A TOOL AND METHOD FOR LIFTING TRACKS ON TRACK-AND-WHEEL SYSTEMS

Abstract: A tool for and method to facilitate the replacement of wheels on track-and-wheel vehicles and equipment by lifting the track from the road-wheels in a quick, safe and efficient manner. A tool with an elongated section and two forked ends, each fork having a long prong and a short prong, the long prongs of both ends not being on the same side of the tool. In operation, one forked end is placed in notches in the lower track, and the other forked end is placed in notches in the upper track. The vehicle is then driven in a direction so that the tool acts as a wedge lifting the upper track off of the road wheel.

Description: A TOOL AND METHOD FOR LIFTING TRACKS ON TRACK-AND-WHEEL SYSTEMS FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to lifting, tracks and/or wheels on vehicular track-and-wheel systems to facilitate the removal and replacement of failed or damaged wheels. BACKGROUND The present invention has particular utility with track- and-wheel driven vehicles used for general civil engineering or general military purposes. When a wheel fails or is damaged, it must be replaced. Currently, lifts are used to lift the wheel off of the ground and lower track. The upper track is lifted off of the top of the wheel using a chain that is attached to a manual winch which is hung over any suitable edge or corner that can be found on the vehicle above the track-and-wheel system. Under ideal weather conditions on dry pavement, the old process requires three to four people, and approximately 45 minutes to one hour, on average, to complete. In unfavorable weather conditions and on more difficult terrain, the old process could require 5 persons and 3 to 5 hours. The number of personnel and time required using the old systems and methods are a tremendous disadvantage. This is especially true where time and personnel are critical, such as in battle or wartime conditions where loss of equipment and time delays cost lives. Even under ideal conditions, the current method is not safe. The winch is simply hooked over any available corner and the risk of slippage of the chain or the winch is high. Additionally, the personnel must manually operate the equipment. Consequently, at least one person is placed at risk of potentially severe personal injury using the old method. The present tool and method has tremendous advantages over the old systems and methods. First of all, the present invention performs the same task as the old methods in approximately 15 minutes and only requires two persons. The tool also costs less to manufacture, weighs less, can be stored and used more easily, does not require that the personnel be near the equipment during the lifting operation and has a greatly reduced potential for slippage. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A tool for and a method to facilitate the replacement of wheels on track-and-wheel vehicles and equipment by lifting the track from the road-wheels in a quick, safe and efficient manner. A tool having an elongated section, two forked ends each having a long prong and a short prong, where the long prongs of both ends are on opposite sides of the tool. To use the tool, one forked end is placed in notches in the lower track; the other forked end is placed in notches in the upper track and the vehicle is driven in a direction so that the tool acts as a wedge lifting the upper track off of the top of the road wheel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is an illustration of a track-lifting tool. Figure 2a is an illustration of an alternative construction of the invention. Figure 2b is an illustration of another alternative embodiment. Figure 3 is an illustration of an earth-moving vehicle with a track-and-wheel system. Figure 4a is an illustration of a section of track as viewed from the top down with the top track removed showing a position on the track where the lower prongs can be placed in the sprocket guide-hole notches in the outer track and the position where the road wheel lift is placed. Figure 4b is an illustration of a section of the track as viewed from the top showing the position where the top prongs of the tool can be placed to prepare for the lifting operation. Figure 5a is an illustration of the proper placement of the tool on the track-and-wheel system. Figure 5b is an illustration of how the tool is placed on the track-and-wheel system from the perspective of the vehicle looking out. Figure 6 is an illustration of a track-and-wheel system lifted by the tool from the perspective of the vehicle looking out. Figure 7 is an illustration of a lifted track and wheel hub with the damaged wheel removed. Figure 8 is an illustration of a lifted track and replaced wheel. Figure 9 is an illustration of a repaired track-and-wheel system ready for operation. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The tool 1 shown in Figure 1 is comprised of an elongated section 2 and two end sections 4 and 6. When positioned in an upright position as illustrated, the Tool 1 has two opposing sides 8 and 10 relative to an axis 12.' An embodiment of the Tool 1 shown in Figure 1, is of particular utility for track-and-wheel systems such as those found on military tanks and similar military and commercial vehicles shown in Figure 3. For a track-and-wheel system, the Tool 1 can be used to lift and separate the track 24 from the top of the wheel 22. For this purpose, the end sections 4 and 6 are forked, with each fork having two prongs of unequal length 14, 16, 18 and 20. Each end 4 and 6 has a long prong 14 and 16 and a relatively shorter prong 18 and 20. The long prong 14, on one end 4, is on the opposite side 8 of the long prong 16, of the other end 6. The dimensions of Tool 1 are determined by the equipment on which the tool is intended to be used. For example, the earth mover shown in Figure 3 has a road-wheel 22 and track 24 drive system. The size and weight of the wheels and tracks for different track-and-wheel systems vary widely depending on the vehicle or equipment on which the system is used. For this reason, the actual dimensions of components of the invention vary with the variety of sizes and weights in track- and-wheel system equipment and vehicles. The dimensions of the elongated section 2 of the tool are determined by the diameter of the road-wheel 22, and the load which the tool must bear during the lift motion described below. The greater the diameter of the road-wheel 22, the - A - longer and thicker the elongated section 2 must be. The heavier the load, the thicker the elongated section 2 must be. The dimensions of the forked ends 4 and 6 are determined by the track, the load, and the diameter of the road-wheel. The spacing 26 between the long and short prongs 14 & 18 and 16 & 20, on either end, 4 or 6 respectively, of Tool 1 is determined by the shape of the linking elements 28 of the track 24 shown in Figure 4. The difference in the length 30 of the prongs 14 & 18 and 16 & 20 on either end of Tool 1 is determined by the diameter of the road-wheel and the shape of the linking elements 28 of the track 26 in Figure 4. The shape of the prongs 14 and 18 is determined by the shape of the sprocket guide-holes or notches 32 in the track 26 shown in Figure 4. Sprockets 34 which drive the track are shown in Figure 3. Using this information, a reasonably skilled tool-maker can calculate and determine the proper materials and dimensions of the tool for a particular track-and-wheel system. For a M9 (ACE) track-and-wheel earth moving vehicle, for example, suitable dimensions for the tool are: Prong width of long prong length of approximately 2 inches, short prong length of 1 inch, prong thickness of approximately 3/4 inches, prong spacing of approximately 4.4 inches, and with an elongated section made of approximately 1-1/2 inch pipe with wall thickness of approximately 1/4 inches of sufficient length so that the overall length of the tool will be approximately 48 inches. METHOD OF OPERATION Operation of the Tool is illustrated in Figures 5a & 5b, 6, 7, 8 and 9. After it has been determined that a road-wheel must be removed from a track-and-wheel system, the operator should: 1. loosen lug-nuts on the road-wheel; 2. on the outside of the track 23, place the long prong 14 of one end 4 of the Tool 1 in a notch in the track near the top of the wheel 22 in position 31 as shown in Figures 5a and 4b; 3. place the long prong 16 of the other end 6 of the Tool 1 in a notch in a position 29 at a different vertical position to the left or right on the track below the wheel 22 as shown in Figures 5a and 4a; 4. place the bottom of the wheel lift 21 near position 27 on the inside or vehicle side 25 of the track 24 so that it has an angular orientation similar to the orientation of Tool 1 on the outside of the track as shown in Figure 4a and in Figure 5b [If a vertical lift is used, place the lift directly below the hub after the track is raised in step 5.]; 5. drive the vehicle slowly in direction 42 shown in Figures 5a and 5b until the track-and-wheel are lifted and Tool 1 is in position to allow removal of the damaged road- wheel as shown in Figure 6; 6. place the vehicle in "neutral" or "park" and, using stops, blocks and/or brakes for safety; 7. install the road-wheels on the hub as shown in Figure 8; 8. drive the vehicle slowly in direction 44 shown in Figures 8 opposite the direction shown in Figures 5a and 5b. Positions 27 and 29 are intended to illustrate that the positions are both to one side of the center of the wheels. The actual positions can both be either to the left or the right along the path of the track. Additionally the amount to the right or left depends on the dimensions of the wheel and track and the heights to which the wheel and track are to be raised. ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS The elongated component, and/or the forked-end component of the invention can be made of circular pipes, or other shaped material, and fittings to improve the absorption of the load imposed on the components during lifting. Figure 2a illustrates the Tool 11 constructed of pipe. In another alternative embodiment shown in Figure 2b, the elongated section of Tool 111 is comprised of pipe with both ends threaded and the functional ends are formed pieces which are threaded to mate with the elongated section. Currently, track-and-wheel vehicles are equipped with a "cheater pipe" which is used as a lever arm to loosen the lug- nuts of the wheels as described in step 1 of the method described above. Another advantage of the embodiments shown in Figures 2a and 2b is that they can also replace the "cheater pipe" by disassembling the elongated section from the functional ends and using it as the "cheater pipe." Using this information, a reasonably skilled tool-maker can calculate and determine the proper materials and dimensions of the tool for a particular track-and-wheel system. The disclosure and description of the Invention, provided above and in the drawings, are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and variations in the size, shape and materials as well as details of the illustrated construction are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims: We Claim: 1. A tool for disengaging and separating the track from a wheel in a track-and-wheel drive system comprising: a) an elongated section; and b) two ends for engaging the track. 2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the elongated section is composed of a solid plate of a suitable material. 3. The tool in claim 2, wherein the ends for engaging the track are composed of a solid plate of suitable material. 4. The tool in claim 2, wherein the ends for engaging the track are composed of pipe. 5. The tool in claim 1, wherein the elongated section is comprised of pipe. 6. The tool in claim 5, wherein the ends for engaging the track are composed of plate material. 7. The tool in claim 5, wherein the ends for engaging the track are composed of pipe. 8. The tool in Claim 1, wherein at least one of the ends for engaging the track further comprises a forked section with a plurality of prongs. 9. The tool in Claim 8, wherein the forked section further comprises a plurality of prongs wherein at least one prong is longer than at least one other prong. 10. The tool in Claim 9, wherein the elongated section has two forked ends with two prongs each and where the long prongs on each fork are not on the same side of the elongated section. 11. A tool for disengaging and separating the track from a wheel in a track-and-wheel drive system comprising: a) an elongated pipe section; and b) two forked ends for engaging the track wherein each forked end has a long prong and a short prong and the long prongs are on opposite sides of the elongated section. 12. A tool for facilitating the disengaging and separating of a track from a wheel in a track-and-wheel drive system comprising at least one forked end with two prongs, one longer than the other. 13. A method for facilitating the replacement of a damaged wheel in a track-and-wheel drive system comprising: a) placing an elongated member with two ends for engaging the track between the upper and lower track in proximity to the damaged wheel; b) engaging the drive system to cause the elongated member to disengage and separate the track from the damaged wheel; c) replacing the damaged wheel; and d) engaging the drive system to release the elongated member and allow the track-and-wheel to reengage.

Inventors: ABDEL-AZEEM AMR A, ABDEL-AZEEM, AMR, A.
Applicants: ABDEL AZEEM AMR A, ABDEL-AZEEM, AMR, A.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: B23P19
IPC codes: B62D55