Bulldozer for underwater operations

Claim 1

In a bulldozer, an engine and components coacting therewith for driving and operating the bulldozer, upper support means including a flat floor for supporting an operator at an upper portion of the bulldozer on said floor at an elevation higher than said engine and components, control means situated at the elevation of said support means on said floor accessible to the operator for controlling said engine and components to control the operation of the bulldozer, and watertight enclosure means connected to and extending downwardly from said floor of said upper support means and enclosing in a watertight manner a space beneath said floor in which said engine and components are located for maintaining said engine and components operative in depths of water which may approach up to said floor of said upper support means, said enclosure means including metal elements welded to each other for maintaining the enclosure means watertight at the locations where the metal elements are welded to each other, said enclosure means carrying at a lower portion thereof a plurality of closure plates through which access may be had to the interior of said enclosure means for giving access to the engine and components therein, and connecting means releasably connecting said closure plates to said enclosure means in a watertight manner, so that the tightness of the interior of said enclosure means is maintained at the removable closure plates, said engine including intake and exhaust pipes which extend through said floor to elevations higher than said support means so as to maintain the intake and exhaust of the engine clear of any water in which the bulldozer operates, a blade operatively connected to the bulldozer at the exterior thereof for carrying out operations on submerged ground, and indicating means operatively connected with said blade for indicating to an operator on said upper support means the position of a submerged blade, an automatic pump means carried by said enclosure means for automatically pumping out of the interior thereof any water which may leak into said enclosure means, said enclosure means including a conventional frame and belly guard, and additional plates welded to said frame and guard for forming a watertight connection therebetween, liquid-holding tanks being carried by said upper support means on said floor thereof to protect the tanks against flooding, a front blade means and a rear ripper means operatively connected with said enclosure means, said front blade means having a configuration enabling the latter to operate also as a bucket means.