Transmission and controls therefor

Claim 2

A transmission and control therefor, comprising: input, output and countershafts; multi-range drive means for driving the output shaft from the countershaft and including a first clutch shiftable among neutral, low range, and transport range positions and a second clutch shiftable among neutral, intermediate range and high range positions; a range selector means connected to said first and second clutches and including a first shift lever selectively, sequentially movable among low, intermediate, high and transport range positions for achieving corresponding positions of the first and second clutches; a first two-speed drive means for driving the countershaft from the input shaft and including a third clutch shiftable among neutral, low speed and high speed positions; a two-speed transmission section being connected to the input shaft to drive the latter, the transmission section including a second two-speed drive means for driving the input shaft at low and high speeds and including a control means shiftable between low speed and high speed positions; a speed selector means connected to said third clutch and control means and including a second shift lever selectively, sequentially movable among first, second, third and fourth speed positions for respectively achieving the low speed positions of both the selector means and the third clutch, the high speed position of the selector means and the low speed position of the third clutch, the low speed position of the selector means and the high speed position of the third clutch and the high speed position of the selector means and the high speed position of the third clutch; the speed ratios of said first and second two-speed drive means being such that the countershaft is driven at increasing speeds as the second lever is shifted from its first to its fourth position; said speed ratios of said multi-range drive means are related to the speed ratios of said first and second two-speed drive means such that the first and fourth positions of the second shift lever respectively achieve output shaft speeds defining a different range of speeds for each of the four positions of the first shift lever, thus defining four ranges of speeds; at least two of said four ranges of speeds overlapping; and indicia means for visually indicating, to an operator, the positions to which the first and second shift levers must be shifted to achieve that output shaft speed which is adjacent to and greater or less than the speed at which the output shaft is operating.

Claim 3

THe transmission and control therefor defined in claim 1 wherein the low, intermediate, high and transport range positions of the first shift lever are in substantial alignment along a path of movement of the first lever; said indicia means including: a first column of numbers extending parallel to said path of movement and gradually increasing from a first number, representative of the slowest output shaft speed achievable, to a last number, representative of the fastest output shaft speed achievable; four columns, consisting of four numbers each, extending parallel to said first column of numbers; means visually associating the four columns with the four range positions of the first shift lever; and said four numbers in each of the four columns respectively representing the four operative positions of the second shift lever and being respectively located directly across from the locations in the first column of numbers which contain the numbers, or locations between numbers, which represent the output shaft speeds achievable by placing the second shift lever in the positions represented by the four numbers.

Claim 4

The transmission and control therefor defined in claim 1 wherein the speed ratios of said multi-range drive means are related to the speed ratios of said first and second two-speed drive means such that for every range position of the first shift lever, a set of four different output shaft speeds are respectively achievable by moving the second shift lever among its four speed positions, some of the four different speeds of one set of achievable output shaft speeds being between consecutive achievable output shaft speeds of another set.

Claim 5

The transmission and control therefor defined in claim 3 wherein the low, intermediate, high and transport range positions of the first shift lever are in substantial alignment along a path of movement of the first lever; said indicia means including: a first column of numbers extending parallel to said path of movement and gradually increasing from a first number, representative of the slowest output shaft speed achievable, to a last number, representative of the fastest output shaft speed achievable; four columns, consisting of four numbers each extending parallel to said first column of numbers, means visually associating the four columns with the four range positions of the first shift lever; and said four numbers in each of the four columns respectively representing the four operative positions of the second shift lever and being respectively located directly across from the locations in the first column of numbers which contain the numbers, or locations between numbers, which represent the output shaft speeds achievable by placing the second shift lever in the positions represented by the four numbers.

Claim 6

A transmission and control therefor, comprising: an eight-speed transmission section including input, output and countershafts; a two-speed planetary transmission section having an output shaft connected to said input shaft and having a first low and high speed drive means including a brake means and a first clutch means, each being selectively actuatable between engaged and disengaged conditions, low and high speed driving conditions respectively being established when the brake and clutch means are respectively in their engaged and disengaged conditions, and in their disengaged and engaged conditions; a low and high speed drive means for selectively driving the countershaft from the input shaft and including a second clutch means actuatable among a neutral disengaged condition and first and second engaged conditions wherein the countershaft is respectively connected for being driven at a low and at a high speed from the input shaft; multispeed drive means for selectively driving the output shaft from the countershaft at four different speeds and including third and fourth clutch means, each being actuatable among a neutral disengaged condition and first and second engaged conditions; the first and second engaged conditionS of said third clutch means respectively establishing conditions wherein the output shaft is driven at low and transport speeds from the countershaft and the first and second engaged conditions of said fourth clutch means respectively establishing conditions wherein the output shaft is driven at intermediate and high speeds from the countershaft; a high and low speed selector means for selectively engaging and disengaging the brake means and the first and second clutch means; said selector means including a first shift lever mounted for sequential movement among first, second, third and fourth operative positions for establishing respective conditions wherein the brake, first clutch and second clutch means are respectively in their engaged, disengaged and first engaged conditions, in their disengaged, engaged and first engaged conditions, in their engaged, disengaged and second engaged conditions and in their disengaged, engaged, and second engaged conditions; a range speed selector means for selectively placing the third and fourth clutch means in their respective operating conditions; said speed selector means including a second shift lever mounted for sequential movement among first, second, third and fourth operative positions for establishing respective conditions wherein the third and fourth clutch means are respectively in their first engaged and neutral conditions, in their neutral and first engaged conditions, in their neutral and second engaged conditions and in their second engaged and neutral conditions; the drive ratios of the first and second high and low speed drive means being such that the countershaft is driven at increasing speeds as the first shift lever is sequentially shifted from its first to its second, third and fourth operative positions and the drive ratios of the multi-speed drive means being such that the output shaft is driven at increasing speeds as the second shift lever is sequentially shifted from its first to its second, third and fourth operative positions; said speed ratios of the first and second high and low speed drive means and the speed ratios of the multi-speed drive means are such that the four ranges of output shaft speeds are obtainable by respectively moving the second shift lever to its four operative positions and by shifting the first shift lever among its four operative positions for each of the operative positions of the second lever; at least two of said ranges of speeds overlapping and each of the four speeds in one of the two ranges being different than any of the four speeds in the second of the two ranges of speeds; and indicia means for visually associating each of the four positions of the second shift lever with a set of four positions representing the positions of the first shift lever and for further visually associating the four positions within each set respectively with a number representative of the output shaft speed obtainable with the levers in the corresponding positions, whereby an operator can easily determine to which positions the levers must be shifted in order to obtain the output shaft speed which is the next lowest or highest to the speed at which the output shaft is operating.

Claim 7

A transmission and control therefor, comprising: an eight-speed transmission section including input, output and countershafts; a two-speed planetary transmission section having an output shaft connected to said input shaft and having a first low and high speed drive means including a brake means and a first clutch means, each being selectively actuatable between engaged and disengaged conditions, low and high speed driving conditions respectively being established when the brake and clutch means are respectively in their engaged and disengaged conditions, and in their disengaged and engaged conditions; a low and high speed drive means for selectively driving the countershaft from the input shaft and including a second clutch means actuatable among a neutral disengaged condition and first and second engaged conditions wherein the countershaft is respectively connected for being driven at a low and at a high speed from the input shaft; multispeed drive means for selectively driving the output shaft from the countershaft at four different speeds and including third and fourth clutch means, each being actuatable among a neutral disengaged condition and first and second engaged conditions; the first and second engaged conditionS of said third clutch means respectively establishing conditions wherein the output shaft is driven at low and transport speeds from the countershaft and the first and second engaged conditions of said fourth clutch means respectively establishing conditions wherein the output shaft is driven at intermediate and high speeds from the countershaft; a high and low speed selector means for selectively engaging and disengaging the brake means and the first and second clutch means; said selector means including a first shift lever mounted for sequential movement among first, second, third and fourth operative positions for establishing respective conditions wherein the brake, first clutch and second clutch means are respectively in their engaged, disengaged and first engaged conditions, in their disengaged, engaged and first engaged conditions, in their engaged, disengaged and second engaged conditions and in their disengaged, engaged, and second engaged conditions; a range speed selector means for selectively placing the third and fourth clutch means in their respective operating conditions; said speed selector means including a second shift lever mounted for sequential movement among first, second, third and fourth operative positions for establishing respective conditions wherein the third and fourth clutch means are respectively in their first engaged and neutral conditions, in their neutral and first engaged conditions, in their neutral and second engaged conditions and in their second engaged and neutral conditions; the drive ratios of the first and second high and low speed drive means being such that the countershaft is driven at increasing speeds as the first shift lever is sequentially shifted from its first to its second, third and fourth operative positions and the drive ratios of the multi-speed drive means being such that the output shaft is driven at increasing speeds as the second shift lever is sequentially shifted from its first to its second, third and fourth operative positions; said speed ratios of the first and second high and low speed drive means and the speed ratios of the multi-speed drive means are such that the four ranges of output shaft speeds are obtainable by respectively moving the second shift lever to its four operative positions and by shifting the first shift lever among its four operative positions for each of the operative positions of the second lever; at least two of said ranges of speeds overlapping and each of the four speeds in one of the two ranges being different than any of the four speeds in the second of the two ranges of speeds; and indicia means for visually associating each of the four positions of the second shift lever with a set of four positions representing the positions of the first shift lever and for further visually associating the four positions within each set respectively with a number representative of the output shaft speed obtainable with the levers in the corresponding positions, whereby an operator can easily determine to which positions the levers must be shifted in order to obtain the output shaft speed which is the next lowest or highest to the speed at which the output shaft is operating.