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US 5,707,123 AGranted
Positive drive rubber belted track system
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorRobert J. Grob
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Prestressed compressible drive blocks are positioned on an endless belt of a track machine. The blocks are mateable with openings in drive wheel and function for driving the track and for guiding the track. Drive bars are associated with the drive wheel openings for exerting pressure on the drive/guide bars while maintaining the drive/guide bars against excessive wear.
Claims13
In a rubber belt track system of a track machine having an endless, cable reinforced rubber belt having a plurality of spaced apart, outwardly extending driver/guide blocks associated with a drive wheel, the improvement comprising:
- said driver/guide blocks being formed of rubber and compressed to a preselected magnitude in a direction toward the rubber belt in the installed position on the belt;
- said drive wheel having a plurality of openings mateable with the driver/guide blocks;
- a drive bar connected to said drive wheel and extending along the wheel axis and along a rearward end of each respective opening of said drive wheel, and being contactable with a respective drive/guide block in the mateable operable condition of the system;
- at least one fastening element extending through the belt and into each respective driver/guide block and urging the respective driver/guide block toward the belt in the installed condition;
- said driver/guide blocks each having first and second end portions and a load distributing element being molded within said respective rubber driver/guide blocks, said load distributing element being associated with the respective fastening element of the system.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.