Grouser assembly for endless track systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10625798-B2
Application number	US-201715699675-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

A grouser assembly is selectively attachable to an endless track having a carcass, side edges and traction lugs. The grouser assembly includes a body having top and bottom faces. The body includes a recess defined in the bottom face that is shaped to receive a traction lug of the endless track. The grouser assembly further includes ground-contacting projections connected to the body and extending away from the top face, and first and second attachment assemblies connected to the body. The second attachment assembly has an attached configuration and a released configuration, and is positioned relative to the first attachment assembly such that when (i) the traction lug is received in the recess, (ii) the first attachment assembly attaches the grouser assembly to the carcass, and (iii) the second attachment assembly is in the attached configuration, the second attachment assembly attaches the grouser assembly to the endless track.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A grouser assembly selectively attachable to an elastomeric endless track having a carcass having first and second side edges and a ground-engaging outer surface including traction lugs, the grouser assembly comprising:
a body having top and bottom faces, the body including a recess defined in the bottom face of the body, the recess being shaped to receive a traction lug of the traction lugs of the endless track in the recess;
ground-contacting projections connected to the body, the projections extending away from the top face of the body such that when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track the projections extend beyond the traction lugs;
a first attachment assembly connected to the body for attaching the grouser assembly to the carcass of the endless track; and
a second attachment assembly connected to the body for attaching the grouser assembly to the carcass of the endless track, the second attachment assembly having an attached configuration and a released configuration, and the second attachment assembly being positioned relative to the first attachment assembly such that when (i) the traction lug is received in the recess, (ii) the first attachment assembly attaches the grouser assembly to the carcass of the endless track, and (iii) the second attachment assembly is in the attached configuration, the second attachment assembly attaches the grouser assembly to the endless track;
wherein, when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track, a sidewall of the body is disposed within a valley of the endless track, the valley extending laterally across the ground-engaging outer surface of the endless track between a plurality of traction lugs of the traction lugs, and the grouse assembly further includes a shoe connected to a bottom edge of the sidewall of the body, and when the grouser assembly is attached to the elastomeric endless track, the shoe abuts a wall of at least one traction lug of the traction lugs.

2. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein, when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track, the top and bottom faces of the body extend parallel to the outer surface of the endless track.

3. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the recess is an aperture extending from the bottom face to the top face of the body.

4. The grouser assembly of claim 3 , wherein, when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track, an upper portion of the traction lug extends through the aperture.

5. The grouser assembly of claim 3 , wherein, when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track, an upper portion of the traction lug extends vertically beyond the top face of the body.

6. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein, when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track:
the recess is a plurality of recesses and the traction lug is a plurality of traction lugs; and
each recess of the plurality of recesses receives one of the plurality of traction lugs.

7. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein, when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track:
the first attachment assembly includes a first hook facing and engaging with the first side edge of the carcass of the endless track; and
the second attachment assembly includes a second hook facing and engaging with the second side edge of the carcass of the endless track when in the attached configuration.

8. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second attachment assembly is pivotably movable with respect to the body between the released configuration and the attached configuration.

9. The grouser assembly of claim 8 , further comprising a fastener slidably engaging the second attachment assembly through a through hole defined in the second attachment assembly, and the fastener is threadedly engageable to the body.

10. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second attachment assemblies are free of fasteners extending within the carcass of the endless track.

11. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second attachment assembly is slidably movable with respect to the body.

12. The grouser assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a fastener releasably clamping the second attachment assembly to the body as the fastener extends through slotted holes defined in at least one of the second attachment assembly and the body.

13. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first attachment assembly is movable with respect to the body, and the first attachment assembly has a released configuration and an attached configuration.

14. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the body and the ground-contacting projections are integrally formed.

15. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ground-contacting projections include a plurality of teeth.

16. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the body has front and rear sidewalls, and when the grouser assembly is attached to the elastomeric endless track further including drive lugs located on an inner surface opposite to the outer ground-engaging surface, the body is dimensioned such that the front sidewall is located in a front of a drive lug of the drive lugs, and the rear sidewall is located at a rear of the drive lug of the drive lugs.

17. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein, when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track, the grouser assembly is retained to the endless track at least in part by the abutment of a wall of the recess with a wall of the traction lug that is received in the recess.

18. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein, when the grouser assembly is attached to the endless track, the grouser assembly is retained to the endless track at least in part by the abutment of a sidewall of the body with a wall of at least one traction lug of the traction lugs.

19. The grouser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the recess is shaped to register with a wall of the traction lug that is received in the recess.

Assignees

• Soucy Int Inc

Inventors

• Lafreniere Pascal
• Breton Jean-Philippe
• St-Arnaud Charles
• Leclerc Caroline
• Devin Charles
• Pettigrew Pierre-Yves

Classifications

• B62D55/28 Primary

  detachable · CPC title

• B62D55/244

  Moulded in one piece, with either smooth surfaces or surfaces having projections, e.g. incorporating reinforcing elements · CPC title