Patent ID: 8500591

Claim:
In a vehicle final drive including a fixed spindle having an annular mounting flange joined to an axially outwardly projecting cylindrical portion, a wheel hub mounted for rotation about said spindle cylindrical portion by axially inner and outer wheel bearings, said hub containing a planetary transmission located outboard of said spindle and including a ring gear having a hub splined to an exterior of an outer end region of said spindle cylindrical portion and serving as a support for an inner race of said axially outer wheel bearing, a brake assembly located within said spindle and including a disc brake pack comprising interleaved rotor and stator discs located in an axially outer region of said spindle cylindrical portion, and an annular reaction plate being mounted to an axially outer end face of said cylindrical portion of said spindle, the improvement comprising: said planetary transmission being a two-stage planetary transmission having a first stage planet carrier located within said ring gear and carrying a plurality of equal angularly spaced support pins; a set of first stage planet gear bearings being located on each support pin; a first stage planet gear being rotatably mounted on each support pin by said set of planet gear bearings; each said first stage planet gear having teeth meshed with teeth of said ring gear thereby supporting said first stage planet carrier; said first stage planet carrier including a cylindrical portion projecting axially inwardly through said annular reaction plate and through said disc brake pack and having a splined connection with said rotor discs; at least one recess extending axially within said cylindrical portion of the spindle adjacent said disc brake pack; a cooling and lubrication fluid supply passage being provided in said spindle in axial alignment with, and having an end opening into, said at least one recess; said reaction plate being provided with a fluid-directing bore aligned axially with said fluid supply passage; and a tubular fluid distribution nozzle having opposite ends respectively received in said fluid supply passage and said fluid-directing bore, with a plurality of radially extending, fluid distributing holes being axially spaced along said nozzle for supplying cooling and lubrication fluid to said disc brake pack while fluid also flows out the end of the nozzle and through said fluid-directing bore.