Patent ID: 8793990

Claim:
A drive apparatus, comprising: a housing forming a sump; a center section disposed in the sump and comprising a first running surface for a motor cylinder block disposed on a first side thereof; a second running surface for a pump cylinder block disposed on a second side thereof, and a thrust spacer having a first portion disposed on a third side of the center section opposite the first side and a second portion extending away from the center section; a motor shaft disposed in the sump and driven by the motor cylinder block; a gear train disposed in the housing and driven by the motor shaft, the gear train comprising a plurality of drive gears and an output gear fixed on the motor shaft, wherein the second portion of the thrust spacer forms a space in which the output gear is disposed to prevent contact between at least one of the plurality of drive gears and the output gear; and a first axle shaft having a first end extending from the housing and a second end engaged to and driven by the gear train.