Soil compaction machine

Claim 1

IN A SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE, A FRAME SUPPORTED FOR MOVEMENT OVER A GROUND SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF SOIL COMPACTING UNITS ARRANGED IN LATERAL FIXED SPACED RELATION MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME FOR MOVEMENT TOGETHER FROM A POSITION SPACED ABOVE A GROUND SURFACE TO A POSITION IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GROUND SURFACE, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID UNITS AND SAID FRAME FOR EFFECTING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID UNITS, EACH OF SAID UNITS INCLUDING A HOUSING HAVING A BOTTOM, A TAMPING SHOE DEPENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOUSING, AND A VERTICAL THRUST APPLYING MECHANISM WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING FOR IMPARTING UP AND DOWN MOVEMENT TO SAID SHOE WITH RESPECT TO SAID GROUND SURFACE, TOW BARS EXTENDING FROM EACH OF SAID UNITS TO AN ADJACENT PART OF SAID FRAME AND BEING UNIVERSALLY CONNECTED AT THEIR ENDS FOR PERMITTING MOVEMENT OF SAID UNITS RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME, SAID THRUST MECHANISMS HAVING AN INPUT SHAFT PROJECTING OUT OF THE ADJACENT HOUSING, AN OUTPUT SHAFT ON SAID FRAME FOR EACH OF THE INPUT SHAFTS OF SAID THRUST MECHANISMS, AND AN INDIVIDUAL TELESCOPING UNIVERSAL JOINT COUPLING MEANS CONNECTING EACH OF SAID INPUT SHAFTS TO THE ADJACENT OUTPUT SHAFTS.