Caterpillar Tractor Co.

George W Cackley

Hugh C Morris

Gary A Hakes

Norma G Shook

Stephen D Burdette

Arthur J Ritter, Jr

Ronald L Krolak

Marvin G Getz

A crawler tractor vehicle having steering clutches and associated steering brake includes a control apparatus for each clutch and brake system, including a valve made up of a valve body, and a clutch valving spool and a brake valving spool movably associated therewith. In one embodiment, the clutch valving spool and brake valving spool are identical in configuration, and are disposed in a common bore. Actuator means are associated with such clutch valving spool and brake valving spool, in one embodiment including an actuator assembly made up of a plurality of plungers movable relative to each other and relative to the valve body to provide particular movement of the clutch and brake valving spools. In another embodiment, the actuator means comprise mechanical linkage means, for providing movement of brake and clutch valving spools positioned in respective separate bores defined by the valve body.

Vehicle steering brake and clutch control

A crawler tractor vehicle having fluid actuated steering clutches and associated steering brake includes a control apparatus for each clutch and brake system, including a valve made up of a valve body, and a clutch valving spool and a brake valving spool movably associated therewith. The vehicle further includes a transmission operable upon supply of fluid pressure thereto and a priority valve for providing that a certain level of fluid pressure is supplied to the brake system to provide a disengagement thereof prior to fluid pressure being supplied to the transmission.

A drive mechanism having a steering clutch assembly, a brake assembly, and a final drive assembly housed within a unitary housing defined by separable steering clutch assembly, brake assembly and final drive assembly housings removably secured together. The individual housings define flanges which may be secured together to form the unitary housing. The secured flanges may, in turn, be secured to another support structure of the drive mechanism.

Drive mechanism having separable housing

A bearing arrangement for use in a power drive having coaxially aligned input and output shafts. The bearing arrangement includes a spread-bearing structure disposed between first and second drive components carried on their respective shafts for maintaining mutually coaxial parallelism of the drive components.

Growing community of inventors

Hanna City, IL, United States of America

George W Cackley