Axle driving unit for a lawn tractor

A transaxle comprising:

• a housing having a fluid sump therein;
• a hydraulic pump disposed in said housing, said hydraulic pump including a movable swash plate and a pump shaft;
• a hydraulic motor disposed in said housing, said hydraulic motor including a motor shaft;
• an axle supported by said housing and disposed in parallel to said motor shaft, said axle having an outer portion extended outward from a side surface of said housing, and said axle having an inner portion disposed in said housing to be mechanically connected to said motor shaft;
• a mechanical drive train including an intermediate gear for mechanically connecting said motor shaft to said axle;
• a center section disposed in said housing, said center section including a pump mounting surface and a motor mounting surface which are disposed perpendicular to each other, wherein said hydraulic pump and motor are mounted onto said pump mounting surface and said motor mounting surfaces of said center section, respectively, and wherein the motor shaft is disposed lower than the pump mounting surface and the axle;
• an operation shaft supported by said housing so as to operate said movable swash plate of said hydraulic pump, wherein said operation shaft, said axle and said motor shaft are extended in parallel and have respective outer portions projecting outward from said side surface of said housing;
• a speed-control operation lever provided on said outer portion of said operation shaft;
• and
• a brake rotor provided on said outer portion of said motor shaft,
• wherein in said center section, said pump mounting surface and said motor mounting surface overlap each other in an axial direction of the axle so that said hydraulic pump and motor mounted onto said pump mounting surface and said motor mounting surfaces of said center section overlap each other in the axial direction of the axle, and wherein a phantom surface including the motor mounting surface intersects the pump mounting surface when the phantom surface is extended toward the pump mounting surface.