Patent ID: 7186198

Claim:
An improved transaxle of the type having a differential section with a front, a transmission section, an input shaft with a surface and with a transmission end having splines with sides, a forward drum having mating splines with sides and being splined to the input shaft, a forward hub in the forward drum, an intermediate shaft splined to the forward hub, planetary gears connected to the intermediate shaft, an output shaft attached to the planetary gears, a pinion shaft attached to the output shaft, a pinion gear connected to the pinion shaft, and a ring gear powered by the pinion shaft with such ring hear having a first side and an opposite side, wherein the improvement comprises: the differential section having a space between the differential section and the input shaft; the transmission section having a space between the transmission section and the input shaft; the splines radiating outward from the transmission end of the input shaft beginning at the distance of the outer diameter of the remainder of the input shaft; and at least one position for a spline on the transmission end of the input shaft being left without a spline.