Traction device for rubber-tired vehicle

Claim 2

In combination with an off-highway vehicle having an axle housing extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a driven wheel carried by the opposite ends of said axle housing, a rubber tire supported by said driven wheel, a pair of arms supported by said axle housing adjacent to and inboard of said rubber tire for rotation about the rotational axis of said driven wheel, each of the arms extending in a direction opposite to the other arm and having one end thereof provided with a guide roller positioned adjacent said tire and in longitudinal alignment therewith and the other end formed with vertically spaced ears, a flexible track entrained about each of said guide rollers and said tire so as to provide a substantially flat lower track section below said rubber tire for engaging the ground and serving as traction means, and means above and below said axle housing for interconnecting said ears and permitting each arm to be repositioned relative to the other arm about said rotational axis so as to vary the extent of said lower track section available for ground contact.

Claim 3

The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said means includes a cylindrical pin rotatably mounted in each of said ears and a threaded stud member threadably received by said cylindrical pin.

Claim 4

A traction device for an off-highway vehicle having an axle housing extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, said traction device being carried by the one end of said axle housing and comprising a driven wheel including a pneumatic tire, a pair of arms supported by said axle housing adjacent to and inboard of said pneumatic tire for rotation about the rotational axis of said driven wheel, each of the arms extending in a direction opposite to the other arm and having a stub axle positioned adjacent said tire and in longitudinal alignment therewith, a guide roller rotatably mounted on said stub axle, a flexible track entrained about each of said guide rollers and said tire so as to provide a substantially flat lower track section below said rubber tire for engaging the ground and serving as traction means, and a pair of threaded stud members located in planes substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis and positioned above and below said axle housing for interconnecting said arms and permitting each arm to be adjusted relative to the other arm about said axle housing so as to vary the extent of said lower track section available for ground contact.

Claim 5

A traction device for an off-highway vehicle having an axle housing extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, said traction device being carried by the one end of said axle housing and comprising a driven wheel including a pneumatic tire, a pair of arms supported by said axle housing adjacent to and inboard of said pneumatic tire for rotation about the rotational axis of said driven wheel, each of the arms extending in a direction opposite to the other arm and having a stub axle positioned adjacent said tire and in longitudinal alignment therewith, a guide roller rotatably mounted on said stub axle, a flexible track entrained about each of said guide rollers and said tire so as to provide a substantially flat lower track section below said rubber tire for engaging the ground and serving as traction means, and a pair of threaded stud members located in planes substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis and positioned above and below said axle housing for interconnecting said arms and permitting each arm to be adjusted relative to the other arm about said axle housing so as to vary the extent of said lower track section available for ground contact.