Caterpillar Inc.

Spm Oil & Gas Inc.

James D McPhail

Michael H Hinrichsen

Randy E Schoepke

Robert E Riedel, Jr

Nickolas Jay Gretz

Peter Allan Manos

Daniel Stumpo

David H Graef

Michael Hans Hinrichsen

A plug valve assembly has a valve body with an inlet and an outlet each defining a fluid passageway in fluid communication with a cavity defined within the valve body. The valve body further has a collar defining a service opening extending upward from the valve body. A plug with a spindle top and a plug body is disposed within the cavity. The plug has an opening that is operable to obstruct the fluid passageway when it is in a closed position and to connect the inlet to the outlet when it is in an open position. The spindle top of the plug has a hexagonal outer profile and a through opening and adaptable to engage with a variety of actuating devices. A threaded cap is removably engaged with the collar of the valve body and is operable to retain the plug within the valve body cavity.

Plug valve assembly

Valve cap adapter

Method of removing a valve cap threadedly engaged with a valve body includes inserting at least one coupling rod from a cap adapter through a valve cap attachment hole to couple the structures, coupling an output drive of a torque multiplier with the adapter, and exerting an input torque on the torque multiplier to rotate the adapter and valve cap, the input torque exerted on the torque multiplier being increased by the torque multiplier.

Valve cap adapter and arrangement and method of removing a valve cap

An apparatus and method for preventing debris from accessing and wrapping around the axles of a vehicle, such as a landfill compactor, are disclosed. The apparatus may include a wheel having a rim from which radially extend a plurality of cleats or tips. A subset of tips may be provided circumferentially around a laterally inner edge of the wheel. A wheel guard may be mounted between adjacent pairs of tips of the subset. Each wheel guard may be welded to the rim and to the adjacent pairs of tips. Each wheel guard may be a unitary piece of metal, or could be provided in two or more segment so as to be adjustable and thus facilitate use on wheels of differing diameters, or with different tip spacing. The wheel guards and adjacent tips form a continuous barrier around the circumference of the wheel to prevent debris from accessing and wrapping around the axles of the compactor.

Apparatus and method for protecting axles from winding debris

A compactor wheel tip for a landfill or soil compactor comprises a bottom wall having a wheel engaging surface, a top wall having a ground engaging surface, oppositely disposed front and rear walls having concave surfaces, and oppositely disposed side walls. The ground engaging surface of the top wall may be generally planar and have a 'bow-tie'-shaped cross-section, or the top wall may define a pair of shoulders each extending inwardly from one of the side walls, and a rib extending between the shoulders and having a depth that is less than the depth of shoulders. The ground engaging surface may further define a pair of exterior pockets disposed on opposite sides of the rib and extending downwardly between the rib and corresponding portions of the front and rear walls.

Paddle style land fill compactor wheel tip

A compactor wheel tip assembly for a landfill or soil compactor comprises a base with a tip attached thereto. A base engaging surface of the tip and a tip engaging surface of the base face and abut when the tip is attached to the base. The tip and base engaging surfaces may have corresponding geometries so that the tip may be attached the base in either a forward and rearward traction position or a side-slop traction position. The tip may include pocket walls having concave surfaces, and a ground engaging surface of a top wall that may be generally planar with a 'bow-tie'-shaped cross-section or may define a pair of shoulders, a rib extending between the shoulders, and exterior pockets disposed on either side of the rib.

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

James D McPhail