Snowmobile torque converter construction and arrangement

Claim 1

In a snowmobile including an engine having a straight crankshaft portion extending from one side thereof and drivingly connected to an endless traction belt by a transmission including a torque converter defined by variable speed primary and secondary pulleys respectively mounted on the crankshaft portion and a shaft extending parallel to the crankshaft portion and interconnected by a drive belt, and the primary pulley having an axially fixed pulley half located adjacent to and inboard of an axially shiftable pulley half which forms part of a housing adapted to contain a speed sensitive mechanism, the improvement comprising: said secondary pulley having an axially shiftable pulley half located adjacent to and inboard of an axially fixed pulley half and having an axially shiftable abutment member located adjacent to and outboard of the axially fixed pulley half; connecting means joining the shiftable pulley half with the abutment member; biasing means interposed between the fixed pulley half and the abutment member for urging the abutment member away from the fixed pulley half; and said fixed pulley half and abutment member having cooperating surface means forming part of torque sensitive means acting to transform a component of the torque into an axial thrust which increases in a direction tending to separate the abutment member and fixed pulley half as the torque resistance of the shaft increases.