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US 4,034,822 AGranted
Hitch-steering, oscillation and differential support for a mining machine or the like
AssigneeCaterpillar Tractor Co.
InventorRobert N. Stedman
Life of this patent
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AssigneeCaterpillar Tractor Co.
InventorRobert N. Stedman
Estimating the term…
A material handling vehicle is provided with an articulating and an oscillating hitch assembly between a tractor portion and a trailer portion thereof. The hitch assembly telescopes a pinion gear support or trunnion housing carried by a differential gear housing into an oscillation housing. The oscillation housing is pivotally connected to the tractor and permits the tractor to pivot about a generally vertical axis and to oscillate about a longitudinal axis of the housing, both oscillation and pivoting being relative to the trailer as the vehicle is propelled over a terrain. The telescoping of the pinion gear or trunnion housing and oscillation housing makes it possible to eliminate parts and effectively shorten the length of the vehicle without sacrificing any flexibility or strength in the hitch assembly between the tractor and the trailer.
A vehicle having a tractor portion and a trailer portion, a differential housing mounted on said trailer portion, a trunnion housing fastened directly to said differential housing, said trunnion housing being cylindrical in shape and projecting along an axis transverse to the axis of the differential housing, an oscillation housing encircling said trunnion housing and being rotatably mounted on said trunnion housing, said oscillation housing having a pair of outwardly extending vertically spaced apart tongues and a pair of horizontally spaced apart ears, a pair of vertically spaced apart tongues carried by said tractor and being pivotally connected to said tongues on said oscillation housing to permit pivotal movement between the tractor and trailer about the vertical axes of said pivotal connection, a pair of steering cylinders having one end of each mounted in spaced apart relationship on said tractor, the other end of each steering cylinder being connected to one of said ears on said oscillation housing whereby actuation of said steering cylinders pivots the tractor relative to the trailer about the vertical axes of the pivotal connection while permitting oscillation of the tractor relative to the trailer about the longitudinal axis of the trunnion housing and the oscillation housing.
In an articulated vehicle having a tractor portion and a trailer portion pivotally and oscillatably connected together, a differential mounted on said trailer portion, a housing directly fastened to said differential, said housing being cylindrical in shape and projecting transverse to the axis of the differential, an oscillation housing encircling said first-named housing and being rotatably mounted on said first-named housing, said oscillation housing having tongue means outwardly extending therefrom and ear means sidewardly extending therefrom, said tractor having tongue means aligned with and pivoted to said tongue means on said oscillation housing to permit pivotal movement between the tractor and trailer, elongating steering means extending from the tractor and being connected to said ear means on said oscillation housing whereby actuation of said steering means pivots the tractor relative to the trailer while permitting oscillation of the tractor relative to the trailer about the longitudinal axis of the first-named housing and the oscillation housing.
In an articulated vehicle having a tractor portion and a trailer portion pivotally and oscillatably connected together, a differential mounted on said trailer portion, a housing fastened to said differential, said housing being cylindrical in shape and projecting transverse to the axis of the differential, an oscillation housing encircling said first-named housing and being rotatably mounted on said first-named housing, said oscillation housing having tongue means outwardly extending therefrom and ear means sidewardly extending therefrom, said tractor having tongue means aligned with and pivoted to said tongue means on said oscillation housing to permit pivotal movement between the tractor and trailer, elongating steering means extending from the tractor and being connected to said ear means on said oscillation housing whereby actuation of said steering means pivots the tractor relative to the trailer while permitting oscillation of the tractor relative to the trailer about the longitudinal axis of the first-named housing and the oscillation housing and said mounting between said oscillation housing and said first-named housing is a pair of thrust bearings whereby loads from and to the tractor and the trailer are transmitted from one housing to the other housing.
In an articulated vehicle having a tractor portion and a trailer portion connected together, a differential on said trailer portion, a trunnion housing directly fastened to said differential, an oscillation housing encircling said trunnion housing and being rotatably mounted on said trunnion housing, and means for supporting said oscillation housing with respect to said tractor portion for pivotal movement about a generally vertical axis whereby said tractor oscillates and pivots relative to said trailer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.