Off road vehicles

Abstract

An off road vehicle of the kind having fluid-distensible bag rollers for supporting the vehicle load uses bag rollers which are constructed to afford maximum flexibility in both the walls and tread and which are also constructed to be dynamically balanced. The vehicle also incorporates suspensions which effectively dampen oscillation of the bag rollers to facilitate and to permit high speed operations of the vehicle across rough terrain. A top drive roller is associated with a bag roller in certain embodiments of the off road vehicle in ways which minimize bag wear. Specific bag constructions are provided for improved operation of the off road vehicle for on-highway use. The vehicle includes two frame sections which are connected to permit frame (yaw) steering and swiveling (roll) between the two sections while preventing a bending between the frame sections (pitch) to thereby provide a strong back mode of operation. When equipped with 4 bags on each frame, the vehicle permits increased speed over rough terrain. The bag roller in a fixed position serves as a transport device for supporting and moving material having uneven and/or fragile surfaces and, in a specific embodiment, is mounted in a support for use as a transportation element in a conveyer system, or as a forceful puller for lineal objects, such as pipelines, accommodating uneven dimensions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.