| US 7,588,104 B2 | ||
| Hydraulic transaxle apparatus for a four-wheel-drive vehicle and four-wheel-drive vehicle using the apparatus | ||
| Ryota Ohashi, Hyogo (Japan); and Hideaki Okada, Hyogo (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg. Co., Ltd., Hyogo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Mar. 26, 2008, as Appl. No. 12/55,938. | ||
| Application 12/055938 is a division of application No. 11/170149, filed on Jun. 30, 2005, granted, now 7,363,759. | ||
| Application 11/033543 is a division of application No. 10/270378, filed on Oct. 15, 2002, granted, now 6,845,837, filed on Jan. 25, 2005. | ||
| Application 11/170149 is a continuation in part of application No. 11/033543, filed on Jan. 12, 2005, granted, now 7,096,989, filed on Aug. 29, 2006. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0202838 A1, Aug. 28, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. F16D 31/02 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 180—6.64 [180/235; 180/242] | 5 Claims |
| 1. A vehicle, comprising:
a first frame disposed at either a front or a rear portion of said vehicle;
a prime mover mounted on said first frame;
a first transaxle apparatus mounted on said first frame, said first transaxle apparatus including an input shaft receiving
power from said prime mover, a pair of first axles, and a hydrostatic transmission, wherein said hydrostatic transmission
includes a hydraulic pump driven by rotating said input shaft and discharging fluid variably in quantity and direction, a
first hydraulic motor for driving said first axles, a fluid passage fluidly connecting said hydraulic pump to said hydraulic
motor,
a second frame disposed at the other of said front or rear portions of said vehicle;
a second transaxle apparatus mounted on said second frame, said second transaxle apparatus including a pair of second axles;
and
a coupling part for coupling said first and second frames to each other so that said first and second frames are rotatable
around a vertical axis relative to each other according to a steering operation,
wherein said hydrostatic transmission of said first transaxle apparatus includes a flexible port disposed in a surface of
said housing and fluidly connected to said fluid passage, the flexible port having a directionally adjustable connection portion,
and
wherein said second transaxle apparatus includes a second hydraulic motor fluidly connected to said connection portion of
said flexible port so as to drive said pair of second axles.
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