5325. Dent, C. H. March 4. Motor road vehicles.-Relates to variable-speed gearing for motor road vehicles of the type in which a belt is shifted over speed cones, and comprises a belt shifter, which may be connected to a jockey-pulley, an apparatus for operating the shifter provided with an indicator, and an arrangement for transmitting power to, and reversing, the road wheels. The stepped pulley B' is on the axle of the road wheels A, Figs. 1 and 2. The pulley B mounted on a crank shaft supported by the frame is driven by the motor D. The steps on the pulleys B, B' are connected by inclines. The delivery ends of the belt C are surrounded near the respective pulleys by roller forks E, made up of frames with vertical rollers e, Fig. 7, at their sides, and provided with nuts or threaded blocks e<1> engaging with screwed rods F mounted in the frame of the vehicle. By chain-wheels G and a chain G', the rods F may be rotated together. The jockeypulley I, supported from a shaft H by a sleeve and depending arms, can be slid along the shaft H and can be raised or lowered by turning the shaft H by means of a lever H<1> or through linkages from a handle or pedal. A spring may be arranged to produce constant pressure of the pulley I on the belt. Stay-rods J connecting the roller forks E are attached to the sleeve on the shaft H by forks on the rods fitting into grooves in the sleeve. In lieu of this shifter, the combined rocking shifter and tightener described in Specification No. 2847, A.D. 1904, may be employed, in which case the arms of the rocker are slotted to admit the blocks e', and the rods F. The friction discs or clutches K, K<1>, Fig. 12, sliding on a squared &c. portion of a suitably supported shaft K<2>, driven from the motor through a chain-wheel k<3>, or otherwise, can engage respectively with friction surfaces on free chain-wheels K<4>, K<5>, operated by a suitable device such as a forked L or T shaped lever provided with handle or pedal k<4>, Fig. 14. The chain-wheel K' is connected directly by a chain K<6> to a chainwheel K<7> on the near rod F. The chain-wheel K<5> is connected by a chain K<8> to a chain-wheel K<9> forming a part of, or connected to, a toothed wheel K<10>, which gears with a toothed wheel K<12> fast on the screwed rod F, forming the reversing-gear for the belt shifter. A modification is described in which the part corresponding to the chain-wheel K<5> is a toothed wheel directly in gear with a toothed wheel corresponding to K<12>. Any arrangement such as a trip lever operating a clutch or swinging face-friction wheels may be used in place of the discs K, K<1>, so long as they can be readily engaged and disengaged. The shaft K<2>, Fig. 12, might be the motor shaft itself. The indicator consists of a rod L, Fig. 8, pivoted to the dashboard or other suitable part of the car and connected at its lower end to the shifter by one of the roller forks E, or otherwise, the upper projecting end showing the position of the belt and the gear used. The driving-drum B<1> and differential shaft B<2>, Fig. 15, are mounted about a cranked axle M. The shaft B<2> is provided at its ends with sliding pinions N rotating in the brake drums O attached to the road wheels A. The wheels N engage with teeth P on parts of the interiors of the drums 0 for the forward drive ; they may be moved out of gear with the teeth R, shown in Fig. 15, when no motion is transmitted to the wheels A ; and they, or auxiliary wheels, may be moved into gear with fixed pinions Q, Figs. 15 and 17, which arc always in gear with a second set of internal teeth R, on the drum R, giving a reversed motion to the road wheels A. The forks S for moving the pinions N are attached to rods sliding in guides s on the cranked axle M and connected by links T, Figs. 15 and 16, to the ends of a central lever U, moved by Bowden mechanism V, V<1> or otherwise. A modification is described in which the drum B' is mounted on a plain shaft. An auxiliary shaft mounted on the cranked axle M carries the balance gear and the toothed wheels N. The connection may be by chain or toothed gearing ; in the former case the shaft of the drum B' may be supported in the car frame.