Patent ID: 7503161

Claim:
A transaxle for a lawn tractor, the lawn tractor including a prime mover, a mower unit, a grass-discharging duct extended from the mower unit at a substantially lateral center portion of the lawn tractor, left and right drive wheels having respective axles disposed on lateral opposite sides of the grass-discharging duct, and left and right final transmission devices disposed on lateral opposite sides of the grass-discharging duct, the transaxle comprising: a transaxle housing disposed above the grass-discharging duct, wherein the left and right final transmission devices are connected at upper portions thereof to respective left and right ends of the transaxle housing; an input shaft having a lower portion extended downward from the transaxle housing; an input pulley for receiving power from the prime mover, wherein the input pulley is provided on the lower portion of the input shaft so as to be disposed between the transaxle housing and the grass-discharging duct; and left and right output shafts projecting laterally from the transaxle housing opposite to each other above the grass-discharging duct, wherein the axles of the left and right drive wheels are disposed below the respective left and right output shafts on respective left and right sides of the grass-discharging duct, wherein the left final transmission device is interposed between the left output shaft and the axle of the left drive wheel on the left side of the grass-discharging duct, and wherein the right final transmission device is interposed between the right output shaft and the axle of the right drive wheel on the right side of the grass-discharging duct.