US 11,731,715 B2
Track assembly and vehicle
Jeremie Aubin-Marchand, St-Hugues (CA); Patrick L'Herault, St-Majorique de Grantham (CA); Yan Roger, Drummondville (CA); David Gagnon, Trois-Rivieres (CA); Stephane Pelletier, Drummondville (CA); Raphael Couture, Sherbrooke (CA); and Charles Roy, Orford (CA)
Assigned to SOUCY INTERNATIONAL INC., Drummondville (CA); and BOMBARDIER RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS INC., Valcourt (CA)
Filed by SOUCY INTERNATIONAL INC., Drummondville (CA); and BOMBARDIER RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS INC., Valcourt (CA)
Filed on Feb. 15, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/277,075.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/630,888, filed on Feb. 15, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. CA 2995278 (CA), filed on Feb. 15, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2019/0248433 A1, Aug. 15, 2019
Int. Cl. B62D 55/125 (2006.01); B62D 55/104 (2006.01); B62D 55/30 (2006.01); B62D 55/065 (2006.01); B62D 55/10 (2006.01); B62D 55/14 (2006.01)
CPC B62D 55/125 (2013.01) [B62D 55/065 (2013.01); B62D 55/10 (2013.01); B62D 55/104 (2013.01); B62D 55/14 (2013.01); B62D 55/30 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A track assembly to be mounted on a rotatable drive axle of a vehicle, comprising:
a frame having a front, a rear, a bottom, a left side, and a right side;
a leading idler wheel assembly including at least one leading idler wheel mounted to the front of the frame for rotation about a transverse leading idler wheel axis;
a trailing idler wheel assembly including at least one trailing idler wheel mounted to the rear of the frame for rotation about a traverse trailing idler wheel axis parallel to the leading idler wheel axis; and
a single drive wheel assembly including,
a sub-frame removably securable to the frame in any one of a plurality of longitudinal securement positions on the frame, wherein the frame, when secured to the sub-frame, is non-mobile relative to the sub-frame; and
a drive wheel rotationally mounted on the sub-frame for rotation about a drive wheel axis and operatively connectable to the drive axle of the vehicle, the drive wheel axis being parallel to the leading idler wheel axis and the trailing idler wheel axis, the drive wheel being in different longitudinal positions relative to the at least one leading idler wheel and the at least one trailing idler wheel when the sub-frame is removably secured to different ones of the longitudinal securement positions;
the drive wheel, the at least one leading idler wheel, and the at least one trailing idler wheel being positioned relative to the frame to support an endless track around the drive wheel, the at least one leading idler wheel, and the at least one trailing idler wheel, the drive wheel, the at least one leading idler wheel, and the at least one trailing idler wheel together defining a track length of the endless track;
wherein:
the plurality of the longitudinal securement positions is distributed on the frame along a drive wheel positioning plane; a reference plane is positioned parallel to the drive wheel axis and normal to horizontal flat level ground when the track assembly is in use on the flat level ground; the drive wheel positioning plane has an angle relative to the reference plane; and the angle is defined such that the track length is a given track length when the sub-frame is removably secured to the frame in at least two different longitudinal securement positions of the plurality of longitudinal securement positions; and wherein the angle relative to the reference plane is greater than 90 and remains constant when the sub-frame is removably secured to the frame in the at least two different longitudinal securement positions of the plurality of longitudinal securement positions.