A control system for a ground working vehicle. The control system may include a handle assembly including a handle member extending upwardly and rearwardly from a chassis of the vehicle. The control system may also include a speed control apparatus including a control grip operably connected to, and translatable along, the handle member. Translation of the control grip may activate a transmission to move the chassis in the forward direction when the control grip is translated downwardly along the handle member towards the chassis. Further, the control system may include a lockout apparatus movably attached to a handle member. The lockout apparatus may be adapted to selectively and physically restrict movement of the control grip relative to the handle member.

A control box and a garden tool fitted with the control box. The control box includes a self-propelled trigger unit including a self-propelled control switch S, a lever and a control handle matching with the self-propelled control switch S; and a casing being provided with a receiving cavity. The self-propelled triggering unit is at least partially disposed in the receiving cavity. The lever abuts and triggers the self-propelled control switch S when the control handle is pulled to abut the lever and the control handle swings up and down in a plane where a side wall of the casing is located. The control box has reasonable switch distribution and is easy to operate.

A transmission comprising a shaft (6) made as a single piece or as at least two shaft sections (6A, 6B) on a common axis, a drive toothed wheel (5) mounted to rotate freely on said shaft (6), and an automatically clutching clutch mechanism (8) arranged between the drive wheel (5) and the shaft (6) or each of the shaft sections (6A, 6B), the or each clutch mechanism (8) comprising: a clutch plate (81) mounted to rotate freely on the associated shaft (6) or shaft section (6A, 6B); a part (82) that is carried by and constrained to rotate with the associated shaft (6) or shaft section (6A, 6B); and a brake of said clutch plate that acts continuously on the angular speed of said plate (81). The brake (83) of the at least one of the clutch plates (81) is threaded on the shaft (6) or the shaft section (6A, 6B) carrying said plate (81).

A riding lawn care vehicle includes a frame to which at least a first and second drive wheels are attachable. The vehicle further includes a brake assembly operably coupled to the first and second drive wheels to enable brakes to be selectively applied to the first and second drive wheels. The riding lawn care vehicle also includes a steering assembly with first and second steering levers. First and second steering levers are operably coupled to first and second drive wheels respectively to facilitate turning of the riding lawn care vehicle based on drive speed control of the first and second drive wheels responsive to positioning of first and second steering levers. First and second steering levers are also operably coupled to the brake assembly to activate the brake assembly in response to one of the first or second steering levers being rotated about a vertical axis of the respective lever.

A garden tool power system comprises a motor, a reducer and a transmission shaft. The motor transmits the power to the transmission shaft through the reducer to drive wheels on the transmission shaft to rotate. The reducer comprises a pinion connected to an output end of the motor and a gear engaged with the pinion. The transmission shaft includes left and right shafts connected with each other through a connecting shaft. The gear mounted on the connecting shaft has at least two guiding rods transversely located thereon and two centrifugal blocks located between the guiding rods. Each guiding rod has a spring surrounded therearound and each spring located between two centrifugal blocks has two opposite ends respectively abutted against the corresponding portions of the centrifugal blocks. A fixing sleeve provided on the periphery of the centrifugal blocks is mounted on the transmission shaft and has buckle structures matching with the centrifugal blocks.

A lawn mower (10) may include a blade housing (20), an engine (30), a mobility assembly (310); and a drive system (300). The engine (30) may be operably coupled to the blade housing (20) and configured to selectively rotate a drive shaft (130). The mobility assembly (310) may include a first set of wheels (40, 42) and be selectively operably coupled to the engine (30) to provide mobility of the lawn mower responsive at least in part to operation of the engine (30). The drive system (300) may include a first transmission (110, 120), a flexible driving member (100), a disengagement assembly (116), and a remote actuator. The a disengagement assembly (116) may include a latching lever (125), where the latching lever (125) is configured to switch the first transmission (110, 120) between a disengaged mode and an engaged mode, and where the latching lever (125) is configured to move between a disengaged position corresponding to the disengaged mode and an engaged position corresponding to the engaged mode. The remote actuator may be operably coupled to the flexible driving member (100), where responsive to actuation of the remote actuator, the flexible driving member (100) engages a) the latching lever (125) to move the latching lever (125) to the engaged position to thereby place the first transmission (110, 120) in the engaged mode; and b) the first transmission (110, 120) to provide drive power from the drive shaft (130) to the first set of wheels (40, 42).

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.

An improved electromechanical Blade Clutch Actuator (BCA) that employs an electric gear motor system to provide more economical, convenient and reliable user control with an electric switch to engage/disengage the cutting blades. The user control may be a switch remotely mounted anywhere on the mower for greater design freedom due to the removal of the manual interface. The BCA also incorporates a novel slip clutch for overload protection.

A walk-behind, self-propelled 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, and after the motor (40) is turned off, the wheels rotate without driving a motor shaft to rotate, so that a relatively small force can push or pull the walk-behind, self-propelled machine.

Centrifugal clutch mechanisms, and transmissions and lawnmowers having centrifugal clutch mechanisms are provided. A centrifugal clutch mechanism includes a clutch bell comprising an annular wall and a circular ring extending away from the annular wall to define an internal cavity, wherein the circular ring comprises an inward facing surface defining a drive surface. The centrifugal clutch mechanism also includes a plurality of centrifugal weights disposed in the internal cavity and an inward biasing element engaged with the centrifugal weights. The inward biasing element biases the centrifugal weights towards a disengaged position in which the centrifugal weights do not interface with drive surface, and upon application of a sufficient centrifugal force, the centrifugal weights are configured to transition to an engaged position in which the centrifugal weights interface with the drive surface.