WO2024055111A1

WO2024055111A1 - Track system for vehicles with double alignment system

Info

Publication number: WO2024055111A1
Application number: PCT/CA2023/051215
Authority: WO
Inventors: Riccardo Canossa; Christian BOSELLI
Original assignee: Camso Inc.
Priority date: 2022-09-14
Filing date: 2023-09-13
Publication date: 2024-03-21

Abstract

The present document relates to a conversion track system for vehicles with an axle that includes an undercarriage and a fitment kit. The undercarriage includes a track and track-engaging assembly for driving and guiding the track. The track-engaging assembly includes a frame with surfaces for receiving the fitment kit on a leading and trailing side of the drive wheel. The fitment kit includes an attachment bar that is couplable to an axle of the vehicle being retrofitted or converted to a track system and two horizontal flanges that are couplable to the frame on either side of the drive member. The track system can include an angular alignment system on the fitment kit to minimize or avoid the use of another angular alignment device, such as an alignment lever to provide an alignment between the undercarriage with the drive wheel mounted to the axle of the vehicle.

Description

TRACK SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES WITH DOUBLE ALIGNMENT SYSTEM

PRIOR APPLICATION

The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/375.611 , filed on September 14, 2022, and entitled “TRACK SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES WITH DOUBLE ALIGNMENT SYSTEM”, the disclosure of which being hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to track systems for traction of off-road vehicles, such as, for example, agricultural vehicles, industrial vehicles, and military vehicles. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a track system with a double alignment system.

BACKGROUND

Certain off-road vehicles, such as agricultural vehicles (e.g. harvesters, combines, tractors, etc.), industrial vehicles, such as construction vehicles (e.g. loaders, bulldozers, excavators, etc.) and forestry vehicles (e.g. feller bunchers, tree chippers, knuckle-boom log loaders, etc.), and military vehicles (e.g. combat engineering vehicles (CEVs), etc.), may be equipped with an elastomeric track system that enhances traction and floatation on soft, wet, and/or irregular ground (e.g. soil, mud, sand, ice, snow, etc.) during operation.

To accommodate existing off-road vehicles with wheeled systems, there are conventional methods of retrofitting wheeled machines, such as wheeled machines with an outboard planetary final drive, with a track system. These conventional systems provide a connection to the machine via a vertical flange placed behind the final drive, which requires removal of the final drive to assemble. The use of a vertical flange interface to connect the track system to the vehicle can be

difficult to install with vehicles that feature outboard planetary final drives on the wheel hubs, thus preventing such vehicles from benefitting from an after-market track system.

These conventional systems also require customization in the undercarriage and/or drive wheel design to accommodate the geometry of the final drive of the vehicle and the specific track gauge requirements, which can often require a separate alignment device to install.

SUMMARY

According to some embodiments, there is provided a track system for traction of a vehicle, the track system being connectable to an axle of the vehicle, the track system comprising: an undercarriage comprising a track and a track-engaging assembly for driving and guiding the track around the track engaging-assembly, wherein the track engaging-assembly comprises: a drive wheel for driving the track; a plurality of track-contacting wheels for contacting an inner surface of the track; and a frame configured to surround at least a portion of the drive wheel, the frame comprising opposing side walls coupled on a leading side of the drive wheel by a leading crossmember and on a trailing side of the drive wheel by a trailing crossmember; and a fitment kit comprising a leading flange and a trailing flange extending perpendicularly from an attachment bar, wherein the attachment bar is couplable to the axle, the leading flange is couplable to the leading crossmember and the trailing flange is couplable to the trailing crossmember.

In some embodiments, upper surfaces of the leading crossmember and the trailing crossmember are configured to engage with lower surfaces of the leading flange and the trailing flange, respectively.

In some embodiments, the upper surfaces of the leading crossmember and the trailing crossmember and the lower surfaces of the leading flange and the trailing flange are substantially planar.

In some embodiments, when the attachment bar is coupled to the axle, the leading flange and the trailing flange are orientated horizontally.

In some embodiments, at least one of the leading crossmember and the trailing crossmember of the frame comprises at least one protrusion that is configured to engage the corresponding one of the leading and trailing flanges.

In some embodiments, the at least one protrusion comprises a lip that engages a top surface of the corresponding one of the leading and trailing flanges. In some embodiments, when the lip engages with the top surface of the corresponding one of the leading and trailing flanges, the fitment kit and the frame are removably coupled via a hook coupling.

In some embodiments, the frame comprises a mounting flange to couple a wheel-mounting subassembly to the frame, and wherein the track system further comprises spacers configured to provide a translation between the axle and the undercarriage by adjusting a position of the frame relative to the wheel-mounting subassembly.

In some embodiments, the track system further comprises an angular alignment system that is configured to align the undercarriage with respect to the fitment kit.

In some embodiments, the angular alignment system comprises an alignment pin configured to extend through aligned pin apertures on the leading crossmember and the leading flange or on the trailing crossmember and the trailing flange; and an angular alignment device on an opposing side of the frame from the alignment pin, wherein the alignment pin is configured to provide a pivotal relationship between the frame and the fitment kit and the angular alignment device is configured to adjust an alignment of the undercarriage with respect to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the angular alignment device comprises at least one frame extension protruding from an underside of the opposing side of the frame; an adjustment protrusion coupled to the leading flange or the trailing flange on an opposing side of the fitment kit from the alignment pin; and an adjusting pin; wherein the at least one frame extension and the adjustment protrusion each have an alignment aperture that is configured to receive an adjusting pin therethrough; and wherein an adjustment of the adjusting pin angularly pivots the opposing side of the frame with respect to the fitment kit.

In some embodiments, the angular alignment system is configured to align the angular position of the undercarriage with respect to the fitment kit after coupling the drive wheel to the wheel flange on the axle and driving the vehicle for a predetermined distance.

In some embodiments, the track system further comprises one or more sensors located on or within a material of at least one of an inner side of the undercarriage and an outer side of the undercarriage for determining a parameter of the inner side and/or the outer side of the undercarriage.

In some embodiments, the angular alignment system is configured to determine a correction of the angular position by: determining a first temperature of the track on the inner side of the undercarriage and a second temperature of the track on the outer side of the undercarriage with the one or more sensors after driving the vehicle for the predetermined distance; comparing the first temperature and the second temperature to determine a side of the track that has a higher temperature; and rotating the adjusting pin to increase a distance between trailing ones of the plurality of track-contacting wheels and the side of the track that has the higher temperature.

In some embodiments, the axle of the vehicle comprises a recess that is sized and shaped to receive the attachment bar.

In some embodiments, the axle of the vehicle comprises an axle coupling surface that is configured to correspond to and/or engage with a coupling surface of the attachment bar.

In some embodiments, the fitment kit is an integrated part of the axle of the vehicle.

According to another aspect, there is provided a fitment kit for connecting an undercarriage to an axle of a vehicle, the fitment kit comprising a leading flange and a trailing flange coupled on opposing ends of an attachment bar and extending therefrom in a same direction, wherein the attachment bar is couplable to the axle, and wherein the leading flange is couplable to a leading side of a frame of the undercarriage and the trailing flange is couplable to a trailing side of the frame of the undercarriage.

In some embodiments, a surface of the leading flange has a size and shape that corresponds to the leading side of the frame and the trailing flange has a size and shape that corresponds to the trailing side of the frame.

In some embodiments, the surface of the leading flange and the surface of the trailing flange are planar.

According to another aspect, there is provided a method of providing a track system to a wheeled vehicle with an axle, the method comprising removing a wheel from the wheeled vehicle to expose a wheel flange on the axle; providing a fitment kit comprising a leading flange and a trailing flange extending from opposing ends of an attachment bar; coupling the attachment bar to the axle such that the leading flange and the trailing flange extend substantially parallel to the axle and past a terminal end of the wheel flange; providing an undercarriage comprising a track, a drive wheel for driving the track, a plurality of track-contacting wheels, and a frame configured to surround at least a portion of the drive wheel, wherein the frame comprises opposing side walls coupled at a leading side by a leading crossmember and at a trailing side by a trailing crossmember; coupling the leading flange to the leading crossmember and coupling the trailing flange to the trailing crossmember; and coupling the drive wheel to the wheel flange. In some embodiments, upper surfaces of the leading crossmember and the trailing crossmember are configured to engage with a lower surface of the leading flange and the trailing flange, respectively.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises temporarily coupling the leading flange to the leading crossmember and the trailing flange to the trailing crossmember via a hook coupling, wherein the leading crossmember and the trailing crossmember each comprise at least one protrusion that is configured to engage the leading flange and the trailing flange, respectively, in the hook configuration.

In some embodiments, the at least one protrusion comprises a lip that engages a top surface of the leading flange or the trailing flange.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises translating a position of the undercarriage with respect to the axle via a planar alignment.

In some embodiments, the planar alignment comprises coupling at least one spacer between a mounting flange that couples a wheel-mounting subassembly to the frame and the frame.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises aligning an angular position of the undercarriage with respect to the fitment kit with an angular alignment system.

In some embodiments, the angular alignment system comprises: an alignment pin configured to extend vertically through aligned pin apertures on the leading crossmember and the leading flange or on the trailing crossmember and the trailing flange; and an angular alignment device on an opposing side of the frame from the alignment pin, wherein the alignment pin is configured to provide a pivotal relationship between the frame and the fitment kit and wherein aligning the angular position of the undercarriage comprises adjusting the angular alignment device.

In some embodiments, the angular alignment device comprises: at least one frame extension protruding from an underside of the opposing side of the frame; an adjustment protrusion coupled to the leading flange or the trailing flange on an opposing side of the fitment kit from the alignment pin; and an adjusting pin configured to extend horizontally through the at least one frame extension and the adjustment protrusion; wherein adjusting the angular alignment device comprises rotating the adjusting pin to angularly pivot the opposing side of the frame with respect to the fitment kit.

In some embodiments, the angular position of the undercarriage with respect to the fitment kit is aligned after coupling the drive wheel to the wheel flange on the axle and driving the vehicle for a predetermined distance.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining a correction of the angular position by: determining a first temperature of the track on an inner side of the undercarriage and a second temperature of the track on an outer side of the undercarriage after driving the vehicle for the predetermined distance; comparing the first temperature and the second temperature to determine a side of the track that has a higher temperature; and rotating the adjusting pin to increase a distance between trailing ones of the plurality of track-contacting wheels and the side of the track that has the higher temperature.

According to another aspect, there is provided a vehicle comprising the track system as defined herein.

In some embodiments, the axle comprises a recess that is sized and shaped to receive the attachment bar.

In some embodiments, the axle comprises an axle coupling surface that is configured to correspond to and/or engage with a coupling surface of the attachment bar.

In some embodiments, the fitment kit is an integrated part of the axle.

According to another aspect, there is provided a vehicle comprising the fitment kit as defined herein.

In some embodiments, the fitment kit is an integrated part of the axle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure is provided below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective outer side view of a track system according to one embodiment that is coupled to an axle of a vehicle;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective side view of two (2) fitment kits according to one embodiment that are coupled to a left-hand and right-hand side of an axle of a vehicle;

Fig. 3 shows a perspective outer side view of an undercarriage according to one embodiment;

Fig. 4 shows a perspective outer side view of a track system according to one embodiment that is coupled to an axis on a vehicle chassis;

Fig. 5 shows a perspective side view of an axis of a vehicle;

Fig. 6 shows a perspective outer side view of a fitment kit according to one embodiment that is coupled to an axis of a vehicle;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective outer side view of a track system according to one embodiment that is coupled to an axle of a vehicle;

Fig. 8 shows an enlarged perspective outer side view of a track system according to one embodiment that is coupled to an axle of a vehicle;

Fig. 9 shows an enlarged perspective outer side view of an undercarriage according to one embodiment;

Fig. 10 shows an enlarged perspective front (leading) side view of a track system according to one embodiment, showing an angular alignment system;

Fig. 11 shows an enlarged perspective rear (trailing) side view of a track system according to one embodiment, showing an angular alignment system;

Fig. 12 shows a perspective outer side view of a track system according to one embodiment coupled to a vehicle chassis; and

Fig. 13 shows a perspective inner side view of a track system according to one embodiment coupled to a vehicle chassis. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments of the present disclosure and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to define the limits of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, “substantially” and “about” means an acceptable variation according to conventional standards, otherwise at most a 5% variation from an indicated effect or value.

There is provided a track system for vehicles with a drive axle, such as an outboard final drive axle, that includes an undercarriage and a fitment kit. The undercarriage includes a track and track-engaging assembly for driving and guiding the track. The track-engaging assembly includes a drive wheel, a plurality of track-contacting wheels, and a frame with surfaces for receiving the fitment kit on a leading and trailing side of the drive wheel. The fitment kit includes an attachment bar that is configured to couple to an axle of the vehicle and two horizontal flanges that are configured to connect to the frame on a leading and trailing side of the drive member. When the flanges are connected directly to the frame of the undercarriage, the final drive, located at a terminal end of the axle of the vehicle, can be coupled directly to the drive member of the undercarriage. In some embodiments, the track system includes an angular alignment system on the horizontal flanges to minimize or avoid the use of another angular alignment device, such as an alignment lever. Furthermore, the surfaces of the frame of the undercarriage and the fitment kit have a planar alignment that facilitates the alignment of the drive wheel of the undercarriage with the final drive in the axle of the vehicle.

Referring now to Figure 1 , a conversion track system 10 is shown, comprising an undercarriage 20 configured to couple to a final drive 42, such as an outboard planetary final drive, at a terminal end of an axle of a vehicle and a fitment kit 30 that is configured to couple to the axle 40 and to the undercarriage 20. The undercarriage 20 includes a frame 50 that is engageable with the fitment kit 30 to couple the undercarriage 20 to the axle 40.

The undercarriage 20 further includes a track 22 and a track-engaging assembly 24 that is configured to drive and guide the track 22 around the track-engaging assembly 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the track-engaging assembly has a plurality of track-engaging wheels that include a drive wheel 26 and a plurality of track-contacting wheels 281-284. The plurality of trackcontacting wheels 28i-28s includes leading idler wheels 28i , 282, trailing idler wheels 287, 28s and roller wheels 283, 284, 28s, 28e between the leading idler wheels 28i, 282 and the trailing idler wheels 28?, 28s. Each of the plurality of track-contacting wheels 28i-28s are rotatable about an axis of rotation. The drive wheel 26 is rotatable about an axis of rotation for driving the track 22 in response to a rotation of the axle 40 of the vehicle the undercarriage 20 is coupled to. In some embodiments, the axis of rotation of the drive wheel 26 corresponds to the axle 40 of the vehicle. The drive wheel 26 can include a hub 26a that is mountable to a wheel flange on the final drive 42 of the vehicle such that the power generated by the power source and delivered over the powertrain of the vehicle rotates the final drive 42 on the terminal end of the axle 40, which rotates the drive wheel 26, thus imparting motion on the track 22. It is understood that the track system 10 can be used with vehicles that do not include an outboard final drive 42 on the axle 40. In such embodiments, the hub 26a on the drive wheel 26 can be coupled to a wheel flange on the axle 40.

In some embodiments, the drive wheel 26 can be a drive sprocket that is engageable with drive or guide lugs 25 on an inner side of the track 22 to drive the track 22. The drive wheel 26 can include drive members, such as bars, teeth, etc., that are distributed circumferentially around the drive wheel 26 to define a plurality of lug-receiving spaces therebetween that receive the drive or guide lugs 25 on the inner surface of the track 22. In some embodiments, the drive wheel 26 can frictionally engage the inner side of the track 22 to frictionally drive the track 22.

Referring now to Figure 2, the fitment kit 30 includes a leading flange 32 and a trailing flange 34 (also referred to as a first flange and a second flange) connected by an attachment bar 36. The leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 and the attachment bar 36 can be a singular integrated unit or can be fastened together with known fastening means. The leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 protrude horizontally from a distal end of the axle 40, such that a terminal end thereof extends a distance Di from a terminal end of the attachment bar 36. When the undercarriage 20 is coupled to the axle 40 of the vehicle, the leading flange 32 is configured to engage with a leading side of the frame 50 and the trailing flange 34 is configured to engage with a trailing side of the frame 50. In this context, “leading” refers to the front side and “trailing” refers to a rear side of the vehicle.

The frame 50 of the undercarriage 20 supports components of the undercarriage 20, including the track-contacting wheels 28i-28s. More particularly, in the illustrated embodiment, the leading idler wheels 28i , 282 are mounted to the frame 50 in a leading longitudinal end region of the frame 50 near a leading longitudinal end 21 of the undercarriage, while the trailing idler wheels 287, 28s are mounted to the frame 50 in a trailing longitudinal end region of the frame 50 near a trailing longitudinal end 23 of the undercarriage 20. The roller wheels 283, 284, 28s, 28e are mounted to the frame 50 in a central region of the frame 50 between the leading idler wheels 28i, 282 and the trailing idler wheels 287, 28s. Each of the roller wheels 283, 284, 28s, 28e may be rotatably mounted directly to the frame 50 or may be rotatably mounted to a link which is pivotally mounted to the frame 50 and which is rotatably mounted to an adjacent one of the roller wheels 283, 284,285, 28e (for example, to form a “tandem”).

In the illustrated embodiments, the frame 50 is configured to surround at least a portion of the drive wheel 26, with opposing side walls coupled by a leading crossmember 52 on the leading side and by a trailing crossmember 54 on the trailing side. The frame 50 is configured to be supported by the coupling of the frame 50 to the fitment kit 30 and the coupling between the drive wheel 26 and the axle 40, which allows the drive wheel 26 to rotate freely within the frame 50 to move the track 22. An upper surface 52a of the leading crossmember 52 and an upper surface 54a of the trailing crossmember 54 have a shape and configuration that corresponds to a lower surface 32a of the leading flange 32 and a lower surface 34a of the trailing flange, respectively.

The leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 are orientated horizontally or substantially horizontally with respect to a ground surface of the vehicle. During installation, the undercarriage 20 can be installed on the axle 40 of the vehicle by engaging the upper surface 52a of the leading crossmember 52 with the lower surface 32a of the leading flange 32 and the upper surface 54a of the trailing crossmember 54 with the lower surface 34a of the trailing flange. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower surface 32a, 34a of the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 and the upper surfaces 52a, 54a of the leading and trailing crossmembers 52, 54 have a planar or substantially planar surface that provides a planar interface with each other. In other embodiments, the lower surfaces 32a, 34a of the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34, respectively, can have a surface shape that is configured to receive a shape of the upper surfaces 52a, 54a of the leading and trailing crossmember 52, 54, such as tongue and groove surfaces. However, it is understood that a tongue and groove surface would not allow for an adjustment to angularly align the undercarriage 20 with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (/.e., the forward moving direction of the vehicle).

In some embodiments, the frame 50 includes at least one protrusion 56 on the leading side and/or at least one protrusion 56 on the trailing side that are configured to engage with or guide the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34. In the illustrated embodiment, as is best shown in Figure 8, the frame includes protrusions 56 that have a lip 58. The lip 58 engages with a top surface of the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 to create a hook coupling between the undercarriage 20 and the axle 40. The hook coupling allows the undercarriage 20 to be suspended from the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 while the undercarriage 20 is fastened to the final drive on the axle of the vehicle, thus preventing the need for a lifting device. In some embodiments, the frame 50 can include a recess that is configured to receive the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 and further bolster the hook coupling. While a hook configuration (/.e., the combination of the protrusion 56 and the lip 58) is illustrated herein, it is understood that any suitable engagement surfaces that allow the undercarriage 20 to be temporarily suspended from the fitment kit 30 during installation are envisioned.

As is best shown in Figures 2 and 3, The leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 and the leading and trailing crossmembers 52, 54 can have a plurality of apertures 37 extending therethrough that are configured to receive a plurality of fasteners 38, such as threaded bolts, to secure the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 to the leading and trailing crossmembers 52, 54, respectively. In some embodiments, a plate with corresponding apertures can link two or more fasteners 38 together.

In some embodiments, the undercarriage 20 can include a wheel-mounting subassembly 60, which can also be referred to as a “bogie”. The wheel-mounting subassembly 60 is configured to carry the roller wheels 283, 284, 28s, 28e and is mounted to the frame 50 of the undercarriage 20. The wheel-mounting subassembly 60 includes a mounting flange 62 that couples the wheelmounting subassembly 60 to the frame 50.

Referring now to Figure 4, a vehicle chassis 41 coupled to the frame 50 of an undercarriage 20 is shown. The vehicle chassis 41 includes an axle 40 with a final drive 42 at each terminal end, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The axle 40 is couplable to the frame 50 of the undercarriage 20 on either side thereof with the fitment kit 30. The fitment kit 30 includes the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 extending perpendicular or substantially perpendicular from opposing ends of the attachment bar 36, such that when the attachment bar 36 is coupled to the axle 40, the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 extend past a terminal end of the final drive 42.

During installation, a wheel 43 coupled to the axle 40 of the vehicle chassis 41 is removed to expose the final drive 42. As shown best in Figure 2, the fitment kit 30 is coupled to the axle 40 via the attachment bar 36, such that the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 extend horizontally past the terminal end of the axle 40, and thus extend past the final drive 42. In some embodiments, the axle 40 can include a surface 45 that corresponds to a surface (not shown) of the attachment bar 36 to facilitate coupling the fitment kit 30 to the axle 40. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the axle 40 includes a recess 47 that has a width that corresponds to or is slightly wider than a width of the attachment bar 36. In some embodiments, the fitment kit 30 can be manufactured by the manufacturer of the axle 40, such that the axle 40 and the fitment kit 30 have coupling surfaces that correspond to and/or engage with each other. The attachment bar 36 can further include apertures for receiving fastening means, such as bolts or a double dowel pin, to couple the attachment bar 36 to the axle 40. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment bar 36 is bolted to the axle 40; however, it is to be understood that any suitable attachment means can be used to securely couple the attachment bar to the axle, such as via welding. Alternatively, the fitment kit 30 can be manufactured with the axle 40 and/or form an integrated portion of the axle 40.

Referring back to Figure 2, in some embodiments, a length Li of the attachment bar 36 corresponds to a size that is related to a diameter of the drive wheel 26, such that, when the fitment kit 30 is coupled to the undercarriage 20, the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 are positioned on either side of a minor segment or a center of the drive wheel 26. In the exemplary embodiment, the length Li of the attachment bar 36 is slightly larger than the diameter of the drive wheel 26, such that when the fitment kit 30 is coupled to the undercarriage 20, the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 are positioned on either side of the drive wheel 26 and extend past the final drive 42 of the drive wheel 26. The positioning of the fitment kit 30 requires precision, such that when the final drive 42 is coupled to the drive wheel 26, the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 are aligned with the first and second sides of the frame 50. As shown in Figure 6, once the fitment kit 30 is coupled to the axle 40, a distance D2 between a drive flange 44 on the final drive 42 and a terminal end 31 of the leading or trailing flange 32, 34 is measured. The distance D2 can be compared to a reference value that corresponds to the type of vehicle to verify the planar alignment between the drive wheel 26 and the wheel-mounting subassembly 60.

As best shown in Figure 9, in some embodiments, the undercarriage 20 can include shims or spacers 39 that are configured to fit between the frame 50 and the mounting flange 62 to provide a translation between the axle 40 of the vehicle and the undercarriage 20 by adjusting the position of the frame 50 relative to the wheel-mounting subassembly 60. The spacers 39 can be used when the distance D2 between the drive flange 44 on the final drive 42 and the terminal end 31 of the leading or trailing flange 32, 34 differs by 2 mm or more from the reference value. The spacers 39 can be a c-shaped shim with an open-ended side that is sized and shaped to receive the fastener used to couple the wheel-mounting subassembly 60 to the frame 50. When a c-shaped shim is used, the spacers 39 can be adjusted, inserted, or removed without disconnecting the frame 50 from the wheel-mounting subassembly 60. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting flange 62 includes apertures 64 for receiving fasteners 66 therethrough and secure the spacers 39 to the wheel-mounting subassembly 60 and/or the frame 50.

As best shown in Figure 7, in some embodiments, the undercarriage 20 can include sprocket supports 46 and/or oscillation locks 48 to prevent the drive wheel 26 or the track-contacting wheels 28i-28s, respectively, from moving during installation. Once the drive wheel 26 has been secured to the drive flange 44 of the final drive 42, for example, via lug bolts, the sprocket supports 46 can be removed to allow the drive wheel 26 to rotate freely within the frame 50.

In some embodiments, the fitment kit 30 can include apertures 33 on each of the terminal ends 31 of the leading and trailing flanges 32, 34 to receive a fastener 33a. Similarly, the frame 50 can include apertures 53 on the side of the frame 50 facing away from the vehicle to receive a fastener 53a. The frame 50 can be planarly aligned to the fitment kit 30 via one or more plates 55 configured to receive the fitment fastener 33a and the frame fastener 53a.

As best shown in Figures 10 and 11 , in some embodiments, the track system 10 includes an angular alignment system that is configured to align the undercarriage 20 with respect to the fitment kit 30, and thus with respect to the axle 40. The angular alignment system includes a first pin aperture 72a on the leading or trailing flange 32, 34 that, when the fitment kit 30 is coupled to the frame 50, is aligned with a second pin aperture 72b on the leading crossmember 52 or the trailing crossmember 54 of the frame 50. The first and second pin apertures 72a, 72b are orientated horizontally, such that, when aligned, the first and second pin apertures 72a, 72b are configured to receive an alignment pin 74 therethrough. When the fitment kit 30 is secured to the frame 50 and the alignment pin 74 is inserted into the first and second pin apertures 72a, 72b, a pivotal relationship is established between the frame 50 and the fitment kit 30. This pivotal relationship allows for the adjustment of the angle of the undercarriage 20 with reference to the axle 40 (/.e., pivoting around an axis aligned and/or coaxial with the alignment pin 74).

The angular alignment system also includes an angular alignment device 70 on an opposing side of the frame 50 from the second pin aperture 72b and an opposing side of the fitment kit 30 from the first pin aperture 72a. In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second pin apertures 72a, 72b and the alignment pin 74 are on the leading crossmember 52 of the frame 50 and the angular alignment device 70 is on the trailing crossmember 54 of the frame 50. In the illustrated embodiment, the angular alignment device 70 includes two frame extensions 73 coupled to and protruding from an underside of the leading crossmember 52 or trailing crossmember 54 (/.e., the crossmember on the opposing side of the frame 50 from the alignment pin 74) and an adjustment protrusion 75 that engages with the leading or trailing flange 32, 34. In the illustrated embodiment, the angular alignment device 70 is on a trailing side of the undercarriage 20, thus the frame extensions 73 are coupled to and protrude from an underside of the trailing crossmember 54 of the frame 50 and the adjustment protrusion 75 is coupled to the trailing flange 34 via plate 77.

Each of the frame extensions 73 and the adjustment protrusion 75 have an alignment aperture that are aligned horizontally to receive an adjusting pin 78 therethrough. In some embodiments, at least one of the alignment apertures can be threaded to receive a threaded adjusting pin 78, such as a bolt. In the illustrated embodiment, the alignment aperture of the adjustment protrusion 75 is threaded to receive the adjusting pin 78 and impart movement on the undercarriage 20 via the frame extensions 73, when the adjusting pin 78 is rotated. In some embodiments, a selfaligning washer 79 can be used with the adjusting pin 78. In some embodiments, the angular alignment device 70 can include two adjustment protrusions 75 that engage with the leading or trailing flange 32, 34 and a single frame extension 73 therebetween that is coupled to the underside of the leading or trailing crossmember 52, 54.

More specifically, to align the undercarriage 20 with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the adjusting pin 78 can be rotated to adjust the position of the trailing crossmember 54 via the frame extensions 73, with respect to the trailing flange 34 via the adjustment protrusion 75, which adjusts the position of the frame 50 with respect to the axle 40 along the axis created by the alignment pin 74. This adjustment of one side of the frame 50 longitudinally aligns the undercarriage 20 with the vehicle. Once the undercarriage 20 is aligned, the oscillation locks 48 can be removed to allow the wheel-mounting subassembly 60 to rotate and move freely.

In some embodiments, an alignment review can be conducted after the vehicle has driven a predetermined distance to account for the settlement of the vehicle after loading. If the undercarriage 20 is not fully aligned with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, there may be a temperature difference between the drive or guide lugs 25 on the inner side of the undercarriage 20 (/.e., the side of the undercarriage 20 that faces the vehicle) and the outer side of the undercarriage 20. If there is a temperature difference, the adjusting pin 78 can be rotated to increase the distance between the trailing idler wheels 28?, 28s and the warmer side of the track

22.

In some embodiments, the track system 10 further includes one or more sensors located on or within the material of the drive or guide lugs 25 on the inner side of the undercarriage 20 and/or the outer side of the undercarriage 20 for determining a parameter of the drive or guide lugs 25 and/or the outer side of the undercarriage 20. In some embodiments, the parameter is a temperature of the drive or guide lugs 25 and/or the outer side of the undercarriage 20. For example, the track system can include a processor that receives the parameter information from the one or more sensors and provides the user or installer of the track system 10 with the parameter information, such as on a user device with a user interface. If the processor determines that there is a temperature difference between the drive or guide lugs 25 and the outer side of the undercarriage 20, the user can rotate the adjusting pin 78 to increase the distance between the trailing idler wheels 28?, 28s and the warmer side of the track 22.

In some embodiments, the above-described track system can be used to convert or retro-fit any wheel vehicle, for example wheeled vehicles with in inboard final drive or with an outboard final drive, to a tracked system. In other embodiments, the track system can be manufactured and installed on a vehicle in the first instance. For example, the vehicle can be an agriculture vehicle, (e.g. harvesters, combines, tractors, etc.), industrial vehicles, such as construction vehicles (e.g. loaders, bulldozers, excavators, telehandlers, etc.) for performing construction work or forestry vehicles (e.g. feller bunchers, tree chippers, knuckle-boom log loaders, etc.) for performing forestry work, military vehicles (e.g. combat engineering vehicles (CEVs), etc.) for performing military work, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) (e.g. a snowmobile, a four-wheeler, etc.), or any other vehicle operable off paved roads. Although operable off paved roads, the vehicle may also be operated on paved roads in some cases.

Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of some embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element that is not specifically disclosed herein.

Any feature of any embodiment discussed herein may be combined with any feature of any other embodiment discussed herein in some examples of implementation. Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for purposes of description, but should not be limiting. Various modifications and enhancements will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

CLAIMS A track system for traction of a vehicle, the track system being connectable to an axle of the vehicle, the track system comprising: an undercarriage comprising a track and a track-engaging assembly for driving and guiding the track around the track engaging-assembly, wherein the track engaging- assembly comprises: a drive wheel for driving the track; a plurality of track-contacting wheels for contacting an inner surface of the track; and a frame configured to surround at least a portion of the drive wheel, the frame comprising opposing side walls coupled on a leading side of the drive wheel by a leading crossmember and on a trailing side of the drive wheel by a trailing crossmember; and a fitment kit comprising a leading flange and a trailing flange extending perpendicularly from an attachment bar, wherein the attachment bar is couplable to the axle, the leading flange is couplable to the leading crossmember and the trailing flange is couplable to the trailing crossmember. The track system of claim 1 , wherein upper surfaces of the leading crossmember and the trailing crossmember are configured to engage with lower surfaces of the leading flange and the trailing flange, respectively, and, optionally, wherein the upper surfaces and the lower surfaces are substantially planar. The track system of claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the attachment bar is coupled to the axle, the leading flange and the trailing flange are orientated horizontally. The track system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the leading crossmember and the trailing crossmember of the frame comprises at least one protrusion that is configured to engage or guide a corresponding one of the leading flange and the trailing flange, and optionally, wherein the at least one protrusion comprises a lip that engages a top surface of the corresponding one of the leading flange and the trailing flange. The track system of claim 4, wherein, when the lip engages with the top surface of the corresponding one of the leading flange and the trailing flange, the fitment kit and the frame are removably coupled via a hook coupling. The track system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the frame comprises a mounting flange to couple a wheel-mounting subassembly to the frame, and wherein the track system further comprises spacers configured to provide a translation between the axle and the undercarriage by adjusting a position of the frame relative to the wheel-mounting subassembly. The track system of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an angular alignment system that is configured to align the undercarriage with respect to the fitment kit. The track system of claim 7, wherein the angular alignment system comprises: an alignment pin configured to extend through aligned pin apertures on the leading crossmember and the leading flange or on the trailing crossmember and the trailing flange; and an angular alignment device on an opposing side of the frame from the alignment pin, wherein the alignment pin is configured to provide a pivotal relationship between the frame and the fitment kit and the angular alignment device is configured to adjust an alignment of the undercarriage with respect to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The track system of claim 8, wherein the angular alignment device comprises: at least one frame extension protruding from an underside of the opposing side of the frame; an adjustment protrusion coupled to the leading flange or the trailing flange on an opposing side of the fitment kit from the alignment pin; and an adjusting pin; wherein the at least one frame extension and the adjustment protrusion each have an alignment aperture that is configured to receive the adjusting pin therethrough; and wherein an adjustment of the adjusting pin angularly pivots the opposing side of the frame with respect to the fitment kit. The track system of any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the angular alignment system is configured to align the angular position of the undercarriage with respect to the fitment kit after coupling the drive wheel to the wheel flange on the axle and driving the vehicle for a predetermined distance. 11. The track system of claim 10, further comprising one or more sensors located on or within a material of at least one of an inner side of the undercarriage and an outer side of the undercarriage for determining a parameter of the inner side and/or the outer side of the undercarriage.

12. The track system of claim 11, wherein the angular alignment system is configured to determine a correction of the angular position by: determining a first temperature of the track on the inner side of the undercarriage and a second temperature of the track on the outer side of the undercarriage with the one or more sensors after driving the vehicle for the predetermined distance; comparing the first temperature and the second temperature to determine a side of the track that has a higher temperature; and rotating the adjusting pin to increase a distance between trailing ones of the plurality of track-contacting wheels and the side of the track that has the higher temperature.

13. The track system of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the axle of the vehicle comprises a recess that is sized and shaped to receive the attachment bar.

14. The track system of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the axle of the vehicle comprises an axle coupling surface that is configured to correspond to and/or engage with a coupling surface of the attachment bar.

15. The track system of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the fitment kit is an integrated part of the axle of the vehicle.