Abstract: A dynamic seat leveling device for a riding lawnmower or tractor has a virtual rotational point located below the leveling device itself. When operated on hilly terrain, such an arrangement accomplishes three objectives: 1) the operator remains level; 2) the operator's center of gravity remains centered directly above a critical balance point which is at ground level, midway between the right and left wheels; and 3) the operator remains at a constant elevation. Keeping the operator at a constant elevation, as the leveling device shifts from one side to the other, minimizes the power that would otherwise be needed to repeatedly raise and lower the operator as the tractor tilts from left to right. Minimizing the power required allows the use of a compact leveling drive that fits between the seat and frame of the tractor.

Abstract: An automatic bundle-tying tool has a compact housing with a pair of curved pincer-shaped jaws, one of which pivots outward to accommodate a bundle of wires or similar elongated objects, and then pivots inward to abut the other, fixed jaw. Plastic tying tape drawn from a storage spool is fed around the tape guide groove formed on the internal surface of each of the mating jaws, encircling the bundle. A pair of thin tapered anvils clamp the overlapped tape against the tip of an ultrasonic welding transducer, and a reverse feed mechanism draws the tape tight around the bundle while slack tape is re-wound on the storage spool by a resilient spring biased spool hub. After ultrasonic welding, automatic spring-driven linkages unclamp and withdraw the anvils, sever the tied bundle from the tape supply and open the movable jaw to release the tied bundle. A preferred embodiment is lightweight, portable and easy to operate.