Patent ID: 8403073

Claim:
A changeover operation device for changing over the positions of at least two components to establish three or more speed modes in a speed changer mechanism accommodated within a housing, comprising: operation handles including a first and a second handle arranged in a corresponding relationship with the components, each of the operation handles being arranged to be moved between two specified positions within a same opening of the housing along a specified operation direction to change over the positions of the components, the operation handles being continuously arranged within the same opening and partially overlapped with the other, said two specified positions of each of the first handle and the second handle including a front position and a rear position, wherein the first handle is disposed at a front side of the changeover operation device and the second handle is positioned at a rear side of the changeover operation device, and wherein when the first handle is in the rear position of the first handle, the second handle engages the first handle and therefore is prevented by the first handle from being moved to the front position of the second handle.