Track shoe assembly for continuous track vehicles

Abstract

An improved track shoe assembly ( 13 ) for a continuous track vehicle ( 1 ). The track shoe assembly comprises a pin ( 17 ) which is rotatable relative to the shoe assembly ( 13 ). The shoe assembly comprises an elastomeric tube ( 31 ) through which the pin extends, the elastomeric tube being rotatable with respect to one of the pin and the shoe assembly and being fixed with respect to the other of the pin and the shoe assembly.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . An improved track shoe assembly for a continuous track vehicle, the track shoe assembly comprising a road pad formed of polyurethane having good abrasion and puncture resistance and having a Shore hardness of about 90 A to about 95 A. 
     
     
         12 . The shoe assembly of  claim 11  wherein the pad provides longer life, in use on a vehicle having a weight in excess of twenty-five tons, than a conventional rubber pad having superior hysteresis characteristics. 
     
     
         13 . The shoe assembly of  claim 11  wherein the shoe assembly comprises at least one shoe, the shoe comprising a shoe body, the road pad being attached to a lower face of the shoe body. 
     
     
         14 . The shoe assembly of  claim 13  wherein the shoe body is a casting. 
     
     
         15 . The shoe assembly of  claim 13  wherein the road pad is bolted to the shoe body. 
     
     
         16 . The shoe assembly of  claim 13  wherein a road wheel pad is attached to an upper face of the shoe body. 
     
     
         17 . The shoe assembly of  claim 16  wherein the road wheel pad is bonded to the shoe body. 
     
     
         18 . The shoe assembly of  claim 13  wherein the road wheel pad is formed of polyurethane. 
     
     
         19 . The shoe assembly of  claim 18  wherein the road wheel pad has a Shore hardness of 95 A to 105 A. 
     
     
         20 . The shoe assembly of  claim 13  wherein the track shoe assembly comprises two shoes, each shoe having a shoe body and a road pad attached to the shoe body, each road pad being made of polyurethane having a Shore hardness of about 90 A to about 95 A. 
     
     
         21 . A continuous track vehicle having a track composed of shoe assemblies of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         22 . The vehicle of  claim 21  wherein the vehicle has a weight in excess of about twenty-five tons. 
     
     
         23 . The vehicle of  claim 22  wherein the vehicle has a weight in excess of about fifty tons.