Snowmobile drive assembly
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsRonald Keith Leonard, John E. Hoffman, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A snowmobile drive assembly includes an engine mounted on a frame by vibration isolation mounts and having an output shaft connected, by means of a flexible coupling, to a first shaft which is rotatably supported on the frame by a first pair of axially spaced bearings. A variable speed primary clutch is mounted on the first shaft between the first pair of bearings and is connected, via a drive belt, to a variable speed secondary clutch mounted on a second shaft disposed parallel to the first shaft and rotatably mounted on the frame by a second pair of bearings.
Claims2
A snowmobile drive assembly, comprising:
- a support frame;
- a prime mover having a drive shaft;
- vibration isolation mounts connecting the prime mover to the frame;
- first and second parallel shaft means;
- first and second bearing means respectively rotatably supporting the first and second shaft means on the frame with the first shaft means substantially axially aligned with the drive shaft;
- variable speed primary and secondary clutches respectively mounted on the first and second shaft means;
- a drive belt trained about and establishing a driving connection between the clutches;
- and flexible coupling means including torsional damping means connecting the drive shaft with the first shift means.
In a snowmobile drive assembly including an engine mounted on a support frame by vibration isolation mounts and having a drive shaft drivingly connected to a variable speed primary clutch which is in turn drivingly connected, by means of a drive belt, to a variable speed secondary clutch mounted on an output shaft rotatably supported on the support frame in substantial parallel relationship to the drive shaft, the improvement comprising:
- said drive shaft including a first section emanating from the engine and a second section separate from the first section;
- said primary clutch being mounted entirely on the second section;
- bearing means rotatably supporting the second section on the frame;
- and flexible coupling means including torsional damping means connecting the first and second shaft sections to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.