Zero-turn lawnmower with improved control handles

Abstract

A lawnmower includes a chassis; a seat supported on the chassis for permitting an operator to sit or stand on the chassis; a pair of drive wheels for supporting the chassis above a ground surface; an engine and a pair of transmissions for driving the drive wheels; and a pair of manually-moveable handle assemblies for controlling the transmissions. Each handle assembly includes a substantially vertically-extending control handle, wherein the control handles are mounted outboard of opposite sides of the seat so as not to block the operator's ingress or egress from the seat.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: 
     
         1 . A lawnmower comprising:
 a chassis;   a seat including left and right armrests, the seat being supported on the chassis for permitting an operator to sit or stand on the chassis;   a pair of drive wheels for supporting the chassis above a ground surface;   an engine and a pair of transmissions for driving the drive wheels; and   a pair of manually-moveable handle assemblies for controlling the transmissions, each handle assembly comprising:
 a mounting bracket; 
 a handle bracket pivotally coupled to the mounting bracket about a horizontally-extending axis so that the handle bracket may pivot relative to the mounting bracket in a generally vertically-extending plane; 
 a control handle formed about a single axis and attached to and extending upwardly from the handle bracket near an end of one of the armrests so that the operator may control the lawnmower by moving the control handle primarily with his or her hands while resting his or her forearm on the armrest; and 
 a linking rod attached directly between the handle bracket and a pick-up point on one of the transmissions so that movement of the handle causes the linking rod to directly move the pick-up point for controlling operation of the transmission. 
   
     
     
         2 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the control handles are each 4-12 inches long. 
     
     
         3 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein the control handles are each 6-10 inches long. 
     
     
         4 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the control handles are each pivotally coupled about a horizontally-extending axis so as to pivot in a generally vertically-extending plane. 
     
     
         5 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 4 , wherein the control handles each pivot approximately 40 degrees between a full forward position and a full reverse direction. 
     
     
         6 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the mounting bracket is fixedly attached to a support adjacent a side of the seat and the handle bracket is pivotally coupled to the mounting bracket about a horizontally-extending axis so that the handle bracket may pivot relative to the mounting bracket in a generally vertically-extending plane. 
     
     
         7 . A lawnmower comprising:
 a chassis;   a seat including left and right armrests, the seat being supported on the chassis for permitting an operator to sit or stand on the chassis;   a pair of drive wheels for supporting the chassis above the ground surface;   an engine and a pair of transmissions for driving the drive wheels; and   a pair of manually-movable handle assemblies for controlling the transmissions, each handle assembly comprising:
 a mounting bracket; 
 a handle bracket pivotally coupled to the mounting bracket about a horizontally-extending axis so that the handle bracket may pivot relative to the mounting bracket in a generally vertically-extending plane; 
 a control handle formed about a single axis and attached to and extending upwardly from the handle bracket near an end of one of the armrests so that the operator may control the lawnmower by moving the control handle primarily with his or her hands while resting his or her forearm on the armrest; and 
 a linking rod attached directly between the handle bracket and a pick-up point on one of the transmissions so that movement of the handle causes the linking rod to directly move the pick-up point for controlling operation of the transmission. 
   
     
     
         8 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the handle assemblies are mounted outboard of opposite sides of the seat so as not to block the operator's ingress or egress from the seat. 
     
     
         9 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the control handles are each 4-12 inches long. 
     
     
         10 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 9 , wherein the control handles are each 6-10 inches long. 
     
     
         11 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the control handles each pivot approximately 40 degrees between a full forward position and a full reverse direction. 
     
     
         12 . A zero-turn lawnmower comprising:
 a chassis;   a seat supported on the chassis for permitting an operator to sit or stand on the chassis;   a pair of drive wheels for supporting the chassis above a ground surface;   an engine and a pair of transmissions for driving the drive wheels; and   a pair of manually-moveable handle assemblies for controlling the transmissions, each handle assembly comprising:
 a mounting bracket; 
 a handle bracket pivotally coupled to the mounting bracket about a horizontally-extending axis so that the handle bracket may pivot relative to the mounting bracket in a generally vertically-extending plane; 
 a control handle formed about a single axis, the control handle being attached to and extending upwardly from the handle bracket; and 
 a linkage assembly attached between the handle bracket and a pick-up point on one of the transmissions that permits the handle to pivot approximately 20 degrees forward to place the transmission in a full forward speed and approximately 20 degrees rearward to place the transmission in a full reverse speed. 
   
     
     
         13 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 12 , wherein the control handles are each 4-12 inches long. 
     
     
         14 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the control handles are each 6-10 inches long. 
     
     
         15 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 12 , wherein the control handles are each pivotally coupled about a horizontally-extending axis so as to pivot in a generally vertically-extending plane. 
     
     
         16 . The lawnmower as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein the control handles each pivot approximately 40 degrees between a full forward position and a full reverse direction.