A ride-on zero-turn work machine comprising:
- a frame;
- two drive wheels rotatably supported at opposing lateral sides of the frame for driven locomotion and steering of the machine;
- two caster wheels rotatably supported in respective adjacency to said opposing lateral sides of the frame in positions of leading relation to the drive wheels in a forward travel direction of the machine;
- two variable flow hydraulic pumps each having an external swashplate control via which an internal swashplate of the pump is repositionable to vary output flow from said pump;
- two hydraulic motors respectively installed in operative relation between the two pumps and the two drive wheels to effect driven rotation of the drive wheels using said output flow from said pumps;
- a pair of drive control levers each movably supported on frame in a manner pivotable longitudinally forward and rearward, about a lateral pivot axis, from a neutral position to control a rotational direction and speed of a respective one of the drive wheels, and also laterally tiltable, in said neutral position, between an inboard driving position, and an outboard braking position tilted laterally outward therefrom;
- two parking brakes of respectively operable relation to the two drive wheels, and actuable between locked states preventing rotation of said drive wheels and unlocked states allowing rotation of said drive wheels;
- two brake control linkages, each connected between a respective one of the drive control levers and a respective one of the parking brakes, each of said brake control linkages comprising:
- a bell crank movably mounted to the frame for rotatable movement relative thereto about a rotational support point;
- a lever connection link having a first end coupled to the bell crank, and a second end coupled to a respective one of the drive control levers;
- a brake connection link having a first end coupled to the bell crank, and a second end coupled to the respective one of the parking brakes;
- a cam provided on a first one of either the frame or the bell crank;
- and
- a cam follower provided on a second of either the frame or the bell crank at a location adjacent the cam and biased into engagement therewith;
- wherein a shape profile of the cam of each brake control linkage comprises a first recess whose relative location within said shape profile is one occupied by the cam follower when the respective one of the drive control levers is in the outboard braking position, a second recess whose relative location within said shape profile is one occupied by the cam follower when the respective one of the drive control levers is in the inboard driving position, and an intermediary region that is disposed between said first and second recesses and is of raised relation thereto within said shape profile so as to, via contact between the cam follower and said intermediary region, impart physical resistance to rotation of the bell crank during transition of the respective one of the drive control levers between the inboard driving position and the outboard braking position, which resistance must be overcome via manual urging of the drive control levers with sufficient force to overcome said resistance.