Track system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11498631-B2
Application number	US-201716607253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2017
Priority date	Oct 22, 2015
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

Track system to be mounted on a vehicle in place of a rotatable OEM tire/wheel assembly, including: A frame. A drive wheel is rotatably mounted on the frame, operatively connectable to the drive shaft of the vehicle, and has a diameter of between 65% and 100% of the OEM tire diameter. Leading and trailing idler wheel assemblies are mounted on the frame. An endless track having an inner surface is disposed around the drive wheel, the leading and trailing idler wheel assemblies. The endless track has an unsupported portion between the drive wheel and one of the leading and trailing idler wheel assemblies. The unsupported portion has a length and a center. The unsupported portion deflects a distance of between 8% and 12% of its length on application of a 25-lb. force at its center.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A track system to be mounted on a vehicle in place of a rotatable tire/wheel assembly, the vehicle having a chassis, the rotatable tire/wheel assembly with an OEM tire diameter and an OEM tire width, and a drive shaft, the track system comprising:
a frame;
a drive wheel rotatably mounted on the frame, and operatively connectable to the drive shaft of the vehicle, the drive wheel having a diameter of between 65% and 100% of the OEM tire diameter;
a leading idler wheel assembly mounted on the frame;
a trailing idler wheel assembly mounted on the frame;
an endless track having an inner surface disposed around the drive wheel, the leading idler wheel assembly, and the trailing idler wheel assembly, the endless track having an unsupported portion between the drive wheel and one of the leading idler wheel assembly and the trailing idler wheel assembly, the unsupported portion having a length and a center, the unsupported portion deflecting a distance of between 8% and 12% of its length on application of a 25-lb. force at its center.

2. The track system of claim 1 , wherein the drive wheel is a sprocket wheel having a plurality of teeth.

3. The track system of claim 2 , wherein the endless track has a plurality of spaced-apart apertures dimensioned and longitudinally-positioned along the endless track to intermesh with the teeth of the sprocket wheel.

4. The track system of claim 3 , wherein the endless track has a plurality of metallic clips longitudinally-positioned along the inner surface of the endless track between the plurality of apertures.

5. The track system of claim 4 , further comprising a slide rail along a bottom of the frame, the slide rail positioned with respect the endless track such that as the endless track rotates the clips contact the slide rail along a lower run of the track.

6. The track system of claim 2 , wherein the inner surface of the endless track has
a first plurality of longitudinally-spaced drive-wheel-contacting guide lugs positioned to engage an inner side of the drive wheel, and
a second plurality of longitudinally-spaced drive-wheel-contacting guide lugs positioned to engage an outer side of the drive wheel.

7. The track system of claim 2 , wherein
the leading idler wheel assembly has an inner leading idler wheel and an outer leading idler wheel;
the trailing idler wheel assembly has an inner trailing idler wheel and an outer leading idler wheel;
the inner surface of the endless track has a first plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs positioned to engage an outer side of the outer leading idler wheel and the outer side of the outer trailing idler wheel;
the inner surface of the endless track has a second plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs positioned to engage an inner side of the inner leading idler wheel and the inner side of the inner trailing idler wheel;
the inner surface of the endless track has a third plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs positioned to engage an inner side of the outer leading idler wheel and the inner side of the outer trailing idler wheel;
the inner surface of the endless track has a fourth plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs positioned to engage an outer side of the inner leading idler wheel and the outer side of the inner trailing idler wheel.

8. The track system of claim 7 , wherein
the first plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs and the second plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs have a same lug spacing, being a first lug spacing;
the third plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs and the fourth plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs have a same lug spacing, being a second lug spacing; and
the second lug spacing is greater than the first lug spacing.

9. The track system of claim 8 , wherein the second lug spacing is twice the first lug spacing.

10. The track system of claim 8 , wherein the inner surface of the endless track has
a first plurality of longitudinally-spaced drive-wheel-contacting guide lugs positioned to engage an inner side of the drive wheel;
a second plurality of longitudinally-spaced drive-wheel-contacting guide lugs positioned to engage an outer side of the drive wheel;
the first plurality of longitudinally-spaced drive-wheel-contacting guide lugs and the second plurality of longitudinally-spaced drive-wheel-contacting guide lugs have a same lug spacing, being a third lug spacing; and
the third lug spacing is equal to the second lug spacing.

11. The track system of claim 10 , wherein the drive wheel is a sprocket wheel having a plurality of teeth; the endless track has a plurality of spaced-apart apertures dimensioned and longitudinally-positioned along the endless track to intermesh with the teeth of the sprocket wheel; and the first plurality of longitudinally-spaced drive-wheel-contacting guide lugs and the second plurality of longitudinally-spaced drive-wheel-contacting guide lugs are positioned to be longitudinally spaced apart from the apertures.

12. The track system of claim 7 , wherein
the first plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs are positioned along an edge of the endless track; and
the second plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs are positioned along an opposite edge of the endless track.

13. The track system of claim 7 , further comprising at least one support roller assembly mounted on the frame between the leading idler wheel assembly and the trailing idler wheel assembly; and wherein the first plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs, the second plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs, the third plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs, and the fourth plurality of longitudinally-spaced idler-wheel-contacting guide lugs each engage a side of a support roller of the at least one support roller assembly.

14. The track system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one support roller assembly mounted on the frame between the front idler wheel assembly and the rear idler wheel assembly.

15. The track system of claim 2 , wherein, the endless track has a width of between 75% and 125% of the OEM tire width.

16. The track system of claim 15 , wherein the width of the endless track is less than 11½ inches.

17. The track system of claim 1 , wherein the unsupported portion has a length of 15% inches and the unsupported portion deflects a distance of between 1¼ inches and 1¾ inches on application of the 25-lb. force.

18. The track system of claim 1 , wherein the drive wheel has a diameter of between 68% and 97% of the OEM tire diameter.

19. The track system of claim 1 , wherein the drive is mountable to a wheel hub of the vehicle in place of the rotatable tire/wheel assembly to attach the track system to the vehicle.

20. The track system of claim 1 , wherein the frame is mountable to the vehicle to attach the track system to the vehicle.

Assignees

• Soucy Int Inc

Inventors

• L'Herault Patrick
• Marchildon Louis-Frederic

Classifications

• B62D55/30

  Track-tensioning means · CPC title

• B62D55/14

  Arrangement, location, or adaptation of rollers · CPC title

• B62D55/065

  Multi-track vehicles, i.e. more than two tracks {(soil-shifting machines E02F; mining machines E21C)} · CPC title

• B62D55/04 Primary

  with tracks and alternative ground wheels, e.g. changeable from endless track vehicle into wheeled vehicle and vice versa {(for multi-purpose tractors B62D49/0635)} · CPC title

• B62D55/244

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