Patent ID: 6875147

Claim:
An axle assembly comprising a hydrostatic transmission and a differentialled gear reduction transmission disposed adjacent one another within respective chambers formed by at least three surrounding housing elements, said hydrostatic transmission including a hydrostatic pump and motor and said differentialled gear reduction transmission including a reduction gear train comprising a plurality of interconnecting gears, said hydrostatic transmission having pump and motor cylinder barrels fluidly connected together, and said motor cylinder barrel connected to said reduction gear train by a power transmission link having a horizontal axis of rotation disposed in a first horizontal plane and comprising a motor output shaft and a reduction gear train input shaft, said motor shaft having first and second respective ends, said first end disposed in said hydrostatic chamber and connected to said motor cylinder barrel, said second end connectable to said reduction gear train input shaft, said first and second respective ends being surrounded by said at least three surrounding housing elements, wherein two of said at least three surrounding housing elements reside side by side one another on one side of said first horizontal plane.