Patent ID: 8844645
Filing Date: 2014-09-30
Classification: A01B

Abstract:
1. An aerator hole spacing control, comprising: an aerator having a hydrostatic traction drive and at least three wheels, a neck extending therefrom with an upwardly and forwardly extending handle assembly including operator controls so that an operator may walk ahead of the aerator and steer the aerator by using the handle assembly to pivot one of the wheels about a vertical pivot axis; a coring head mounted on the rear of the aerator carrying a plurality of tine assemblies that reciprocate up and down by rotation of a crankshaft; each tine assembly having a plurality of coring tines that are driven into the ground and produce holes for the purpose of aerating the turf; an operator actuated speed control lever on the handle assembly; a pivoting speed control cam connected to the speed control lever and having a curved cam surface with a variable radius; a control arm with a cam follower and mounted to a hydrostatic pump control shaft of the traction drive; the control arm moving the cam follower into contact with the curved cam surface of the pivoting speed control cam and placing the hydrostatic pump in a position to operate the traction drive between a minimum coring speed and a maximum coring speed to change the hole spacing while the aerator moves forward and the coring head is operating based on where the cam follower contacts the speed control cam along the variable radius of the curved cam surface.