Development and analysis of Hilly Power Chassis with Vari-ground Clearance and Vari-wheel Track Mechanism

A kind of Hilly Power Chassis with Vari-ground Clearance and Vari-wheel Track Mechanism (VII-HPC) is designed to be adapted to various types of crops grown ridge section and height. It consists of the middle part, balancing system, two driving axles and steering system. These assemblies form an H-type chassis structure where both sides of the driving axle and the middle part are connected for power transmission, ground clearance varying and wheel track adjustable function, which ensures full-time four-wheel drive in a complex road environment and confirms that the middle part is always in the angle bisector of the two driving axles. According to the various agricultural ground clearance and line spacing of different crops in the hilly areas, the ground clearance and the wheel track can be adjusted continuously and smoothly driven by hydraulic system. According to VII-HPC Structural Characteristic without Ackerman Steering Linkage, the hydraulic four wheel steering scheme has been proposed. The related analysis is presented to verify the feasibility of VII-HPC, including the relationship between the ground clearance and parameters like centroid height, and the ride analysis at different speeds on the pulse road. The results and the subsequent experimental results show the design method and the concept of VII-HPC are proved reasonable, feasible and practical.