Articulated vehicle

An articulated joint for interconnecting a first and second units to define an articulated vehicle, which comprises;

• a first articulation member rotatively mounted on a first shaft, said first shaft being detachably mounted on said first unit and along a longitudinal axis thereof, for allowing a first relative oscillation of said first unit and of said first articulation member about said first longitudinal axis,
• a second articulation member rotatively mounted on a second shaft, said second shaft being detachably mounted on said second unit along a second longitudinal axis thereof, for allowing a second relative oscillation of said second unit and of said second articulation member about said second longitudinal axis,
• a first and second spaced apart steer pivots connecting said first articulation member and said second articulation member in a pivotal manner about and along a steering axis, for allowing relative pivotal movement of said first unit and of said second unit about said steering axis,
• a first restrictively flexible torsion coupling means connected between said first articulation member and said first unit for flexibly restraining said first relative oscillation of said first articulation member and of said first unit about said first longitudinal axis.

In combination, an articulated vehicle and a scraper blade mounted on a front portion thereof for levelling irregular snow surfaces, said articulated vehicle comprising;

• a front vehicle body including a front body frame having a first longitudinal axis, and having hydraulically driven endless crawler tracks on a first and second side of said first body frame,
• a rear vehicle body including a rear body frame having a second longitudinal axis, and also having hydraulically driven endless crawler tracks on a first and second side of said rear body frame,
• an engine and an hydraulic power supply and control means,
• an articulated joint connecting said front body frame to said rear body frame, for allowing relative lateral oscillation of said front vehicle body about said first longitudinal axis, and for allowing lateral oscillation of said rear vehicle body about said second longitudinal axis, said articulated joint further allowing relative pivotal movement of said front vehicle body and said rear vehicle body about a steering axis perpendicular to said first and to said second longitudinal axes, said articulated joint comprising;
• a first articulation member and a first shaft means mounting said first articulation member on said front body frame for relative oscillation of said first articulation member and of said front vehicle body about said first longitudinal axis,
• a second articulation member and a second shaft means mounting said second articulation member on said rear body frame for relative oscillation of said second articulation member and of said rear vehicle body about said second longitudinal axis,
• pivot means pivotally joining said first and second articulation members together along said steering axis, and allowing said pivotal movement of said front and rear vehicle bodies while a first movement of said front body frame remain substantially co-planar with a second movement of said rear body frame,
• a first restrictively flexible torsion coupling means connected between said first articulation member and said front body frame for flexibly restraining said relative oscillation of said first articulation member and of said front vehicle body about said first longitudinal axis,
• a first hydraulic cylinder means connected on a first end thereof to said first articulated member and on a second end thereof to said second articulation member, at a location on said second articulation member which is radially distant from said steer axis, for effecting said relative pivotal movement of said front vehicle body and said rear vehicle body about said steering axis,
• said scraper blade having an articulation mechanism connected to said front body frame, said articulation mechanism comprising;
• a first arm having a first longitudinal axis, and being connected at a first end to a first clevis on said front body frame by means of a first spherical bearing, and at a second end to said scraper blade by means of a first uniaxial pivot,
• a second arm having a second longitudinal axis, and being connected at a first end to a second clevis on said front body frame by means of a second spherical bearing, and at second end to said scraper blade by means of a second uniaxial pivot,
• said first arm and said second arm being spaced apart and parallel to one-another,
• said first and second uniaxial pivots being mounted on said scraper blade in a co-axial relationship to one-another,
• said first arm having a lateral extension pointing toward said second arm, and
• said second arm having a second lateral extension pointing toward said first arm,
• said first lateral extension and said second lateral extension being overlapping at a distance from one-another,
• a second hydraulic cylinder means having a casing mounted on said first lateral extension, and a cylinder rod resiliently attached to said second lateral extension,
• wherein an extension and retraction of said cylinder rod from a supply of hydraulic power from said hydraulic power supply means causes said first and second arms to tilt in a common direction about said first and second longitudinal axes respectively, and causes said scraper blade to incline according to an alignment of said first and second uniaxial pivots.