Patent ID: 7487608

Claim:
A walk-behind self-propelled snow-removing machine comprising: a machine body having a front end and a rear end; a snow-removing unit disposed at the front end of the machine body for performing a snow removing operation; an engine disposed on the machine body for driving the snow-removing unit; a traveling unit disposed on the machine body and drivable for causing the machine body to travel; left and right operation handlebars extending upwardly and rearwardly from a rear portion of the machine body, the operation handlebars being disposed one on each side of a longitudinal centerline of the machine body; a control unit for controlling operations of the snow removing unit and the traveling unit; an operating section mounted to extend between the left and right operation handlebars for operation by a human operator to provide instructions to the control unit; a snow-removing-unit posture control member disposed on the operating section at one side of the longitudinal centerline of the machine body for operation by the human operator to control a posture of the snow removing unit; a travel ready lever pivotally mounted on one of the left and right operation handlebars at the other side of the longitudinal centerline of the machine body for being gripped by the human operator to place the machine body in a ready-to-travel condition, the travel ready lever, when released from gripping by the human operator, automatically placing the machine body in an unable-to-travel condition; and a mode selector switch disposed on the operating section and located forwardly of the travel ready lever for operation by the human operator to select one snow removing operation mode from among plural alternative snow removing operation modes that are set in advance in the control unit on the basis of a combination of a travel speed of the machine body, a revolving speed of the engine, and an opening of a throttle valve associated with the engine.