Patent ID: 6871726

Claim:
A work vehicle comprising: a frame; an axle assembly coupled to the frame and including a first axle shaft and a first axle housing, wherein the first axle shaft is disposed substantially within the first axle housing; a first wheel coupled to the axle assembly; an axle lubricating fluid disposed within the first axle housing; a first axle cooling device disposed substantially within the first axle housing, in contact with at least a portion of the lubricating fluid, including a first coil; a cooling fluid contained within the first coil, wherein the first coil is configured to conduct cooling fluid therethrough and to maintain the cooling fluid separate from the lubricating fluid; a cooling fluid circuit fluidly coupled to the first coil, wherein the cooling circuit includes a cooling fluid pump and a cooling fluid reservoir, and wherein the first coil receives cooling fluid from the pump and delivers cooling fluid to the reservoir; a heat exchanger to remove heat from the cooling fluid; a control valve disposed to direct at least a portion of the cooling fluid to the first coil at a predetermined pressure difference across the first coil; and a second wheel, wherein the axle assembly is further coupled to the second wheel and further includes a second axle shaft, a second axle housing, and a second coil, and further wherein the second axle shaft and the second coil are disposed substantially within the second axle housing, wherein an inlet of the second coil is in fluid communication with an inlet of the first coil and an outlet of the second coil is in fluid communication with an outlet of the first coil, and parallel flow paths are thereby provided through the first and second coils.