Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a power trowel. A power trowel includes a handle including a speed control input, a housing, a shaft connecting the handle and the housing, a safety mechanism located on the shaft, a blade assembly positioned below the housing, a motor located within the motor housing and coupled to the blade assembly, and a controller. The safety mechanism includes a safety lever configured to move in response to an uncontrolled condition of the power trowel. The controller is connected to the motor and the safety mechanism. The controller is configured to drive, in response to actuation of the speed control input, the motor, detect a movement of the safety lever from a first position to a second position, and perform, in response to the movement of the safety lever to the second position, a safety operation.

Abstract: A vibrating screed includes a power unit, a plurality of screed blades, wherein each of the plurality of screed blades is removably engageable with the power unit one at a time. The vibrating screed further includes a power unit controller operably coupled to the power unit, a memory operably coupled to the power unit controller, and a blade selector operably coupled to the power unit controller. The power unit controller is operable to receive a blade selection from the blade selector, the blade selection indicating a size of a particular screed blade within the plurality of screed blades; retrieve a range of operating speeds associated with the blade selection; and set the operational speed of the vibrating screed to correspond to the range of operating speeds associated with the blade selection.

Abstract: Systems and methods of controlling a vibrating screed. One vibrating screed includes a screed member, a motor configured to vibrate the screed member, and a speed sensor configured to output speed signals indicative of a motor speed. A controller is connected to the speed sensor and the motor. The controller is configured to drive the motor according to a speed command, receive the speed signals from the speed sensor, determine whether the motor speed is less than or equal to a speed threshold, and terminate, in response to the motor speed being less than or equal to the speed threshold, operation of the motor.

Abstract: A vibrating screed comprising a screed member, a motor, and an exciter assembly configured to vibrate the screed member in response to receiving torque from the motor via a driveshaft. The exciter assembly includes a first eccentric mass fixed on the driveshaft and a second eccentric mass axially and rotationally moveable along the driveshaft between a first position and a second position in which the second eccentric mass is axially closer to the first eccentric mass than in the first position. The vibrating screed further comprises a mode selection member to switch the exciter assembly between a first, low vibration mode, in which the second eccentric mass is in the first position, and a second, high vibration mode, in which the second eccentric mass is in the second position.