Snow vehicle

Claim 1

A SNOW VEHICLE COMPRISING A MAIN FRAME HAVING FRONT SUPPORT MEANS ADAPTED TO RIDE OVER SNOW AND SUPPORT THE FORWARD END OF SAID MAIN FRAME, REAR SUPPORT AND DRIVING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED ENDLESS TRACK ASSEMBLIES EACH INCLUDING AN ENDLESS TRACK MEMBER, MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTING SAID ASSEMBLIES ON SAID FRAME FOR ROTATION ABOUT AXES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FRAME AND MID-PORTIONS OF SAID ASSEMBLIES, A DRIVE WHEEL FOR EACH OF SAID ASSEMBLIES ROTATABLY MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS COINCIDING WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE CORRESPONDING ASSEMBLY AND DRIVINGLY ENGAGED WITH CORRESPONDING ENDLESS TRACK MEMBERS, SAID MEANS MOUNTING SAID ASSEMBLIES ON SAID FRAME COMPRISING A DRIVE SHAFT WHOSE OPPOSITE ENDS PROJECT OUTWARDLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FRAME, SAID DRIVE WHEELS BEING MOUNTED ON THE PROJECTING PORTIONS OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID ASSEMBLIES EACH INCLUDING AN ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER JOURNALED ON SAID SHAFT AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, A PAIR OF ALIGNED IDLER WHEELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS FOR ROTATION ABOUT AXES SPACED LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, SAID ENDLESS TRACK MEMBERS BEING ENTRAINED OVER SAID IDLER WHEELS OF CORRESPONDING ASSEMBLIES WITH THE ASSOCIATED DRIVE WHEEL DRIVINGLY ENGAGED THEREWITH, EACH OF SAID ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS INCLUDING A PAIR OF GENERALLY PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS EACH HAVING A PAIR OF BEARING JOURNALS ROTATABLY JOURNALING THE CORRESPONDING END PORTION OF SAID SHAFT ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CORRESPONDING DRIVE WHEEL, THE IDLER WHEELS OF EACH ASSEMBLY BEING JOURNALED ON AN AXLE MEMBER SECURED BETWEEN CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF THE ASSOCIATED LONGITUDINAL MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID ENDLESS TRACK MEMBERS INCLUDING A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED AND LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ENDLESS FLEXIBLE MEMBERS INTERCONNECTED BY MEANS OF A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED BRACE MEMBERS, SAID DRIVE WHEELS EACH INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED TEETH DRIVINGLY ENGAGEABLE WITH AT LEAST SOME OF THE BRACE MEMBERS OF THE CORRESPONDING ENDLESS TRACK MEMBER, EACH OF SAID DRIVE WHEELS BEING ALIGNED WITH THE CORRESPONDING IDLER WHEELS AND AT LEAST SOME OF SAID BRACE MEMBERS OF EACH ENDLESS TRACK MEMBER INCLUDING GUIDE MEMBERS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE CORRESPONDING IDLER WHEELS ABOUT SAID ENDLESS TRACK MEMBER AND PROJECTING INWARDLY OF SAID TRACK MEMBER AND DEFINING OPPOSITE SIDE MARGINAL LIMITS FOR SAID PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID IDLER WHEELS AND ABUTMENT SURFACES FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID IDLER WHEELS IN ORDER TO KEEP SAID IDLER WHEELS CENTERED RELATIVE TO SAID PATH OF MOVEMENT.