Power drive rear tine tiller with reversing gear transmission for the tines

A garden tiller comprising a chassis, a pair of traction wheels supporting said chassis, guide handles attached to said chassis by which an operator may guide said tiller, a tine shaft rotatably mounted in said chassis, earth working tines secured on said tine shaft, said tines being located between the operator and said traction wheels, an engine mounted on said chassis, first transmission means for driving said traction wheels in a given direction via said engine, second transmission means, an output shaft for said second transmission means, and a differential for driving said tines in said given direction via said second transmission means, said output shaft and said engine, said tiller being characterized by:

• said second transmission means including a reversing mechanism by means of which said tines may be driven in an opposite, reverse direction of said given direction while said traction wheels continue to be driven in said given direction;
• said second transmission means comprising a gear train including an output gear operatively connected to said output shaft, a slidable gear movable into rotational driving contact with said output gear to drive said output gear in said given direction, and gear means interposable between said slidable gear and said output gear to drive said output gear in said opposite, reverse direction;
• said gear train including a splined shaft on which said slidable gear is slidable and with which said slidable gear is rotatable, said splined shaft being rotatably driven by said engine and constituting a part of said second transmission means, said gear means including a gear idler in meshing engagement with said output gear, and a gear cluster mounted on a common shaft, said gear cluster including a first gear in meshing engagement with said gear idler and free of direct driving contact with said output gear and a second gear spaced therefrom, and shift means to slide said slidable gear out of driving contact with said output gear and into meshing driving contact with said second gear whereby to drive said output gear and output shaft in said opposite, reverse direction via said splined shaft, said slidable gear, said second gear, said first gear and said gear idler;
• and said rotational driving contact between said slidable gear and said output gear being achieved by a plurality of pins fixed in one of said slidable gear and said output gear and adapted to be received in mating holes fixed in the other of said slidable gear and said output gear.