Patent ID: 7213842

Claim:
An operator control housing for a work vehicle, the vehicle being equipped with a control lever and a steering column assembly, the steering column assembly having a steering shaft disposed in a steering shaft barrel and a steering wheel attached to the steering shaft, the control housing assembly comprising: a key mounted on the steering shaft barrel; a first housing half journaled on the steering shaft by way of bushing means for preventing the control housing from wearing prematurely as the steering wheel is turned and being retained thereon by at least one means for retaining, the first housing half having a plurality of lever support bolsters and a plurality of fastener bosses; a second housing half disposed on the steering shaft barrel, the second housing half having a plurality of lever support bolsters, a keyway and a plurality of fastener bosses; one of the first or second housing halves having a groove around a peripheral edge thereof, the other of the first or second housing halves having a tongue around a peripheral edge thereof; one of the first or second housing halves having a circular lip at an end of each fastener boss; and, wherein the keyway of the second housing half engages the key mounted on the steering shaft barrel so that the housing cannot rotate with respect thereto and the tongue of one housing half matingly engages the groove of the other housing half, the circular lips of the fastener bosses of one housing half engage the fastener bosses of the other housing half, the control lever is sandwiched between the first and second housing halves and is supported therein by the lever support bolsters of both housing halves so that loads are transmitted from the control lever to the housing assembly and in turn to the steering column assembly, the control housing assembly is able to move with the steering shaft and steering wheel but cannot rotate.