Adjustable suspension for high speed pad driver

摘要

Apparatus for adjusting the height above the floor of a plate to which is attached a pad in a rotary floor machine to accommodate pads having a range of thicknesses includes a yoke disposed about the generally vertical support shaft of a caster positioned within a centrally-located aperture in the pad in contact with the floor. The yoke is also disposed about and supports a rotational drive arrangement coupled to the plate and includes a ring bearing to facilitate rotational displacement of the drive arrangement within the yoke. One end of the yoke is pivotally coupled to the machine's housing, while a manually adjustable coupler attaches a second, opposed end of the yoke to the housing to permit raising and lowering of the yoke in a pivoting manner. Disposed within the yoke and engaging the rotational drive arrangement is a gimbal-like suspension arrangement which maintains the drive arrangement vertical (perpendicular to the floor) and the pad plate horizontal as the yoke is pivotally raised and lowered to accommodate pads having a range of thicknesses. By maintaining the pad plate horizontal regardless of its height above the floor, uniform contact with the floor over the entire lower surface of the pad is ensured.