Swing arm idler rise height adjustment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9988111-B2
Application number	US-201615228105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2016
Priority date	Aug 4, 2016
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

An idler wheel recoil assembly mounts an idler wheel to a roller frame of an undercarriage of a track-type machine. The idler wheel recoil assembly includes a recoil shaft and spring mounted on the roller frame for reciprocal movement of the recoil shaft, and a swing arm pivotally connected to a guard mounted on the roller frame by a guard mounting assembly and having the idler wheel rotatably mounted thereon. A yoke is pivotally connected between the recoil shaft and the swing arm. A guard mounting assembly connects the guard to the roller frame of the undercarriage and has a plurality of mounting positions for securing the guard to the roller frame, with an idler rise height of the idler wheel relative to the roller frame being different when the guard is secured to the roller frame in each of the plurality of mounting positions of the guard mounting assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An idler wheel recoil assembly for mounting an idler wheel to a roller frame of an undercarriage of a track-type machine having an endless roller track formed by a plurality of track links, the idler wheel recoil assembly comprising:
a recoil shaft slidably mounted on the roller frame for reciprocal linear movement parallel to a longitudinal axis of the undercarriage;
a recoil spring coupled to the roller frame and to the recoil shaft and biasing the recoil shaft toward a forward direction of the track-type machine;
a yoke having a first yoke end and a second yoke end, the first yoke end pivotally connected to the recoil shaft by a recoil-yoke shaft;
a swing arm having a first swing arm end and a second swing arm end, the first swing arm end pivotally connected to the second yoke end of the yoke by a yoke-swing arm shaft, and having the idler wheel pivotally connected thereto by an idler shaft;
a guard pivotally connected to the second swing arm end of the swing arm by a swing arm-guard shaft; and
a guard mounting assembly connecting the guard to the roller frame of the undercarriage, the guard mounting assembly having a plurality of mounting positions for securing the guard to the roller frame and maintaining the guard in a fixed position relative to the roller frame, and wherein an idler rise height of the idler wheel relative to the roller frame is different when the guard is secured to the roller frame in each of the plurality of mounting positions of the guard mounting assembly.

2. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 1 , wherein the guard mounting assembly comprises:
at least one guard shim disposed between the guard and the roller frame; and
a plurality of fasteners securing the guard to the roller frame with the at least one guard shim disposed there between, wherein the idler rise height of the idler wheel increases when one of the at least one guard shim is removed and a guard-frame distance between the guard and the roller frame decreases.

3. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 2 , wherein the swing arm rotates rearward when the one of the at least one guard shim is removed and the guard-frame distance decreases.

4. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 2 , wherein the at least one guard shim comprises a plurality of guard shims.

5. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 2 , wherein the guard has a plurality of guard mounting holes and the roller frame has a plurality of frame mounting holes that are aligned with the plurality of guard mounting holes when the guard is mounted to the roller frame, and a corresponding one of the plurality of fasteners is inserted through each pair of aligned guard mounting holes and frame mounting holes, and wherein each of the at least one guard shim comprises a plurality of shim mounting slots that each align with one pair of aligned guard mounting holes and frame mounting holes and the corresponding one of the plurality of fasteners so that the at least one guard shim is installable between the guard and the roller frame and removable from the guard mounting assembly without completely detaching the guard from the roller frame.

6. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 1 , wherein the guard mounting assembly comprises:
a plurality of frame mounting holes through the roller frame;
a plurality of guard mounting holes through the guard, wherein the plurality of guard mounting holes are positioned to align with the plurality of frame mounting holes in multiple positions of the guard relative to the roller frame; and
a plurality of fasteners for securing the guard to the roller frame with each of the plurality of fasteners being inserted through an aligned pair of one of the plurality of frame mounting holes and one of the plurality of guard mounting holes, wherein the idler wheel is disposed at a first idler rise height relative to the roller frame when the guard is mounted to the roller frame in a first guard position with the plurality of guard mounting holes aligned with the plurality of frame mounting holes, and the idler wheel is disposed at a second idler rise height relative to the roller frame that is higher than the first idler rise height when the guard is mounted to the roller frame in a second guard position with the plurality of guard mounting holes aligned with the plurality of frame mounting holes.

7. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 6 , wherein the swing arm rotates rearward relative to the roller frame when the guard is repositioned from the first guard position to the second guard position.

8. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 6 , wherein the second guard position is forward of the first guard position relative to the roller frame.

9. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 1 , wherein the recoil shaft comprises a track adjustment cylinder having a variable track adjustment cylinder length so that the recoil shaft has a variable recoil shaft length for adjustment of tension in the endless roller track.

10. The idler wheel recoil assembly of claim 1 , comprising:
a recoil-yoke composite bearing mounted on the recoil-yoke shaft between the recoil-yoke shaft and the recoil shaft and reducing friction there between without lubricant;
a yoke-swing arm composite bearing mounted on the yoke-swing arm shaft between the yoke-swing arm shaft and the second yoke end and reducing friction there between without lubricant; and
a swing arm-guard composite bearing mounted on the swing arm-guard shaft between the swing arm-guard shaft and the second swing arm end and reducing friction there between without lubricant.

11. A guard mounting assembly for mounting an idler wheel to a roller frame of an undercarriage of a track-type machine having an endless roller track formed by a plurality of track links, wherein the idler wheel is pivotally connected to a swing arm of a recoil assembly by an idler shaft, with the swing arm having a first swing arm end pivotally connected to a yoke of the recoil assembly and a second swing arm end, the guard mounting assembly comprising:
a guard pivotally connected to the second swing arm end of the swing arm by a swing arm-guard shaft;
at least one guard shim; and
a plurality of fasteners securing the guard to the roller frame with the at least one guard shim disposed there between, wherein an idler rise height of the idler wheel increases when one of the at least one guard shim is removed and a guard-frame distance between the guard and the roller frame decreases.

12. The guard mounting assembly of claim 11 , wherein the swing arm rotates rearward when the one of the at least one guard shim is removed and the guard-frame distance decreases.

13. The guard mounting assembly of claim 11 , wherein the at least one guard shim comprises a plurality of guard shims.

14. The guard mounting assembly of claim 11 , wherein the guard has a plurality of guard mounting holes and the roller frame has plurality of frame mounting holes that are aligned with the plurality of guard mounting holes when the guard is mounted to the roller frame, and a corresponding one of the plurality of fasteners is inserted through each pair of aligned guard mounting holes and frame mounting holes, and wherein each of the at least one guard shim comprises a plurality of shim mounting slots that each align with one pair of aligned guard mounting holes and frame mounting holes and the corresponding one of the plurality of fasteners so that the at least one guard shim is installable between the guard and the roller frame and removable from the guard mounting assembly without completely detaching the guard from the roller frame.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Maier Ronald Jerome
• Edelin John Bradley
• Jonnakuti Dewakar Venkata
• Mankar Sanjog Suresh

Classifications

• E02F3/7609

  Scraper blade mounted forwardly of the tractor on a pair of pivoting arms which are linked to the sides of the tractor, e.g. bulldozers · CPC title

• E02F3/7622

  Scraper equipment with the scraper blade mounted on a frame to be hitched to the tractor by bars, arms, chains or the like, the frame having no ground supporting means of its own, e.g. drag scrapers · CPC title

• B62D55/305 Primary

  acting on pivotably mounted idlers · CPC title

• E02F9/02

  Travelling-gear, e.g. associated with slewing gears ({drives therefor E02F9/20}; for motor vehicles B60B, B60G; undercarriages for locomotives or railroad cars B61F; track-laying vehicles B62D; for cranes B66C23/18) · CPC title

• B62D55/15

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