Patent ID: 8012050

Claim:
A snowmobile comprising: a frame having a forward end and a rearward end; a drive track assembly disposed below and supporting the rearward end of the frame; a front suspension connected to the forward end of the frame; two skis connected to the front suspension; and an engine mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the drive track via a drive train for delivering propulsive power to the drive track, the engine having a width measured transversely across the snowmobile; the drive train including: a continuously variable transmission (CVT) having a drive belt looped around a driving pulley and a driven pulley; a transversely arranged jackshaft having an outer surface, a first end and a second end and extending at least the width of the engine; and a reduction drive having an input member and an output member; the driven pulley being connected directly onto the outer surface of the first end of the jackshaft, the first end of the jackshaft being inserted into a central portion of the driven pulley and extending through the driven pulley, the driven pulley having a fixed sheave and a moveable sheave, the fixed sheave having a connecting surface fixedly connected to the outer surface of the first end of the jackshaft, the movable sheave having a first sliding surface slideably connected to the outer surface of the first end of the jackshaft, the movable sheave having a removable outer portion, the fixed sheave being disposed along the jackshaft between at least a portion of the outer portion and the movable sheave, the driven pulley having a biasing spring abutting the outer portion and the fixed sheave, the biasing spring biasing the moveable sheave toward the fixed sheave, the outer portion having a second sliding surface slideably connected to the outer surface of the first end of the jackshaft, the connecting surface being disposed along the jackshaft between the first sliding surface and the second sliding surface, the second end of the jackshaft being connected to the input member of the reduction drive, and the drive track being operatively connected to the output member of the reduction drive.