Clark Equipment Compnay

Dan A Frederick

Larry E Albright

Thomas J Roan

Gary W Weddle

James E Asche

Rodney Koch

Maria C Homola, Legal Representative

Gary J Homola

Nicole L Fuss, Legal Representative

Karla J Frederick, Legal Representative

Andrew A Wehseler

A work machine includes a frame supported for movement over the ground, a prime mover for driving movement of the frame, an operator compartment supported on the frame and a cradle coupling the operator compartment to the frame. The cradle is pivotable between an operating position and a service position and includes a biasing mechanism for biasing cradle toward the service position and an isolation mount coupling the operator compartment to the cradle. The isolation mount permits deflection of the operator compartment relative to the cradle along a selected axis. A latch mechanism releasably couples the cradle to the frame and a handle is provided for actuating the latch mechanism. The isolation mount includes a deformable member having a void defining the selected axis. The axis can be aligned with a force exerted on the cradle by the operator compartment to reduce stress on the biasing member.

Operator compartment assembly

A track frame or undercarriage is made to support a rubber track on suitable guide rollers. A tensioning roller is provided as one of the guide rollers on the interior of the track and is mounted on a pivoting bracket. The pivoting bracket moves the tensioning roller to a working position for creating tension in the track. An actuator provides a known force on the pivoting bracket to move the tensioning roller to its working position, using a controlled pressure applied to the actuator. Drive sprockets for the track are mounted onto a drive case that is mounted to the frame through pivoting linkages such that the drive case and the drive sprocket can be held in a working position and retracted away from the track. The position of the tensioning roller is maintained within set limits of retractions during use, by providing a stop to limit the amount that the tensioning roller can retract.

Collapsible track undercarriage for installation and tensioning

A track driven machine has a pair of track frames on opposite sides thereof, and each of the track frames has a pair of laterally extending arms fixed thereto. The arms are joined to a machine frame only through vibration isolating elastomeric blocks that carry compression loads from the arms to the machine frame. The elastomeric blocks are held in place with bolts that pass through openings in the machine frame. There are second elastomeric blocks above each of the first blocks to support downward movement of the arms relative to the machine frame.

Drive track support with vibration isolation

Skid steer loader with extendable lift arms

Skid steer loader with lift arms

A skid steer loader has a rear mounted engine and a tailgate that pivots about a vertical axis, and the tailgate in turn carries an engine cover panel that is pivoted to the tailgate about a horizontal axis. When the tailgate is closed, the engine cover panel overlies the loader engine and other components for the skid steer loader, and provides protection and covers such components. The engine cover panel is made so that it will move upwardly for access to the components and swings away with the tailgate for access to the engine compartment.

Combined tailgate and hinged engine cover

A boom stop having a elongated tubular body portion is mounted on the rod end of one of the hydraulic lift cylinders of a skid steer loader. When the boom of the skid steer loader is lifted, the boom stop is carried outwardly with the rod end of the cylinder, the opposite end of the boom stop dropping into a plane adjacent the rod end of the cylinder when the hydraulic cylinder is almost fully extended. Thus the boom stop is interposed between the outer end of the cylinder body and the rod end of the cylinder to retain such lift cylinder in an extended position under loading conditions. A projection provided at a lower end of the boom stop carries a toggle mechanism mounted on a pivotal connection, the mechanism including a ramp like projection which rotates downwardly when the cylinder is extended further outwardly to disengage the stop from the cylinder body, the ramp engaging both the cylinder body and the body portion of the stop to slide the body portion of the stop onto the cylinder body when the cylinder is pulled back to a fully retracted position.

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Forman, ND, United States of America

Dan A Frederick