Patent ID: 7007764
Filing Date: 2006-03-07
Classification: B66C

Abstract:
1. A crawler vehicle having a lower works comprising a carbody and a pair of crawler assemblies, said crawler assemblies each being removably connected to said carbody by a plurality of spaced apart carbody to crawler connections disposed along an axis of the crawler assembly, each of said carbody to crawler connections comprising: a carbody connection weldment affixed to an arm portion of said carbody, said carbody connection weldment including a horizontally disposed top flange member and a vertical flange member, said vertical flange member being disposed along a plane that intersects the axis of the crawler assembly; and a crawler connection weldment affixed to a crawler frame of said crawler assembly, said crawler connection weldment including a horizontally disposed top flange member and a vertical flange member, said vertical flange member being disposed along a plane that intersects the axis of the crawler assembly, wherein the top flange member of said carbody connection weldment and the top flange member of said crawler connection weldment are configured to abut against each other when said crawler is assembled to said carbody, wherein one of said carbody connection weldment and said crawler connection weldment comprises a pair of vertical flanges disposed along a pair of spaced apart parallel planes that intersect the axis of the crawler assembly, and the vertical flange of the other of said carbody connection weldment and said crawler connection weldment is disposed between the pair of vertical flanges when said crawler is assembled to said carbody, wherein one of said carbody connection weldment and said crawler connection weldment includes a keyway, and the other of said carbody connection weldment and said crawler connection weldment includes a key, said key being configured to engage said keyway so as to prevent misalignment between said carbody connection weldment and said crawler connection weldment, and further wherein said key and said keyway are disposed in the top flange members of said carbody connection weldment and said crawler connection weldment.