US2003628A

US2003628A - Device for spreading road material

Info

Publication number: US2003628A
Application number: US688933A
Authority: US
Inventors: Chadwick John Eric
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1933-09-11
Filing date: 1933-09-11
Publication date: 1935-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 1952-06-04

Description

.lune 4, 1935. J E, CHADwlCK 2,003,628

DEVICE FOR SPREADING ROAD MATERIAL June 4, 1935.

J. E. CHADWICK DEVICE FOR SPREADING ROAD ATERIAL Filed Sept. 11, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 [wl/wwe J: E. osoQw/ck L #ra/M17 HTTORNX June 4,1935. J E, CHADMCK 2,003,628

DEVICE FOR SPREADING ROAD MATERIAL Filed Sepfb. 11, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 4, 1935. J, E CHADW|CK 2,003,628

DEVICE FOR SPREADING ROAD MATERIAL W Filed Sept. l1, 1935 4 SheAets-Sheet 4 Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for spreading road material.

The device has been designed to spread chips, in the process of roadvmaking, but it is possible that it may be readily applicable to the spreading of gravel, sand and other like materials.

The objects of the invention, generally, are to improve on known spreading devices.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a spreader unit which can be easily at-V tached to the rear of a dump truck so as to gradually receive the load as it is being discharged from the truck body and to spread the same gradually. Y

Another specic object is to provide a selfoperated spreader unit, that is, one having its own power plant and operating irrespective of the travel or speed of the truck from which it is suspended.

Another specific object is to provide means for adjusting the position of the spreader unit to preferably a same horizontal position, irrespective of the position of the dump body.

Another specific object is to regulate the range or spread of the material as well as its rate of discharge.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various iigures;

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a typical dump truck with my device in operative position. y

Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 but showing the dump body tilted as in process of discharging the load.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the device unit.

Figure 4 is a iront elevation of Figure 3, with the forward wall partly broken away.

Figure 5 'is a diagrammatic view of the door shifting mechanism.V

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, enlarged side elevation of the rear hook or support for the spreader unit or device.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary, enlarged centre cross section through the hopper.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, enlarged view of the hopper showing the hopper locking-means.

Figure 9 is a section through the top portion of the tail gate showing the hook in position.

Figure l0 is an enlarged section through the hopper showing the winch device in position.

Figure 1l is a fragmentary, enlarged plan view of the hopper door.

Figure 12 is a side elevation of Figure l1.

Referring now by numerals to the drawings,

it) indicates in part only, a typical dump truck of which H' is the dump body. The body is hinged to the chassis l2 as at IZA and has the usual tail gate or rear door I4 hinged at the top. In the type of truck` shown, there are provided I-beams i3 arranged longitudinally under the dump body and forming part of the underframe thereof, these beams extending to the rear of the underframe.

The device, as shown, is designed to fasten or hook onto the dump body illustrated, or more particularly to hooks i1 from the I-beams, but it is evident that the device is equally capable of being hooked onto other similar dump bodies by merely changing, if necessary, the position or shape of the hooks.

Briefly stated, the device comprises a hopper adapted to be hooked to the rear of the dump body of a truck, the open top of the hopper receiving the load being discharged from the dump body and the bottom being closed or opened by means of sliding gates; of means for opening or closing the open bottom of the hopper; of a rotary distributor or spreader element mounted under the hopper and in a position to receive the material dropping out of the hopper; of a unit power Vplant carried by the hopper for actuating the distributor; and of a winch and cable device for adjusting the position of the hopper with respect to the dump body with a view to holding the hopper in a same horizontal position when `spreading the materi upon the road.

The hopper is shown at MA and is formed with slightly slanted forward and rearward walls vl5 and I5, respectively, and 'slanted walls I8 and IB. The forward wall i5 is provided with two spaced apertures 2D, and preferably alongitudinal bar 2l adjacent the apertures.l From the I-beams of the truck body extendl the two bars il formed with notches HA, the hooks so formed being received into the apertures 20 with the notches engaging the upper edges of said apertures, so that the hopper may be suspended at the rear from the bars or hooks I1. To releasably lock the hopper in its suspended position from the hooks l1, as aforesaid, locking pins 22 may be inserted into an aperture 23 made through the hook in a position to lie within the hopper when the same is suspended from the hooks.

In order to support the rear end I6 of the hopper as well as to raise or lower the same as desired, there is provided the winch and cable device 24 aforesaid. On the free end of the cable 25 is a hook 26 formed and adapted to hook onto the top of the tail gate, the other end of the cable being anchored to and wound around the shaft or spindle of the winch device. The winch device is preferably secured to the hopper at mid length. For the purpose of so securing the winch, an angle member 28 may be used, one leg of which is bolted to the rear wall of the hopper and the upper leg of which receives the winch proper. Thus, it will be seen that by operating the winch to lengthen or shorten the cable, the rear end of the hopper will be accordingly lowered or raised, respectively, to maintain the hopper in a vertical or proper discharging or spreading position irrespective of the dumping position of the truck body.

The hopper gates aforesaid, are preferably made in two

sections

29 and 29A, these sections sliding on tracks or angles 3i) mounted to extend below the open bottom of the hopper. To slide the gate sections toward or away from one another to accordingly close or open the hopper bottom, suitable means are provided which preferably are operable by a lever 3| mounted on the rear wall of the hopper. As shown, this lever is fixed to the rear end of a shaft 32 journalled in brackets 33 from the hopper, the shaft extending beyond the forward wall l5. Fixed to this shaft, preferably at mid length thereof, is a crank 34, the lower end of which is operatively connected to the gate section 29A' by means of a link 35 pivotally connected between said crank and a pair of lugs 36 from the gate section. Thus, by turning the lever 3| in a clockwise direction, the gate section 29A is shifted toward the centre of the hopper. By turning the lever in the opposite direction, on the other hand, the gate section is shifted away from the centre of the hopper. On the end of the hopper adjacent the gate section 29 is a shaft 32A journalled in brackets 33A from the hopper; fixed to the shaft 32A, preferably at mid length thereof, is a crank 34A operatively connected to the gate section 29 by means of a link 35A pivotally connected between the lower end of the lever and lugs 36 from the gate section. Fixed to the front ends of the

shafts

32 and 32A are cranks 31 and 31A respectively, the free ends of which are directed in opposite directions from their respective shafts and are operatively connected together by means of a link 38 pivotally connected therebetween. Thus, by turning or operating the lever 3|, the two gate sections are moved simultaneously in opposite directions and to an equal extent.

To releasably lock the gate sections in different relative positions, a ratchet device may be used. As shown, a quadrant 49 is secured to the rear Wall of the hopper adjacent the handle or lever 3|; mounted on the lever is a spring-pressed bolt or latch 4| co-operating with the quadrant.

In order to handle or lift the device complete, as in process of applying the same to or removing it from the dump body, handles 42 are provided at each end of the hopper, these preferably being braced as with pipe sections 43.

From the hopper, and forming an integral part of the device, is a platform 44 upon which the operator may stand.

Mounted below the bottom of the hopper is a spreader 46 adapted to receive chips being discharged from the hopper and to scatter or throw the same radially from the spreader upon the road. This spreader has a circular plate or disc 4l formed with radially arranged vanes 48 which serve to throw the chips outwardly from the centre of the disc. From the hub 49 of the disc is a shaft 50 journalled in a housing 5| suitably secured in the vertical axis of the hopper as with brackets 52 and 53. Fixed adjacent the upper end of the shaft 5! is a bevel gear 54 meshing with a second bevel gear 55 fixed on a shaft 56 journalled in the transmission housing. On the outer or rear end of the shaft 56 and positioned to lie outside of the hopper is fixed a pulley 5'1. Thus, the spreader 46 may be revolved by the rotation of the pulley 51.

To actuate the spreader, a unit power plant is provided, this taking the form of a suitable low powered gasoline engine A, mounted on the platform. Between the engine pulley 58 and the pulley 5l is loosely trained a belt 69. An idler 5|, journalled in a bracket 62 pivotally connected to the hopper as at G3, is normally held against one side of the belt, to tighten the same, by means of a spring 64. To release the belt and to allow the engine pulley to run free from any load, the idler is spaced from the belt by means of a foot pedal 66 from the bracket 62. Thus, the spreader may be actuated and idled alternatively, by the operator who releases or presses upon the pedal.

Operation Once in position, hanging from the rear of the dump body or more particularly from the hooks Il, with the hook 26 of the winch device in position on the tail gate I4 and the hopper substantially horizontal, the tail gate is unlocked, and the dump body slowly raised or' hoisted. While the dump body is being raised, the operator now standing on the platform proceeds to operate the winch device to gradually raise the rear end of the hopper so as to maintain the same in a horizontal or proper spreading position. The material in the dump body gradually discharges into the hopper until the hopper is fairly well filled. 'Ihe truck is next propelled, the engine started to revolve the spreader and the sliding gates opened to the required extent. As the material falls out of the hopper onto the spreader, it is thrown outwardly onto the road. In so suspending the spreader above the road and below the hopper bottom, as well as some distance away from the rear wheels of the truck, the material is spread evenly in all directions.

What I claim is:-

1. For use in combination with a dump truck having a tail gate swingable rearwardly from the bottom and supports extending rearwardly from the dump body of said truck, a removable material spreader unit comprising a hopper adapted to rest at the forward end upon said supports whereby the rearward end of said hopper is free to swing from the bottom, said hopper being formed to allow said gate to swing thereover to discharge material thereinto when said dump body is tilted and terminating in an opening for the discharge of the material, a rotor positioned to receive the material falling out of said hopper, a door under said opening operable to vary the rate of discharge of the material, means for actuating said rotor, and adjustable means from the rearward end of said hopper adapted to removably engage said truck body above said supports and operable to move said rearward end relatively to said body wherefil by said rotor may rotate in a horizontal plane irrespective of the tilted position of said body.

2. For use in combination with a dump truck having a tail gate swingable rearwardly from the bottom and supports extending rearwardly from the dump body of said truck, a removable material spreader unit comprising a hopper adapted to rest at the forward end upon said supports whereby the rearward end of said hopper is free to swing from the bottom, said hopper being formed to allow said gate to swing thereover to discharge material thereinto when said dump body is tilted and terminating in an opening for the discharge of the material, a rotor positioned to receive the material falling out of said hopper, a door under said opening operable to Vary the rate of discharge of the material, means for actuating said rotor, and adjustable means from the rearward end of said hopper adapted to removably engage the top of said tail gate above said supports and operable to move said rearward end relativelyr to said body whereby said rotor may rotate in a horizontal plane irrespective of the tilted position oi said body.

3. For use in combination with a dump truck having a tail gate swingable rearwardly from the bottom and supporting means adjacent the rearward end of the dump body thereof, a removable material spreader unit comprising a hopper adapted to be hingedly supported at the forward end to said supporting means whereby the rearward endA of said hopper is free to swing from the bottom, said hopper being formed to allow said gate to swing thereover to discharge material thereinto when said dump body is tilted and terminating in an opening for the discharge of the material, a rotor positioned to receive the material falling out of said hopper, a door under said opening operable to vary the rate of discharge of the material, means for actuating said rotor, and adjustable means from the rearward end of said hopper adapted to removably engage said truck body above said supporting means and operable to move said rearward end relatively to said body whereby said rotor may rotate in a horizontal plane irrespective of the tilted position of said body.

4. For use in combination with a dump truck having a tail gate swingable rearwardly from the bottom and supporting means adjacent the rearward end of the dump body thereof, a removable material spreader unit comprising a hopper adapted to be hingedly supported at the forward end to said supporting means whereby the rearward end of said hopper is free to swing from the bottom, said hopper being formed to allow said gate to swing thereover to discharge material thereinto when saidv dump body is tilted and terminating in an opening for the discharge of the material, a rotor positioned to receive the material falling out of said hopper, a door under said opening oper` able to vary the rate of discharge of the material, means'ior actuating said rotor, and adjustable means from the rearward end of said hopper adapted to removably engage the top of said tail gate above said supporting means and operable to move said rearward end relatively to said body whereby said rotor may rotate in a horizontal plane irrespective of the tilted position of said body.

JOHN ERIC CHADWICK.