Undercarriage for adverse terrain vehicles

摘要

A detachable undercarriage for use on adverse terrain vehicles comprising an elongate hollow load-bearing frame having three or four axles rotatably supported thereon. Sprockets are mounted on at least two of the axles, and chains are constrained around the sprockets to drivingly interconnect the axles. The center axle in the three axle embodiment and the center two axles in the four axle embodiment are positioned below a plane extending through the axes of rotation of the outermost two axles to facilitate skid steering of vehicles incorporating the undercarriage. Alternatively, all the axles can be aligned with larger wheels mounted on the center axle in the three axle embodiment or the center two axles in the four axle embodiment to facilitate skid steering. In certain applications of the nonaligned axle embodiments structure is provided for selectively aligning all the axles to increase vehicle stability. Also included in the undercarriage is a drive assembly having a motor connected to a transmission mounted inboard or outboard of the frame. In one configuration, an endmost axle is chain driven from the transmission, with the middle axle being chain driven from the endmost axle. In an alternate configuration, an endmost axle and the middle axle are directly chain driven from the transmission.