Powered transmission arrangement for articulating-frame logging tractor

Claim 1

A VEHICLE COMPRISING FRONT AND REAR 2-WHEELED SECTIONS, ONE A ROCKING SECTION AND THE OTHER A NON-ROCKING SECTION, ARTICULATING FOR SWING MOTION ONE IN RELATION TO THE OTHER, ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS OCCUPYING THE LONGITUDINAL MEDIAN LINE OF BOTH SECTIONS, WITH EACH OF SAID SECTIONS HAVING A HOUSED LIVE AXLE FOR ITS TWO WHEELS, A CRADLE RIGID WITH THE HOUSING FOR THE LIVE AXLE OF THE ROCKING SECTION, A MAIN FRAME FOR EACH OF SAID SECTIONS, THE FRAME FOR THE NON-ROCKING SECTION BEING RIGIDLY SUSTAINED BY THE RELATED AXLE HOUSING, THE FRAME FOR THE ROCKING SECTION BEING CARRIED BY SAID CRADLE FOR ROCKER MOTION RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS OCCUPYING THE LONGITUDINAL MEDIAN LINE OF THE SECTION, A RESPECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL FOR EACH OF THE AXLES EACH HAVING A INPUT SHAFT POINTING INWARDLY TOWARD THE AXIS OF ARTICULATION, AN ENGINE SUPPORTED BY ONE OF THE MAIN FRAMES PROVIDING AN OUTPUT SHAFT SPACED LONGITUDINALLY FROM AND POINTING INWARDLY TOWARD THE AXIS OF ARTICULATION, A TRANSFER MECHANISM SUPPORTED BY THE SAME FRAME WHICH SUPPORTS THE ENGINE IN SAID SPACE BETWEEN THE OUTPUT SHAFT AND THE AXIS OF ARTICULATION AND HAVING BOTH AN UPPER LEVEL INPUT SHAFT SPACED FROM AND POINTING OUTWARDLY TOWARD THE ENGINE''S OUTPUT SHAFT AND TWO CO-AXIAL LOWER LEVEL OUTPUT SHAFTS ONE SPACED FROM AND POINTING OUTWARDLY TOWARD THE INPUT SHAFT OF THE RELATED DIFFERENTIAL AND THE OTHER SPACED FROM AND POINTING INWARDLY TOWARD THE AXIS OF ARTICULATION, THE AXIS OF THE OUTPUT SHAFTS OF THE TRANSFER MECHANISM OCCUPYING THE LONGITUNDINAL MEDIAN LINE OF THE RELATED SECTION, A STUB SHAFT JOURNALED FROM THE OTHER MAIN FRAME WITH ITS AXIS EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY ON THE LONGITUDINAL MEDIAN LINE OF THE FRAME ON THE SAME LEVEL AS THAT OCCUPIED BY THE OUTPUT SHAFTS OF THE TRANSFER MECHANISM AND SPACED FROM THE AXIS OF ARTICULATION A DISTANCE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AS THE TRANSFER MECHANISM IS SPACED FROM SAID AXIS, A PLURALITY OF TORQUE RODS HAVING A RESPECTIVE UNIVERSAL AT THE TWO ENDS OF EACH AND EXTENDING ONE AS A DRIVE CONNECTION FROM THE OUTPUT SHAFT OF THE ENGINE TO THE INPUT SHAFT OF THE TRANSFER MECHANISM, ONE AS A DRIVE CONNECTION FROM THE OUTWARDLY POINTING OUTPUT SHAFT OF THE TRANSFER MECHANISM TO THE INPUT SHAFT OF THE DIFFERENTIAL TOWARD WHICH IT POINTS, AND ONE AS A DRIVE CONNECTION FROM THE OUTWARDLY POINTING END OF THE STUB SHAFT TO THE INPUT SHAFT OF THE DIFFERENTIAL TOWARD WHICH IT POINTS, AND A TELESCOPING TORQUE ROD COMPRISING SPLINE-CONNECTED SECTIONS HAVING UNIVERSALS AT THE OUTER ENDS EXTENDING AS A DRIVE CONNECTION FROM THE INWARDLY POINTING OUTPUT SHAFT OF THE TRANSFER MECHANISM TO THE INWARDLY POINTING END OF THE STUB SHAFT.