Deere & Company
Power distribution through undercarriage idler wheels

Abstract:

An undercarriage assembly for a tracked vehicle with a prime mover that provides a torque to the tracked vehicle, a final drive sprocket configured to provide a final drive torque on a track, a transmission mechanically coupled to the prime mover and the final drive sprocket to selectively transfer at least some of the torque generated by the prime mover to the final drive sprocket, at least one idler wheel that contacts the track, and an electric motor that provides an idler torque to the at least one idler wheel. Wherein, torque is distributed to the track through both the final drive sprocket and the idler wheel.