Surface Control Vehicles and Related Methods

Abstract

A cold weather surface maintenance vehicle can include a housing at least partially surrounding an engine and defining at least one vent oriented to emit air from within the housing toward a user positioned on the user support structure. A controller of a maintenance vehicle can restrict or reduce a speed of an engine in response to temperature, operation of a hydraulic attachment, or operator position. A controller of a maintenance vehicle can control operation of a dispensing mechanism of a flowable material distribution device with the controller based on a position of a traction control of the maintenance vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cold weather surface maintenance vehicle comprising:
 a chassis;   a user support structure coupled to the chassis;   an engine carried by the chassis;   a housing at least partially surrounding the engine, the housing defining at least one vent oriented to emit air from within the housing toward a user positioned on the user support structure.   
     
     
         2 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the user support structure comprises a standing platform. 
     
     
         3 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one vent comprises a vent oriented to emit air from within the housing toward feet of a user positioned on the standing platform. 
     
     
         4 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a rear wall facing a user on the user support structure; and the at least one vent comprises a vent defined in the rear wall. 
     
     
         5 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a top wall comprising a control panel having one or more user controls, and the at least one vent comprises a vent defined in the top wall oriented to emit air from within the housing toward hands of a user manipulating the user controls. 
     
     
         6 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 5 , wherein the housing further comprises a shell disposed forwardly and at least partially above the control panel to provide a shield for a user’s hands while operating the user controls. 
     
     
         7 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 5 , further comprising a hydraulic system including:
 a user control accessible at the control panel of the housing; and   one or more connections to fluidly connect the hydraulic system to one or more hydraulic accessories;   wherein the housing includes a front wall and the one or more connections are disposed on a top portion of the front wall.   
     
     
         8 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 7 , further comprising a universal hydraulic accessory coupling extending forwardly of the chassis suitable for mounting a plurality of different hydraulic accessories to the surface maintenance vehicle, the hydraulic accessory coupling configured to be moved via the hydraulic system to mount one of the plurality of hydraulic accessories thereto. 
     
     
         9 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising an adjustable cover for the at least one vent, the adjustable cover configured to be manipulated by a user between an open position exposing the at least one vent and a closed position covering the at least one vent. 
     
     
         10 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one vent comprises a plurality of vents oriented to emit air from within the housing toward a user positioned on the user support structure. 
     
     
         11 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a low-profile forward compartment disposed forwardly of the housing on the chassis, the forward compartment defining an opening in a top thereof and comprising a pivotable hood to selectively cover the opening; and   a battery disposed within the forward compartment, the battery accessible through the opening in the top of the forward compartment.   
     
     
         12 . The surface maintenance vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising a sensor coupled to the user support structure, the sensor configured to provide control input in response to a user getting on or off the user support structure. 
     
     
         13 . A method for controlling engine operation of a cold weather surface maintenance vehicle, the method comprising:
 monitoring a temperature of hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic circuit of the surface maintenance vehicle with a sensor;   restricting a speed of an engine of the surface maintenance vehicle in response to a controller determining that the temperature is below a predetermined temperature to thereby limit a speed of a pump of the hydraulic circuit and a velocity of hydraulic fluid circulating in the hydraulic circuit.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising reducing the speed of the engine for a predetermined amount of time in response to the controller determining that a hydraulic attachment powered by the hydraulic circuit is turned on. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the controller automatically reducing the speed of the engine in response to a sensor determining that an operator stepped off a standing platform of the maintenance vehicle. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the controller automatically reducing the speed of the engine in response to determining that a traction control for the surface maintenance vehicle is in neutral for longer than a predetermined amount of time. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the controller automatically reducing the speed of the engine in response to determining that a hydraulic accessory powered by the hydraulic circuit is not being operated. 
     
     
         18 . A method for controlling an operation of a cold weather surface maintenance vehicle, the method comprising:
 receiving a signal at a controller of the surface maintenance vehicle to operate a dispensing mechanism of a flowable material distribution device; and   controlling operation of the dispensing mechanism with the controller based on a position of a traction control of the surface maintenance vehicle.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein controlling operation of the dispensing mechanism based on the position the traction control of the surface maintenance vehicle comprises at least one of:
 stopping operation of the dispensing mechanism in response to determining that the position of the traction control of the surface maintenance vehicle is a neutral position; or   operating the dispensing mechanism with the controller at a set distribution rate input in response to determining that the position of the traction control of the surface maintenance vehicle is not a neutral position.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein controlling operation of the dispensing mechanism based on the position the traction control of the surface maintenance vehicle comprises controlling a rate of operation of the dispensing mechanism based on the position of the traction control of the surface maintenance vehicle. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising determining a position of a linkage component of the traction control of the surface maintenance vehicle or pivotably coupled linkage components of the traction control of the surface maintenance vehicle relative to one another with a sensor; and wherein controlling the rate of operation of the dispensing mechanism based on the position of the engine control of the surface maintenance vehicle comprises controlling the rate of operation of the dispensing mechanism based on the position of the linkage component or pivotably coupled linkage components. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein controlling operation of the dispensing mechanism with the controller comprises controlling operation of at least one of a feeder mechanism of a spreader or a pump of a sprayer.