Steering arrangement for a double articulated wheel tractor

A double articulated vehicle comprising:

• a rear frame, an intermediate carriage pivotally connected to said rear frame, a front frame pivotally connected to said carriage, a link connected to the rear frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axis located on one side of the pivotal connection between the rear frame and the carriage, said link being connected to the front frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axis located on the opposite side of the pivotal connection between the carriage and the front frame, a first ram pivotally mounted to the rear frame and to the carriage on one side of said link, one end of said first ram is connected to the rear frame rearward of a front wall of said rear frame with the other end of said ram being connected to the rear wall of said carriage, a second ram pivotally mounted to the front frame and to the carriage on the other side of said link, one end of said second ram is connected to a rear corner portion of said carriage with the other end being connected to the rear wall of the front frame, both said first and second rams being nested in recessed portions so as to be protected against random misuse from external forces, and means for elongating one ram and shortening the other ram to articulate the front frame and rear frame relative to the carriage with the link transmitting movement from one frame directly to the other frame.

A double articulated vehicle comprising:

• a rear frame having an engine with a power takeoff shaft and a pair of vertically spaced apart, horizontally projecting flanges positioned above and below said takeoff shaft, an intermediate carriage having a power transmission shaft coupled to said power takeoff shaft and two sets of oppositely directed, vertically spaced apart, horizontally projecting flanges, a pair of vertically spaced apart, axially aligned pivot pins connecting one of said set of flanges to said pair of flanges for articulation of said carriage with respect to said rear frame, a front frame having a power takeoff shaft coupled to said transmission shaft and having a pair of vertically spaced apart, horizontally projecting flanges, a pair of vertically spaced apart, axially aligned pivot pins connecting said last-named flanges to said other set of projecting flanges on the carriage for articulation of the front frame with respect to said carriage, a link connected to the rear frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axis located on one side of the vertical axis of the pair of pivot pins between the rear frame and the carriage, said link being connected to the front frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axis located on the opposite side of the vertical axis of the pair of pivot pins between the carriage and the front frame, a ram pivotally mounted to the rear frame and to the carriage on vertical pivot axes which are on the side of the pivot pins between the rear frame and the carriage opposite to the pivot axis of the link, one end of said first ram is connected to the rear frame rearward of a front wall of said rear frame with the other end of said ram being connected to the rear wall of said carriage, a second ram pivotally mounted on the front frame and the carriage on vertical pivot axes which are on the side of the pivot pins between the front frame and the carriage opposite to the pivot axis of the link, one end of said second ram is connected to a rear corner portion of said carriage with the other end being connected to the rear wall of the front frame, both said first and second rams being nested in recessed portions so as to be protected against random misuse from external forces, and means for elongating one ram and shortening the other ram to articulate the front frame and rear frame about the pivot axes on the carriage so that both frames pivot toward the same side of the carriage.

A double articulated vehicle comprising:

• a rear frame, an intermediate carriage having a longitudinal axis, means for pivotally mounting said carriage with respect to said rear frame about a vertical axis, a front frame, means for pivotally mounting said front frame with respect to said carriage about a vertical axis, rigid link means pivotally connected at one end to the rear frame and at the other end to the front frame, said link means having a longitudinal axis which crosses said longitudinal axis of the carriage at an acute angle longitudinal axis of the link lying perpendicular at one end to a line passing through said vertical axis of the pivotal mounting between the carriage and the rear frame and the pivotal connection between the link and the rear frame and said longitudinal axis of the link lying perpendicular at its other end to a line passing through said vertical axis of the pivotal mounting between the carriage and the front frame and the pivotal connection between the link and the front frame when the longitudinal axis of the rear frame, carriage and front frame are all aligned with each other, a ram having one end pivotally mounted to the rear frame and having the other end pivotally mounted to the carriage with both of said pivotal mountings being on one side of the longitudinal axis of the link means, a second ram having one end pivotally mounted to the front frame and having the other end pivotally mounted to the carriage with both of said pivotal mountings being on the opposite side of said longitudinal axis of the link means, and means for activating both rams to articulate the front frame and rear frame relative to the carriage so that both frames pivot toward the same side of the carriage.

A double articulated vehicle comprising:

• a carriage having a longitudinal axis extending from the front to the rear thereof, a rear frame pivotally connected to said carriage along a vertical axis intersecting said longitudinal axis of the carriage, a front frame pivotally connected to said carriage along a vertical axis intersecting said longitudinal axis of the carriage, a link connected to the rear frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axis located on one side of said longitudinal axis, said link being connected to the front frame for pivotal movement about a vertical axis located on the opposite side of said longitudinal axis, said pivot connections at the ends of said link subscribing arcs about the respective pivot mountings between said front frame and said carriage and between said rear frame and said carriage when said vehicle is turned from one extreme to the other, said arcs being bisected by lines running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said link and passing through the pivotal mountings between the carriage and the front frame and between the carriage and the rear frame, a first ram pivotally connected to the rear frame and to the carriage with both said connections being on the side of said longitudinal axis opposite from the connection of said link to said rear frame, a second ram pivotally mounted to the front frame and to the carriage with both said connections being on the side of said longitudinal axis opposite from the connection of said link to said front frame, and means for elongating one ram and shortening the other ram to articulate the front frame and rear frame relative to the carriage with the link transmitting movement from one frame directly to the other frame.