A marine outboard motor is provided with a gear casing, a propeller shaft rotatable within the gear casing about a propeller shaft axis, a drive shaft having a drive gear, a clutch mechanism for selectively engaging the drive gear with the propeller shaft and a shift mechanism configured to operate the clutch mechanism. The shift mechanism comprises a support shaft which is fixed relative to the gear casing and which extends along or parallel with the propeller shaft axis, a shift shuttle which is slidable along the support shaft and is connected to a clutch member of the clutch mechanism, a shift finger pivotally mounted on the support shaft, and a shift rod coupled to the shift finger by a releasable coupling. The shift finger is configured to move the shift shuttle along the support shaft to operate the clutch member.

[Problem] In a reduction and reversing gear unit in which hydraulic oil is supplied to a generator motor or the like as cooling oil by a hydraulic pump driven by an electric motor, which is separate from the generator motor, a problem of a noise generated by fully driving the hydraulic pump and the electric motor at all time is solved by assuming a high hydraulic oil temperature when a maximum load acts on the generator motor.

[Solution] A reduction and reversing gear unit of the present invention includes an oil cooler disposed in a cooling oil passage that supplies hydraulic oil from an oil tank to a generator motor as cooling oil, a refrigerant pump disposed in a refrigerant piping caused to communicate with the oil cooler, an electric motor that drives the refrigerant pump, and a control unit that controls drive of the electric motor such that a discharge amount of the refrigerant pump is changed in accordance with a load detection value It of a load detection unit that detects a load acting on the generator motor.

[Problem] In a reduction and reversing gear unit in which hydraulic oil is supplied to a generator motor or the like as cooling oil by a hydraulic pump driven by an electric motor, which is separate from the generator motor, a problem of a noise generated by fully driving the hydraulic pump and the electric motor at all time is solved by assuming a high hydraulic oil temperature when a maximum load acts on the generator motor.

[Solution] A reduction and reversing gear unit of the present invention includes an oil cooler disposed in a cooling oil passage that supplies hydraulic oil from an oil tank to a generator motor as cooling oil, a refrigerant pump disposed in a refrigerant piping caused to communicate with the oil cooler, an electric motor that drives the refrigerant pump, and a control unit that controls drive of the electric motor such that a discharge amount of the refrigerant pump is changed in accordance with a load detection value It of a load detection unit that detects a load acting on the generator motor.

A reverse gear includes an input shaft, a forward clutch, a reverse clutch, an output shaft, a reduction mechanism, and a relay shaft. The input shaft receives rotational power of a main engine. The forward clutch transmits the rotational power of the input shaft as forward output. The reverse clutch transmits the rotational power of the input shaft as reverse output. The output shaft outputs the rotational power transmitted via the forward clutch and the reverse clutch. The reduction mechanism reduces the rotational power of the output shaft and transmits the reduced rotational power to the propeller shaft. The relay shaft intersects the input shaft and relays the rotational power from the forward clutch and the reverse clutch toward the output shaft. The relay shaft and the output shaft are coupled to each other via a pair of intersecting-shaft gears to be able to transmit power.

A reverse gear includes an input shaft, a forward clutch, a reverse clutch, an output shaft, a reduction mechanism, and a relay shaft. The input shaft receives rotational power of a main engine. The forward clutch transmits the rotational power of the input shaft as forward output. The reverse clutch transmits the rotational power of the input shaft as reverse output. The output shaft outputs the rotational power transmitted via the forward clutch and the reverse clutch. The reduction mechanism reduces the rotational power of the output shaft and transmits the reduced rotational power to the propeller shaft. The relay shaft intersects the input shaft and relays the rotational power from the forward clutch and the reverse clutch toward the output shaft. The relay shaft and the output shaft are coupled to each other via a pair of intersecting-shaft gears to be able to transmit power.

A marine outboard motor is provided with a gear casing, a propeller shaft rotatable within the gear casing about a propeller shaft axis, a drive shaft having a drive gear, a clutch mechanism for selectively engaging the drive gear with the propeller shaft and a shift mechanism configured to operate the clutch mechanism. The shift mechanism comprises a support shaft which is fixed relative to the gear casing and which extends along or parallel with the propeller shaft axis, a shift shuttle which is slidable along the support shaft and is connected to a clutch member of the clutch mechanism, a shift finger pivotally mounted on the support shaft, and a shift rod coupled to the shift finger by a releasable coupling. The shift finger is configured to move the shift shuttle along the support shaft to operate the clutch member when the shift finger is rotated about the shift rod axis by the shift rod. A marine vessel including such a marine outboard motor is also provided.

A gear mounting assembly is for causing rotation of a propeller on a marine drive. The assembly includes a driveshaft; a first bevel gear on the driveshaft, wherein rotation of the driveshaft causes rotation of the first bevel gear; a propeller shaft for supporting the propeller such that rotation of the propeller shaft causes rotation of the propeller; a gear hub on the propeller shaft; a second bevel gear on the gear hub, wherein the second bevel gear is engaged with the first bevel gear such that rotation of the driveshaft causes rotation of the gear hub, which thereby causes rotation of the propeller shaft; and an adapter facilitating relative rotation between the propeller shaft and the gear hub when the gear hub is caused to rotate by the driveshaft.

A gear mounting assembly is for causing rotation of a propeller on a marine drive. The assembly includes a driveshaft; a first bevel gear on the driveshaft, wherein rotation of the driveshaft causes rotation of the first bevel gear; a propeller shaft for supporting the propeller such that rotation of the propeller shaft causes rotation of the propeller; a gear hub on the propeller shaft; a second bevel gear on the gear hub, wherein the second bevel gear is engaged with the first bevel gear such that rotation of the driveshaft causes rotation of the gear hub, which thereby causes rotation of the propeller shaft; and an adapter facilitating relative rotation between the propeller shaft and the gear hub when the gear hub is caused to rotate by the driveshaft.

An outboard motor is for propelling a marine vessel in water. The outboard motor has an upper cowling that covers an internal combustion engine, a driveshaft housing located below the internal combustion engine, and a lower gearcase located below the driveshaft housing. The lower gearcase encloses a transmission gearset configured to transmit power from the internal combustion engine to a propulsor. A shift actuator is covered by the upper cowling and a shift mechanism is located at least partially in the lower gearcase and configured to shift the transmission gearset into and between forward, neutral and reverse gears. A flexible connector assembly operatively couples the shift actuator to the shift mechanism so that actuation of the shift actuator causes the shift mechanism to shift the transmission gearset.

An outboard motor is for propelling a marine vessel in water. The outboard motor has an upper cowling that covers an internal combustion engine, a driveshaft housing located below the internal combustion engine, and a lower gearcase located below the driveshaft housing. The lower gearcase encloses a transmission gearset configured to transmit power from the internal combustion engine to a propulsor. A shift actuator is covered by the upper cowling and a shift mechanism is located at least partially in the lower gearcase and configured to shift the transmission gearset into and between forward, neutral and reverse gears. A flexible connector assembly operatively couples the shift actuator to the shift mechanism so that actuation of the shift actuator causes the shift mechanism to shift the transmission gearset.