Patent ID: 6994180

Claim:
A utility vehicle comprising: a front axle; a pair of rear axle shafts; a seat for at least two occupants positioned between the front axle and the rear axle shafts; a load bed positioned over the rear axle shafts; a prime mover located between the front axle and the rear axle shafts and at least partially positioned below the seat, the prime mover having a prime mover output shaft that extends from the prime mover generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a pulley attached to the end of the prime mover output shaft; and a hydraulic drive system drivingly coupled to the rear axle shafts and driven by the prime mover by a belt and pulley system, wherein the hydraulic drive system comprises: a hydraulic pump driven by a pump input shaft, the pump input shaft comprising a pulley; a hydraulic motor located within a common housing with the hydraulic pump, and hydraulically connected to the hydraulic pump and driving a motor output shaft; and gears and a differential located in the common housing with the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor; wherein the prime mover output shaft and the pump input shaft are parallel to the front axle and the rear axle shafts.