Patent ID: 6942375

Claim:
A vehicle, comprising: (a) one or more rigid frame structures to which a majority of other components of said vehicle are engaged directly or indirectly and from which those other components of said vehicle derive support directly or indirectly; (b) a suspension system that is constructed and engaged to said one or more rigid frame structures in such a manner to support said one or more rigid frame structures above the ground and to provide said vehicle with relatively low resistance to movement along the ground; (c) one or more body structures that are mounted to said one or more rigid frame structures and that are adapted for residence therein and/or thereupon of cargo and/or passengers of said vehicle; (d) a powertrain that is mounted to said one or more rigid frame structures of said vehicle and that comprises a primary internal combustion engine with a crankshaft; (e) wherein said vehicle comprises one or more driving ground-engaging components that are part of both said suspension system and said powertrain; (f) wherein said powertrain comprises driveline components that are operable to couple a driveline end of said crankshaft of said primary internal combustion engine to said driving ground-engaging components to cause them to rotate relative to said rigid frame structures and to move said vehicle along the ground; (g) a hydraulic pump having a pump-body directly or indirectly rigidly mounted to an end of said primary internal combustion engine opposite said driveline end of said crankshaft; (h) wherein an input shaft of said hydraulic pump is coupled to a non-driveline end of said crankshaft and is powered thereby to pump hydraulic fluid; (i) one or more accessory systems that can be powered by pressurized hydraulic fluid delivered from said hydraulic pump; (j) wherein said input shaft of said hydraulic pump is substantially in alignment with a centerline of said crankshaft; and (k) wherein said hydraulic pump is mounted in spaced relationship to said primary internal combustion engine through a pump-mounting bracket that is rigidly mounted to said primary internal combustion engine adjacent said non-driveline end of said crankshaft.