Patent ID: 11391360

Abstract:
An inline gearbox for a land vehicle that includes an engine having a clutch housing for the transmission of rotational force from the engine to one or more wheels for propelling the land vehicle, wherein the inline gearbox includes a gearbox housing having a front end, a side and a rear end, with the front end adapted to be joined to the clutch housing. There is an input shaft contained at least in part within the gearbox housing proximate to the front end of the gearbox housing, and a primary gear train that includes (a) a lay shaft; (b) a drive shaft; and (c) a plurality of selectively engaged meshed gear pairs respectively mounted on the lay shaft and the drive shaft for transmitting rotational force from the lay shaft to the drive shaft. The inline gearbox also includes an output shaft contained at least in part within the gearbox housing proximate to the rear end of the gearbox housing, with the output shaft rotationally coupled to the drive shaft. The inline gearbox features a fast-change gear assembly contained within the gearbox housing, where the fast-change gear assembly is positioned proximate the front end of the gearbox housing and interposed between the input shaft and the lay shaft, with the fast-change gear assembly comprising a first fast-change gear and a second fast-change gear meshing with the first fast-change gear, and with the first fast-change gear and the second fast-change gear each having an axis generally parallel to the axis of the input shaft. The first fast-change gear is rotationally coupled to the input shaft so as to rotate with the rotation of the input shaft, and translationally uncoupled to the input shaft to permit removal of the first fast-change gear from the gearbox housing; and the second fast-change gear is rotationally coupled to the lay shaft so as to rotate the lay shaft upon rotation of the second fast-change gear, and translationally uncoupled to the lay shaft to permit removal of the second fast-change gear from the gearbox housing.