Automatic traction enhancement for transaxle

A bi-directional overrunning clutch comprising:

• a gear;
• a roller assembly, disposed within the gear, including
• a roll cage having a recess,
• a roller located within the recess, and
• a spring pin extending from the roll cage and having a ball lock;
• and
• a hub, located at least partially within the roller assembly, adapted to engage an end of a shaft segment of a primary drive axle, and having a detent, on a surface of the hub, adapted to receive the ball lock of the spring pin to thereby form a spring pin engagement.

A transaxle on a primary drive axle of a wheeled machine comprising:

• a transaxle housing;
• an input shaft extending into the housing;
• a transmission coupled to the input shaft through an input drive train so as to be driven by the rotary motion of the input shaft;
• and
• a bi-directional overrunning clutch, disposed within the housing, coupled to the transmission through an output drive train, and comprising
• an input gear having gear teeth mated with the output drive train,
• a roller assembly disposed within the input gear, the roller assembly including
• a plurality of rollers arranged in two sets of rollers,
• a roll cage having a plurality of recesses, each roller being located within one of the recesses, and
• a plurality of spring pins extending from the roll cage,
• a pair of hubs, each disposed at least partially within the roller assembly, each adapted to engage an end of one of a pair of shaft segments of a primary drive axle for rotation therewith, and each having a plurality of detents along a surface of each hub;
• and
• wherein each spring pin has a ball lock adapted to engage with the detents on the surfaces of the hubs so as to form a plurality of spring pin engagements between the roller assembly and the hubs.

A bi-directional overrunning clutch comprising:

• a gear;
• a roller assembly, disposed within the gear, including
• a roll cage, and
• a spring extending from the roll cage;
• a hub, located at least partially within the roller assembly, adapted to engage an end of a shaft segment of a primary drive axle;
• and
• a friction member disposed between the roller assembly and the hub, wherein the spring is adapted to exert a force on the friction member, thereby creating a frictional force between the friction member and the hub.