Patent ID: 8317647

Claim:
A drive unit comprising an output shaft two or more hydraulic motors, each hydraulic motor being adapted to drive the output shaft, and hydraulic fluid distribution means for supplying relatively high pressure hydraulic fluid to the drive motors and for removing relatively low pressure hydraulic fluid from the drive motors, wherein the hydraulic fluid distribution means comprises a housing having a high-pressure hydraulic fluid inlet for connection to a source of high-pressure hydraulic fluid, a low pressure hydraulic fluid outlet for connection to a hydraulic fluid outlet line, two or more high pressure hydraulic fluid outlets for connection to respective high-pressure hydraulic fluid inlets of the two or more hydraulic motors and two or more low pressure hydraulic fluid inlets for connection to respective low-pressure hydraulic fluid outlets of the two or more hydraulic motors, and wherein the housing comprises a cross housing part having a high-pressure hydraulic fluid inlet for connection to a source of high-pressure hydraulic fluid and a low-pressure hydraulic fluid outlet for removing low-pressure hydraulic fluid that has passed through the motors from the housing, a first side housing part connected to the cross housing part, the first side housing part including at least one high-pressure hydraulic fluid outlet for connection to respective high-pressure hydraulic fluid inlets of one or more hydraulic motors and at least one low-pressure hydraulic fluid inlet for connection to respective low-pressure hydraulic fluid outlets of the one or more hydraulic motors, and a second side housing part connected to the cross housing part, the second side housing part including at least one high-pressure hydraulic fluid outlet for connection to respective high-pressure hydraulic fluid inlets of one or more hydraulic motors and at least one low-pressure hydraulic fluid inlet for connection to respective low-pressure hydraulic fluid outlets of the one or more hydraulic motors, the cross housing part including a high pressure hydraulic fluid flow path for passing high-pressure hydraulic fluid from the high-pressure hydraulic fluid inlet to the first side housing part and to the second side housing part, the cross part including a low pressure hydraulic flow path for receiving low-pressure hydraulic fluid from the first side housing part and the second side housing part.