Caterpillar Tractor Co.

Kenneth A Rhoads

Leon A Wirt

Sterling R Booth, Jr

A ripper of an earthworking apparatus includes a shank with a tapered, forwardly projecting lower end portion that has a blunt extremity, a detachable hollow shin protector which embraces the lower end portion of the shank, both to reinforce said lower end portion and to transfer some ripping forces to the upper portion of the shank which is stronger than the tapered lower end portion, and a one-piece detachable ripper tip which has a rearward mounting stub provided with spaced control surfaces that abut mating control surfaces on the shank and/or the shin protector to positively position the ripper tip and to transfer certain ripping forces through the shin protector to the upper portion of the shank.

Ripper tip assembly

An earth ripping apparatus is provided with a replaceable ripper tip which is releasably attached to the lower end of a shank latching means which functions in cooperative association with a wear plate carried along the leading edge of the shank.

Ripper tip with inter-fitting shin guard retaining means

A track roller has a stepped diameter shaft with a pair of spaced shoulders and an outer track engaging rim with a pair of opposite end faces individually substantially alignable with the shoulders of the shaft. A rim clamping and positioning device is disposable in opposing sliding relation against the shoulders of the shaft for rotatably mounting the rim on the shaft and has a sleeve portion extending in full load bearing relation between the shoulders of the shaft. A pair of opposing clamping surfaces are each positionable in facing, tightly clamping relation against respective ones of the end faces of the rim for limiting relative axial movement between the rim and shaft.

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East Peoria, IL, United States of America

Kenneth A Rhoads