Patent ID: 6224172
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
On a tracked vehicle having a flexible drive belt extending between a drive wheel and a carriage mounted free wheel, an idler device for dynamically adjusting the tension on the drive belt, comprising:a drive wheel mounted to a frame, the drive wheel being operatively connected to a hydraulic drive system, the hydraulic drive system including a forward drive circuit and a reverse drive circuit;a carriage slidably mounted to the frame and supporting a free wheel;a hydraulic cylinder mounted to the frame and engaging the carriage for applying a force to the carriage; anda hydraulic control circuit operatively connected to the hydraulic cylinder, the hydraulic control circuit including a pressure sensor adapted to detect a pressure condition in each of the forward and reverse drive circuits of the hydraulic drive system, the hydraulic control circuit further being adapted to adjust the pressure in the hydraulic cylinder to thereby apply a first force against the carriage in response to a first detected pressure condition and further to apply a second force against the carriage in response to a second detected pressure condition, the first detected pressure condition corresponding to activation of the forward drive circuit and the second detected pressure condition corresponding to activation of the reverse drive circuit and wherein the second force is greater than the first force.