Patent ID: 8789892

Claim:
A mining machine for mining along a mining face, the mining machine including a longwall shearer, a product removal system for removing product cut by the longwall shearer, and a drive system for moving the longwall shearer along a rack extending along the mining face, the drive system comprising: a housing coupled to the longwall shearer; a motor; a sprocket at least partially positioned within the housing and drivingly connected to the motor, the sprocket engaged with the rack to move the longwall shearer along the rack; a drive shaft coupling the sprocket and the motor, the drive shaft rotating the sprocket and defining a longitudinal axis; and a shoe for maintaining the sprocket in engagement with the rack, wherein the housing is configured to rotate relative to the longwall shearer such that the drive system adjusts for vertical height variations and horizontal variations of the rack, wherein the sprocket is axially movable along the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft while maintaining engagement with the rack.