Walkway assembly for paving machines

Abstract

A walkway assembly for a paving machine is disclosed herein. The walkway assembly includes a main walkway, an extender walkway, and a wheel assembly. The extender walkway telescopically extends and retracts relative to the main walkway. The wheel assembly includes a guard, a pin, and a wheel. The guard includes six surfaces mutually perpendicular to each other. The guard includes a cavity which defines a first opening in the first surface and a second opening in the third surface. The guard also includes an insert hole longitudinally extending from the second surface to the cavity. The wheel having a through hole is positioned inside the cavity and extends partially outwards from the guard through the second opening in rolling contact with extender walkway.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A walkway assembly for a paving machine, the walkway assembly comprising:
 a main walkway;   an extender walkway configured to telescopically extend and retract relative to the main walkway;   a wheel assembly, the wheel assembly includes:
 a guard, the guard including:
 a first surface; 
 a second surface substantially parallel to the first surface; 
 a third surface extending between the first surface and the second surface, the third surface being substantially perpendicular to the first surface; 
 a cavity extending from the first surface towards the second surface, wherein the cavity includes a first opening in the first surface and a second opening in the third surface, and 
 an insert hole longitudinally extending from the second surface to the cavity; 
 
 a wheel having a through hole, wherein the wheel is positioned inside the cavity of the guard, wherein the wheel extends partially outwards from the guard through the second opening and in rolling contact with the extender walkway; 
 a pin having a first end and a second end, the pin passes through the insert hole and the through hole to couple the guard and the wheel; and 
 wherein the wheel assembly is coupled to the main walkway by coupling the first end of the pin with the main walkway.