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US 6,607,462 B2Granted
Hydrostatic transaxles
AssigneeHydro-Thoma Limited
InventorsChristian Helmut Thoma, George Duncan McRae Arnold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeHydro-Thoma Limited
InventorsChristian Helmut Thoma, George Duncan McRae Arnold
Estimating the term…
An axle assembly for use in lawn tractors, pedestrian walk-behind mowers and snow blowers in the form of a housing having an internally disposed hydrostatic transmission and speed reducing gearing. An input shaft supported in the housing for driving a variable-displacement hydraulic pump of the hydrostatic transmission, the pump fluidly coupled to a fixed-displacement hydraulic motor of the hydrostatic transmission, and where the motor is drivingly connected through the speed reducing gearing to an output axle shaft or shafts. A mechanical differential disposed within said housing for applications requiring differential speeds of said axle output shafts. The housing being formed by three housing members and joined together along a substantially planar and horizontally peripheral seam formed therebetween such that two of said housing members are to one side of said seam and join with the third housing element. Two internal chambers formed by the three housing elements where one chamber contains the hydrostatic transmission and the other chamber contains the speed reducing gearing. A connecting shaft spanning between the chambers to provide the power transmission link between the hydrostatic transmission and the speed reducing gearing.
An axle assembly comprising a hydrostatic transmission and a mechanical differential disposed adjacent one another in respective chambers formed by surrounding housing elements, and a bridging element disposed between said chambers, said housing elements including two housing cover elements arranged side by side and each overlying a respective end of said bridging element, said hydrostatic transmission and said mechanical differential being operatively interconnected via reduction gearing disposed within said housing elements, said bridging element surrounding a power transmission link comprising at least one shaft, said power transmission link passing from one said chamber to another said chamber for the transmission of power between said hydrostatic transmission and said mechanical differential.
An axle assembly comprising a hydrostatic transmission and a reduction gear train disposed adjacent one another in respective chambers formed by surrounding housing elements, and a bridging element disposed between said chambers, said housing elements comprising at least three housing elements of which two are defined as being a hydrostatic transmission cover element and a gearing cover element arranged side by side and each overlying a respective end of said bridging element such that an intermediate portion of said bridging element is exposed exteriorly of said housing elements, said bridging element surrounding a power transmission link comprising at least one shaft, said power transmission link passing from one said chamber to another said chamber for the transmission of power between said hydrostatic transmission and said reduction gear train.
An axle assembly comprising a hydrostatic transmission and a reduction gear train disposed adjacent one another in respective chambers formed by surrounding housing elements, and a bridging element disposed between said chambers and having an intermediate portion positioned between two end portions and where said intermediate portion is exposed exteriorly of said housing elements, said bridging element mounted in said housing elements such that one end portion lies nearer to a first chamber containing said hydrostatic transmission while the other end portion lies nearer to a second chamber containing said reduction gear train, said bridging element surrounding a power transmission link comprising at least one shaft, said power transmission link passing from one said chamber to another said chamber for the transmission of power between said hydrostatic transmission and said reduction gear train.
An axle assembly comprising a hydrostatic transmission and a reduction gear train disposed adjacent one another in respective chambers formed by surrounding housing elements, and a bridging element disposed between said chambers, said housing elements including a hydrostatic transmission housing cover element overlying whichever end of said bridging element is lying nearer to the first chamber containing said hydrostatic transmission, said bridging element surrounding a power transmission link comprising at least one shaft, said power transmission link passing from one said chamber to another said chamber for the transmission of power between said hydrostatic transmission and said reduction gear train.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.