Planetary gear assembly with reversible PTO shaft

A planetary gear assembly comprising:

• an input sun gear;
• a first planetary gearset having a first plurality of planetary gears driven by the input sun gear;
• a planet carrier drivingly coupled with the first plurality of planetary gears;
• a second planetary gearset comprising a second plurality of planetary gears driven by the input sun gear;
• an output sun gear drivingly coupled with the second plurality of planetary gears wherein rotation of the input sun gear drivingly rotates the planet carrier at a first rotational speed and the output sun gear at a second rotational speed that differs from the first rotational speed;
• an output shaft rotationally fixed to the planet carrier wherein the output shaft and the output sun gear are simultaneously rotated about a common longitudinal axis at different speeds by rotation of the input sun gear, a longitudinally extending central passage extending through the output shaft wherein the output sun gear is accessible through the longitudinally extending central passage and wherein the output shaft has an internal set of splines disposed within the longitudinally extending passage;
• a PTO shaft having a first end and an opposite second end, the first end having a first set of splines defining a first spline arrangement and the second end having a second set of splines defining a second spline arrangement different than the first spline arrangement, wherein the PTO shaft is drivingly couplable with the planet carrier by inserting the second end of the PTO shaft into the longitudinally extending passage whereby the PTO shaft is rotatable at the first rotational speed with the first end of the PTO shaft projecting outwardly from the planetary gear assembly;
• and wherein the PTO shaft is drivingly couplable with the output sun gear by inserting the first end of the PTO shaft into longitudinally extending passage whereby the PTO shaft is rotatable at the second rotational speed with the second end of the PTO shaft projecting outwardly from the planetary gear assembly;
• wherein the PTO shaft has an intermediate set of splines defining a maximum diameter of the PTO shaft, the intermediate set of splines being positioned closer to the second end of the PTO shaft than the first end of the PTO shaft, the intermediate set of splines being engageable with the internal set of splines of the output shaft to thereby drivingly couple the PTO shaft with the planet carrier when the second end of the PTO shaft is inserted into the longitudinally extending passage;
• and
• the output sun gear has a splined recess engageable with the first set of splines of the PTO shaft to thereby drivingly couple with the PTO shaft with the output sun gear when the first end of the PTO shaft is inserted into the longitudinally extending passage.