Patent ID: 7258405

Claim:
A unitary flexible track for use in combination with wheel assemblies converting a wheeled vehicle into a tracked vehicle, the track mounted in a longitudinal direction around at least two successive vehicle tire-wheel assemblies in movement direction of the vehicle, the track comprising a band of flexible material, the track having an inner circumferential track surface provided to form a running surface for the wheels and an outer circumferential surface provided to form a running surface for the track with respect to the medium over which the track is to be displaced, the track also having a first and a second end part extending in cross direction thereof, the first and second end parts each comprising mutually co-operating connecting means for connecting the first end part to the second end part to form an endless track, each tire-wheel assembly having a circumferential running surface provided to contact the inner circumferential track surface, each tire-wheel assembly comprising a loaded wheel part having a contact surface resting on the inner circumferential track surface and a non-loaded wheel part not resting on the inner circumferential track surface, characterized in that the track comprises a plurality of spaced apart guiding wings disposed along opposite longitudinal sides of the track and protruding inwardly from the inner surface of the track so as to form on the track an inner circumferential channel for receiving the tire-wheel assemblies, the guiding wings engaging opposite lateral sides of the loaded part of the tire-wheel assembly and to exert a clamping force thereto in the cross direction of the track and the tire-wheel assembly to transfer a driving force between the tire-wheel assembly and the track, opposite guiding wings being positioned at a distance from each other which is smaller than the width of the tire-wheel assembly when loaded and which is larger than the width of the tire-wheel assembly when not loaded.