Patent ID: 6868657

Claim:
A mowing machine having front end and a rear end, the mowing machine operable along a line of direction, said mowing machine comprising: a frame; a power unit supported by the frame; at least one drive mechanism coupled to the power unit; a plurality of wheels rotatably connected to the frame, the wheels having at least one drive wheel coupled to the drive mechanism; a right hand control lever engagable by a user's palm in such a fashion that the palm is substantially facing downward, the right hand control lever operatively coupled to the drive mechanism, the right hand control lever movable from a disengaged positions to at least one engaged position, said disengaged position being a distance from the front end of the mowing machine, said engaged position being a lesser distance from the front end of the mowing machine, the right hand control lever having at least one right grip member with an outer end and an inner end positioned along a right grip member axis, the right grip member axis being oblique to the line of direction when the right hand control lever has each one of the engaged and disengaged positions, the outer end of the right grip, member positioned a distance from the front end of the mowing machine, the inner end of the right grip member positioned a greater distance from the front end of the mowing machine; a left hand control lever engagable by the user's palm in such a fashion that the palm is substantially facing downward, the left hand control lever operatively coupled to the drive mechanism, the left hand control lever movable from a disengaged position to at least one engaged position, said disengaged position being a distance from the front end of the mowing machine, said engaged position being a lesser distance from the front end of the mowing machine, the left hand control lever having at least one left grip member with an outer end and an inner end positioned along a left grip member axis, the inner end of the left grip member positioned adjacent to the inner end of the right grip, member, the left grip member axis being oblique to the line of direction when the left hand control lever has each one of the engaged and disengaged positions, the outer end of the left grip member positioned a distance from the front end of the mowing machine, the inner end of the left grip member positioned a greater distance from the front end of the mowing machine.