A metering system for an agricultural vehicle includes a meter roller oriented substantially parallel to a direction of travel of the agricultural vehicle. The meter roller includes multiple protrusions, and each protrusion is configured to drive agricultural product downwardly in response to rotation of the meter roller. The metering system also includes a drive shaft configured to be driven in rotation. In addition, the metering system includes a gear assembly having an input coupled to the drive shaft and an output configured to drive the meter roller to rotate. A first rotational axis of the input is substantially perpendicular to a second rotational axis of the output.