Patent ID: 7467516

Claim:
An axle driving apparatus comprising: a common housing; an axle disposed in the housing; a fluid sump formed in the housing; a hydraulic pump disposed in the housing; a hydraulic motor disposed in the housing; a center section disposed in the housing, the center section including upper and lower opposite horizontal surfaces; a pair of arcuate ports opened on the upper horizontal surface onto which the hydraulic pump is fitted; a pair of fluid passages formed in the center section between the upper and lower horizontal surfaces so as to fluidly connect the respective arcuate ports to the hydraulic motor; a pair of holes opened on the lower horizontal surface, and connected to the respective fluid passages; and a pair of check valve casings incorporating respective check valves fitted into the respective holes, wherein each of the check valves is opened to allow only a flow from the fluid sump to the corresponding fluid passage, and wherein the check valve casings are supported by an upward projection formed on a bottom portion of the housing so as to be prevented from escaping from the respective holes.