Road wheel for crawler tractor

Claim 2

In combination with a crawler tractor having an endless track entrained about a drive sprocket and a plurality of road wheels supported on each side of the tractor, the improvement wherein each of said road wheels comprises a hub member adapted to be rotatably supported by the tractor, a rim member encircling said hub member and having an outer peripheral surface for engaging the track and an inner surface facing the hub member, an elastomeric material located between and permanently bonded to the inner surface of said rim and the outer surface of the hub member, said elastomeric material substantially filling the area between the inner surface of the rim member and the outer surface of the hub member, and cooperating means located intermediate the ends of the hub member and rigidly secured to said hub member and said rim member for preventing the rim member from moving laterally relative to the hub member when the track is subjected to side loads but permitting the rim member to move radially relative to the hub member to compress and expand a portion of said elastomeric material located below said hub member when the tractor is traversing irregular terrain.

Claim 3

In combination with a crawler tractor having an endless track entrained about a drive sprocket and a plurality of road wheels rotatably sUpported by the frame of the tractor along each side thereof, the improvement wherein each of said road wheels comprises a hub member, a rim member concentrically encircling said hub member and having an outer peripheral surface for engaging the track and an inner surface facing the hub member, a ring of resilient material permanently bonded to the inner surface of said rim member and to the outer surface of the hub member, said ring of resilient material substantially filling the area between the inner surface of said rim member and the outer surface of the hub member so as to permit said material located below the hub member to be compressed when the tractor is traversing irregular terrain, a cooperating tongue and groove arrangement integrally formed with said hub member and said rim member for preventing the rim member from moving laterally relative to the hub member when the track is subjected to side loads but permitting the rim member to move radially relative to the hub member to compress and expand said ring of resilient material, and said resilient material having an annular hollow area formed therein adjacent said tongue and groove arrangement for allowing said material to expand without frictionally interfering with the radial movement of the rim member.

Claim 4

In combination with a crawler tractor having an endless track entrained about a drive sprocket and a plurality of road wheels rotatably sUpported by the frame of the tractor along each side thereof, the improvement wherein each of said road wheels comprises a hub member, a rim member concentrically encircling said hub member and having an outer peripheral surface for engaging the track and an inner surface facing the hub member, a ring of resilient material permanently bonded to the inner surface of said rim member and to the outer surface of the hub member, said ring of resilient material substantially filling the area between the inner surface of said rim member and the outer surface of the hub member so as to permit said material located below the hub member to be compressed when the tractor is traversing irregular terrain, a cooperating tongue and groove arrangement integrally formed with said hub member and said rim member for preventing the rim member from moving laterally relative to the hub member when the track is subjected to side loads but permitting the rim member to move radially relative to the hub member to compress and expand said ring of resilient material, and said resilient material having an annular hollow area formed therein adjacent said tongue and groove arrangement for allowing said material to expand without frictionally interfering with the radial movement of the rim member.