Cold planer

A work machine comprising:

• a frame supported by at least a pair of front wheels or tracks and at least a pair of rear wheels or tracks;
• a milling drum supported by said frame;
• a drive adapted to rotate said milling drum and at least one of said wheels or tracks;
• an articulation apparatus for moving said at least one wheel or track from a projecting position to a retracted position relative to said frame and vice versa,
• wherein said articulation apparatus comprises:
• a support arm pivotally connected to said frame and provided with a housing rotatably receiving a ring to which a vertical column supporting said wheel or track is coupled;
• an actuator for rotating said support arm;
• and
• torque arms keeping constant the advancement direction of said wheel or track during rotation of said support arm.

A work machine, comprising:

• a frame supported by a plurality of wheels or tracks, at least some of which are associated with respective support and lifting columns adapted to raise and lower said frame relative to the respective wheels or tracks;
• a work tool supported by said frame;
• a drive mechanism adapted to rotate said work tool and at least one of said wheels or tracks;
• and
• an articulation apparatus adapted to pivotally move one of said wheels or tracks between a projecting position and a retracted position relative to said frame, said articulation apparatus comprising:
• a support arm pivotally connected to said frame and to the support column associated with said one wheel or track;
• an actuator directly connected to said support arm and operable to pivot said support arm relative to said frame;
• and
• a torque arm system connected between said frame and said support arm and said lifting column and directly maintaining the rotational direction of said one wheel or track by causing said lifting column to rotate relative to said support arm in response to said actuator pivoting said support arm relative to said frame.

A work machine, comprising:

• a frame supported by at least a pair of front wheels or tracks and at least a pair of rear wheels or tracks, at least one of the wheels or tracks including a projectable wheel or track having a vertical centerline;
• a work tool supported by said frame;
• a drive mechanism adapted to rotate said work tool and at least one of said wheels or tracks;
• and
• an articulation apparatus adapted for moving said projectable wheel or track from a projecting position to a retracted position relative to said frame,
• wherein said articulation apparatus includes:
• a support arm connected to said frame and the projectable wheel or track;
• the support arm including a through-hole generally coaxial with the vertical centerline of the projectable wheel or track, the projectable wheel or track configured to rotate about a vertical axis relative to the support arm;
• an actuator for rotating said support arm;
• and
• torque arms rotating the projectable wheel or track about the vertical axis relative to the support arm.

A work machine, comprising:

• a frame supported by a plurality of wheels or tracks, at least one of which is associated with a support column and a lifting column adapted to raise and lower said frame relative to the respective wheel or track, the lifting column having a vertical axis;
• a work tool supported by said frame;
• a drive mechanism adapted to rotate said work tool and at least one of said wheels or tracks;
• and
• an articulation apparatus adapted to pivotally move one of said wheels or tracks between a projecting position and a retracted position relative to said frame, said articulation apparatus comprising:
• a support arm pivotally connecting said frame to the support column associated with said one wheel or track, the pivotal connection having a frame pivot axis at a coupling of the support arm to the frame, and the support arm being configured to maintain a constant distance between the lifting column vertical axis and the frame pivot axis during movement of one of said wheels or tracks between the projecting position and the retracted position;
• an actuator connected to said support arm and operable to pivot said support arm relative to said frame;
• and
• a plurality of torque arms connected between said frame and said support arm and directly maintaining the rotational direction of said one wheel or track by causing said lifting column to rotate relative to said support arm in response to said actuator pivoting said support arm relative to said frame.

A work machine, comprising:

• a frame supported by a plurality of wheels or tracks, at least one of the wheels or tracks being a projectable wheel or track, the projectable wheel or track being associated with a lifting column assembly adapted to raise and lower said frame relative to the projectable wheel or track;
• a work tool supported by said frame;
• a drive mechanism adapted to rotate said work tool and at least one of said plurality of wheels or tracks;
• and
• an articulation apparatus adapted to pivotally move the projectable wheel or track between a projecting position and a retracted position relative to said frame, said articulation apparatus including:
• a support means for forming pivotal connections between the frame and the projectable wheel or track;
• an actuator connected to said support means and operable to pivot said support means relative to said frame;
• and
• torque arm means for keeping constant the advancement direction of the projectable wheel or track during pivoting movement of the support means.