Patent ID: 7063639

Claim:
A snowmobile comprising: (a) a continuously variable transmission having a driven pulley; (b) a snowmobile track drive sprocket; (c) a forwardly mounted engine having a drive shaft coupled to the driven pulley by means of a drive belt; (d) a rearwardly extending tunnel comprising a top panel and two side panels; (e) a first shaft including a first sun gear and a second sun gear adjacent the first sun gear, the driven pulley being coupled to the first shaft; (f) a second shaft, the snowmobile drive sprocket being coupled to the second shaft; (g) a first planetary assembly including a plurality of first planetary gears and a first cage supporting the plurality of first planetary gears, wherein the plurality of first planetary gears is driven by the first sun gear; (h) a second planetary assembly including a plurality of second planetary gears and a second cage supporting the plurality of second planetary gears, wherein the plurality of second planetary gears are driven by the second sun gear; (i) a first ring gear connected to the second shaft wherein rotation of the first ring gear at a first rate of rotation causes rotation of the second shaft at the first rate of rotation, and wherein the first ring gear is capable of being driven by the plurality of first planetary gears; (j) a second ring gear wherein the second ring gear meshes with the plurality of second planetary gears; (k) a first locking device engagable with the first cage to releasably lock the first cage in a fixed rotated position; and (l) a second locking device engagable with the second ring gear to releasably lock the second ring gear in a fixed rotated position; and (m) a housing mounted to one of the two side panels, the housing at least partially encasing the first and second sun gears and first and second planetary assemblies.