Patent ID: 8474345

Claim:
A transmission having an input shaft and an output shaft, the transmission comprising: an input gear rotatably fixed for common rotation by the input shaft; an output gear rotatably fixed for common rotation by the output shaft; a third shaft disposed generally parallel to the input and output shafts, the third shaft having an outer surface that includes a splined portion and a non-splined portion; a reverse gear assembly rotatably fixed for common rotation by the third shaft, the reverse gear assembly including: a reverse gear disposed on the third shaft, the reverse gear having a first side, a second side opposite the first side and a hub extending from the first side, wherein the hub includes an inner gear surface and an outer gear surface, the inner gear surface having a conical profile; a synchronizer member disposed on and slidable between the splined portion and the non-splined portion of the third shaft, wherein the synchronizer member has an inner synchronizer surface defining an aperture and a conical outer synchronizer surface, and wherein the outer synchronizer surface opposes and is frictionally engaged with the inner gear surface the hub of the reverse gear to reduce relative rotation between the reverse gear and the synchronizer member, and wherein the inner synchronizer surface has at least one radially extending tab selectively engagable with the splined portion of the third shaft; an annular retaining member disposed on the third shaft having an inner retaining surface, wherein a portion of the inner retaining surface is fixedly engaged with the outer gear surface of the hub; and a synchronizer spring disposed on the third shaft and located between the retaining member and the synchronizer member, wherein the inner surface of the retaining member makes contact with and pre-loads the spring, and wherein the spring exerts a biasing force on the synchronizer member to selectively axially move the synchronizer from the splined to the non-splined portions of the third shaft, and wherein the reverse gear assembly is selectively axially moveable along the third shaft to engage the input and output gears.