Abstract: In a riding lawn tractor having a parallelogram front wheel suspension, a rigid support member on the tractor frame is of inverted U-shaped cross-section, with downwardly projecting front and rear walls, and the wheel brackets are pivoted to its opposite ends. A tubular bushing has one end portion received in a closely fitting hole in one of those walls; a flange secured to the bushing near its other end flatwise overlies the other wall and is bolted to it. A power takeoff shaft is rotatably housed in the bushing and has end portions that project forwardly and rearwardly beyond it for connection to a front-mounted implement and an underslung mower, one of those end portions also supporting a pulley for a belt connection between the shaft and the tractor engine. The bushing also serves as a trunnion for a tiltable mower hitch support.

Abstract: A mower hitch support (103) pivoted to the front of a tractor (11) has a connection (126, 128, 132) with an axle link (46) interconnecting front wheels (17, 18) mounted individually on the tractor frame (12) to cause an underslung mower to tilt laterally in response to the front wheels encountering undulations in the ground thereby substantially avoiding scalping of the lawn.

Abstract: The foot pedal assembly of a motor vehicle brake control includes a foot pedal which is mounted on a laterally extending arm of lever for limited pivotal movement about a transverse axis. The foot pedal includes a latching part which cooperatively engages a complementary part on the tractor to hold the foot pedal assembly in a parking brake position. The main part of the foot pedal is cut from a piece of extruded metal, such as aluminum. A vertically disposed end plate is releasably secured to the main part and extends upwardly to serve as an abutment or shoulder to prevent the operator's foot from sliding off the pedal. The end plate extends into a recess in the arm to maintain the pedal on the arm.

Abstract: A resilient hitch linkage between a towing vehicle such as a tractor and an implement or attachment such as, for example, a rotary tiller, towed by the towing vehicle. The resilient hitch linkage serves to reduce the transmission of impact or shock loads and/or vibrations between the implement and the tractor and includes a front link pivotally connected to a hitch point on the tractor and a rear link pivotally connected to the attachment being towed. One of the pivoted links, such as the rear link, has a member with multiple flat exterior surfaces such as a member of rectangular cross section (a "square tube") secured thereto and extending laterally therefrom. The other pivoted link, such as the front link, has a first U-shaped clamp member secured thereto and lying on one side of the "square tube" carried by the one link. A pair of rubber cylinders are retained by the first clamp member.

Abstract: A hydrostatic transmission drive pump swash plate control including a control arm and a cam which are mounted on axes perpendicular to one another. The control arm is connected to the swash plate to effect simultaneous movement of the control arm and swash plate. Cushioned link means operatively interconnect the cam and a manual control member. The cam includes a cylindrical portion with a cam slot which is shaped similar to the first 90.degree. of a sine wave between full speed reverse and neutral and similar to the first 90.degree. of another sine wave from neutral to full forward speed. A resilient cam roller on the control arm absorbs fluctuating stroking forces of the pump and cooperatively engages the cam slot to produce a low rate of ground speed change near the neutral condition of the hydrostatic transmission and also near maximum forward and maximum reverse ground travel speed.