US1929416A - Creeping traction - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 10, 1933. FYKSE r 1,929,416

CREEPING TRACTION Filed Sept. 11, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 M/kfiCl/L, El s-e l/arry 5 5 IINVENY ()RS A TTORNEYS.

Oct. 10, 1933. M L. FYKSE r AL CREEPING TRACTION Filed Sept. 11, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 M) b l/LF 112,3; EB INVENTORS 31 .7%; W d/fin dI/MML A TTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 10, 1933 PATENT oFFIC CREEPING TRACTION Mitchell L.Fykse, South Milwaukee, and Harry E. Bauer,

Milwaukee, Wis.,

assignors 'to',

Bucyrus-Erie Company; South Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application September 11, 19 30 Serial No. 481,164

6 Claims. 01. 212 45) Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in creeping traction.

Our principal object is to provide a creepingtraction mounting for excavators, cranes and the like,which shall possess in operation a base wider than railroad clearance, and yet may easily be reduced in width to within railroad clearance for shipment.

It has been proposed in the past to solve this 0 problem by building the traction-device so that its wheels will fall just within railroad clearance, and its treads will extend beyond railroad clearance. Then, shipping, the treads are removed, and the wheels are run onto special rails on a flat car.

But amere extension'of the treads beyond the wheels, while keeping the wheels within railroad clearance, does not sufficiently extend the stability.

Accordingly it is our object to extend the effective stability base of the machine still further.

Further objects are todevelop anovel trac tion link, and to develop a novel wheel arrangement. 7 x

In addition to our principal object, we have worked out a number of novel and useful details,

which will be readily evident: as the description progresses.

Our invention consists in the novel parts, and in the combinations and arrangements thereof, which are defined in the appended claims; and of which one embodiment is exemplified in the accompanying drawings, which are hereinafter particularly described and explained- Throughout the description, the same reference number is applied to the same member or to similar members. 1

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that: 'Figure 1 shows inou'tline an excavator, as loaded according to our method, for transportation. V-r

Figure 2 is a plan view, taken from below, showing details of our creeping traction mechanism.

Figure 3 is a vertical section, taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 2, showing our auxiliary roller and its associated shaft, with the tread belt disposed around it. I I 1 Beginning at Figure 1, it will be seen that 10 is a railroad track, upon which are stationed a flat car, -A, intended for the excavator proper, and a second flat car, B, upon which the accessories are to be placed. A r

Car A has securely fastened to its upper. surface a pair of rails, 11, spaced'apart as hereinafter determined, upon which the excavator 12 is to be loaded in the manner hereinafter described.

We have also provided a ramp 13, withrails l4 securely fastenedhto its upper surface, the rails being spacedapart thesame distance as the rails 11 on car A, so that, when theramp'is positioned, the upper end of rails" 14 .-may abut the ends of rails 11. In the preferredform, the

ramphas a steeper slope at the ground engaging end, the slope at the car engaging end being small enough that the excavator 12 may remain position shown. 5'

The, upper portion22 of the excavatorlli-is capable of being revolved about the pintlecenter P on the base 15, and carries a deck 23, for the placing of the usual actuating machinery, such as. the winch-drum 24, for actuating the hoist cable (not shown) which passes to-a sheave at the, point of the boom 25. The boom is shown as already detached, and laid upon the car, 13..

The onlyrother appliance carriedby the deck with which our invention is concernedgis. the A-frame 26, which is madecollapsible in order to diminish the head-room required in shipping. 3Q Member 27 of the A-frame is pivoted at 28 to the support of the winch-drum 24, and to, its

other end 29 is pivoted the member 30. The

lower .end of- 30 is fastened to a yoke-shaped member 31, bya removablepin 32. The A- 99 frame is collapsed by removing pin 32, and disposing the members as shown by the dotted lines, the member 27 being laid in the yoke of mem ber 31. Y

Turning now-to Figure 2, we have shown the side frames 16 as carrying on shafts the driving tumbler 17,'idler tumbler 18, and rollers 19, 20, 21. Power is conveyed from the engine (not shown) to the driving tumbler 17, by a succession of gears, 33, 34, 3 5. 1 j

The driving tumbler 17 is provided with laterally projecting lugs 36, for driving engagement with the tread belt links, 37. I

Each, tread-belt link 37 is provided with a relatively broad tread, or ground-engaging, surface, 19 38;; Its upper surface has, centrally disposed;a relatively narrow, flat, wheel-engaging surface, 39. *At each side of this surface 39 is an upstanding flange 40, having its central part cut away for the extrusion of dirt, these flanges being H for driving cooperation with the laterally projecting lugs 36 on the driving tumbler 17. The lugs 36 on the driving tumbler 1'7 and the flanges 40 are relatively so placed that, when the treadbelt curves about the tumbler, lugs 36 fall between the flanges 40 of successive links. The above-enumerated features of the tread-belt links are more particularly described in copending application, Serial No. 299,071 of Snyder. In addition to these features, our link has, on each side of the central wheel-engaging surface, and spaced apart therefrom, a flat, auxiliary runway 41, whose purpose will be later explained.

The load-supporting rollers, 19, 20, 21, and the idling tumbler 18, are disposed to run over the same narrow wheel-engaging channel 39 in which the driving tumbler runs. 7

As shown on Figures 2 and 3, the lower, inner edge of each side frame 16, has along its length a heavy flange 42, which is provided, on its upper surface, with a groove 43, into. which a downwardly projecting flange. 44 on the base 15, is

stepped.v A groove 45 extends along the lower when the excavator is set upon the ramp or upon carpA, the grooves 45 will'flt over the rails 11 or v, 14 respectively.

Turning now to'Figure 3, it is. seen that the central roller'2'0, is mounted on a hollow shaft 46, whichshaft is secured by bolt 47 to the side frame 16. The roller 20 is rotatably secured on the outer-end of the shaft 46, by a ring-shaped retaining nut 48.

- "Removablyinserted' in hollow shaft 46, is an auxiliary roller. shaft 49, which is secured to shaft 46 by a bolt 50, and which projects beyond the retaining nut 48 a distance sufficient to furnish-a bearing for an auxiliary roller 51, rotatably mounted thereon and adapted to run on the auxiliary wheel-engaging surface 41 of the links 37.

Auxiliary'roller 51 is rotatably secured on auxiliary. shaft 49 .by a retaining nut 52.

I It is to be noted that this auxiliary roller 51 serves as'a jack-arm and thus greatly increases the lateral stability of the machine over that of the narrower machines which heretofore have been limited by the narrowness of railroad cleara'nces." It is to be further noted that this auxiliary roller 51 is located exactly opposite the pintle-center P, where the radial distance to the rollsence of any auxiliary roller between roller 20 and the main base 15 leaves thetrack laterally flexible in one direction at this point; thus sacrificing the very minimum of lateral flexibility for the sake of attaining an increased lateral stability over that permitted by railroad clearances.

Our invention contemplates the possibility of making an excavator of such large size that, when completely assembled, it will not be within railroad clearances; yet, when only a very few of its members are dismounted, leaving the excavator still capable of locomotion under its own power,

the machine can then be shipped by rail, without further disassembling.

For shipping purposes, we propose to remove the tread-belt 37, retaining nut 52, auxiliary r0ll,

er 51, bolt 50, auxiliary roller shaft 49, the dipper and handle (not shown), and the boom 25. When pin 32 is withdrawn from the'yoke-shaped member 31 of the A-frame, and the A-frame is collapsed into the position shown in Figure l by dotted lines, the machine is ready for shipment.

The method of loading the excavator onto flat cars, and the exclusive features of our excavator which permit such loading, will be covered in a divisional of this application.

Having now described and illustrated one form of our invention, we wish it to be understood that our invention is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts hereinbeengaging surface, two rows ofupstanding wheelguiding flanges, one. row thereof being on each side of said wheel-engaging surface, and a flat auxiliary wheel-engaging surface disposed to one side of, and further from the. pintle-ccenter than, the normal wheel-engaging surface; a driving tumbler, disposed between said flanges, and having lateral lugs disposed for driving engage.- ment between the flanges of successive links; load-supporting wheels, disposed between said flanges;'and a removable. auxiliary load-supporting'jack-arm wheel and assOciatedshaft, said wheel being located.- adjacent a line. drawn laterally through the pintleecenter, and: bein posed to run on the auxiliary wheel-engaging surfaces; all the parts of said excavator, or the E like, being within railroad clearance, except the tread belt and the auxiliary wheel and its associated shaft, which extend beyond railroad clearance.

2, In an excavator, or the like, mounted on creeping traction-the combination. of: a base; an upperportion, capable of revolving out a pintleecenter on the base; andv a, creeping traction unit on each side. ofxthe. base, SHDDOBQingit; each such unit comprising: a series, of connected links, each link having a. narrowifietcentra yrdismsed wheel-engaging surface, and, a flat auxiliary wheel-engaging surface disposed to onesjde of,

and furtherfrom the. pintle-jcenter than, the nprmal wheel-engaging surfac drivin wumh er and load-supporting wheels, all disposed to run on said central. surfaces; and a removable auxiliary load-supporting jack-arm wheel and associated shaft, saidtwheelbeing, located adjacent a line drawn laterally through the pintle-center, and being disposed. torun on, the auxiliarywheel engaging surfaces; all the parts of said excavator,

or the like, being. within a railrqadclearance,except the tread beltand the auxiliary wheel and its associated shaft, which extend beyond, m lroad, clearance.

3. In an excavator, or; the like, mounted on cr pi g ac io he QQ bi e Qn' Q a an. uppe t o capab e, Q i Eel Owing. b ut a p ntle-ce er n. he. base; ends c in t e tion unit on each side of the base, supporting it; each such unit comprising: a series of connected links, each link having a relatively broad tread surface, a narrow flat centrally-disposed wheelengaging surface, two rows of upstanding wheelguiding flanges, onerow thereof being on each side of said wheel-engaging surface, and a flat auxiliary wheel-engaging surface disposed to one side of, and further from the pintle-center than, the normal wheel-engaging surface; a driving tumbler, disposed between said flanges, and having lateral lugs disposed for driving engagement between the flanges of successive links; load-supporting wheels, disposed between said flanges; and a removable auxiliary load-supporting jack-arm wheel and associated shaft, said wheel being located adjacent a line drawn laterally through the pintle-center, and being disposed to run on the auxiliary wheel-engaging surfaces.

4; In an excavator, or the like, mounted on creeping traction, the combination of a base; an upper portion, capable of revolving about a pintle-center on-the base; and a creeping traction unit on each side of the base, supporting it; each such unit comprising: a series of connected links, each link having a relatively broad tread surface, a narrow fiat centrally-disposed.

wheel-engaging surface, and a flat auxiliary wheel-engaging surface disposed to one side of, and further from the pintle-center than, the normal wheel-engaging surface; a driving tumbler and load-supporting wheels, all disposed to run on said central surfaces; and a removable auxiliary load-supporting jack-arm wheel and associated shaft, said wheel being locatedadjacent a line drawn laterally through the pintelcenter, and being disposed to run on the auxiliary wheel-engaging surfaces.

5. In an excavator, or the like, mounted on creeping traction, the combination of: a base; an upper portion, capable of revolving about a pintlecenter on the base; and a creeping traction unit on each side of the base, supporting it; each such unit comprising: a series of connected links, each link having a relatively broad tread surface, a narrow flat centrally-disposed wheel-engaging surface, two rows of upstanding wheel-guiding flanges, one row thereof being on each side of said wheel-engaging surface, and a flat auxiliary wheel-engaging surface disposed to one side of, and further from the pintle-center than, the

normal wheel-engaging surface; a driving tumbler, disposed between said flanges, andhaving lateral lugs disposed for driving engagement between the flanges of successive links; load-supporting wheels, disposed between said flanges; and a removable auxiliary load-supporting jackarm wheel and associated shaft, said wheel being located adjacent a line drawn laterally through the pintlecenter, and being disposed to run on p tween the centrally disposed wheel-engaging surface and the base, nor remote from the'lateral line above referred to.

6. In an excavator, or the like, ,mounted on creeping traction, the combination of z a base; an upper portion, capable of revolving about a pintle-center on the base; and a creeping traction unit on each side of the base, supporting it ;7 each such unit comprising: a series of connected links, each link having a relatively broad tread surface, a narrow fiat centrally-disposed wheelengaging surface, two rows of upstanding wheelguiding flanges, one row thereof being on each side of said wheel-engaging surface, and a flat auxiliary wheel-engaging surface disposed to one side of, and further from the pintle-center than, the normal wheel-engaging surface; a driving tumbler, disposed between said flanges, and having laterallugs disposed for driving engagement betweenthe flanges of successive links; loadsupporting wheels, disposed between said flanges; and'a removable auxiliary load-supporting jackarm wheel and associated shaft, said wheel being located adjacent a line drawn laterally through the pintle-center, and being disposed to run on the auxiliary wheel-engagingsurfaces; all the parts of said excavator, or the like, being within railroad clearance, except the tread belt and the auxiliary wheel and its associated shaft, which extend beyond railroad clearance; the maximum of lateral link flexibility being maintained, consistent with jack-arm effect where needed, by having no auxiliary load supporting wheels remote from the lateral line above re- 5

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