Patent ID: 7377351

Claim:
A power train for a vehicle, the vehicle including a frame, an engine mounted to the frame and having a rotatable engine output shaft, and front and rear axles each rotatably connected with the frame, the power train comprising: a gearbox including a rotatable input shaft and a rotatable output shaft operably coupleable with the input shaft, the gear box being configured such that the input shaft drives the output shaft at a single, fixed speed ratio in a first rotational direction and alternatively drives the output shaft at a single, fixed speed ratio in a second, opposing rotational direction, the output shaft being operatively coupleable with the front axle and with the rear axle so as to separately drive each one of the two axles to rotate with respect to the frame; and a continuously variable transmission unit connected with the engine output shaft and with the gearbox input shaft such that the engine output shaft drives the input shaft, the transmission unit being configured so that a ratio of an engine shaft rotational speed to an input shaft rotational speed is variable within a range of values having a lower limit of less than 1 and an upper limit of greater than 3.