Caterpillar Tractor Co.

Rollen G Easter

Royce D Allen

James A Hooker

A frame of a vehicle includes a pair of laterally spaced beams, each including upper and lower members and first and second sidewall means fixed thereto. A saddle extends between the beams, each end of the saddle including an end plate which is positioned in an opening of an associated sidewall means of a beam, and fixed to that beam.

Saddle/main frame fabrication

A controllably deformable fastener assembly has a fastener, clamping means, and a crushable element. The fastener has a threaded shank portion, a head portion and a shoulder portion on the head portion. The shank portion is of a material having a preselected tensile yield load. The clamping means is provided for screw threadably receiving the shank portion of the fastener, including a shoulder portion that is movable towards the shoulder portion of the fastener for securing a first member to a second member. The crushable element is disposed therebetween and is of a material that is controllably plastically deformable at a preselected load which is less than the preselected tensile yield load of the shank portion of the fastener.

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Tremont, IL, United States of America

Rollen G Easter