Power transmission apparatus

Claim 1

Power transmission apparatus aDapted for being driven by the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, said apparatus comprising an input shaft, a main clutch for coupling the input shaft in driving relation with the crankshaft, a pair of driving gears loosely mounted on said input shaft in spaced relation, respectively for high-speed and low-speed operation, clutch means including a pair of spaced frictional clutches for selectively coupling said gears to said input shaft for common rotation, an output shaft adjacent the input shaft and including a pair of driven gears respectively in mesh with said driving gears, an output gear on said output shaft for delivering power, said output gear projecting into the space between the clutches so as to be partly accommodated therebetween, a differential coupled to said output gear for being driven thereby to supply external power, a pair of further gears on said input shaft for common rotation therewith, gears rotatable on sad output shaft respectively in mesh with said further gears, a fixed gear on said output shaft, a selector slidably mounted on said output shaft for selectively coupling to said fixed gear, the gears on the output shaft which are in mesh with the further gears on said input shaft whereby the gears on the output shaft can drive the output shaft from the input shaft to provide two further speeds of operation for the output shaft, a common casing enclosing said differential, said driving gears, said clutch means and said crankshaft, said common casing having opposite ends, and hollow covers for closing said ends, said main clutch extending outside said casing at one end thereof and being enclosed in one of said covers, said selector, the fixed gear, the further gears and the gears on the output shaft which mesh with said further gears all extending outside the common casing at the other end thereof and being enclosed in said other cover.