when the clutch (5) is in the engaged position, the sleeve (9) being coaxial to the output shaft (3) and mounted for conjoined rotation with the output shaft (3), the sleeve (9) of the driven element (7) being made in a single piece with the active part (8) of the driven element (7), and the sleeve (9) being disposed between the output shaft (3) and the body (1A) of the housing (1).

An electric power equipment includes a drive source, a clutch provided in a power transmission path between the drive source and the travel unit and a controller for controlling an operation of the drive source. Wherein the controller is configured that in a process of increasing a speed in accordance with a rotational speed command value, when a rotational speed of the drive source reaches the clutch connection rotational speed, the increasing of the speed in accordance with the rotational speed command value is interrupted, and when the rotational speed of the drive source reaches a predetermined rotational speed, the increasing of the speed in accordance with the rotational speed command value is performed.

A blade control assembly for a lawnmower can include a controller configured to selectively transition between a sleep mode and an operational mode. The controller can be configured to transition from the sleep mode to the operational mode when the controller receives a first ON signal. The controller can be configured to cause a power source to transition from an idle state in which a blade of the lawnmower is stopped to a driving state in which the power source rotationally drives the blade when the controller receives the first ON signal and a second ON signal. The controller can be configured to cause the power source to stop rotation of the blade and cause to power source to transition to the idle state after the second ON signal terminates, and can be configured to transition from the operational mode to the sleep mode after the second ON signal terminates.

Methods and apparatus for a lawn maintenance vehicle park brake and traction drive interlock are provided. A park brake mechanism is selectively operable between an engaged position and a disengaged position. A traction drive is also mounted to the lawn maintenance vehicle, the traction drive having a disable mode which prohibits transmission of a driving force from the traction drive to a drive wheel. A first operable connection between the park brake mechanism and a wheel brake activates the wheel brake. A second operable connection between the park brake mechanism and the traction drive activates the disable mode of the traction drive. A method of controlling a lawn maintenance vehicle with a park brake and traction drive interlock include the steps of providing a lawn maintenance vehicle, providing an operable park brake mechanism, providing a first operable connection, and providing a second operable connection.

A lawn mower includes a housing, a drive source, flaps, a grass clippings container, a grass clippings container weight detection unit, an internal pressure detection unit, and a control unit. If it is determined that a first condition where a change amount per predetermined fixed time of the weight detected by the grass clippings container weight detection unit is below a weight change amount reference value and a second condition where a change amount per predetermined fixed time of the internal pressure detected by the internal pressure detection unit has increased to a internal pressure change amount reference value, are satisfied, the control unit implements control to place the flaps in a substantially horizontal state.

A control unit of a lawn mower performs switching control for switching operation between a first control mode and a second mode. In the first control mode, during rotation of an engine at a first reference rotation speed, in the case where a change amount of rotation speed of the engine per unit time has exceeded a reference speed change amount, the rotation speed is maintained at a second reference rotation speed, and an flap angle is increased. In the second control mode, during rotation of the engine at a second reference rotation speed, in the case where an opening angle of a throttle valve has fallen below a reference opening angle, the rotation speed is maintained at the first reference rotation speed, and the flap angle is decreased. The second reference rotation speed is higher than the first reference rotation speed.

A drive system of a lawn mower includes a drive belt, a drive pulley, a drive shaft pulley and an idler pulley. The drive pulley is disposed at a rocking transmission of the lawn mower to transfer drive belt motion to power for a set of wheels of the lawn mower via the rocking transmission when the rocking transmission is engaged. The drive shaft pulley is operably coupled to a drive shaft of the lawn mower to rotate responsive to rotation of the drive shaft. The drive shaft pulley engages the drive belt responsive to engagement of the rocking transmission.