| 摘要 |
An articulated tractor that has its front and rear sections pivotally connected along the tractor's axis of articulation. The lead surface of the rear section and the trailing surface of the front section form an articulation space which is in close proximity to the articulation axis. To improve this arrangement, a cover is provided which substantially encompasses the articulation space with an enclosure. The enclosure incorporates at least two flexible bellows, which are opaque between their forward, rearward, top and bottom edges. The enclosure also includes four bands, a plurality of elements rigidly securing one of the bands to each of the forward and rearward edges of the bellows, and a plurality of members rigidly secured to the bands. The cover also utilizes a support to pivotally support the enclosure. This support is rigidly secured to either the front or the rear section of the tractor. The enclosure is pivotally supported by the support through a mechanism that utilizes a pair of main pivotal connections near the articulation axis to connect a mechanism to the support, and two corresponding pairs of secondary pivotal connections to connect the enclosure to the mechanism. The cover further utilizes at least two stiffeners which are pivotally connected to the mechanism to flexibly reinforce each of the bellows. Lastly, the cover utilizes a plurality of retainers which are rigidly secured to the lead and trailing edges of the sections of the tractor. These retainers are resiliently and slideably connected to the members of the enclosure.
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