Reverse drive assembly for motorized vehicle

A method of operating a motorized vehicle including an engine, a transmission, and a reverse drive assembly, the method comprising:

• moving a pivot carrier of the reverse drive assembly from a disengaged position to an engaged position;
• operating a starter motor to rotate a motor shaft;
• driving a reverse drive gear train using the motor shaft, including driving an output gear mounted on the pivot carrier to rotate;
• and
• driving the transmission in reverse via the rotation of the output gear,
• wherein moving the pivot carrier of the reverse drive assembly from the disengaged position to the engaged position includes driving an actuator to rotate a control arm, which in response, drives the pivot carrier through a control rod, and
• wherein prior to moving the pivot carrier from the disengaged position to the engaged position, the actuator is released from a first latched position, and wherein after moving the pivot carrier from the disengaged position to the engaged position, the actuator is secured in a second latched position.

A method of operating a motorized vehicle, the motorized vehicle including an engine, a transmission with a main shaft assembly and a counter shaft assembly, a starter motor, and a reverse drive assembly, the method comprising:

• starting the engine by engaging an engine gear with a first pinion at a first end of a motor shaft of the starter motor and operating the starter motor;
• driving the motorized vehicle forward using multiple gear ratios established by gear pairs of the main shaft assembly and the counter shaft assembly;
• stopping the motorized vehicle;
• establishing a reverse power path from a second pinion at a second end of the motor shaft of the starter motor to a main shaft gear through a reverse drive gear train of the reverse drive assembly by putting an output gear of the reverse drive gear train into engagement with the main shaft gear;
• and
• driving the motorized vehicle in reverse by transferring power from the starter motor through the reverse power path to the main shaft gear,
• wherein an input gear of the reverse drive gear train remains in constant mesh with the second pinion during the starting of the engine, the forward driving, and the reverse driving.