Vehicle articulating and caster steering
A ground maintenance vehicle that includes: front steering wheels; rear drive wheels; a frame with a first and second pivot point; a single lever steering assembly with a single lever steering control, where the single lever steering assembly is coupled to the first pivot point; multi-axis articulating joint coupled to the second pivot point; a front caster steering assembly coupled to the multi-axis articulating joint; and where the front caster steering assembly and the multi-axis articulating joint simultaneously provide articulating and caster steering proportional to lateral movement from the single lever steering control.
1. A ground maintenance vehicle comprising:
one or more front steering wheels;
one or more rear drive wheels;
a frame including a first pivot point and a second pivot point;
a single lever steering assembly including a single lever steering control, wherein the single lever steering assembly is coupled to the first pivot point;
a multi-axis articulating joint coupled to the second pivot point;
wherein the multi-axis articulating joint allows for movement along a longitudinal axis and along a vertical axis;
a front caster steering assembly coupled to the multi-axis articulating joint; and
wherein the front caster steering assembly and the multi-axis articulating joint simultaneously provide articulating and caster steering proportional to lateral movement from the single lever steering control.
2. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first lever arm;
a steering damper coupled with the first lever arm; and
wherein the first lever arm and steering damper are configured to provide steering feedback to an operator.
3. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the steering damper is adjustable.
4. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a connecting rod assembly couples the single lever steering assembly and the multi-axis articulating joint.
5. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the connecting rod assembly is mounted to a second lever arm, and the second lever arm is configured to transmit rotational movement from the single lever steering assembly to the multi-axis steering joint.
6. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the connecting rod assembly further includes a bumper stop to limit rotation of the front caster steering assembly.
7. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a traction control lever attached to a transmission cable and configured to transmits movement from the traction control lever to a drive system.
8. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the single lever steering assembly pivots around a bushing mounted within a pivot tube.
9. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the frame further includes one or more frame mounting arms configure to receive a fertilizer hopper.
10. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a platform configured to support an operator.
11. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the front caster steering assembly control rod is fixed to a caster steering assembly on a first end and to the frame on a second end.
12. A ground maintenance vehicle comprising:
one or more front steering wheels;
one or more rear drive wheels;
a frame, the frame including one or more frame mounting arms on a reward section of the ground maintenance vehicle;
a multi-axis articulating joint coupled to the frame;
wherein the multi-axis articulating joint allows for movement along a longitudinal axis and along a vertical axis;
a front caster steering assembly coupled to the multi-axis articulating joint, wherein the front caster steering assembly and the multi-axis articulating joint simultaneously provide articulating and caster steering proportional to lateral movement from a steering control.
13. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising:
a first lever arm;
a steering damper coupled with the first lever arm; and
wherein the first lever arm and steering damper are configured to provide steering feedback to an operator.
14. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the steering damper is adjustable.
15. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 12 , wherein a connecting rod assembly couples the steering control and the multi-axis articulating joint.
16. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the connecting rod assembly is mounted to a second lever arm, and the second lever arm is configured to transmit rotational movement from the steering control to the multi-axis steering joint.
17. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the connecting rod assembly further includes a bumper stop to limit rotation of the front caster steering assembly.
18. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising a traction control lever attached to a transmission cable and configured to transmits movement from the traction control lever to a drive system.
19. The ground maintenance vehicle of claim 12 further comprising a platform configured to support an operator.
20. An articulating and caster system for use with a ground maintenance vehicle, the system comprising:
a single lever steering assembly including a single lever steering control, wherein the single lever steering assembly is configured to couple to a frame of the vehicle;
a multi-axis articulating joint configured to couple to the frame of the vehicle;
wherein the multi-axis articulating joint allows for movement along a longitudinal axis and along a vertical axis;
a front caster steering assembly coupled to the multi-axis articulating joint; and
wherein the front caster steering assembly and the multi-axis articulating joint simultaneously provide articulating and caster steering proportional to lateral movement from the single lever steering control.