Deere & Company

Eric Brian Smith

Craig Edward Rehmert

A wheel assembly comprises a tire supported by an underlying wheel. The tire has inner and outer surfaces, first and second side surfaces, and first and second recesses. Cables are in the tire proximate the inner surface. The wheel has inner and outer flanges, and an outer surface. The outer surface of the wheel receives the inner surface of the tire. The outer surface of the outer flange has lesser and greater diameter portions extending from respective sides. The lesser diameter portion covers at least 60 percent of the width of the outer surface. The greater diameter portion, defines a side flange, integral with the outer flange. A second side flange is removably mounted to the outer flange. The side flanges comprise side-facing abutment surfaces which interface with side-facing surfaces on the tire. The difference between the lesser and greater diameters is greater than radial stretch capability of the tire.

Tracked vehicles, and endless tracks and wheels therefore

Novel wheel assemblies for use in track drive systems in a tracked vehicle, in support of improving uniformity of pressure distribution across the width of the track, between the track and the underlying ground surface, where track installed on the vehicle is wider than the wheel bodies which are supplied as original equipment with the tracked vehicle. Such improved uniformity of pressure is achieved by adding, to the wheels of such tracked vehicle, auxiliary wheel bodies which extend the widths of the wheels to widths more reflective of the width of the track being used in such vehicle. In cases where different track widths are sequentially employed on a given vehicle, auxiliary wheel assemblies of respective different widths can be sequentially mounted, removed, and the like to reflect the widths of the tracks being employed.

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Independence, IA, United States of America

Eric Brian Smith