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A drive apparatus for a zero turn vehicle or similar application comprising a pair of pumps mounted in a common housing and having coaxial input shafts and an input shaft mounted in the common housing perpendicular to the two pump shafts. A pair of center sections or end caps including hydraulic por

A drive apparatus for a zero turn vehicle or similar application comprising a pair of pumps mounted in a common housing and having coaxial input shafts and an input shaft mounted in the common housing perpendicular to the two pump shafts. A pair of center sections or end caps including hydraulic porting are mounted to opposite ends of the common housing, and each center section has a hydraulic motor mounted thereon external to the common housing.

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1. A hydraulic axle combination comprising: a housing having a first pump chamber and a second pump chamber;a first hydraulic pump, having a first pump shaft, rotatably mounted within said first pump chamber;a second hydraulic pump, having a second pump shaft, rotatably mounted within said second pu

1. A hydraulic axle combination comprising: a housing having a first pump chamber and a second pump chamber;a first hydraulic pump, having a first pump shaft, rotatably mounted within said first pump chamber;a second hydraulic pump, having a second pump shaft, rotatably mounted within said second pump chamber;an input shaft mounted in and extending into said housing;a gear mounted on an intermediate portion of the input shaft and supplying torque to an intermeshing input gear mounted on one end of each of said first and second pump shafts;a first hydraulic motor in operative interconnection with said first hydraulic pump;a second hydraulic motor in operative interconnection with said second hydraulic pump; andeach of said first and second hydraulic motors including a respective first and second coaxial, rotatably journalled, output shaft, said first and second output shafts serving as respective first and second axle shafts. 2. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 1, wherein each of said operative interconnections includes a respective center section structurally and operatively interposed between its associated hydraulic pump and hydraulic motor, thereby enabling a closed-loop drive system between said associated hydraulic pumps and hydraulic motors. 3. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 2, wherein said first hydraulic pump, together with said first hydraulic motor and their associated center section, forms a first, independent hydrostatic transmission. 4. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 3, wherein said second hydraulic pump, together with said second hydraulic motor and their associated center section, forms a second, independent hydrostatic transmission. 5. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 4, wherein said first and second, independent transmissions are substantially similar, mirror-image versions of each other, and the first pump shaft is coaxial with the second pump shaft and the first axle shaft is coaxial with the second axle shaft. 6. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 5, wherein said input shaft gear is perpendicular to and intermeshes with said input gears and together therewith forms a gear box, said gear box being operatively and physically interposed between said first and second, independent hydrostatic transmissions and together therewith comprising said hydraulic axle combination. 7. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 1, wherein said first and second pump shafts are perpendicular to said input shaft. 8. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 1, wherein said first and second pump shafts are coaxially aligned. 9. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 1, wherein said housing includes an integral sump, said sump serving as a single, internal, combination fluid reservoir for said first and second hydraulic pumps as well as said first and second hydraulic motors. 10. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 9, further including at least one case drain port and plug in a bottom side of said housing. 11. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 1, further including a charge pump operatively interconnected with at least one of said first and second hydraulic pumps. 12. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a cover, with said input shaft extending into said housing through said cover. 13. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second hydraulic motors takes the form of a geroller-type motor. 14. The hydraulic axle combination of claim 1, wherein said input shaft gear is perpendicular to said intermeshing input gears and together therewith forms a gear box, with said gear box being physically located intermediate said first and second hydraulic pumps. 15. A hydraulic transaxle assembly comprising in combination: a central housing having opposed, spaced, axially aligned, first and second pump chambers;a first hydraulic pump, having a first pump shaft, operatively mounted in said first pump chamber;a first hydraulic motor in operative as well as structural interconnection with said first hydraulic pump, said first hydraulic motor including a first rotatable output shaft serving as a first axle shaft;a first center section structurally and operatively interposed between said first hydraulic pump and said first hydraulic motor and together therewith enabling a first closed-loop drive system and forming a first, independent, hydrostatic transmission;a second hydraulic pump, having a second pump shaft, operatively mounted in said second pump chamber;a second hydraulic motor in operative as well as structural interconnection with said second hydraulic pump, said second hydraulic motor including a second rotatable output shaft serving as a second axle shaft and the second axle shaft is coaxial with the first axle shaft;a second center section structurally and operatively interposed between said second hydraulic pump and said second hydraulic motor and together therewith enabling a second closed-loop drive system and forming a second, independent, hydrostatic transmission; andan input shaft, mounted in and extending into said housing between said first and second hydraulic pumps, including a gear mounted on an intermediate portion thereof, supplying torque to and perpendicularly intermeshing with said first and second input gears mounted on respective ends of said first and second pump shafts and forming therewith a gear box, said gear box, together with said first and second, independent hydrostatic transmissions comprising said hydraulic transaxle assembly. 16. The hydraulic transaxle assembly of claim 15, wherein said first and second, independent transmissions are substantially similar mirror-image versions of each other. 17. The hydraulic transaxle assembly of claim 15, wherein said central housing includes an integral, internal sump, said sump serving as a single, integral, combination fluid reservoir for at least said first and second hydrostatic transmissions. 18. The hydraulic transaxle assembly of claim 17, further including at least one drain port and plug in said integral sump in a bottom side of said housing. 19. The hydraulic transaxle assembly of claim 15, further including a charge pump, operatively interconnected with at least one of said first and second hydraulic pumps. 20. The hydraulic transaxle assembly of claim 15, wherein said housing includes a cover, with said input shaft extending into said housing through an aperture in said cover. 21. The hydraulic transaxle assembly of claim 15, wherein each of said first and second hydraulic motors takes the form of an externally generated geroller type motor.