ARTICULATED WORK VEHICLE WITH A POWER TAKE-OFF SHAFT AND METHOD FOR DRIVING THE POWER TAKE-OFF SHAFT OF SUCH A VEHICLE

A work vehicle (1) comprising a forward part (3) and a rearward part (7) pivotally coupled about a main vertical pivot axis (10) for steering thereof. A power take-off shaft (29) is located adjacent a forward end (31) of the forward part (3) and is mechanically driven from a main output drive shaft (15) of an engine (14) located in the rearward part (7). A step-up gearbox (20) steps up the speed from the main output drive shaft (15) onto first and second output shafts (23, 24) for driving first and second hydraulic pumps (27, 28) which provide hydraulic supplies for motive power and for operating attachments attached to the forward end (31) of the forward part (3). A step-down gearbox (30) receives drive directly from the main output drive shaft (15) of the engine (14) and produces a stepped-down drive on an output shaft (33) of the step-down gearbox (30) with a gear ratio of 2:1. A main drive transmission shaft (35) transmits drive from the step-down gearbox (30) to the power take-off shaft (29) at the regulatory speed of a power take-off shaft in the range of 540 rpm to 1000 rpm, thereby minimising the speed of the mechanical drive required from the rearward part (7) to the forward part (3), and reducing the mechanical drives required from the rearward part (7) to the forward part (3) to a single mechanical drive.