A link mechanism is provided between a first member and a second member to effect a bending/stretching motion in operative association with a telescopic expanding/contracting motion of the first member and the second member. A supporting mechanism is provided to support, to the link mechanism, a wire having flexibility and connected between a first device on the side of the first member and a second device on the side of the second member. The supporting mechanism fixes the wire to each link member of the link mechanism in position so that the wire is deformed while maintaining its state following a shape of the link mechanism in operative association with the bending/stretching motion of the link mechanism.

A suspension and clearance assembly includes a wheel hub and a hub attachment component. A suspension component is pivotally attached to the hub attachment component at one end, and a first clearance linkage is attached to the hub attachment component with a first pivot and with a second pivot to another end of the suspension component. A second clearance linkage is attachable to an agricultural machine frame and includes a pivot end attached to a third pivot of the first clearance linkage. One end of a cylinder is attached to the first clearance linkage and another end is pivotally attached to the second clearance linkage The cylinder retracts and extends to raise and lower the agricultural machine frame for variable ground clearance. Movements and/or vibrations between the wheel hub and the agricultural machine frame may be damped or suspended hydraulically with the suspension component.

Agricultural vehicle (V) includes an operator's seat (S), a vehicular structure (C), a wheel support arrangement (100), a front bumper assembly (200), a position and draft control mechanism (30), a brake pedal linkage mechanism (500), a steering mechanism (600) and an exhaust device (700). The operator's seat S is configured to be provided in the vehicle (V) at at least one of a first seating position (Sf) corresponding to a first driving position, and a second seating position (Sr) corresponding to a second driving position, where the second seating position (Sr) is opposite to the first seating position (Sf). The vehicular structure (C) is configured to be moved between at least one lowered position in which each final drive housing (FH) is locked to vehicular structure (C) at corresponding first locking positions, and at least one raised position in which each final drive housing (FH) is locked to vehicular structure (C) at corresponding second locking positions.

A suspension assembly for a vehicle axle. The assembly comprises a support structure, a housing element rotatably connected, about a transverse axis, to a support element in which the support structure is configured in a such a manner that it can rotate in relation to the support element about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and is secured to the main chassis of the vehicle by a pair of hydraulic cylinders. The support structure comprises a pair of main guides, which can be fixed to the main chassis and a rolling element which slides between the pair of main guides and a contact element with a pair of further guides, the contact element operatively associated with the pair of further guides so as to come into contact with one of the further guides following a rotation about the rolling element.

A vehicle includes a chassis, an axle pivotally coupled to the chassis such that the axle can tilt from side to side relative to the chassis, a tilt-angle sensor configured to detect a tilt angle of the axle relative to the chassis, and steerable hubs carried by the axle. Each hub is configured to rotate about steering axes relative to the axle, and a steering-angle sensor is configured to detect a steering angle of at least one hub relative to the axle. A control system limits a maximum steering angle of the hubs based at least in part on a size of tires or tracks carried by the steerable hubs and the detected tilt angle of the axle. A method includes detecting a tilt angle of the axle relative to the chassis and limiting the maximum steering angle of the hubs.

A wheeled work vehicle (1) comprises a forward chassis part (4) and a rearward chassis part (5) pivotally connected about a substantially vertically extending primary pivot axis (7) for steering thereof. A pair of forward ground engaging wheels (29) are carried on a forward suspension unit (32), and a pair of rearward ground engaging wheels (30) are carried on a rearward suspension unit (33). The forward suspension unit (32) is pivotally connected to the forward chassis part (4) by a pair of main forward transverse pivot shafts (63) pivotally coupled to the forward chassis part (4) by corresponding main forward pivot mountings (65). The main forward transverse pivot shafts (63) defines a main forward transverse pivot axis (59) about which the forward suspension unit (32) is pivotal relative to the forward chassis part (4). The forward suspension unit (32) comprises a pair of spaced apart trailing arms (35) which are joined by a torsion shaft (68) of tubular steel, which is rigidly connected to the trailing arms (35). The torsion shaft (68) defines a torsional axis (70), and permits limited upward and downward pivotal type torsional deflection of the trailing arms (35) relative to each other. The rearward suspension unit (33) is substantially similar to the forward suspension unit (32) and is coupled to the rearward chassis part (5) about a pair of main rearward transverse pivot shafts (87) in a similar manner as the forward suspension unit (32) is coupled to the forward chassis part (4).

An agricultural vehicle V with adjustable ground clearance and a method 70 thereof is provided. The agricultural vehicle V includes a vehicular structure C, a pair of front wheels FW, a pair of rear wheels RW, at least one front axle, at least one rear axle, a pair of final drive housings FH, a plurality of locking elements LP and an extension arrangement E. The vehicular structure C is configured to be moved between at least one lowered position in which each final drive housing FH is locked to the vehicular structure C at corresponding first locking positions, and at least one raised position in which each final drive housing FH is locked to the vehicular structure C at corresponding second locking positions. The extension arrangement E adapted to be coupled between corresponding front wheels FW and a front axle when vehicular structure C is at the raised position.

A method for determining an axle load on a vehicle axle of a tractor includes providing a power lift and a payload coupled thereto, driving the power lift by a hydraulic pump, setting a pump pressure of the hydraulic pump as a function of the coupled payload, detecting the pump pressure by a sensor, and determining the axle load as a function of the detected pump pressure from characteristic data which represents a relationship between the pump pressure and the weight of the payload.

A walk-behind tractor has an increased ground clearance to define a plant receiving space that has a greater height than a conventional walk-behind tractor having a straight axle. The walk-behind tractor has trailing drop arms from a frame that carry wheel axles that result in an elevated height of a driveshaft. The elevated driveshaft increases the ground clearance for taller plants to pass therebeneath during operation of the walk-behind tractor which would otherwise be too tall to pass below a conventional straight axle walk-behind tractor.

In a riding work vehicle, power of an engine is transmitted to a traveling wheel via a horizontally oriented transmission shaft and a vertically oriented transmission shaft. The traveling wheel is supported to be changeable in direction about a rotational axis of the vertically oriented transmission shaft. Each of the vertically oriented transmission shaft and a vertically oriented transmission case is provided as an inner/outer double structure expandable/contractible in association with sliding movement thereof. The vertically oriented transmission case is supported to be pivotable together with the traveling wheel. There is provided a vehicle height adjustment mechanism capable of switching, in a plurality of steps, a relative height of the traveling wheel relative to a vehicle body frame.