IMPROVED TRACK GUIDE

GUIDE-RAIL AMELIORE

English Abstract

This invention describes a track guide, used with endless tracks mounted over tires of off--road vehicles, preventing laterally rolling off the inner or outer surfaces of the drive tires. The track guide counteracts, grips and controls the lateral slippage of the endless track dislodging from the drive tires, caused by conditions such as tensioned forces, sharp power-on turns in snow, ice, mud, sand and all other situations. The track guide effectively improves the ride and maneuverability of off road vehicles.

French Abstract

Cette invention décrit un guide-chenille utilisé avec des chenilles montées sur des pneus de véhicules hors route, qui empêche le déjantage latéral des parois internes ou externes des pneus d'entraînement. Ce guide-chenille compense, saisit et contrôle le patinage latéral de la chenille qui la déloge des pneus d'entraînement, causés par des conditions comme des forces de tension, des virages brusques à vitesse élevée dans la neige, la glace, la boue, le sable et autres situations. Le guide-chenille améliore efficacement la conduite et la manoeuvrabilité des véhicules hors route.

Claims

I claim:
1. A track guide that prevents slippage and roll-off of an endless track when
lateral
forces are applied to drive or steering tires, wherein said track guide having
a general
outer L shaped profile, the base of which serves for fastening to the inner
surface of an
endless track section, and a vertical outer section of said L shape profile
has an inward
slope of approximately three degrees from the vertical; an inner profile, of
the L shape
comprises a horizontal base section, an extending upwardly curved radius
section; which
corresponds to the radius and shoulder tread of a conventional tire; a small-
radius notch
area, and a further upwardly and inwardly extending area of approximately six
degrees
from the vertical that serves to frictionally and functionally grip lateral
tire forces; an
outward slanted section that meets the apex of said outer L shaped profile,
serves to direct
the tires as they approach and pass the surface of the track guide.
2. The track guide as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of
said
track guides integrated into moulded segments and pinned together to form a
moulded
endless track.

Description

CA 02628818 2009-04-03
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Endless tracks are commonly installed over the tires of lightweight skid-steer
all terrain
vehicles or other off road vehicles to improve their operation over soft
ground, cut over
land, in snow, mud, and all other conditions. Conventional endless tracks
either
consist of a flexible rubber track material with separated track guides bolted
on each track
section or they are a plurality of integrated moulded plastic track guide and
endless track
sections, that are pinned together to form an endless track.
This invention deals with flexible rubber track material with separated track
guides bolted
on each track section.
A current manufacturer of both metal and moulded plastic separated track
guides
intended to keep tires in alignment on an endless track is a Numbered Company
9127-
1585 Quebec Inc. of St. Philippe de Neri, Quebec, (phone # 418-856-1508). The
guides
are provided with a continuous inside curved profile from the base to the top
of the track
guide.
The use of these types of track guides have proven troublesome, in that the
tires will
climb laterally resulting in roll off and lateral track dislodgment. This
particularly occurs
when softer tires and/or tracks are lightly tensioned.
Tru-TraxTM of Isanti, Minnesota (www.trutrax.com) is another endless track
manufacturer. Unlike the above mentioned prior art, the endless track
comprises a
plurality of integrated moulded plastic track guides and endless track
sections that are
pinned together. These combined moulded sections also have a track guide with
a
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CA 02628818 2009-04-03
continuous inside curved profile from the base to the top. As in the prior art
mentioned
above, similar operational defects, such as roll off and lateral track
dislodgments, occur
when using these types of combined moulded track guides and endless track
sections. In
addition, they are heavier in weight and have less traction.
When the above types of current endless tracks are installed tightly on more
stiffly
constructed tires they will less frequently detach their grip with fewer roll
off situations.
Adversely, the increased track tension creates a higher axle bearing load
requiring more
engine power, and increases bearing wear and track noise. In addition, stiffer
tires and
tightly installed tracks provide a stiff and uncomfortable ride.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of this invention is a track guide used in combination with a
less
tensioned track operating on a variety of types of tires that frictionally and
functionally
grips and controls the lateral slippage of the tracks dislodging from the
tires on off road
vehicles.
The allowance and use of softer tires effectively improves the ride and
performance of off
road vehicles.
Furthermore, it decreases wear on axle bearings, load on engine power and
track noise.
The track's functional operation also improves in snow, heavy mud, sand and
all other
conditions.
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CA 02628818 2009-04-03
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Although the characteristic features of the invention will be particularly
pointed out in the
claims, the invention itself and the manner in which it may be made and used
may be
better understood by referring to the following description and accompanying
drawings,
where like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views
of the
drawings in which
FIG. 1 is a side view of the track guide;
FIG. 2 shows a plurality of track guides in their assembled environment;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X - X; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the track guide
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The accompanying drawings, as described above, illustrate a preferred
embodiment of a
track guide used in conjunction with an endless track. The following
disclosure describes
a preferred embodiment of the track guide. Reference from Figs. 1 and 2, a
track guide 1,
made of ridged material having in general an outer L shaped profile, the base
of the L
shape, serves for purposes to fasten the said base section to the outer and
inner edges of
an endless track (shown in Fig. 2). The vertical outer section of the L shape
2, has an
inward slope of approximately three degrees from the vertical. The inner
profile 3, of
the L shape has a short horizontal base section 4, extending into an upwardly
curved
radius section 5. The said upwardly curved radius section 5, follows the
radius profile of
a conventional tire. The curved radius section 5, is followed by a smaller
radius notch
area 6. Following the notch area 6, is an abruptly upward and inward
exterldirtg section
7, this section is approximately six degrees from the vertical. Finally, at
the upper area of
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CA 02628818 2009-04-03
the inner profile, is an outward slanted and rounded section 8, that extends
and meets at
the apex of the vertical section of the outer L shaped profile 2.
The slanted and rounded section 8, serves to direct the tires as they approach
and pass
the surface of the track guide. All the edges located on the inner profile 3
are beveled (9)
as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
The notch area 6, and the inward angled section 7, serve to frictionally and
functionally
grip the radius profile and side wall of the tires and prevent them from
climbing the
guides when the tires bear against them.
In a second embodiment, the said track guide design can be integrated into a
moulded
segment, many of which can be pinned together to form a track.

Representative Drawing