Hydraulic drive control mechanism for vehicles

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION: FIRST AND SECOND GROUND-ENGAGING VEHICLE SUPPORTING AND PROPELLING ELEMENTS; FIRST AND SECOND REVERSIBLE HYDRAULIC DRIVING MOTORS ARRANGED FOR RESPECTIVELY DRIVING SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELEMENTS; AXLE MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID ELEMENTS AND COUPLED TO SAID DRIVING MOTORS; VEHICLE MEANS MOVEABLY COUPLED TO SAID AXLE MEANS; A PRIME MOVER; A WORK-PERFORMING MOVEABLE IMPLEMENT CARRIED ON SAID VEHICLE, SAID IMPLEMENT BEING OF THE TYPE THAT DURING CERTAIN OPERATIONS REQUIRED MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE; RESERVOIR MEANS FOR STORING AND SUPPLYING HYDRAULIC FLUID; A PAIR OF HYDRAULIC FLUID PUMPS COUPLED IN A DRIVEN RELATIONSHIP TO SAID PRIME MOVER AND HAVING A SOURCE OF FLUID SUPPLY FROM SAID RESERVOIR MEANS, AND EACH OF SAID PUMPS HAVING A HIGH-PRESSURE FLUID OUTPUT PORT; A FIRST FLUID SUPPLY CONDUIT COUPLED AT ONE END TO ONE OF THE PUMP OUTPUT PORTS AND A SECOND FLUID SUPPLY CONDUIT COUPLED AT ONE END OF THE OTHER OF THE PUMP OUTPUT PORTS; A FIRST CONTROL VALVE HAVING AN INPUT PORT COUPLED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST FLUID SUPPLY CONDUIT AND A SECOND VALVE HAVING AN INPUT PORT COUPLED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID SECOND FLUID SUPPLY CONDUIT, AND EACH OF SAID CONTROL VALVES HAVING A PAIR OF ALTERNATIVELY FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST PORTS, AND A FLUID RETURN PORT; A FIRST PAIR OF ALTERNATIVELY FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST CONDUITS COUPLING SAID FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST PORTS ON SAID FIRST CONTROL VALVE TO SAID FIRST HYDRAULIC MOTOR, AND A SECOND PAIR OF ALTERNATIVELY FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST CONDUITS COUPLING SAID FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST PORTS ON SAID SECOND CONTROL VALVE TO SAID SECOND HYDRAULIC MOTOR, EACH OF SAID CONTROL VALVES HAVING MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FLUID TO EITHER OF ITS ASSOCIATED ALTERNATIVELY FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST CONDUITS; FIRST FLUID CUSHIONING MEANS HAVING ONE END COUPLED TO ONE OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF ALTERNATIVELY FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST CONDUITS AND THE OTHER END COUPLED TO THE OTHER OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF ALTERNATIVELY FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST CONDUITS, BOTH OF SAID COUPLINGS ARRANGED INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST CONTROL VALVE AND SAID FIRST HYDRAULIC MOTOR; SECOND FLUID CUSHIONING MEANS HAVING ONE END COUPLED TO ONE OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF ALTERNATIVELY FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST CONDUITS AND THE OTHER END COUPLED TO THE OTHER OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF ALTERNATIVELY FLUID SUPPLY AND FLUID EXHAUST EXHAUST CONDUITS, BOTH OF SAID COUPLINGS ARRANGED INTERMEDIATE SAID SECOND CONTROL VALVE AND SAID SECOND HYDRAULIC MOTOR; FIRST AND SECOND HYDRAULICALLY-OPERABLE POWER MEANS DRIVEN BY ONE OF SAID PUMPS AND COUPLED TO SAID WORK-PERFORMING IMPLEMENT FOR CAUSING MOVEMENT OF SAID IMPLEMENT IN A FIRST PREDETERMINED MANNER RELATIVE TO SAID VEHICLE; A THIRD CONTROL VALVE HAVING AN INPUT PORT COUPLED TO THE FLUID RETURN PORT OF SAID FIRST CONTROL VALVE, A FLUID EXHAUST PORT COUPLED TO SAID RESERVOIR MEANS, AT LEAST ONE POWER PORT COUPLED TO SAID FIRST POWER MEANS, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY SUPPLYING FLUID TO EITHER THE EXHAUST PORT OR THE POWER PORT; THIRD HYDRAULICALLY-OPERABLE POWER MEANS DRIVEN BY THE OTHER OF SAID PUMPS AND COUPLED TO SAID WORKPERFORMING IMPLEMENT FOR CAUSING MOVEMENT OF SAID IMPLEMENT IN A SECOND PREDETERMINED MANNER RELATIVE TO SAID VEHICLE; AND A FOURTH CONTROL VALVE HAVING AN INPTU PORT COUPLED TO THE FLUID RETURN PORT OF SAID SECOND CONTROL VALVE, A FLUID EXHAUST PORT COUPLED TO SAID RESERVOIR MEANS, AT LEAST ONE POWER PORT COUPLED TO SAID SECOND POWER MEANS, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY SUPPLYING FLUID TO EITHER THE EXHAUST PORT OR THE POWER PORT, SAID FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD POWER MEANS CAPABLE OF BEING SELECTIVELY OPERATED WHILE SAID MOTORS ARE OPERATING.