Pin assembly for a tracked work vehicle suspension system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9440692-B2
Application number	US-201314391112-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2013
Priority date	Jul 30, 2012
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

An undercarriage for a tracked work vehicle is provided that includes a roller wheel beam. The roller wheel beam includes a clevis having a first arm and a second arm. Additionally, the first arm includes a first opening, and the second arm includes a second opening. The undercarriage further includes a bushing mount which has a third opening and is configured to be disposed between the first arm and the second arm. Also, the undercarriage includes a pin assembly configured to couple the roller wheel beam to the bushing mount. Moreover, the pin assembly includes a first pin configured to be inserted into the first opening and a first end of the third opening. The pin assembly also includes a second pin configured to be inserted into the second opening and a second end of the third opening. Furthermore, the first pin is configured to abut the second pin when the first pin and the second pin are inserted into respective openings.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An undercarriage for a tracked work vehicle, comprising:
a roller wheel beam comprising a clevis, wherein the clevis comprises a first arm and a second arm, and wherein the first arm comprises a first opening and the second arm comprises a second opening;
a bushing mount comprising a third opening, and configured to be disposed between the first arm and the second arm; and
a pin assembly configured to couple the roller wheel beam to the bushing mount, wherein the pin assembly comprises:
a first pin configured to be inserted into the first opening and a first end of the third opening, wherein the first pin comprises a chamfer at a distal end, and wherein the chamfer is configured to facilitate alignment of the first pin with the third opening;
a second pin configured to be inserted into the second opening and a second end of the third opening;

wherein the first pin is configured to abut the second pin when the first pin and the second pin are inserted into respective openings.

2. The undercarriage of claim 1 , wherein the second pin comprises a chamfer at a distal end, and wherein the chamfer is configured to facilitate alignment of the second pin within the third opening.

3. The undercarriage of claim 1 , comprising a bolt having a head and a threaded shaft.

4. The undercarriage of claim 3 , wherein the first pin comprises a fourth opening configured to receive the threaded shaft of the bolt, and a notch configured to receive the head of the bolt; and wherein the second pin comprises a fifth annular opening configured to receive the bolt; and receiving threads within the fifth opening, wherein the receiving threads are configured to engage the threaded shaft.

5. The pin assembly of claim 4 , wherein the notch is configured to enable an exterior face of the head to be planar with a lateral face of the first pin when the head is fully inserted into the notch.

6. A method of manufacturing an undercarriage for a tracked work vehicle, comprising:
substantially aligning a first opening of a bushing mount with a first slot of a first arm of a beam, and substantially aligning the first opening of the bushing mount with a second slot of a second arm of the beam;
inserting a first pin through the first slot and into a first end of the first opening;
inserting a second pin through the second slot and into a second end of the first opening; and
securing the first and second pins within the first opening by inserting a bolt through respective second openings in the first and second pins; and engaging a threaded portion of the bolt with a corresponding threaded portion of at least one second opening.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein substantially aligning the first opening of the bushing mount with the first slot of the first arm of the beam comprises compressing a resilient portion of a vertical mount using a compression bolt inserted through a threaded opening in the beam.

8. The method of claim 6 , comprising rotating a resilient bushing disposed in the bushing mount by inserting a chamfered distal end of the first pin into the first end of the first opening and inserting a chamfered distal end of the second pin into the second end of the first opening.

9. The method of claim 6 , comprising coupling the bushing mount to an undercarriage before coupling the beam to the bushing mount.

10. An undercarriage for a tracked work vehicle, comprising
a roller wheel beam comprising a first arm comprising a first slot; and a second arm comprising a second slot;
a bushing mount configured to be positioned between the first and second arms, wherein the bushing mount comprises a first opening;
a pin assembly comprising:
a bolt comprising a bolt head; and a threaded shaft;
a first pin configured to be inserted into the first slot and into a first end of the first opening, wherein the first pin comprises a first pin head, a notch configured to receive the bolt head, and a second opening along a longitudinal axis of the first pin, wherein the second opening is configured to receive the threaded shaft of the bolt; and
a second pin configured to be inserted into the second slot and into a second end of the first opening, wherein the second pin comprises a second pin head, a third opening along a longitudinal axis of the second pin, and a threaded portion of the third opening, wherein the threaded portion is configured to engage the threaded shaft of the bolt.

11. The undercarriage of claim 10 , wherein the bushing mount comprises:
a rigid frame having a fourth opening;
a resilient bushing disposed within the fourth opening; and
a cylindrical bushing having the first opening, wherein the resilient bushing is disposed about a circumference of the cylindrical bushing.

12. The undercarriage of claim 11 , wherein the beam comprises a first threaded opening, the bushing mount comprises a second threaded opening adjacent to the first threaded opening, and the first and second threaded openings are each configured to receive a compression bolt.

13. The undercarriage of claim 12 , comprising the compression bolt configured to substantially align the first slot with the first end of the first opening, and to substantially align the second slot with the second end of the first opening by compressing a resilient pad of a vertical mount via rotation of the bolt within the first and second threaded openings.

14. The undercarriage of claim 11 , wherein the cylindrical bushing is steel.

15. The undercarriage of claim 11 , wherein the cylindrical bushing is bonded to the resilient bushing.

16. The undercarriage of claim 10 , wherein the first arm comprises a first recess concentric with the first slot, wherein the first recess is configured to receive the first pin head such that an exterior face of the first pin head is planar with an exterior face of the first arm when the first pin is fully inserted into the first slot.

17. The undercarriage of claim 10 , wherein the second arm comprises a second recess concentric with the second slot, wherein the second recess is configured to receive the second pin head such that an exterior face of the second pin head is planar with an exterior face of the second arm when the second pin is fully inserted into the second slot.

18. The undercarriage of claim 17 , wherein the second pin head is obround or polygonal, and wherein the second recess has a corresponding shape.

19. The undercarriage of claim 10 , wherein the notch is configured to receive the bolt head such that an exterior face of the bolt head is planar with an exterior face of the first pin when the bolt head is fully inserted into the notch.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Vik Brian D
• Zurn Daniel J

Classifications

• B62D55/0842 Primary

  Tracked vehicle with track carriages suspended on three points, e.g. by an equaliser bar · CPC title

• Y10T29/49961

  At least one part nonmetallic · CPC title

• B62D55/00 Primary

  Endless track vehicles (steering aspects B62D11/00; {characterised by the driver not being seated B62D51/007}) · CPC title

• B62D55/32

  Assembly, disassembly, repair or servicing of endless-track systems · CPC title

• B62D55/15

  Mounting devices, e.g. bushings, axles, bearings, sealings {(with lubrication means B62D55/092)} · CPC title