US3044193A

US3044193A - Ice resurfacing machine

Info

Publication number: US3044193A
Application number: US26788A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank J Zamboni
Original assignee: Frank J Zamboni and Co Inc
Current assignee: Frank J Zamboni and Co Inc
Priority date: 1960-05-04
Filing date: 1960-05-04
Publication date: 1962-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 1979-07-17

Description

.July 17, 1962 Filed May 4, 1960 F. J. ZAMBONl 3,044,193 ICE RESURFACING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 i INVENTOR fed/Me J, ZAMBO/V/ AGENT July 17, 1962 F. J. ZAMBONI ICE RESURFACING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 4, 1960 INVENTOR Fed/(J Z4/1/50/V/ AGENT y 1962 F. J. ZAMBONI 3,044,193

ICE RESURFACING MACHINE Filed May 4, 1960 6 SheetsSheet 3 AGENT July 17, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 4, 1960 July 17, 1962 F. J. ZAMBONI 3,044,193

ICE RESURFACING MACHINE Filed May 4. 1960 e Sheets-Sheet 5 (Q W 'Q m i w {Q 6 Q \h *0 V m M) 3 K9 6 k j s a g;-

V Q O= N i Q I k a 5x \t N 1 h a} k 5; INVENTOR a] IPA/V6 J. ZAMEO/V/ N mflw ,\J BY AGENT July 17, 1962 F. J. ZAMBONI ICE RESURFACING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 4, 1960 INVENTOR. ZA/I/EO/V/ m 6 z A N m r (W sate 3,344,193 Patented July 17, 1962 free 3,044,193 ICE RESURFACING MACHINE Frank J. Zamboni, Paramount, Calif., assignor to Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Paramount, Calif 21 copartnership Filed May 4, 1960, Ser. No. 26,788 Claims. (Cl. 37-13) The present invention relates to machines for cleaning off and resurfacing ice for skating purposes, and its primary object is to provide a new and improved machine of this type which takes a precision shaving cut on the surface of the ice by means of an extremely sharp and rigidly supported blade disposed transverse to the direction of forward travel, so as to remove any flaws or imperfections in the surface, and then collects the shaved ice and discharges it to one side of the machine, where it can subsequently be removed by suitable snow removing equipment. Means is also provided for rinsing the surface of the ice with wash water if the ice has become soiled, and for removing the dirty wash Water to leave a clean, fresh surface. Provision is also made for spreading a thin film of clean water over the surface of the freshly shaved ice so as to fill in any cracks or cuts in the ice extending below the cutting edge of the blade. In this manner, the surface of the ice can be refinished to a clean, flawless condition in one pass of the machine. Such machines are particularly useful on public rinks, or on rinks used for skating contests and the like, where the ice is exposed to rough treatment and must be resurfaced frequently so as to enable performers to perform to the best of their capabilities.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ice resurfacing machine of great operating capacity and flexibility, and one capable of refinishing and clearing large areas of ice with rapidity, so that the rink is shut down from the very minimum period of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the class described which discharges snow and shaved ice to one side of the area traversed, leaving the said snow and ice piled in a narrow ridge which can readily be removed by scrapers or other snow removal equipment. In this connection, an important feature of this invention is the provision of a laterally extensible conveyor which can be extended for a considerable distance to one side of the machine, so as to discharge the snow and ice well to one side of the resurfaced area, where it can be removed -by machines without traveling on the newly resurfaced ice.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a machine of this type which may be operated in a manner so as to deposit a narrow line of shaved ice along one side of the area traversed, to form a line or marker, constituting one edge of a lane for racing events. To accomplish this object, the machine is provided with transversely disposed conveyor means arranged to receive a portion of the shaved ice and to discharge the same from one end thereof onto the surface of the ice. The said conveyor means is movable laterally with respect to the machine frame, and can be shifted by the operator so as to place the ridge of shaved ice accurately along a predetermined line, regardless of how the machine may wander from side to side as it is towed over the ice.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement for supporting and adjusting the blade, so that the blade can be accurately controlled for leveling adjustment, depth of cut, and angle of the blade with respect to the surface of the ice. Provision is also made for applying spring pressure to the blade so as to urge the blade down against the ice, and also to resist any tendency of the blade to nose over.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art,

upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying the principles of the invention, showing the machine attached to a towing vehicle and raised to transport position;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the machine, as seen from the right-hand side, with the machine lowered to working position;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the machine, as seen from an elevated viewpoint on the left-hand side thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view, as seen from the rear of the machine, showing both of the lateral conveyors fully retracted;

IGURE 5 is a perspective view, as seen from the front 'of the machine, showing both of the lateral conveyors fully extended in opposite directions;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken at 66 in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a longitudinal sectional view through the extruder at the left-hand end of the lower worm conveyor; and

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken adjacent the right-hand end of the shaving blade, and showing the leveling adjustment for the blade.

In the drawings, the ice resurfacing machine of the present invention is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10, and is adapted to be towed over the ice by an automotive vehicle 11, of the four-wheel drive utility type. While the towing vehicle shown in FIG- URE 1 is of the rather small type known popularly as the Jeep, it will be necessary when resurfacing large areas of ice to use a much bigger truck in order to carry large enough tanks of water for washing the surface of the ice and for spreading a film of clean water on the freshlyshaved ice to fill in cuts and cracks. The machine 10 comprises a frame 12 supported at its rear end on a pair of laterally spaced wheels 13, and having a draft tongue 14 at the front end thereof, which is connected to a trailer hitch on the vehicle 11. The wheels 13 are connected to the frame 12 by means of vertically swingable arms 15, and a pair of hydraulic lift cylinders 16 are connected between the frame 12 and arms 15 on opposite sides of the machine to raise the same to transport position as shown in FIGURE 1 Mounted on the rear end of the frame 12 between the wheels 13 is a gasoline engine 20 which is connected by belt drives to two hydraulic pumps 21 and 22. Pump 21 supplies hydraulic fluid under high pressure for operating various conveyor motors to remove and dispose of the shaved ice, and also to operate the lift cylinders 16. Pump 22 is designed to handle a large volume of water at low pressure, andits functions are: (1) to remove excess water due to melting of the ice when the temperature temporarily rises above freezing, and (2) to circulate wash water for washing the surface of the ice.

When the machine is in operation, the wheels 13 are raised by the cylinders 16, and the weight of the machine is slidably supported on the surface of the ice by longitudinally extending runners 23 and vertical end plates 24,

the latter being mounted onthe frame 12 closely adjacent opposite ends of a transversely disposed blade 25. The runners 23 are connected to the machine frame 12 by means of lost-motion links 26, which permit a limited amount of vertical movement of the frame with respect to the runners. The weight of the machine is distributed between the runners 23 and the end plates 24 by leaf springs 27. The leaf springs 27 are supported at their ends on the runners 23, and a fulcrum bearing 28 on the underside of a fore and aft extending frame member 12:: bears downwardly against the top of the arched leaf spring to transfer the greater portion of the weight of the machine to the runners 24.

The blade is a heavy, rigidly braced and extremely sharp blade mounted on theframe transverse to the direction of forward travel. As best shown in FIG. 8, the blade 25 is bolted to the bottom of an inverted T-shaped beam 29 of heavy steel'plate, and welded to the ends of the beam 29 just above and slightly to the rear of the cutting edge of the blade 25 are laterally projecting trunnion pins 30, which are journaled within bearing holes in fore and aft extending lever arms 31. The front end of the lever arm 31 is journaled for vertical swinging movement about a pivot bolt 32, which is fixed to the plate 24 some distance ahead of the cutting edge of the blade 25. The lever arm 31 extends rearwardly from the blade 25, and is pivotally connected at 33 to a nut-like member 34 having an internally threaded bore to receive an adjusting screw 35. The adjusting screw 35 extends upwardly through an opening in a horizontal plate 36 on the machine frame 12, and its top end is connected by a universal joint 37to a shaft 38 having a hand wheel 39 at the other end thereof.

The blade 31 is supported at both ends by identical depth adjusting mechanisms, as described above, and there are two adjusting hand wheels, the right-hand wheel being designated by the reference numeral 39, and the' left-hand wheel being designated 39'. When either one of the hand wheels 39, 39' is turned one way or the other, the lever arm 31 at that end of the blade is swung up or down about the pivot 32, raising or lowering the end of the blade. By adjusting the hand wheels 39, 39', either simultaneously or independently, it is possible to raise or lower either end of the blade with respect to the other end, for the purpose of leveling the blade, or to raise or lower the blade without changing the relative height positions of the ends with respect toone another, in which case the depth of cut would be increased or decreased.

The angle of incidence of the blade 31 is adjusted by means of a third hand wheel 40' mounted on the top end of a shaft 41 which is connected at its lower end by a universal joint 42 to an adjusting screw 43 (see FIGURE 6). The adjusting screw 43 is threaded through a nut member 44 having trunnions 45 which are journaled in the sides of a steel bar 46, that is attached to and extends rearwardly from the T-shaped blade supporting beam 29 adjacent the midpoint thereof. Thus, the angle of the blade 25 with respect to the surface of the ice may be increased or decreased by turning the hand wheel 40 one way or the other, so as to obtain a smooth shaving out under varying conditions of ice hardness, and depending also upon the sharpness of the blade 25.

The adjusting screw 43=and nut member 44 act to hold the T-shaped beam '29 and blade 25 from turning about the pivot 30' in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 8. However, the screw 43 can be lifted upwardly through the plate 36, since its sole support is the universal joint 42 which merely rests on the plate 36. Therefore, in order'to prevent the blade 25 and its supporting beam 29 from nosing over in the counter clockwise direction, a pair of springs 4-7 are provided (only one of them being visible in the drawings), each of which is connected at one end to a book 48 that is attached to the top edge of the upwardly projecting flange of the beam 29. The other end of the spring 47 is hooked through the eye of an eye bolt 49, and the threaded stem of the eye bolt passes through a hole in a vertical back plate 50 and has a nut 51 screwed onto the projecting end thereof. The amount of tension in the spring 4-7 can be varied by advancing the nut 51 on the eye bolt 49, or backing it off.

by means of heavy leaf springs 52, each of which is supported at one end on a bracket 53 on the inside of one of the end plates 24. The free end of the leaf spring 52 bears downwardly against one end of an L-shaped arm 54, the other end of which is journaled on the pivot bolt 32 alongside the lever arm 31. The corner of the L-shaped arm 54 passes over and bears downwardly against the trunnion pin 30, and the downward pressure of the spring 52 against the arm 54 is thus applied to the adjacent end of the blade to hold the same against the ice.

The amount of downward pressure exerted against the arm 54 and blade 25 is adjustable by means of a screw 55 which is threaded through a lug 51 projecting inwardly from the end plate 24. The bottom end of the screw 55 bears against the top of the spring 52 intermediate the ends thereof, and as the screw is advanced, the spring 52 is bent downwardly, causing the free end thereof to press against the end of the arm 54 with increased force. In efiect, this causes a substantial portion of the weight of the machine to be transferred to the blade.

The shaved ice is removed from in front of the blade 31 by means of a transversely extending Worm conveyor 57 which is mounted on a shaft 58. The shaft 58 is journaled at its ends in bearings mounted on the side plates 24, and the spiral blades of the worm conveyor 57 are interrupted in the center, with the blades on each side being of opposite direction, so that when the shaft 58 turns in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG- URE 6, the snow and shaved ice are moved inwardly toward the center from both ends of the blade 25.

Fixed to the shaft 58 at the center portion thereof where the spiral blades are interrupted, are two sprocket wheels 59, around which chains 60 are trained. The chains 60 pass upwardly through a vertical, enclosed conveyor housing 61, and paddles 62 are attached to the chains 60 at regularly spaced intervals. These paddles 62 pick up the shaved ice that is brought in toward the center of the machine by the worm conveyor 57 and elevate it to the top of the housing 61. At the top of the housing 61, the chains 60 pas over sprocket wheels 63 fixed to a shaft 64, and the shaved ice is thrown forwardly by the paddles 62 through a horizontal extension 65 of the housing 61.

The elevating conveyor 69, 62 and worm conveyor 57 are both driven by a hydraulic motor 66, which drives a sprocket wheel 67 through a chain 68. The sprocket wheel 67 is mounted on the projecting outer end of the upper shaft 64 which, in turn, drives the worm conveyor shaft 58 through the chains 66. Hydraulic fluid for operating the motor 66 is transmitted through flexible hose 7 0, and operation of the motor 66 is controlled by a valve handle 71 adjacent the operaators seat 72.

At the front end of the housing extension 65 i a downwardly facing exit portion '73, which discharges the shaved ice or snow into a transversely extending horizontal trough 74 having a worm conveyor 75 disposed therein. The worm conveyor 75 is mounted on a shaft 76, which is journaled at its ends on bearings 77 and 78, and the shaft 76 is driven by a hydraulic motor 80 through sprocket wheels 81, 82 and chain 83. Hydraulic fluid for driving the motor 80 is transmitted through flexible hoses 84, and operation of the motor 80 is controlled by a valve handle 86 adjacent the operators seat 7 2.

The conveyor trough 74 is open at its right-hand end, as best seen in FIGURE 2, and the worm conveyor 75 normally discharges the shaved ice and snow through this open end onto the surface of the ice alongside the lane being resurfaced. In order to place the shaved ice and snow as far as possible off to one side of the cleared ice, the conveyor trough 74 is extendable to the right-hand side (to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 5) for a distance of about fourfeet. During the ice resurfacing operation, the conveyor trough is extended to the position shown, and is retracted only when the machine is to be transported, or when it is not necessary to discharge the snow so far off to one side.

Lateral movement of the conveyor trough 74 between the extended and retracted positions is accomplished by providing a pair of inverted T-shaped rails along both edges of the U-shaped trough 74, which run on two laterally spaced, fore and aft extending rollers 91. The rails 90 are attached at their ends by spacers 92 to the ends of the trough 74, and these spacers provide a space between the top edges of the trough and the bottom sides of the rails 90, through which the rollers 91 pass. The rollers 91 are rotatably supported at their ends in bearings 93 which are mounted on upright frame members 94.

At times it may be desirable to deposit at least a portion of the shaved ice and snow in a narrow ridge to serve as a marker or line for one side of a lane, as in the case of a racing event. To this end, the trough 74 has an opening 95 (see FIGURE 6) in the bottom thereof, Which is covered by a slidable cover plate 96. The cover plate 96 is moved from its closed position directly below the opening 95, to an open position by means of a lever arm 97. The lever arm 97 is mounted on one end of a fore and aft extending shaft 98, which is journaled on the end of the trough 74. Fixed to and extending downwardly from the shaft 98 on opposite side of the sprocket wheel 82 is a yoke 99, which is connected at its bottom end to a link 100. The link 100 extends lengthwise under the trough 74 and is connected to the cover plate 96. To open the cover plate 96, the operator pulls the lever arm 97 toward him, which causes the cover plate 96 to be moved endwise from the position shown in FIGURE 6, thereby opening the aperture 95 and allowing a portion of the shaved ice and snow to drop into a lower conveyor trough 101.

The lower conveyor trough 101 is likewise provided with a worm conveyor 102 mounted on a shaft 103, the ends of which are journaled in bearings 104. The lefthand end of the shaft 103 projects beyond its bearing 104 and has a sprocket wheel 105 mounted thereon, which is driven by a chain 106 from a sprocket 107 on the drive shaft of a hydraulic motor 108. The motor 108 is actuated by pressure fluid supplied by flexible hoses 109, and is controlled by a valve handle 110.

The spiral blades of the worm conveyor 102 move the shaved ice and snow to the left-hand end of the trough 101, where it drops through an opening 111 (see FIGURE 7) into the top end of a rearwardly and downwardly inclined conveyor trough 112. -The trough 112 is attached to the outer end of the lower worm conveyor trough 101, and is supported thereon. A worm conveyor 113 is disposed within the trough 112, and includes a shaft 114 which is journaled at its ends in bearings 115 and 1 16. The top side of the trough 112 is covered at the lower end thereof by a plate 120, and the extremity of the trough is formed by an angled housing portion 121 having a triangular exit opening 122. An inverted ii-shaped hood 123 of steel plate is fixed to the end of the housing portion 121 and projects rearwardly therefrom to shape the packed ice and snow into a flatsided, prism-shaped ridge as it is discharged by the worm conveyor 113. If desired, the housing 121 may be omitted, merely leaving the end of the conveyor trough 112 open so that the shaved ice is discharged directly onto the surface of the ice. In this case, the ridge of shaved ice would not be packed and formed into a prism-shaped ridge, but would merely be piled in a narrow ridge.

The upper end of the shaft 114 projects somewhat beyond the bearing 115, and mounted thereon is a sprocket wheel '125'which is driven by a chain 126 and sprocket 127 from a hydraulic motor 128, which is connected in series with motor 108. The motor 128 is actuated by pressure fluid supplied by flexible hoses (not shown) and is also controlled by a valve handle 110.

Owing to the fact that the machine 10 is towed behind the vehicle 11 and is not capable of being steered,

there is some tendency of the machine to veer to one side or the other of the lane markers. To compensate for this drifting off course, the lower conveyor trough 101 is slidably supported on the machine frame 12 for longitudinal movement between the retracted position shown in FIGURE 4 and the extended position shown in FIGURE 5. As in the case of the upper conveyor trough 74, thereare two inverted T-shaped beams 131 which are attached at their ends by posts 132 to the ends of the trough 101. The beams .131 are parallel to the top edges of the trough 101 and are spaced therefrom so as to allow rollers 133 to pass between them. The rollers 133 are rotatably supported at their ends in bearings 134 which are mounted on frame uprights 135, and the beams 13-1 ride on the rollers 133. When the machine is being used to lay down a marker ridge with the conveyor trough 112, the operator usually stands on the frame 12 at the lefthand side of the machine, where he can watch markers placed on the ice for guidance. If the machine 10 drifts off to one side or the other from the line of guide markers, the operator pushes the trough to the right or to the left, so that the discharge end of the conveyor trough 1'12 follows the guide markers exactly.

In resurfacing ice that has cracked or been deeply cut by skate blades, it is necessary to fill in the cuts and cracks with water, which subsequently freezes to form a smooth, flawless surface. It is also sometimes necessary to remove excess water due to melting of the surface of the ice when the temperature rises above freezing; and there are other times when it is necessary to wash off the surface of the ice to remove soil and restore its original fresh, clean appearance. Means is provided for applying water to the ice, or for removing water therefrom, or both, as the need may be, and such means includes the pump 22 and associated

pipes

140, 141, 142, 143, and 144.

Pipe is a discharge pipe which extends from the discharge side of the pump 22 to a transversely extending pipe 140' extending across the back of the machine behind the operators seat 72. At each end of the pipe 140' are valves and hose connections 146, to which hoses or nozzles may be connected for discharging excess water due to melting ice, to one side or the other. Connected into the discharge pipe 140 is a by-pass, or branch pipe line 141, having a valve which can be opened so that dirty wash water picked up by the pump 22 can be carried forwardly and discharged into a wash-water tank 152 on the towing vehicle 11. A length of flexible hose (not shown) may be connected at one end to the valve 150, the said hose being carried forwardly along the draft tongue 14- and having its other end disposed so that it discharges the dirty wash water in to the tank 152, where it can be filtered and reused. When dirty wash water is returned to the tank 152 in this manner, the valves 145 are closed.

Clean wash water is taken from the tank 152 on the vehicle 11 and flows rearwardly to the machine 10 through pipe 144. The rear end 144' of pipe 144 is connected by a 90 elbow to a T 151, which is adapted to be connected by short lengths of flexible hose (not shown) to 90 elbows 154 at opposite ends of the horizontal plate 36. The elbows 154 are connected to the top ends of pipes 155 (see FIGURE 8), which extend downwardly to a point just above the surface of the ice, where they terminate. Clean wash water is thus discharged onto the surface of the ice behind the blade 25 adjacent opposite end-s thereof, and this water spreads out over the ice and is swept along by a squeegee 156, which is attached to the bottom edge of the plate 50. V

The wash water discharged by'the pipes 155 tends to pile up somewhat ahead of the advancing squeegee 156, and the dirty wash water is picked up near the center of the machine by a suction pipe 157 (see FIGURE 6) which is connected by pipes (not shown) to the intake side of the pump 22. The bottom end of the suction pipe antenna 157 is positioned'quite close to the surface of the ice, so that excess Wash water is readily picked up. Suction pipe 157 also picks up excess water due to melting ice, in which case the blade 25 is tilted somewhat to'raise the cutting edge and allow the water to pass under the blade.

A second tank 153 on the vehicle 11 carries fresh, clean water to be spread on the ice for filling in cracks and cuts, and to make a flawless new surface. Clean water from the tank 153 is carried rearwardly to the machine through pipe 143. The rear end 143 of pipe 143 is adapted to be connected by a length of flexible hose (not shown) to a pipe 158, which extends transversely of the machine along the back side of plate 152 (see FIGURE 8). The pipe 158 has a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes 159 formed in its top side, through which the water spurts. The water then cascades down over the back side of the plate 5t) and squeegee 156, and spreads out over the ice. A spreader in the form of a piece of burlap or the like may be dragged behind the machine to spread the water out more uniformly over the surface of the ice, if desired.

Water or other hydraulic fluid for actuating the

motors

66, 80, 108 and 128, as well as the lift cylinders 16, is carried in a reservoir tank 166, which is mounted on the front end of the frame 12. The pump 21 draws hydraulic fluid from the tank 160 through a pipe 161 and hose 1'62, and discharges the fluid under high pressure through lines 163 to the control valves for actuating the several motors. In addition to the valves operated by valve handles 71, 86, 110 and 130, there is a fifth valve operated by handle 164 for actuating the lift cylinders 16. Another pair of valve actuating handles 165 and 166 on the right-hand side of the elevator housing 61 adjacent the top end thereof, control valves connected between

pipes

143, 143' and 144, 144, to regulate the how of water from the

tanks

152 and 153 back to the machine 10. The reservoir tank 160 is filled through a filler neck 165, and may be drained through a laterally projecting drain pipe 166.

The operation of my improved ice resurfacing machine is believed to be more or lessself-evident fromthe foregoing description and drawings. When the machine is to be transported from one place to another,

the frame is raised bythe lift cylinders 16 to the transport position shown in FIGURE 1, in which condition the entire weight of the machine is'carn'ed on the wheels 13 and the trailer hitch connection. 'On the ice, the machine is lowered to the working position shown in FIG- URES 2-8, in which the weight of the machine is slidably supported on the-runners 23 and side plates 24. The blade 25 is carried between the runners 23, and its depth of cut is accurately gauged from the surface of the ice by the runners. The cutting depth of the blade 25 is adjusted by the center handwheel 40, acting through the adjusting screw 43, which also changes the angle of the blade. Leveling of the blade is accomplished by turning the

handwheels

39 and 39", which raise and lower the ends of the blade. In some cases, it may be necessary to operate both the center handwheel 4t} and the two

handwheels

39, 39 in order to secure a desired depth of cut with the blade at a particular angle.

Shaved ice and snow are removed from in front of the blade 25 by worm conveyor 57, which gathers. the ice and snow in toward the center of the blade, where it is picked up by the conveyor paddles 62 and elevated to the top of the housing 61. At the top of the housing, the snow and ice is hurled forwardly, and drops into the conveyor trough 74, where it is transported to the right by worm conveyor 75, and is discharged laterally onto the ice, to oneside of the lane being cleared. The conveyor trough 74 is normally extended, as shown in FIGURE 5, so as to discharge the snow and iceas far over to one side as possible.

If it is desired to leave a line or ridge on the'ice to define one edge of a lane for racing events or the like, the cover plate 96 is withdrawn from beneath the opening 95, allowing snow and ice to drop into the lower conveyor trough 101. Worm conveyor 102 transports the shaved ice and snow toward the left-hand end of the trough 101, where it drops through the opening 111 into conveyor trough 112. Worm conveyor 113 moves the snow and ice downwardly and rearwardly, and extrudes itthrough the opening 122 in the form of a ridge of generally triangular cross section. The conveyor trough 112 may be shifted laterally so as to discharge the ridge of shaved ice along a line of markers regardless of the path followed by the machine as it is towed along the ice behind the vehicle 11, and such lateral shifting of the trough 112 is accomplished by manually shifting the conveyor trough 101 on its supporting rollers 133.

When it is desired to wash the surface of the ice, the valve handle 166 is actuated to open the pipe line 144, 144' and allow water from tank 152 to flow by gravity onto the ice. At the same time, valves 145 are closed, and valve is opened (it being understood, of course, that there is a flexible hose connected to valve 150 and extending forwardly to the tank 152). Pump 22 then picks up the dirty wash water and returns it to the tank 152 for filtering and reuse.

When it is desired to spread clean water on the surface of the ice to fill in cracks and cuts, the valve handle is actuated to open the

pipe line

143, 143 and allow water from tank 153 to flow by gravity onto the ice through the spreader pipe 158.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail what I believe to be the preferred form of my invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the shape and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An ice resurfacing machine comprising a frame supported on runners resting directly on the ice, means for propelling said machine over the ice, a blade mounted on said frame transverse to the direction of forward travel, said blade being adjustable with respect to said frame for depth of cut and for leveling the blade with respect to the surface of the ice, and conveyor means for gathering the shaved ice from in front of said blade and removing the same, said conveyor means including means for depositing at least a portion of the shaved ice onto the surface of the ice in the form of a narrow, well-defined ridge to serve as a marker line.

2. An ice resurfacing machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for depositing a narrow ridge of shaved ice onto the surface of the ice being resurfaced is movable laterally with respect to said frame so as to allow the said ridge of shaved ice to follow accurately along a predetermined path independently of the path followed by the frame itself.

3. An ice resurfacing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said meansfor depositing a narrow ridge of shaved ice on the surface of the ice being resurfaced includes a transversely disposed conveyor trough which is movable lengthwise thereof with respect to said frame, and another conveyor trough connected to one end of said first-named conveyor trough and extending downwardly and rearwardly therefrom, said other conveyor trough receiving shaved ice from said first-named conveyor trough and discharging the same at its rearward end onto the surface of the ice.

4. An ice resurfacing machine as defined in claim 3, wherein said last-named conveyor trough has means at the discharge end thereof for shaping and compacting the ridge of shaved ice as it is deposited on the surface of the ice.

5. An ice resurfacing machine comprising a frame supported on runners resting directly on the ice, means for propelling said machine over the ice, a blade mounted on said frame transverse to the direction of forward travel, said blade being adjustable with respect to said frame for depth of cut and for leveling the blade withrespect to the surface of the ice, conveyor means for gathering the shaved ice from in front of said blade and accumulating the same, an elevator disposed to pick up said accumulated shaved ice and discharge the same at an elevated level, a first conveyor trough mounted on said frame transverse to the direction of forward travel and disposed to receive the shaved ice discharged by said elevator, said first conveyor trough being open at one end to discharge the shaved ice laterally to one side of the machine, a second conveyor trough mounted on said frame transverse to the direction of forward travel and disposed to receive at least a portion of the shaved ice carried by said first conveyor trough, said second conveyor trough being operable to carry said portion of the shaved ice to the other side of said machine, and means mounted on the discharge end of said second conveyor trough for depositing said portion of shaved ice References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 652,311 Hou-rihan June 26, 1900 910,986 Blaisdell Jan. 26, 1909 1,148,954 Carr Aug. 3, 1915 1,268,314 Barton June 4, 1918 2,642,679 Zamboni June 23, 1953 2,671,281 Salmen Mar. 9, 1954 2,763,939 Zamboni Sept. 25, 1956 2,795,870 Leduc June 18, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 477,748 Canada Oct. 16, 1951