Patent ID: 8302240

Claim:
A floor cleaning machine, comprising: a primary housing; a front housing rotatably associated with the primary housing by way of a first hinge such that the front housing is capable of rotating away from primary housing; a rear housing rotatably associated with the primary housing by way of a second hinge such that the rear housing is capable of rotating away from the primary housing; a steering mechanism associated with the front housing; a steering shaft interconnected between the steering wheel and a chassis, wherein when the front housing is rotated from the primary housing, the steering shaft flexes and moves coincident with the movement of the front housing such that the steering wheel remains associated with the chassis; said steering shaft is comprised of an elongated rigid portion that is interconnected to a steering wheel on a first end and to a flexible portion on a second end; the flexible portion having a first end that is interconnected to the elongated rigid portion an a second end that is open and that leads to a hollow portion of the flexible portion; a shaft having a first end associated with the steering mechanism and a second end operably interconnected to the second end of the flexible portion; and wherein the steering shaft extends between a first length and a second length, the first length is wherein the second end of the shaft and the second end of the flexible portion are positioned adjacent to each other wherein the shaft is received within the hollow portion of the flexible portion and the second length is wherein the first end of the shaft and the second end of the flexible portion are positioned adjacent to each other.