Patent ID: 6659216
Filing Date: 2003-12-09
Classification: A01D,B60K,B62D,F16H

Abstract:
A lawn tractor improved in steering, comprising:an integral transaxle apparatus for driving and steering the lawn tractor, including, a housing, a driving hydrostatic transmission having a variable displacement first hydraulic pump and a first hydraulic motor fluidly connected with each other, said driving hydrostatic transmission being disposed in said housing, wherein said first hydraulic pump receives power of a prime mover and has a first movable swash plate, a steering hydrostatic transmission having a variable displacement second hydraulic pump and a variable displacement second hydraulic motor fluidly connected with each other, said steering hydrostatic transmission being disposed in said housing, wherein said second hydraulic pump receives power of said prime mover independently of said first hydraulic pump and has a second movable swash plate, and wherein said second hydraulic motor has a third movable swash plate, a pair of axles disposed co-axially with each other and supported in said housing, and a differential unit differentially connecting said axles with which other, said differential unit being disposed in said housing, wherein said differential unit is driven regularly or reversely by the output of said driving hydrostatic transmission and differentially drives said axles while receiving the output of said steering hydrostatic transmission; a forward/backward accelerator pedal for slanting operation of said first movable swash plate so as to switch the traveling direction of the lawn tractor between forward and backward and to change the traveling speed, wherein said forward/backward accelerator pedal is operatively connected to said third movable swash plate so that the slanting direction of said third movable swash plate is changed oppositely with respect to its own neutral position according to the traveling direction switching operation of said forward/backward accelerator pedal; and a steering wheel for slanting operation of said second movable swash plate so as to determine the leftward and rightward traveling direction of the lawn tractor, wherein said lawn tractor turns laterally in the same direction of leftward and rightward steering operation of said steering wheel whether said lawn tractor travels forward or backward.