GB2277113A - Equipment for laying road surfacing materials - Google Patents

Abstract

Equipment for laying hot road surfacing material comprises a body 100 in which the material is stored. The body 100 is tippable so that the material can be tipped through an aperture in the body tailgate. As the material flows from the tailgate it passes into a discharge apparatus 108 by which the positioning of the discharge material can be controlled. This is done either by an auger, or by a conveyor or by a directional chute 108. The discharge apparatus is carried by a parallelogram linkage 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144 so that it maintains its attitude to the road as the body tips up and down. Hot plate inserts 116 may be provided in the body 100 to maintain the temperature of the road surfacing material. The invention may also be used for distributing other materials such as grit, salt, and fertilizer. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements Relating to the Application of Naterials to Ground Surfaces This invention relates to equipment for the application of materials to ground surfaces. The invention has particular application to road surfacing equipment, and in particular concerns equipment for the placement of hot asphalts and macadams on road surfaces. These materials are sometimes referred to as "blacktop", and that expression will be used throughout the specification, but it is to be understood that the invention applies to the application of any appropriate hot surfacing material for roads, highways, motorways and the like. The invention in at least some aspects can be used for the application of grit, salt, fertilizer and the like, to ground surfaces.

Blacktop may be applied to a road surface as an overall covering, in which case large quantities of material are used, and frequently large custom designed machines have to be deployed in view of the large areas to be covered.

Blacktop material can be of two different types i.e. base course where the stone aggregate is 2Omm to 3Omm granule size, and the wearing course which is 6mm to lOmm granule size and with a different tar and binder content. The base course is usually laid in thicknesses of approximately loomm to 150mm whereas the wearing course is laid in 30mm to 50mm thickness. It can be required therefore for the carrying vehicle to carry two types of material.

There is a large market in the application of blacktop to smaller areas or "patches" which are applied for example to cover areas where the road surface has deteriorated and has to be repaired, or where trenches have been cut in the road surface for the servicing and/or installation of pipes and service cables.

We are particularly interested in the application of blacktop for patching purposes and seek to provide equipment suitable for this purpose or for use in connection therewith, even where the application of the two types of blacktop is required.

For the application of blacktop to small road patches equipment must be provided which will ensure accurate placement of the material, it being remembered that where a vehicle with a quantity of blacktop in a vehicle body is used, the quantity of blacktop in the body will more than likely be enough to fill many patch recesses in the road.

These bodies of vehicles also usually are tippable for the discharge of the contents and unless discharge is controlled excessive amounts of the material may end up on the road; disposal of excess material is time consuming and costly and therefore desirably only the correct amount of material, positioned in the desired location, should be dispensed for any particular patching or groove filling operation.

The present invention in a first aspect, relates to equipment for dischargeing material such as blacktop from a vehicle body onto the ground surface in a controlled and accurate manner and the equipment comprises a tippable body for holding material to be discharged therefrom, the body being arranged at the end remote from the tipped end to enable the material to flow through a discharge region into a discharge apparatus adapted to control the discharge of the material to place same at a desired location on the ground, the body, the discharge apparatus, and a vehicle frame or chassis by which the body is supported for tipping action being controlled by a parallelogram linkage by which the discharge apparatus is kept in a predetermined altitude in relation to the ground as the body is tipped between its extreme positions.

The discharge mechanism may be a chute which in use lies at an acute angle to the ground.

The chute may be adapted to swing in use about a vertical axis whereby the material may be spread over the ground by the swinging of the chute.

The chute may be adapted to be tucked into a stored position under the adjacent end of the body.

The chute may be adapted to be so tucked by uncoupling the parallelogram linkage and by using one of the links to connect the chute to the chassis or frame.

The parallelogram linkage may define an exact or approximate parallelogram.

The movements of the chute may be controlled manually or automatically. In a particular example, the tipping of the body effects the operation of the parallalogram type linkage, whereas for the storing of the chute in the transport position, the parallelogram linkage is disconnected, the chute is pivoted on its own to a stored position, and then a link straps the chute in the stored position to the vehicle chassis, this additional link being positioned and connected manually.

Instead of a chute, the discharge apparatus may comprise a discharge auger comprising at least one auger section lying transversely of the adjacent end of the body. Where a single auger section is provided it may be arranged to receive the material from the body at one end and deliver it to the other end from which it may be discharged to a distributor, for example a spinning disc by which the material can be spread over the ground. This arrangement is best suited to the spreading of particulate material such as grit and salt, but for applying blacktop, the auger preferably comprises two auger sections arranged in series and both extending transversely of the adjacent end of the body, when stored.

The first auger section is preferably connected to the body (via the parallelogram linkage) and the second section is preferably connected to the first section so as to be swingable relative thereto about an axis inclined to the vertical when in use so that the free end of the second section can be positioned at the desired location over and clear of the road surface where the material is to be placed, it being mentioned that the said free end of the second section forms an outlet for the material.

As mentioned, the discharge apparatus is carried preferably by the parallelogram linkage so that it will maintain a predetermined (fixed or varying) altitude to be ground as tipping of the body takes place.

An alternative form of distribution system may comprise an endless conveyor which is adapted to be displaced laterally of the body (and the vehicle) so as to hang cantilever fashion from the vehicle so that blacktop can be distributed for example onto a pavement at the side of the road surface.

Again the discharge end of the conveyor may be arranged to be at a higher level than the other end so as to be well clear of the ground in use.

The distribution system may also be provided with a levelling rake of adjustable width and position for raking the blacktop material applied over an area to be patched, and for levelling that material as the vehicle proceeds.

The levelling rake may be carried on an assembly enabling the rake to be disposed laterally of the vehicle or behind the vehicle depending upon the area of the surface to be patched.

Each of the distribution mechanisms per se constitutes a separate aspect of the present invention although the invention also envisages the use of any distribution mechanism in combination with any other feature of the invention.

Furthermore, and as can be appreciated, in countries with developed road systems, there is a continuous need to provide suitable blacktop patching equipment, but one of the problems experienced in such application is the matter of keeping the blacktop material in hot condition. As long as it is kept hot, and in particular within a specified temperature range, the material flows quite readily, and can be positioned and rolled easily. Furthermore, chippings which are subsequently applied to the blacktop, as long as it is sufficiently warm, will embed therein and bind thereto. The difficulty is keeping the material hot and often when the material has been prepared, it cannot be used immediately and therefore must be held in storage. When in storage, the material will lose heat and if it loses sufficient heat, then large solid lumps form therein which are unsuitable for subsequent application to patching areas of the road.

Accordingly, storage containers suitable for example for mounting on lorries have been proposed, such storage containers having suitable burners and hot air distribution channels in order to keep the material inside the container at the correct temperature for long periods. These containers have been referred to as hot boxes and have had limited success.

The problem with hot boxes is that they are custom designed for holding blacktop materials only, and although they can be used for other purposes they tend not to be so used but to be used only for storing blacktop materials.

To overcome this difficulty there have been proposed what are referred to as hot plate inserts which are inserts adapted to be fitted to, for example, tipper bodies of conventional tipper vehicles. These inserts are elongated structures which lie along the sides of the interior of a tipper body, and have burners at the ends whereby they can be heated internally so that the outer surface of the plate insert becomes hot and it is this surface which contacts the stored blacktop material keeping it in heated condition. The advantage of the hot plate inserts is that they can be removed at will and readily leaving the tipper body free for more conventional uses such as the transportation of other building materials not requiring the application of heat.

The equipment according to the present invention therefore has other aspects, and the equipment in some of said other aspects envisages using specifically hot plate inserts or being used in conjunction with either hot boxes or hot plate inserts, for the effective application of blacktop to road surfaces for patching work.

Thus, in accordance with another aspect of the invention, a tipper body is adapted to be provided with hot plate inserts, and has means defining a funnel tail board whereby upon tipping of the body, the blacktop will be directed to an outlet by virtue of the funnelling of the tail board whereby the blacktop can be accurately positioned either directly onto the road surface or onto a distribution arrangement (which may be as aforesaid) which subsequently places the blacktop on the road surface.

The funnelling of the tail board may be provided by arranging for the tail board to be in several sections one of which has a funnelling surface leading to a gate or plate which is adapted to close the aperture or outlet to a greater or lesser extent depending upon the positioning of the plate.

To assist the funnelling effect, the interior of the body may be provided with separate funnelling plates which direct the blacktop to the central section of the tail gate and/or towards the said outlet.

The body may be part of a trailer vehicle adapted to be hitched to a towing vehicle, or it may be mounted on the chassis of a vehicle, but in any event it is preferred that the tipping action of the body is achieved by the extension and contraction of a tipper ram.

The hot plate inserts when provided may be of conventional construction provided with gas bottle mountings at one end, flues at the other end, and gas burners internally thereof.

The upper body may be sub-divided by a partition means into at least two elongated compartments, each associated with hot plate inserts to keep material therein hot and respectively for the receipt of the two types of blacktop. At the tail end each compartment may have a funnelling arrangement as aforesaid.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the burner arrangement for the hot plate inserts may be such that the burner is automatically cut off when the tipper body is tipped, in order to prevent wastage of heat. An automatic means may operate to re-fire the burner when the tipper body is returned to the normal untipped position. Further a thermostatic control may be provided in order to ensure that the hot plate inserts do not overheat. Existing thermostatic control technology can be adopted readily for this purpose.

Embodiments of the various as'pects of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are diagrammatic, and wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a trailer vehicle with removable hot plate inserts; Fig 2 is a plan view of a furze modified trailer vehicle arrangement; Fig 3 is a sectional side view representative of the arrangement of Fig 2; Fig 4 is an enlarged view of a detail of Fig 3; Fig 5 is a rear view of the trailer body of Fig 2; Fig 6 is a side view of the rear of a vehicle body fitted with an alternative form of discharge apparatus; Fig 6A is a view similar to Fig 6 but showing the discharge apparatus in operation; Fig 7 is a rear view of the arrangement shown in Fig 6; and Fig 8 is a view similar to Fig 7 showing yet another form of discharge apparatus.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, trailer vehicle 10 has a hitch 12 by which it may be coupled to a traction vehicle (not shown). The trailer vehicle comprises a vehicle body 14 which is adapted to be tipped about axis 16 by means of hydraulically operated tipping ram 18, as is well known.

As shown in Fig. 1, inside the body 14 are provided two hot plate inserts 20, 22 each containing a burner ABU which is fired by a supply of gas from a gas bottle 26, 28. The gas bottles 26, 28 are located at the same end of the vehicle as the hitch 12, and at the other end each hot plate is provided with an exhaust flue 30, 32.

When blacktop is charged into the vehicle body 14, and the burners 24 are effective, the hot plate inserts 20 and 22 become heated and keep the blacktop in heated condition. An industrial duvet 34 may be applied to the top surface of the blacktop load in order to prevent escape of heat. This keeps the material in heated condition so that it may be used when required without the disadvantages associated with cool down being experienced.

To the rear of the body 14, a tail gate or tail board 36 is provided, and as shown particularly in Fig. 1, the centre section 38 thereof is funnelled so as to ensure the controlled discharge of the blacktop material when it is to be discharged from the body. Separate funnelling insert plates 40 and 42, which are removable may be provided inside the body as shown in order to assist the flow of the blacktop material as indicated by arrows 44 to the funnelled section 38.

Funnel section 38 has an outlet 46 which is closed by means of an adjustable plate 48. Adjustment of plate 48 (which may be manually or automatically operated) up and down controls the extent to which the outlet opening 46 is opened.

The blacktop may be tipped directly onto the road surface, or into a wheelbarrow as desired.

In another arrangement, a conventional lorry is provided with a tipper body, tippable in the same manner as described in relation to the trailer of Fig. 1.

The body has hot plate inserts having flues.

The tail board again has a funnelled construction as described in relation to Fig. 1, the funnelling leading to an outlet which is closable by means of an adjustable plate.

Adjustment of the plate is achieved by means of contraction and expansion of hydraulic ram.

There may be funnelling plates similar to plates 40 and 42 inside the body.

To the rear of the vehicle is provided a distribution system which comprises basically an endless conveyor which extends laterally of the vehicle, and its position can be controlled by means of an adjustment ram whereby the conveyor can be made to overhang the side of the vehicle, or can be retracted into the confines of the width of the vehicle. The outer end of the conveyor is higher than the inner end to facilitate placement of the material.

Similarly, an adjustable width levelling rake is provided, and it is carried by an arm which can be retracted from an outboard positioning to a position within the confines of the width of the vehicle. The mechanism which is provided for effecting this adjustment may comprise a chain and pulley arrangement.

This mechanism is also constructed and arranged so that the levelling rake can be positioned not only laterally of the vehicle as shown for the purposes of levelling the applied blacktop, but also to the rear and centrally of the vehicle as indicated by reference.

When the levelling rake is in use, it is towed by the vehicle by means of a tow chain which is connected to the rake. The width of the rake is adjustable in order that it will cover patches of different widths.

As will be understood, in order to apply blacktop to a side walk groove which has been excavated, the rake is positioned appropriately by the adjusting mechanism, the vehicle body is tipped to discharge blacktop at a controlled rate from the outlet and this falls onto the upper reach of the conveyor which is driven to discharge the blacktop into a position in front of the rake and as the vehicle moves forward, so the rake levels the blacktop in the groove.

The advancement of the vehicle is preferably effected by means of a creep speed wheel on which the front of the vehicle rests, the front of the vehicle otherwise being raised clear of its front drive wheels in that a hydraulic ram jacks the creep speed wheel onto the road surface to lift the vehicle front wheels. The wheel is adapted to be driven by a hydraulic motor so that it can turn and drive the whole assembly at a creep speed.

Various other constructions are shown in Figs 2 to 7, to which reference is now made, but it should be pointed out that any of the features in the arrangements of Figs 2 to 7 can be used in conjunction with any of the features in Fig. 1 and vice versa, and the Applicant reserves the right to claim as inventive any single feature or combination of such features.

In the arrangement of Fig 2, the vehicle trailer body 100 has the hot plate inserts 102 and 104 at the rear end, but furthermore the interior of the body is divided by means of a partition plate 114 which lies at an angle as shown in Fig 5 so that there are formed two compartments, namely a left hand compartment 114A and 114B for the respective blacktop materials described hereinbefore. Compartment 114A is 60% of the total volume available, whilst compartment 114B represents 40% of the total volume available.

As shown in Fig 2 each of the compartments leads to a funnelled outlet 106, and at each outlet there is a chute distributor 108 which is swingable as indicated by the arrows and to a position of storage as shown in dotted lines.

The vehicle body 100 shown in Fig 2 furthermore is provided with a central hot plate insert 116 which tapers from the front end of the interior of the body to a central region, and the hot plate insert 116 is of triangular cross section.

This configuration of insert 116, in conjunction with inserts 102 and 104, ensures the smooth discharge of the blacktop material when the vehicle is tipped as indicated for example in Fig 3 in dotted lines.

Referring now to Figs 3 and 4, Fig 3 is a sectional elevation which is representative of the twin chute body 100 of Fig 5', and in this latter respect the central hot plate insert 116 is shown in Fig 3 in sectional elevation. This insert it will be noticed is provided with a lower burner bar 118 to which gas is supplied via the gas line 120 from a gas bottle 122. Interiorly the hot plate insert 116 is provided with baffle plates 124 which preferably are perforated so as to allow exchange of hot gases, but they retard the escape of the hot gases through the flue discharge 124, particularly when the body is tipped as indicated in dotted lines.

As regards the gas supply and burner system 122, 120 and 118, the line 120 preferably includes an automatic control valve 126 which closes automatically when the vehicle body is tipped so that the burner will be cut off. When the body is returned to the untipped position, an automatic firing means is initiated re-firing the burner 118. In addition the burner 118 of the insert 116 may be thermostatically controlled to prevent it from reaching too high or too low a heating condition. The hot plate inserts at the sides of the vehicle body may be similarly controlled.

Figs 3 and 4 show how the chute 108 projects rearwardly for the discharge of blacktop as indicated by arrow 128. The chute 108 is mounted for pivotal movement about a vertical axis 130 by being mounted on pivot plate 132, and furthermore the assembly of chute and plate 132/108 is mounted for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis 134 on the tailgate 135 which has a movable control plate 137 (similar to plate 48 in Fig. 1 which can be raised and lowered to control the flow of material to chute 108. The pivoting about this axis in the normal operation of the vehicle when the body is tipped and blacktop is being discharged, is under the control of a parallelogram linkage made up of the pivot 134, a second pivot 136 between links 138 and 140, a third pivot 142 between link 140 and the chassis, and a fourth pivot 144 about which the vehicle body 100 is tippable.

With this parallelogram type arrangement, it will be understood that as the body 100 is tipped as shown in dotted lines in Fig 3, so the links 140 and 138 pivot relatively about pivot 136, and link 140 pivots about pivot 142, resulting in the chute 108 being lowered, but maintaining the same angular attitude to the ground as indicated by dotted lines at reference 146 so that the continued effect of discharge of blacktop can take place, for example into the recess 148 in the road surface.

The parallelogram type linkage can be used with considerable advantage for any type of discharge mechanism including the conveyor type described.

Although it has been described hereinbefore that the chute 108 can be swung about axis 130 to the transport position shown in Fig 2, in some cases such positioning of the chute may be unacceptable, as providing too great a rearward extension of the vehicle and in this regard, the chute may be adapted to be swung to a transport position about the pivot axis 134, as shown in Fig. 4. To this end, the chute is provided with a further link eye 150 and when it is desired to move the chute to the stored position under the vehicle as shown in Fig 4, link 140 is disconnected from link 138 and pivot 136, and the link 140 is then coupled to eye 150 as shown in Fig 4 after the chute 108 has been swung to the under the vehicle position as shown. These repositioning operations may be performed manually.

Fig 5 shows a further modification of the arrangement already described involving the adjustment of the control plates 66 which are shown as under the control of hydraulic ram 68.

The control plates 66 may be in the arrangement of Fig 5 moved manually by means of a lever 150 as an alternative arrangement. By comparison the hydraulic ram arrangement 68 is shown in the right hand side of Fig 5, but it is to be appreciated that any arrangement can be used in connection with any of the vehicles hereinbefore described.

Referring now to Figs 6, 6A and 7, which show another embodiment of the invention, Fig 7 shows the rear portion of a conventional tipper body of a tipper vehicle, and the body 210 is adapted to be tipped about the axle 212 defined by a pair of trunions 214 on the vehicle chassis 218 and stub shafts on the tipper body which seat in said trunions 214.

As the body is tipped by a tipping ram (not shown) so a parallelogram linkage 216 and 218 causes the rear door 220 provided with a movable plate 222 to swing downwardly and to cause pivot 225 to swing downwardly which ensures that the discharge apparatus 227 maintain its disposition in relation to the ground.

Door 220 is provided with a ram 224 which can be expanded and contracted to control the opening of the door 222 controlling flow of the material to the discharge apparatus as already described in relation to previous embodiments.

In normal operation of the arrangement in Fig 6, the hot blacktop contained in the body 210 is discharged over the floor 226 and through a rear aperture as indicated by arrow 228 when the door 222 is open so that it drops into the discharge arrangement 227. By operation of the discharge arrangement, the material can be fed under control to the appropriate location on the ground where the patch recess has been created.

The parallelogram linkage arrangement 216 and 218 may be as described aforesaid but modified to support the discharge apparatus described.

Thus, link 216 is pivotally connected at one end to the body 210 at pivot 225, and at the other end to first axis 216, whilst link 218, which is the same length as link 216 in this embodiment, is pivotally connected at one end to the discharge mechanism 227 at pivot point 229 and to the chassis 218 at another pivot point, which is not shown. The pivots are arranged on the corners of a parallelogram arrangement so that as the body 210 tips between its extreme positions, the discharge mechanism 227 maintains the same angular altitude to the ground.

Figs 6, 6A and 7 together show the disposition and function of the discharge mechanism 227 which is an auger mechanism made up of two sections 232 and 234 arranged in series.

In the arrangement shown, the discharge auger arrangement 230 comprises a first auger section 231 which comprises a casing 232 (see Fig 6) of U shaped configuration which houses a first auger 236. That auger is in use driven so that as it receives material discharged from the tipper body, it feeds the material to the left hand end of the auger section as shown in Fig.7. At the left hand end there is a discharge outlet tube 233 by which the hot blacktop material is fed to the second section 234 of the discharge auger 230, and that second section is pivotally mounted about an axis which is vertical and is central of the tube 233 extending from the first auger section 231.Auger section 234 also houses an auger 238 (Fig 6), and in use that also is driven to feed the material supplied to auger 234, from the left hand end in Fig. 7 to the right hand end of the auger section 124 where there is a discharge funnel 240 from which the material can fall freely as indicated by arrow 242 in Figs 6A and 7. By swinging the auger section 234 relative to section 231, whilst the material is being discharged, an operator can readily control the positioning of the material which is being discharged so that it is most effectively positioned for the patching operation to be performed.

As shown in Fig 6A, the second auger section 234 is adjustable relative to the first auger section 232 in that it can be tilted when it is swung out from the stowed position shown in Figs 6 and 7 about a horizontal hinge 231 connecting two sections which make up the outlet 233. By this means the outer free end of the second auger section 234 is treated higher than its other end, which facilitates control and inspection of the discharge of the material onto the road surface. The second section continues to be pivotable about a vertical axis even though it is tilted as described.

In a modified arrangement shown in Fig 8, only the auger section 231 is provided and tube 233 provides an outlet for the material to be discharge directly onto the road or onto an alternative device such as a spinner 250 shown in Fig 8.

This construction is particularly suitable when the likes of salt or grit is to be spread onto the road surface, or where granular fertilizer is to be spread on crops. In this modification, the outlet 233 may be arranged at either side of the vehicle as desired, but preferably it is at the offside when the vehicle is to be used on the road, as then the outlet will be rearer the centre of the road than the kerbs, which is especially useful for spreading particulate material on the road surface.

Although the hot inserts described hereinbefore have been described as being of a type adapted for insertion and removal, it is possible to provide that any one or more of the inserts, and especially insert 116, may be fixed.

Although the parallelogram linkage described herein serves to keep the chute 108 or other discharge apparatus in the same attitude throughout its movement, the linkage could be arranged to be slightly off parallel in which case the chute would still keep a correct attitude, but the attitude may change slightly during the movement of the chute between extreme positions.

All of the hydraulic drive components of any of the arrangement described may be powered from the vehicle engine driving a suitable pump, in conventional manner.

The present invention provides and extremely effective apparatus having a number of inventive aspects, for the placement of materials on the ground especially the placement of blacktop in patch areas and for the levelling of same.

Claims (24)

1. The equipment for discharging material such as blacktop from a vehicle body onto the ground surface in a controlled and accurate manner, said equipment comprising a tippable body for holding material to be discharged therefrom, the body being arranged at the end remote from the tipped end to enable the material to flow through a discharge region into a discharge apparatus adapted to control the discharge of the material to place same at a desired location on the ground, the body, discharge apparatus, and a vehicle frame or chassis by which the body is supported for tipping action being coupled by a parallelogram linkage by which the discharge apparatus is kept in a predetermined attitude in relation to the ground as the body is tipped between its extreme positions.

2. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein the discharge apparatus comprises a chute which in use lies at an acute angle to the ground.

3. Equipment according to claim 2, wherein the chute is adapted to swing in use about a vertical axis whereby the material may be spread over the ground by the swinging of the chute.

4. Equipment according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the chute is adapted to be tucked into a stowed position under the adjacent end of the body.

5. Equipment according to claim 4 wherein the chute is adapted to be so tucked by uncoupling the parallelogram linkage and by using one of the links to connect a chute to the chassis or frame.

6. Equipment according to any preceding claim, wherein the parallelogram linkage defines an exact parallelogram.

7. Equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the parallelogram linkage defines an approximate parallelogram.

8. Equipment according to claim 1, wherein the discharge apparatus comprises a discharge auger in the form of at least one auger section lying transversely of the adjacent end of the body.

9. Equipment according to claim 8 wherein the discharge auger comprises a single auger section arranged to receive material from the body and to deliver it to one side of the body.

10. Equipment according to claim 9, wherein there is a spinner distributor at the side of the body where the auger section discharges the material so as to receive and distribute the material over the ground.

11. Equipment according to claim 8, wherein the auger comprises two auger sections arranged in series and both extending transversely of the adjacent end of the body.

12. Equipment according to claim 11 wherein the second auger section is connected to the first auger section so as to be swingable relative thereto about a vertical axis at a discharge end of the first auger section so that the free-end of the second auger section can be positioned at the desired location above the road surface where the material is to be placed.

13. Equipment according to Claim 12, wherein the second auger section is adjustable pivotally relative to the first auger section so as to lie at an angle relative thereto whereby the free end of the second auger section is at a higher level than the first end.

14. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein the discharge apparatus comprises an endless conveyor which is adapted to be displaced laterally of the body so as to hang cantilever fashion from the vehicle so that material can be distributed for example onto a pavement at the side of the road surface.

15. Equipment according to claim 14 wherein the distribution system is provided with a levelling rake of adjustable width and position for raking the material applied over an area to be covered and for levelling material as the body when carried on a vehicle proceeds.

16. Equipment according to claim 15 wherein the levelling rake is carried on an assembly enabling the rake to be disposed laterally on the vehicle or behind the vehicle depending upon the location on which the material is deposited.

17. Equipment for carrying and discharging road surfacing materials comprising a tipper body provided with hot plate inserts, and means defining a funnel tailboard whereby upon tipping of the body the roadsurfacing material will be directed to an outlet by virtue of the funnelling of the tailboard.

18. Equipment according to claim 17, wherein the funnelling of the tailboard is provided for by arranging for the tailboard to be in several sections one of which has a funnelling surface leading to a gate or plate which is adapted to close the aperture or outlet to a greater or lesser extent depending upon the positioning of the plate.

19. Equipment according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the interior of the body is provided with separate funnelling plates which direct material to the central section of the tailgate and/or towards the said outlet.

20. Equipment according to claim 17, 18 or 19, wherein the body is part of the trailer vehicle adapted to be hitched to a towing vehicle.

21. Equipment according to any of claims 17 to 20 wherein the body is subdivided by partition means into at least two elongated compartments, each having hot plate insert means, and each compartment having a funnelling arrangement.

22. Equipment according to any of claims 17 to 21 wherein there is a burner arrangement for each hot plate insert, and the burner arrangement is such that the burner is automatically cut off when the tipper body is tipped in order to prevent heat wastage.

23. Equipment according to claim 22 wherein automatic means serves to re-fire the burner when the tipper body is returned to the normal untipped position, and each hot plate may be provided with thermostatic control means to control the temperature thereof.

24. Equipment substantially as any of the aspects of the invention are set forth herein and with reference to the appropriate ones of the accompanying drawings.