Reversible belt drive assemblies for snowmobiles
AssigneeArctic Cat Inc.
InventorsKyle D. Olason, Samuel James Sandoz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A powertrain for a snowmobile includes an engine, a gearbox input shaft receiving rotational energy from the engine and a reversible belt drive assembly coupled to the gearbox input shaft. The reversible belt drive assembly is switchable between a forward mode and a reverse mode and includes a pulley, a planetary gear system coaxial with the pulley and a selector collar assembly interposed between the pulley and the planetary gear system translatable between a first position to form a forward geartrain bypassing the planetary gear system in the forward mode and a second position to form a reverse geartrain including the planetary gear system in the reverse mode.
Claims20
A powertrain for a snowmobile comprising:
- an engine;
- a gearbox input shaft receiving rotational energy from the engine;
- and
- a reversible belt drive assembly coupled to the gearbox input shaft, the reversible belt drive assembly switchable between a forward mode and a reverse mode and comprising:
- a pulley;
- a planetary gear system coaxial with the pulley;
- and
- a selector collar assembly interposed between the pulley and the planetary gear system translatable between a first position to form a forward geartrain bypassing the planetary gear system in the forward mode and a second position to form a reverse geartrain including the planetary gear system in the reverse mode.
A snowmobile comprising:
- a chassis;
- a powertrain coupled to the chassis, the powertrain comprising:
- an engine;
- a gearbox input shaft receiving rotational energy from the engine;
- and
- a reversible belt drive assembly coupled to the gearbox input shaft, the reversible belt drive assembly switchable between a forward mode and a reverse mode and comprising:
- a pulley;
- a planetary gear system coaxial with the pulley;
- and
- a selector collar assembly interposed between the pulley and the planetary gear system translatable between a first position to form a forward geartrain bypassing the planetary gear system in the forward mode and a second position to form a reverse geartrain including the planetary gear system in the reverse mode;
- and
- a drive track receiving rotational energy from the reversible belt drive assembly such that the drive track is moveable in a first direction to propel the snowmobile forward in the forward mode and a second, opposite direction to propel the snowmobile backward in the reverse mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.