Patent ID: 7585244

Claim:
A sun pinion cover for a motorized wheel off-highway vehicle transmission comprising a high-speed pinion and high-speed planets positioned around the pinion at an inward side of the transmission, a low-speed pinion and low-speed planets positioned around the low-speed pinion at an outward side of the transmission, a transmission housing defining a transmission cavity receiving the pinions and planets, and a transmission opening at a longitudinal axis of the transmission at an outward end of the transmission housing for enabling access to the pinions and planets, wherein the low-speed pinion is of generally tubular construction defining a central passage therein and having an inward thrust washer at one end toward the high-speed pinion and an outward thrust washer toward the transmission opening, the sun pinion cover comprising: a single-piece cover body structure detachably secured to the transmission housing for covering the transmission opening at the longitudinal axis of the transmission, said cover body structure defining a lubricant duct extending in a generally radial direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the transmission and presenting a first lubricant port at an inner surface of the cover and a second lubricant port at the inner surface of the cover, with the lubricant duct enabling lubricant flow between the first lubricant port to the second lubricant port, said first lubricant port being positioned adjacent the low-speed planets in the transmission cavity to receive lubricant expelled by the low-speed planets and said second lubricant port being disposed adjacent the low-speed pinion central passage for flow of lubricant from the transmission cavity to the central passage of the low-speed pinion for distributing lubricant to the inward and outward thrust washers on the low-speed pinion; and a flow valve disposed to be communicated with said lubricant duct to control the direction of lubricant flow.