Patent ID: 7325388

Claim:
A lawn mower comprising: at least one cutting blade for cutting grass; a right rear drive wheel and a left rear drive wheel; an engine deck supporting an engine that drives the at least one blade for cutting grass, the engine deck also supporting a first hydraulic pump that controls the right rear drive wheel and a second hydraulic pump that controls the left rear drive wheel; a deck lift system for raising/lowering the engine deck relative to both a frame of the mower and a handle control assembly, the handle control assembly for allowing an operator of the mower to steer the mower by controlling the right and left rear drive wheels independent of one another; wherein the first hydraulic pump that controls the right rear drive wheel is located on a left half portion of the engine deck, and the second hydraulic pump that controls the left rear drive wheel is located on a right half portion of the engine deck; and wherein a first linkage between a right hand control member and the first hydraulic pump includes a first rotatable torsion bar, and a second linkage between a left hand control member and the second hydraulic pump includes a second rotatable torsion bar, and wherein the first and second torsion bars cross one another so as to form an X when viewed from a rear and/or front of the mower.