# US 11,305,598 B2 · Recreational off-highway vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,598 B2 - Document ID: US11305598B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/529,453 - Filed: 2019-08-01 - Published: 2021-02-04 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-01 - Assignees: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Todd A. Booth; Keith E. Kotrla; Louis R. Doucette; Craig S. Letourneau; Thomas Teribury - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305598B2 ## CPC - B60G 3/20: all arms being rigid - B60K 1/00: Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) - B60G 7/02: Attaching arms to sprung part of vehicle {(B60G7/006 takes precedence)} - B60G 9/00: Resilient suspensions of a rigid axle or axle housing for two or more wheels {(the axle being a part of a set of tandem axles B60G5/00-B60G5/065; with leaf springs B60G11/02-B60G11/08)} - B60G 9/025: {using linkages for the suspension of the axle allowing its lateral swinging displacement} - B60G 11/14: having helical, spiral or coil springs only {(B60G11/006 takes precedence)} - B60G 13/00: Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or type of vibration dampers (adjusting damping effect B60G17/06; vibration dampers per se F16F) - B60G 15/062: {the spring being arranged around the damper (B60G15/061, B60G15/067, B60G15/07 take precedence)} - B60K 17/165: {provided between independent half axles (B60K17/18, B60K17/20 take precedence)} - B60G 2200/314: with longitudinally arranged arms articulated on the axle - B60G 2200/422: Driving wheels or live axles - B60G 2202/12: Wound spring - B60G 2202/24: Fluid damper - B60G 2202/31: with the spring arranged around the damper, e.g. MacPherson strut - B60G 2204/128: Damper mount on vehicle body or chassis - B60G 2204/143: on the vehicle body or chassis - B60G 2206/427: Stabiliser bars or tubes - B60G 2300/07: Off-road vehicles - B60G 2300/124: Quads - B60G 2300/13: Small sized city motor vehicles - B60K 2005/003: {the internal combustion or jet propulsion unit is arranged between the front and the rear axle} - B60Y 2200/20: Off-Road Vehicles - B60Y 2400/86: Suspension systems - B62D 23/005: {with integrated chassis in the whole shell, e.g. meshwork, tubes, or the like (B62D33/044 takes precedence)} - B60G: VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS (air-cushion vehicles B60V; {cycle suspensions B62K25/00}) - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract A recreational off-highway vehicle includes a vehicle frame, at least one front wheel, a pair of rear wheels, a solid rear axle, a pair of trailing arms, a rear differential and a motor. The solid rear axle rotatably supports the rear wheels at its opposite ends. Each of the trailing arms is pivotally connected to the vehicle frame and the solid rear axle. A shock absorber is coupled between the vehicle frame and each of the trailing arms. The rear differential is supported on the solid rear axle and connected to the rear wheels. The transmission has a propeller shaft connected to the rear differential to drive the rear wheels. The motor is connected operatively to the transmission. The propeller shaft includes first and second drive sections that articulates relative to each other. The second drive section is connected to the rear differential. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A recreational off-highway vehicle comprising: a vehicle frame having a front portion, a rear portion and a passenger compartment between the front and rear portions; at least one front wheel supporting the front portion of the vehicle frame; a right rear wheel supporting a right lateral side of the rear portion of the vehicle frame; a left rear wheel supporting a left lateral side of the rear portion of the vehicle frame; a solid rear axle rotatably supporting the right and left rear wheels at opposite ends of the solid rear axle; a right trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the vehicle frame and a rear end pivotally supporting a right end of the solid rear axle; a left trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the vehicle frame and a rear end pivotally supporting a left end of the solid rear axle; at least one right shock absorber coupled between the vehicle frame and the right trailing arm; at least one left shock absorber coupled between the vehicle frame and the left trailing arm; a rear differential supported on the solid rear axle and operatively connected to the left rear wheel and the right rear wheel; a transmission disposed on the vehicle frame and operatively connected to the rear differential by a propeller shaft to drive the right and left rear wheels via the rear differential; and a motor operatively connected to the transmission, the propeller shaft including a first drive section and a second drive section that articulates relative to the first drive section, the second drive section being connected to the first drive section and the rear differential via mechanical articulating joints, respectively, that are disposed at both ends of the second drive section. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second drive section of the propeller shaft having a first part and a second part telescopically coupled together by a plunging connection, the second drive section has a first longitudinal length while the at least one right shock absorber and the at least one left shock absorber are in resting states, and a second longitudinal length while the at least one right shock absorber and the at least one left shock absorber are in non-resting states, the first longitudinal length and the second longitudinal length are different. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear differential has a right output axle coupled to a right hub axle of the right rear wheel, and a left output axle coupled to a left hub axle of the left rear wheel, the right and left output axles having rotational axes that are offset upward with respect to rotational axes of the right and left hub axles. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a sway bar disposed inside an integral frame tube of the vehicle frame located rearward of rotational axes of the right and left rear wheels, a right arm fixed to a right end of the sway bar, a left arm fixed to a left end of the sway bar, a right link having a first end coupled to the right arm and a second end coupled to the right trailing arm, and a left link having a first end coupled to the left arm and a second end coupled to the left trailing arm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one right shock absorber includes a pair of right shock absorbers coupled between the vehicle frame and the right trailing arm; and the at least one left shock absorber includes a pair of left shock absorbers coupled between the vehicle frame and the left trailing arm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the motor is located rearward of a seat in the passenger compartment. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear differential is disposed at a location laterally offset from a vertical center plane that is equally spaced from the left and right rear wheels. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a left control link having a first end movably coupled to the vehicle frame and a second end movably coupled to the solid rear axle; and a right control link having a first end movably coupled to the vehicle frame and a second end movably coupled to the solid rear axle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 8, wherein one of the first and second ends of each of the left and right control links is vertically adjustable with respect to a corresponding one of the vehicle frame and the solid rear axle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the motor is disposed rearward of the transmission. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the solid rear axle rotatably supports the right and left rear wheels at the opposite ends of the solid rear axle such that the right and left rear wheels move together with respect to the vehicle frame. ### Claim 12 A recreational off-highway vehicle comprising: a vehicle frame having a front portion, a rear portion and a passenger compartment between the front and rear portions; at least one front wheel supporting the front portion of the vehicle frame; a right rear wheel supporting a right lateral side of the rear portion of the vehicle frame; a left rear wheel supporting a left lateral side of the rear portion of the vehicle frame; a solid rear axle rotatably supporting the right and left rear wheels at opposite ends of the solid rear axle; a rear differential supported on the solid rear axle at a location that is laterally offset from a vertical center plane that is equally spaced from the left and right rear wheels, and operatively connected to the left rear wheel and the right rear wheel, the rear differential being entirely offset from a vertical center plane that is equally spaced from the left and right rear wheels such that the vertical center plane does not intersect the rear differential; a motor operatively connected to the rear differential to drive the right and left rear wheels via the rear differential; a right trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the vehicle frame and a rear end pivotally supporting a right end of the solid rear axle; a left trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the vehicle frame and a rear end pivotally supporting a left end of the solid rear axle; at least one right shock absorber coupled between the vehicle frame and the right trailing arm; and at least one left shock absorber coupled between the vehicle frame and the left trailing arm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 12, further comprising a transmission disposed on the vehicle frame and operatively connected to the motor, the transmission being operatively connected to the rear differential by a propeller shaft to drive the right and left rear wheels via the rear differential. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the motor is disposed rearward of the transmission. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the motor is located rearward of a seat in the passenger compartment. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the rear differential has a right output axle coupled to a right hub axle of the right rear wheel, and a left output axle coupled to a left hub axle of the left rear wheel, the right and left output axles having rotational axes that are offset upward with respect to rotational axes of the right and left hub axles. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 12, further comprising a sway bar disposed inside an integral frame tube of the vehicle frame located rearward of rotational axes of the right and left rear wheels, a right arm fixed to a right end of the sway bar, a left arm fixed to a left end of the sway bar, a right link having a first end coupled to the right arm and a second end coupled to the right trailing arm, and a left link having a first end coupled to the left arm and a second end coupled to the left trailing arm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the at least one right shock absorber includes a pair of right shock absorbers coupled between the vehicle frame and the right trailing arm; and the at least one left shock absorber includes a pair of left shock absorbers coupled between the vehicle frame and the left trailing arm. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 12, further comprising a left control link having a first end movably coupled to the vehicle frame and a second end movably coupled to the solid rear axle; and a right control link having a first end movably coupled to the vehicle frame and a second end movably coupled to the solid rear axle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 19, wherein one of the first and second ends of each of the left and right control links is vertically adjustable with respect to a corresponding one of the vehicle frame and the solid rear axle. ### Claim 21 (depends on 12) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the solid rear axle includes a first axle housing and a second axle housing, the first and second axle housings being bolted to a housing of the rear differential. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 21, wherein the first axle housing has a first length extending from the rear differential to a left knuckle of the left wheel, and the second axle housing has a second length extending from the rear differential to a knuckle hub of the right wheel, the first and second lengths are unequal. ### Claim 23 (depends on 12) The recreational off-highway vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the solid rear axle rotatably supports the right and left rear wheels at the opposite ends of the solid rear axle such that the right and left rear wheels move together with respect to the vehicle frame.