Patent ID: 8795125

Claim:
A drive axle system for a vehicle, comprising: a first axle assembly, comprising: an input shaft directly connected to a differential carrier, and a transfer shaft, concentric with said input shaft, directly connected to a inter-axle differential output gear; a pinion gear and a ring gear; a clutch selectively engageable between an input shaft gear, said transfer shaft and a bevel second drive axle gear; a bevel second driven axle gear directly drivingly connected to one upper, outer diameter portion of said bevel second drive axle gear; a driven axle shaft driven by said bevel second driven axle gear wherein said driven axle shaft is non-parallel to and above said input shaft; and a second axle assembly, comprising a pinion gear and a ring gear, wherein said pinion gear is driven by said driven axle shaft and is collinear therewith.