Endless drive track joint assembly

摘要

An assembly for joining ends of a drive track of an endless track drive system includes at least one connector member or connector member belt situated within the endless drive track, one or two retaining rods situated between abutting ends of the endless drive track, and a master link with a one-piece upper part and a one-piece lower part. The connector member(s) or connector member belt(s) is situated within the endless drive track in such a way that substantially parallel lengths of the connector member(s) or connector member belt(s) extend longitudinally of the endless drive track and loops of the connector member(s) or connector member belt(s) extend from ends of the endless drive track. The loops extending from abutting ends of the endless drive track are looped around an individual retaining rod, or two different retaining rods, and the retaining rod(s) and loops are sandwiched between the upper and lower master link parts by means of a fastening device which holds the upper and lower master link parts to one another. The connector member(s)/connector member belt(s) is made of high strength metal or fabric. The simplified, high strength joint assembly can be utilized for interconnecting one or more drive track modules to form an endless drive track.