Mower with combined steering an brake levers

A twin-lever drive wheel steering mower for a sitting operator with each lever independently controlling the speed of each drive wheel through a separate hydraulic pump and motor transmission comprising:

• a frame supporting two drive wheels;
• a pair of variable flow hydraulic pumps controlled by a rotatable swash plate, each pump is connected to a drive wheel through a hydraulic motor, each hydraulic motor driving one of a pair of drive wheels in forward, reverse and neutral conditions;
• a brake member acting on each drive wheel;
• a pair of pivotally mounted steering levers, each controlling one of said pumps mounted on the mower for longitudinal movement;
• each steering lever is connected independently to the swash plate of its controlled pump providing variable speeds forward, reverse and neutral;
• linkage members connecting the steering levers for each wheel to said brake member acting on each wheel, the linkage members permitting lateral outward movement of one or both steering levers which lock one or both wheels from rotation;
• and
• lateral slots adjacent each of the steering levers allowing the levers to move laterally outward only in the neutral position.

A twin-lever drive wheel steering mower for a sitting operator with each lever independently controlling the speed of each drive wheel through a separate hydraulic pump and motor transmission comprising:

• a frame supporting two drive wheels;
• a pair of variable flow hydraulic pumps controlled by a rotatable swash plate, each pump is connected to a drive wheel through a hydraulic motor, each motor driving one of a pair of drive wheels in a forward, reverse, and neutral zero flow condition;
• a pair of gears each one connected in driving relation to one of said hydraulic motors;
• a pair of locking pawls one on each hydraulic motor which releasably engage said gear for locking each drive wheel from rotation;
• a pair of pivotally mounted steering levers, each controlling one of said pumps mounted on the mower for longitudinal movement, each steering lever is connected independently to the swash plate of its controlled pump providing variable flow for movement forward, reverse, and neutral;
• linkage members connecting the steering levers for each wheel to one of said locking pawl on each wheel motor, the linkage members permitting lateral outward movement of one or both steering levers which lock one or both of the wheels from rotation;
• and
• lateral slots adjacent each of the steering levers allowing the levers to move laterally outward only in the neutral position.