Debris removal apparatus for track type vehicles

A track type vehicle is provided with debris removal apparatus to prevent packing in a cavity defined by the track, the vehicle body, the drive sprocket, the idler and the frame member which mounts the drive sprocket and the idler. The debris removal apparatus is constructed in the form of a shaped plate whose peripheral edge conforms to the shape of the cavity and the plate is dimensioned such that the peripheral edge lies in immediate proximity of the cavity defining elements. In a normal or reset position, the plate lies immediately adjacent the body of the vehicle and in the operated condition, is moved outwardly by a plurality of hydraulic rams to push debris out of the cavity and prevent accumulation and packing. The plate may be further shaped, as viewed from the top, to include pockets for receiving roller supports which carry rollers for supporting the upper section of the track. Advantageously, the roller supports may include holes therethrough for receiving the piston rods of the hydraulic rams.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to track type vehicles, and more specifically 
to apparatus for removing and clearing debris which accumulates between 
the frame and the track of such a vehicle during operation, particularly 
during and after inclement conditions. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Track type vehicles are well known in the art and include all types of 
machines such as track type tractors and loaders, tanks, half tracks, 
swamp crawlers, track type trenchers, track hoes excavators and other 
types of construction and military equipment. 
Vehicles of the type set forth above generally include, on each side, a 
cavity defined by a frame member, a drive sprocket and a idler mounted on 
the frame member, the vehicle body and the upper portion of the track 
above the frame member. During operation of such vehicles in mud and the 
like, all types of debris including mud, stones, sticks, etc drop from the 
upper portion of the track into the aforementioned cavity and tend to 
pack. It is then necessary for the operator to stop the machine and 
manually clean out the cavity in that packing decreases the mechanical 
life of the undercarriage by increasing wear. Also, machine horsepower is 
reduced due to packing. Keeping the tracks free of mud makes the machine 
lighter and, therefore, the ground pressure is less. Therefore, cleaning 
and removal of debris helps the machine maintain its maximum horsepower 
and limit maintenance costs. 
In winter, the situation becomes worst in that the debris must be removed 
in that mud will freeze in the tracks and the machine cannot be moved. It 
usually requires one to two manhours to dig a machine out, of course 
depending on the size of the machine. This is an additional expense. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for removing 
debris which accumulates in the side cavities of track type machines. 
The above object is achieved, according to the present invention, by 
providing, on each side of a track type machine, a shaped plate structure 
which is mounted in the cavity. The plate is mounted on hydraulic rams 
connected between the vehicle and the plate for movement from a reset 
position adjacent the vehicle body to a position away from the body so as 
to push debris from the cavity. Such a structure provides a plurality of 
advantages. First of all, an operator may stop operation of his machine at 
any time and remove the bulk of the debris on each side of the machine by 
simply operating a lever and take advantage of the mechanical advantage 
offered by the hydraulic system. Secondly, manual cleaning is 
advantageously minimized and the total downtime for cleaning is reduced 
from hours to minutes. Secondly, with such short downtimes, a machine may 
be cleared of debris as often as desired so that there is also a decrease 
in maintenance due to wear and a decrease in fuel consumption due to 
weight, while at the same time maintaining machine horsepower.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a track system is generally shown at 10 
as comprising a track 12 which is drivingly entrained about a drive 
sprocket 14 and about an idler 16, the drive sprocket and idler being 
mounted on a frame member 18 of the vehicle which is represented by a 
fragmentary showing of the vehicle body 20. 
At the upper side, the track 12 is supported in the region between the 
drive sprocket 14 and the idler 16 by a plurality of rollers 22 carried by 
a like plurality of roller supports 24 mounted on the frame member 18. 
Each of the roller supports 24, in this particular embodiment, comprises a 
hole 26 extending therethrough, the purpose of the hole becoming 
abundantly clear hereinbelow. 
The track system is equipped with debris removal apparatus 28 according to 
the invention. As shown, the debris removal apparatus 28 is illustrated as 
comprising a plate 30 including an upper edge 32, a lower edge 34, a 
shaped edge 36 to accommodate the arc of the drive sprocket 14 and a 
shaped edge 38 to accommodate the arc of the idler 16. The plate 30 may be 
constructed as a weldment or the like and may also include reinforcements 
(not shown) for rigidity, depending on the particular application. The 
plate 30 is also shown as being serpentine and comprising a plurality of 
walls 31, 33, 35, 37 and 39 which define a plurality of pockets 40 for 
receiving the roller supports 24. 
A plurality of hydraulic rams 42 are provided, each including a hydraulic 
cylinder 44 and a piston rod 46. As shown, the hydraulic cylinder 44 is 
mounted to the vehicle body 20 and the piston rod 46 is mounted to the 
plate 30. In order to compensate for uneven piston movement among the 
rams, it is preferred that the connection of the piston rod to the plate 
be made with the connecting pin vertically oriented. As illustrated 
particularly in FIG. 4, each piston rod 46 is received through a 
respective hole 26 of a roller support 24. In the alternative, the rams 
could be mounted slightly offset so that the piston rod extends along one 
side or the other of the respective roller support, in which case it will 
be necessary to provide slightly wider pockets (FIG. 5). 
In what is a normal, rest or reset position, the plate 30 is mounted in the 
cavity defined by the frame member (and its fender), the drive sprocket, 
the idler and the upper portion of the track. In its operated condition, 
however, the hydraulic rams 42 are operated to extend the piston rod 46 
and move the plate 30 away from the vehicle body to a position beyond the 
frame member and, preferably, beyond the edge of the track. The distance 
of movement, of course, is governed by the available stroke which, in 
turn, is governed by the available space for mounting the rams. 
On vehicles in which the rollers 22 extend beyond the widths (in the track 
laying direction) of the roller supports 24, it may be necessary to 
further shape the upper edge of the plate 30, and cut out the upper edges 
of the pockets 40. Depending on the machine and the course of the track, 
one may also wish to further shape the upper edge 32 to accommodate track 
sag and/or track elevation between the rollers and the adjacent drive 
sprocket or idler. 
On machines such as bulldozers in which the frame member 18 also carries 
the mount for the blade, it may be further necessary to shape the lower 
edge 34 for clearance, as indicated by the line 50. In all instances, 
however, the plate is sized and has its peripheral edge shaped to lie in 
close proximity to the sprocket, idler, frame member (or its fender if 
provided) track and support rollers so as to minimize any collection of 
debris behind the plate. 
Referring to FIG. 5, an alternate plate construction is illustrated which 
accommodates the slope of a shaped frame member 18 (or its fender). In 
this alternative, the plate 30 is shown as having a plate extension 52 
which is directed parallel to the frame member (or its fender) and lies 
immediately adjacent thereto when the plate is in the reset position. Of 
course, with the type of equipment set forth above with respect to 
bulldozer blades, the plate extension 52 may also require shaping to clear 
the blade mount. 
Turning now to FIG. 6, one possible hydraulic circuit is illustrated for 
operating the hydraulic rams on each side of the vehicle. As shown, the 
system comprises a hydraulic source 54 including a pump 56 and a hydraulic 
reservoir or tank 58. The hydraulic source 54 is ordinarily a part of such 
a vehicle and therefore is not a source of additional expense. Connecting 
the hydraulic source 54 to the plurality of rams 42 is a valve 60, here 
being indicated as a hand operated valve 62 which is spring loaded as 
indicated at 64 and which may comprise the illustrated port structure. 
When the valve 60 is operated such that the upper section is considered to 
be moved in the central section, pressure is provided to the rear ports of 
the rams 42 to move the piston and piston rod out, while the front ports 
are connected directly back through the valve to the tank 58. The plate 30 
is therefore moved out from its reset position to push debris out of the 
cavity. Any debris adhering to the plate may then be easily scraped off 
with a shovel or the like. Operation of the valve to the opposite position 
in which the lower port structure is considered to move into the central 
section causes the front ports of the rams 42 to be connected to the pump 
56 and the rear ports to be connected to the tank 58. The pistons and 
piston rods therefore move toward the rear and pull the plate 30 back into 
its reset position. 
Other value structures could, of course, be used, including those with 
solenoid actuation, pilot assist and the like. 
It goes without saying that the plate 30 may be sub-divided and provided as 
a plurality of plates, each with its own actuating ram or rams, depending 
on the particular machine application. If such plates are constructed to 
slightly overlie one another, it would be necessary to operate all rams 
simultaneously. If, however, the plate sections are constructed so as to 
essentially abut at their adjacent edges, individual sections of the 
cavity could be cleared independently of the other sections. 
Some newer type machines include an idler at each end and a drive sprocket 
centrally located in the place of support rollers; these machines can also 
benefit from the present invention by the provision of a 
hydraulically-operated pusher plate having rams located fore and aft of 
the drive sprocket, as also covered by the appended claims. 
Many other changes and modifications of the invention may become apparent 
to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of 
the invention. I therefore intend to include within the patent warranted 
hereon all such changes and modifications as may reasonably and properly 
be included within the scope of my contribution to the art.