Patent ID: 7448289

Claim:
A manual transmission comprising: an input shaft operatively connected to a source of motive power and having a first reverse/power take-off gear; a countershaft having a first output gear and a reverse output gear, said countershaft being in axially parallel relationship with said input shaft; a plurality of meshingly engaged gear set pairs, each gear set pair including a first gear and a second gear, said gear set pairs disposed upon said input shaft and said counter shaft, said first gear of each said gear set pair fixedly mounted to its respective shaft and said second gear of each said gear set pair adapted to rotate freely about its respective shaft; a plurality of synchronizers disposed upon said input shaft and said countershaft, each said synchronizer adapted to selectively engage said freely rotatable gear of each said gear set pair to its respective shaft; an output shaft in axial parallel relationship with said countershaft and having a second output gear in meshing engagement with said first output gear of said countershaft, said input shaft and said output shaft being rotationally supported by a plurality of tapered bearings, and being coaxially disposed and end abutting within said transmission; a biasing member operatively disposed between said abutting ends of said input shaft and said output shaft such that said biasing member preloads said bearings with a predetermined axial thrust; and a secondary shaft axially parallel to said input shaft and said countershaft, said secondary shaft substantially encompassed by a case, but having an end extending through said case, said secondary shaft having a second reverse/power takeoff gear in meshing engagement with said first reverse/power take-off gear of said input shaft, and a reverse idler gear in meshing engagement with said reverse output gear of said countershaft, said end of said secondary shaft which extends through said case being equipped with a rotational output which serves as a source of motive power.