Track slide assembly for snowmobiles

Claim 1

The combination with a snowmobile having a drive track mounted between forward drive wheels and rearward idler wheels and a pair of longitudinally disposed frame members, one at each side of the track of a slide track assembly engaging the lower reach of the track between the drive and idler wheels comprising: A. a forward movable track slide component engaging the forward portion of the lower reach of the track; B. la rearward movable track slide component engaging the rearward portion of the lower reach of the tracks; and C. wherein each track slide component is movable independently of the movement of the other component and each track slide component comprises: a. a skid means engaging the lower reach of the track with the skid means of the forward component being spaced ahead of the skid means of the rearward component; b. a pivot means above the skid means carried by the aforesaid frame members; c. a rocker arm means connecting the pivot means with the skid means, to swing on the pivot means to move the skid means upwardly towards and downwardly away from said frame members, said rocker arm means including a front rocker arm and a rear rocker arm connecting with front and rear points on the skid means; d. a stop means adapted to limit the downward movement of the skid means to a position normally assumed by the lower reach of the track when the snowmobile is upon a flat surface and with said rocker arm means being then inclined downwardly and rearwardly with respect to the direction of snowmobile movement, whereby a swing of the rocker arm means to move the skid means upwardly towards the frame members is accompanied by a rearward movement of the skid means; and e. a resilient means associated with the skid means to bias the skid means downwardly toward the aforesaid limited position of downward movement but to permit the skid means to move upwardly and rearwardly whenever the snowmobile moves over a mogul or the like.