Gear arm assembly

1. A gear arm assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a gear arm housing having a first end, a second end, and an intermediate portion, the gear arm housing from the intermediate portion to the first end defining a first arm segment, and the gear arm housing from the intermediate portion to the second end defining a second arm segment;

a plurality of gears meshed together in series and housed within the gear arm housing, the plurality of gears including an intermediate gear within the intermediate portion of the gear arm housing;

a first wheel hub connected to a first gear of the plurality of gears at the first end of the gear arm housing;

a second wheel hub connected to a second gear of the plurality of gears at the second end of the gear arm housing;

a primary drive shaft extending into the gear arm housing at the intermediate portion and configured to connect a drive input of the vehicle to the intermediate gear;

a spindle housing configured to connect the gear arm assembly to a frame of the vehicle;

a spindle rotatably coupled to and within the spindle housing and configured to allow for rotation of the gear arm housing relative to the spindle housing;

a stabilizer arm connected to and extending up from the spindle;

a shock absorber connected to a distal end of the stabilizer arm opposite from the gear arm housing; and

a pneumatic cylinder connected to the distal end of the stabilizer arm, the pneumatic cylinder being configured to cause the gear arm housing to rotate relative to the spindle housing upon actuation.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spindle housing comprises a first plate and a second plate separated by a surface, and the spindle extends through the first plate and the second plate and is seated within the surface.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first gear and the second gear rotate in an opposite direction as the intermediate gear in response input from the drive input through the primary drive shaft.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first half shaft connected to and between the first wheel hub and the first gear; and

a second half shaft connected to and between the second wheel hub and the second gear.

5. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein lengths of the first half shaft and the second half shaft provide clearance for wheels connected to the gear arm assembly at the first half shaft and the second half shaft.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic cylinder and the shock absorber extend away from each other connected to the distal end of the stabilizer arm, wherein an end of the shock absorber opposite from the stabilizer arm is connected to the frame of the vehicle, and wherein an end of the pneumatic cylinder opposite from the stabilizer arm is connected to the frame of the vehicle.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the gear arm housing is formed from a single monolithic piece of metal or metal alloy.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a frame;

at least one power source mounted to the frame;

a drivetrain mounted to the frame and connected to the at least one power source;

at least four gear arm assemblies mounted to the frame and connected to the drivetrain, each gear arm assembly of the at least four gear arm assemblies comprising:

a gear arm housing having a first end, a second end, and an intermediate portion, the gear arm housing from the intermediate portion to the first end defining a first arm segment, and the gear arm housing from the intermediate portion to the second end defining a second arm segment;

a plurality of gears meshed together in series and housed within the gear arm housing, the plurality of gears including an intermediate gear within the intermediate portion of the gear arm housing;

a first wheel hub connected to a first gear of the plurality of gears at the first end of the gear arm housing;

a second wheel hub connected to a second gear of the plurality of gears at the second end of the gear arm housing;

a primary drive shaft extending into the gear arm housing at the intermediate portion and configured to connect the drivetrain to the intermediate gear;

a spindle housing configured to connect the gear arm assembly to the frame; and

a spindle rotatably coupled to and within the spindle housing and configured to allow for rotation of the gear arm housing relative to the spindle housing;

a plurality of wheels, each wheel of the plurality of wheels being connected to the first wheel hub or the second wheel hub of a separate one of the at least four gear arm assemblies,

wherein the drivetrain is configured to drive the plurality of wheels of the gear arm assemblies of the at least four gear arm assemblies on a first side of the vehicle independently from the wheels of the gear arm assemblies of the at least four gear arm assemblies on a second side of the vehicle, opposite from the first side.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , for each gear arm assembly of the at least four gear arm assemblies, further comprising:

a stabilizer arm connected to and extending up from the spindle; and

a pneumatic cylinder connected to the distal end of the stabilizer arm, the pneumatic cylinder being configured to cause the gear arm housing to rotate relative to the spindle housing upon actuation.

10. The vehicle of claim 8 , for each gear arm assembly of the at least four gear arm assemblies, wherein a gear ratio of the intermediate gear and the first gear is 1:1, and a gear ratio of the intermediate gear and the second gear is 1:1.

11. The vehicle of claim 8 , for each gear arm assembly of the at least four gear arm assemblies, wherein the plurality of gears are seven gears and the intermediate gear is the middle gear.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 , for each gear arm assembly of the at least four gear arm assemblies, wherein the gear ratio for each pair of adjacent gears of the seven gears is 1:1.

13. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the at least one power source comprises a hydraulic-pressure source, and the drivetrain comprises a separate hydraulic motor connected to the primary drive shaft of a separate gear arm assembly of the at least four gear arm assemblies.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the drivetrain includes compressed-air lines connecting the at least one power source to pneumatic motors.

15. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the at least one power source is a combustion engine, and the drivetrain includes one or more axles and one or more differential gearboxes connecting output of the combustion engine to each primary drive shaft of the at least four gear arm assemblies.

16. A gear arm assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a gear arm housing having a first end, a second end, and an intermediate portion, the gear arm housing from the intermediate portion to the first end defining a first arm segment, and the gear arm housing from the intermediate portion to the second end defining a second arm segment;

a plurality of gears meshed together in series and housed within the gear arm housing, the plurality of gears including an intermediate gear within the intermediate portion of the gear arm housing;

a first wheel hub connected to a first gear of the plurality of gears at the first end of the gear arm housing;

a second wheel hub connected to a second gear of the plurality of gears at the second end of the gear arm housing;

a primary drive shaft extending into the gear arm housing at the intermediate portion and configured to connect a drive input to the intermediate gear;

a spindle housing configured to connect the gear arm assembly to the vehicle; and

a spindle rotatably coupled to and within the spindle housing and configured to allow for rotation of the gear arm housing relative to the spindle housing.

17. The assembly of claim 16 , further comprising a stabilizer arm connected to and extending up from the spindle.

18. The assembly of claim 17 , further comprising a shock absorber connected to a distal end of the stabilizer arm opposite from the gear arm housing.

19. The assembly of claim 17 , further comprising a pneumatic cylinder connected to the distal end of the stabilizer arm, the pneumatic cylinder being configured to cause the gear arm housing to rotate relative to the spindle housing upon actuation.

20. The assembly of claim 16 , wherein an angle formed between the first arm segment and the second arm segment is about 160°.