A crawler traveling apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an endless rubber crawler, a drive wheel, a tension wheel, and a sensor which can acquire load information related to a load that the tension wheel receives from the rubber crawler. The rubber crawler includes an endless crawler belt and a plurality of cores, each core including a pair of core projections. The tension wheel abuts an inner surface of the rubber crawler at least, in a crawler width direction, at any of a position between the pair of core projections and both outer positions of the pair of core projections to be rotated following the rubber crawler, and the sensor can acquire tension load information in a crawler thickness direction that the tension wheel receives from the inner surface of the rubber crawler as the load information.

A crawler traveling apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an endless rubber crawler, a drive wheel, a tension wheel, and a sensor which can acquire load information related to a load that the tension wheel receives from the rubber crawler. The rubber crawler includes an endless crawler belt and a plurality of cores, each core including a pair of core projections. The tension wheel abuts an inner surface of the rubber crawler at least, in a crawler width direction, at any of a position between the pair of core projections and both outer positions of the pair of core projections to be rotated following the rubber crawler, and the sensor can acquire tension load information in a crawler thickness direction that the tension wheel receives from the inner surface of the rubber crawler as the load information.

A track roller assembly for a work machine includes a drive and idler wheels and an endless track belt disposed about the wheels. The idler wheel is mounted on a track roller frame track roller frame with a swing link. The work machine has an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the alignment of the endless track belt in relation to the drive and idler wheels. The adjustment mechanism includes a transverse pivot pin connected to a downward projecting lobe of the swing link. A lever is connected to the pivot pin. The adjustment mechanism includes a drive mechanism, wherein a proximal end of the lever interacts with the drive mechanism such that the drive mechanism controls a position of the lever, wherein movement of the lever moves the pivot pin causing an adjustment in the position of the idler wheel and the alignment the endless track belt that rides thereon.

A track assembly is to be mounted on a drive axle of a vehicle. The track assembly has a frame, at least one leading idler wheel mounted to the front of the frame for rotation about a transverse leading idler wheel axis, 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, a single drive wheel assembly, and at least two slide rails. The slide rails have corresponding forward-facing portions, central portions, and rearward-facing portions. The forward-facing portions project from the front ends of the central portions by a projection that is greater than a length of the central portions. A vehicle having the track assembly is also encompassed. A kit of track assemblies is also encompassed.

A track assembly is to be mounted on a drive axle of a vehicle. The track assembly has a frame, at least one leading idler wheel mounted to the front of the frame for rotation about a transverse leading idler wheel axis, 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, a single drive wheel assembly, and at least two slide rails. The slide rails have corresponding forward-facing portions, central portions, and rearward-facing portions. The forward-facing portions project from the front ends of the central portions by a projection that is greater than a length of the central portions. A vehicle having the track assembly is also encompassed. A kit of track assemblies is also encompassed.

A tracked vehicle, in particular a construction machine, more particularly a road construction machine, with at least one drive motor and a travel pump of a travel drive hydraulic circuit, which is driven by the drive motor, for generating a drive pressure; at least one track unit, said track unit comprising a drive wheel driven via the travel drive hydraulic circuit, at least one guide wheel, a track endlessly running around the drive wheel and the guide wheel, as well as a track tensioning apparatus for tensioning the track, and the track tensioning apparatus comprising an adjusting device with a track tensioning hydraulic cylinder with which the distance between two wheels of the track unit, in particular the drive wheel and the guide wheel, is adjustable for tensioning the track, the track tensioning hydraulic cylinder being connected via a hydraulic tensioning line to a hydraulic pretensioning source via which it can be loaded with an initial pretensioning pressure. The tensioning apparatus further has a damping device with a spring for damping pressure peaks in the adjusting device. A method for operating a tracked vehicle with a track unit.

A tracked vehicle, in particular a construction machine, more particularly a road construction machine, with at least one drive motor and a travel pump of a travel drive hydraulic circuit, which is driven by the drive motor, for generating a drive pressure; at least one track unit, said track unit comprising a drive wheel driven via the travel drive hydraulic circuit, at least one guide wheel, a track endlessly running around the drive wheel and the guide wheel, as well as a track tensioning apparatus for tensioning the track, and the track tensioning apparatus comprising an adjusting device with a track tensioning hydraulic cylinder with which the distance between two wheels of the track unit, in particular the drive wheel and the guide wheel, is adjustable for tensioning the track, the track tensioning hydraulic cylinder being connected via a hydraulic tensioning line to a hydraulic pretensioning source via which it can be loaded with an initial pretensioning pressure. The tensioning apparatus further has a damping device with a spring for damping pressure peaks in the adjusting device. A method for operating a tracked vehicle with a track unit.

A track system for a vehicle, the vehicle having a drive axle, the track system comprising a drive sprocket including a hub structured to be connected to the drive axle, a plurality of teeth radially outward of the hub, a rim at least indirectly attached to the hub, the rim including: a body, a body outer surface, a recess in the rim body inward of the body outer surface, a resiliently deformable ring disposed in the recess, the ring structured and arranged with respect to the body so as to be less rigid than the body, a resiliently deformable tread extending outwardly of the rim-outer surface, the tread connected to the ring, a resiliently deformable track disposed around the drive sprocket, the track having a track-inner surface in contact with the tread.

A track system for a vehicle, the vehicle having a drive axle, the track system comprising a drive sprocket including a hub structured to be connected to the drive axle, a plurality of teeth radially outward of the hub, a rim at least indirectly attached to the hub, the rim including: a body, a body outer surface, a recess in the rim body inward of the body outer surface, a resiliently deformable ring disposed in the recess, the ring structured and arranged with respect to the body so as to be less rigid than the body, a resiliently deformable tread extending outwardly of the rim-outer surface, the tread connected to the ring, a resiliently deformable track disposed around the drive sprocket, the track having a track-inner surface in contact with the tread.

An active track-chain sag management system for usage in conjunction with crawler vehicles having tracked undercarriages includes a movable track-engaging member positioned for physical engagement into a track-chain of the tracked undercarriage, an electric drive assembly controllable to adjust a track-tensioning position of the movable track-engaging member relative to the track-chain, and a controller operatively coupled to the electric drive assembly. The controller is configured to command the electric drive assembly to repeatedly adjust the track-chain sag of the track-chain by varying the track-tensioning position of the movable track-engaging member during operation of the tracked undercarriage.