Abstract: A snowmobile drive track for travelling on various surfaces including icy surfaces, hardened snow surfaces and semi-hardened surfaces comprises an endless body having, on its ground engaging outer side, projecting profiles having peaks of different height. The first highest peaks bear on icy surfaces, while, on hardened snow surfaces, the second highest peaks also engage the ground; on semi-hardened snow surfaces, all peaks engage the ground.
Abstract: In a rubber crawler, lags are generally are formed on the outer surface of an endless belt-like elastomer, and rubber projections for transmission of driving force and prevention of the rubber crawler from coming of off from a wheel are formed on the inner surface of the elastomer at regular pitches. Rein forcing cord layers are embedded in the elastomer along its longitudinal direction. An abrasion resistant member is embedded in the rubber projection along the width direction of the rubber crawler. Its both end portions are exposed at the sides of the rubber projection. The abrasion-resistant member has a central portion having a small diameter and a pair of end portions connected to the ends of the central portion and having a large diameter. In the exposed portion of the end portion which is exposed at the side surface of the rubber projection, its most interior portion in the radial direction is positioned above the base portion of the rubber projection.
Abstract: A track (10) for a vehicle is typically carried by a plurality of wheels (12, 14, 16). Tread-wheel vibration is created when the track (10) passes between a wheel and the ground over which the vehicle is traveling. A track (10) includes a plurality of external lugs (32) that engage the ground when the track (10) is in use. Each external lug (32) has a tread angle (a) indicating the angle at which the lug is disposed to the longitudinal axis (34) of the track (10), a tread pitch (P) and a lug width (H). A wheel (16) contacting the interior of the track (10) has a width (B). A tread design that minimizes tread-wheel vibration has the pitch (P) of the lugs (32) substantially equal to the wheel width (B) multiplied by the tangent of the tread angle (a).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 5, 1998
Date of Patent:
May 30, 2000
Assignee:
Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.
Inventors:
Hitoshi Akiyama, Matthew J. Beatty, Louis F. Agocs, Jr.
Abstract: In the operation of a track type machine in highly abrasive material, premature wear of the track shoes has been a common occurrence. The present invention provides a track shoe that has a grouser that defines a plurality of grooves that extend in a direction that is substantially the same as that of the grouser. The grooves are formed on both the leading and trailing sides of the grouser and are filled with an abrasion resistant material. The grooves are arranged such that the strips of abrasion resistant material on the first side are aligned with the spaces between the strips on the opposite side and vice versa.
Abstract: A crawler belt apparatus includes a drive wheel having engaging teeth, a crawler belt having engaging projections engageable with the engaging teeth, and a plurality of discharge passages formed between root bottoms defined by the engaging projections, and top ends of the engaging teeth, for discharging foreign substances such as dirt and sand entered between the root bottoms and the top ends. The foreign substances passing through the discharge passages are not compressed by the drive wheel and hence do not become a solid mass.
Abstract: A snowmobile drive track includes an endless body having a ground engaging outer side on which is displayed, on every three successive crossbar receiving areas, a tread pattern which is repeated over the entire outer side. This profile configuration allows for a reduction of rubber material on the track and, therefore, a reduction of noise produced by the track as it rotates.
Abstract: The noise generated by a snowmobile track in operation can be reduced and attenuated by arranging for the track elements such as the drive lugs and ground-engaging lugs to have a degree of non-uniformity in their repeating pattern and thus to avoid the generation of peak noise levels at particular frequencies.
Abstract: A positive drive endless rubber belted track is adapted to be attached to track links of an endless track link assembly. The particular construction of the core and grousers of the belted track permit the rubber belted track to stretch as it passes over the driving mechanism and idler of the machine.
Abstract: A crawler belt for use on a crawler motor vehicle has an elongate belt body drivable in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of ridges mounted on a ground contact side of the belt body, each of the ridges having at least one sipe defined in a free end thereof for allowing the ridge to be flexibly deformable in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction. Each of the ridges has a plurality of sipes defined therein and extending longitudinally thereof or substantially perpendicularly to the predetermined direction. The ridges comprise a plurality of chevron-shaped ridges pointing toward the predetermined direction and succesively arranged at predetermined spaced intervals in the predetermined direction. The ridges are divided into a plurality of groups each including a plurality of ridges by grooves extending transversely of the belt body, and divided into a plurality of segments by at least one longitudinal groove extending longitudinally of the belt body.