Electronic control for turf maintenance vehicle

The present invention provides for an automated clip control device for maintaining a predetermined clip at varying ground speeds, heights of cut, and other changed conditions. The reel speed of the mower 10 is controlled based upon a feed-back control loop, using as input the ground speed of the mower 10, the actual speed of the reel 48, 50, and 52, the number of blades on the reel, and height of cut, among other factors. A microprocessor 102 uses control process equations to determine the duration of an output pulse width modulated signal which is provided to a valve 702, 706 controlling hydraulic fluid flow to the reel motor 71-75. The target value of the reel speed is determined by reading the desired height of cut value and the number of blades per reel, and then going to a look-up table which contains optimized "linear distance traveled per time grass is cut" values. Once the appropriate look-up table target value is found, the target reel speed is determined by finding the product of the number of blades on the reel times the target clip times the ground speed times a constant (to correct for units).