Deere + Company

Michael Bedis

Paul A Meyer

Alberto J Mantilla

Anthony John Baxter

James Heinrich Weitz

Gary David Hohnl

Robert N Behrens

Brian James Hitt

Lee J Wanie

Stanley J DeBraal

Donald E Westemeier

Michael Patrick McCarren, Jr

Robert J DeMeester

Rocky Hudson Page

Carl L Braun

Utility vehicle

A tubular axle housing is provided with pairs of tabs that protrude or extend from the axle to a height or length sufficient to prevent the intermediate section of a U-bolt from sliding over the tab. The tabs also help locate and guide the U-bolt between the tabs during the assembly of a leaf spring to the axle housing. The tabs provide a positive locking feature for the U-bolts during service of a vehicle, to prevent the U-bolts from moving laterally along the axis of the axle tube. As a result, the joint between the leaf spring and axle housing is more secure.

Retaining U-bolts to a tubular axle housing

A system and method for controlling the ground speed and enhancing the maneuverability of an off-road vehicle having systems for initially establishing and thereafter automatically returning the hydrostatic transmission to the neutral position, a pedal system interconnected with the neutral location and return system for selectively driving the vehicle in either the forward or the reverse direction, a brake system consisting of a left foot operated left and right turn brake subsystem which enhances the vehicle maneuverability, a right foot operated master brake system which is used to bring the vehicle to a complete hault and for emergencies, and a park brake system which is used to lock the brakes when the vehicle is at rest, a cruise control system which is interconnected with the pedal system and the brake system. The left foot operated turn brake subsystem enables an operator to utilize the turn brakes without the cruise control engaged and without having to take his foot off the forward or the reverse pedal. The cruise interconnections with the service brake and the pedal system provide a plurality of disengagement options for the cruise control system.

System and method for controlling the ground speed and enhancing the

A tractor-implement combination comprising a tractor frame supported on front and rear wheels and having left and right side plate means has a horizontal tube structure extending through the side plate means to oppositely, transversely spaced open ends. A transverse beam is slidably mounted within the tube and has opposite end portions projecting transversely outwardly of the open ends of the tube. A pair of implement supports detachably secured to said end portions and an implement is carried on the implement supports.

Tractor frame for tractor-mounted implement

Wear plates are provided at the interface between an idler support and a track frame of a track laying tractor. The wear plates have a pair of threaded fasteners stud-welded to one side thereof and received in slots provided in wear plate supporting structures forming part of the idler support. Nuts and washers are received on the fasteners and hold the wear plates in place.

Wear plate for idler slide mounting

On a tractor having a main frame channel that includes an overhead wall and depending side walls and a lift arm mounted on a rockshaft for raising and lowering a tractor-supported implement, a power means for rocking the rockshaft with a lost motion connection between the power means and the rockshaft, a vertical member extending through the overhead wall and freely swivable therein and having a manual controllable portion above the transverse wall structure and an axially hollow section beneath the wall structure, a fixed pipe-like member in axial alignment with the swivel member and having an internal threaded portion, a stud threaded into the pipe-like member and having a head seated in and connected to the hollow section of the swivel member to swivel therewith, and a vertically disposed rod having an upper end portion extending to and engaging the lower end of the stud and a lower end connected to the rockshaft in radial offset relation to its axis.

Tractor power lift with a mechanical disconnect to power source

A split master link has first and second halves joined along a line of separation defined by toothed and ramp portions arranged such that a gap exists between the tips and roots of the mating teeth when fasteners holding the link halves together are loose. The gap dimension is chosen such that when the fasteners have been tightened to the extent necessary for establishing a desired prestressing of the links through the action of the ramp portions, the tips will have bottomed out. At this time, a significant portion of the desired clamping load will be available through further tightening of the fasteners for forcing the tips and roots together so as to establish a rigid, non-loosening joint.

Split master link for track-laying vehicle track

A split master link includes first and second separable sections which are joined together at an overlapping joint comprising a series of interengaged teeth located centrally in the link mass. The link sections have confronting surfaces forming continuations of the opposite ends of the tooth racks of the sections and in one embodiment, one of each set of confronting surfaces at an end of the tooth racks is stepped so that a relief area extends from the tooth rack towards a side of the link through a distance of approximately three-fourths of the disance of the tooth to the side of the link. In a second embodiment, the pair of confronting surfaces at each end of the tooth racks are arranged in converging relationship so that they converge at a side of the track link. A relief area is thus formed at the opposite ends of the tooth racks and each relief area extends to an adjacent side of the link. Relief areas of both the embodiments serve to greatly decrease the cyclic strain that the track link would experience for a given load as compared to a track link having no such relief areas.

Growing community of inventors

Oconomowoc, WI, United States of America

Michael Bedis