Caterpillar Inc.

Robert D Toms

Alan Dale Gustafson

Sean C McGinnis

Endless rubber track laying machines are provided with a pair of track laying assemblies positioned on opposite sides of the work machine. Each track laying assembly includes an endless rubber belt entrained around a drive wheel, an idler wheel, and a plurality of supporting mid-rollers. A fluid cylinder is connected to the idler wheel for tensioning the endless rubber belts. The present recoil activated valve includes a two position poppet valve positioned between the fluid cylinder and an accumulator. With this recoil activated valve the tensioning system locks the fluid cylinder as the work machine traverses side slopes. Thus, a simple system is provided that can be solely fluid actuated or actuated by an electronic monitoring system, thereby providing a system that reduces the possibility of the endless rubber track from un-tracking.

Track tensioning apparatus

A supplemental steering system is provided for a machine having first and second brakes actuable for slowing rotation of first and second drive outputs or wheels, a brake actuator, and a main or primary steering system. The brake actuator is connected with a first port and a second port of a supplemental steering control valve having a first chamber and a second chamber. The first port communicates with the first chamber and the second port communicates with the second chamber. The supplemental steering control valve further includes a piston located in the bore connected to a steering input and having a neutral position generally equidistant between the first and second chambers. First and second brake ports respectively communicate the first and second chambers with the first brake. The piston is movable in a first direction a predetermined distance into the first chamber to close the first port such that further movement of the piston in the first direction will urge brake fluid in the first chamber through the first brake port to actuate the first brake, and movement of the piston in a second direction actuates the second brake.

Supplement steering system

A supplemental steering control is provided for use in a machine that is normally steered by a differential steer mechanism. A second source of pressurized fluid and an independently controlled brake actuator mechanism function to control steering in the event a first source of pressurized fluid fails. By interconnecting the fluid ports of a fluid actuated steer motor when the first source of pressurized fluid fails, the fluid actuated motor is permitted to freely rotate. A single steering control valve is used to control steering during normal use and also during supplemental steering. The independently controlled brake actuator mechanism is connected to the steering control valve and acts to selectively direct pressurized fluid from the second source of pressurized fluid to respective ones of first and second fluid actuated brake mechanisms. Since the fluid operated steer motor is free to rotate, braking of one of the output drives slows its rotation relative to the other output drive thus causing the machine to turn in the desired direction. The subject supplemental steering control uses a common steering control valve and permits the use of existing service/parking brakes to provide the needed steering of the machine in the event the first source of pressurized fluid fails.

Supplemental steering control for a differential steer machine

An apparatus for protecting a track assembly of a tractor includes a first protection member positioned adjacent to the track assembly, the first protection member being movable between a first position and a second position. The apparatus also includes a biasing assembly for biasing the first protection member into the first position.

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Sycamore, IL, United States of America

Robert D Toms