Compactor drum shell assembly

A compactor drum mountable on a yoke of a compactor machine, the compactor drum including:

• drum supports mounted on the yoke;
• pod housings mounted on the drum supports;
• and
• a removable drum shell kit adapted to be wrapped around the compactor drum and to convert a smooth compactor drum to a cleated compactor drum, and having a plurality of links coupled together, the plurality of links including:
• a longitudinal member having an inner surface adapted to contact the compactor drum and an outer surface adapted to contact a ground surface;
• at least one cleat assembly coupled to the outer surface of the longitudinal member;
• at least one first coupling member coupled to the outer surface of the longitudinal member, the first coupling member extending towards a first side of the longitudinal member;
• and
• at least one second coupling member coupled to the outer surface of the longitudinal member, the second coupling member extending towards a second side of the longitudinal member;
• wherein the first coupling member is coupled to a corresponding second coupling member of another link towards the first side of the link, and the second coupling member is coupled to a corresponding first coupling member of another link towards the second side of the link, and
• wherein a fastener engages one of the plurality of links with the compactor drum to removably attach the drum shell kit to the compactor drum.

A method for coupling a removable drum shell kit to a compactor drum and for converting a smooth compactor drum to a cleated compactor drum, the drum shell kit including a plurality of links coupled together, the method comprising:

• laying out the plurality of links on a ground surface between a first link at a first end of the drum shell kit and a second link at a second end of the drum shell kit;
• positioning the compactor drum such that the compactor drum contacts the first link of the drum shell kit;
• coupling the first link of the drum shell kit with the compactor drum;
• driving the compactor drum over the drum shell kit from the first end towards the second end such that the drum shell kit gets wrapped around a circumference of the compactor drum;
• and
• coupling the second link to the first link.