Transmission neutral lever lock

In a tractor loader vehicle, a housing having a slotted cover plate;

• at least two transmission control levers journally mounted on a horizontal shaft supported within said housing, said levers extending upwardly through said slotted cover plate, one of said levers controlling forward and rearward direction of travel of said vehicle and the other controlling the gear speed range;
• a slotted cam means mounted on the direction control lever;
• a panel lock means mounted within said housing and having a latch swingable about a vertical axis between the first disengaged position and a second position engaging said slotted cam means to lock the position of said direction control lever in a central neutral position and detent means associated with said latch for maintaining said latch in said second position;
• and a neutral locking lever having a vertical shaft portion disposed on the axis of rotation of said latch and drivingly coupled therewith to rotate said latch, said vertical shaft portion extending through an aperture in said housing cover plate to an integral radially extending hand lever portion having a length providing sufficient mechanical advantage for an operator to overcome said detent means and accomplish shifting of said latch between said first and second positions.