Patent ID: 8397333

Claim:
A floor cleaning machine, comprising: a primary housing; a front housing associated with the primary housing by way of a first hinge such that the front housing is capable of moving away from primary housing; a rear housing associated with the primary housing by way of a second hinge such that the rear housing is capable of moving away from primary housing; a steering mechanism associated with the front housing; a steering shaft interconnected between a steering wheel and a chassis, wherein when the front housing is moved 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; the 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 and a second end; a shaft with a hexagonal outer surface and having a first end associated with the steering mechanism and a second end operably interconnected to the second end of the flexible portion; 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 and the second length wherein the first end of the shaft and the second end of the flexible portion are positioned adjacent to each other; and wherein the flexible portion has a slip fitting on the second end thereof that is slidingly interconnected to the shaft, said slip fitting having a hexagonal opening that engages the hexagonal outer surface of said shaft.