Work equipment transmission with gear baffle and method of assembly

A method of assembling a work equipment transmission with a baffle, comprising:

• providing a first housing body having a first baffle-retaining surface and an outlet opening;
• mounting a gear in the first housing body, the gear having a face and an outer periphery and rotatable about a gear axis defined by the outlet opening;
• installing a baffle on the gear, the baffle having:
• a shroud wall defining a peripheral lip;
• an annular collar having an annular collar lip, the annular collar having an opening concentric with the annular collar lip;
• an end wall extending radially and uniting the shroud wall and the annular collar;
• mounting a second housing body to the first housing body, the second housing body having a second baffle-retaining surface;
• and
• mating the first housing body with the second housing body to form a gearbox housing containing the gear within an internal cavity that defines a sump retaining a volume of lubricant;
• wherein the baffle is disposed within the gearbox housing to separate the gear from the volume of lubricant in the sump, the end wall extending proximate the face of the gear and the shroud wall extending at least partially around the outer periphery of the gear;
• and
• wherein the baffle is mounted to the gearbox housing with the opening disposed about the gear axis by a clamping force between the first housing body and the second housing body and engagement of the peripheral lip with the first baffle-retaining surface of the first housing body and engagement of the collar lip with the second baffle-retaining surface of the second housing body.