Apparatus for treatment of snow and ice

• US 7,370,818 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Henderson Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Henderson Manufacturing, Inc.
• Inventors: Smedstad, Randall L., Lueken, Scott G., Cabalka, Marc E., Ward, Mart E., Ungerer, Glenn L.
• Primary Examiner(s): GORMAN, DARREN W
• Application Number:
  US10/658,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20040124260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 239/662, 239/675, 239/687, 239/67, 239/146, 239/162, 239/163, 239/61, 239/62, 239/69, 239159-161, 239/164, 239/166, 239/167, 239/172, 239/176, 239/650, 239/657, 239664-666, 239/672, 239/677, 239/681, 700/283, 280/833, 280/837, 280/838, 280/839
• US Class Current: 239/662
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 2019/2075 with longitudinal conveyor belt
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 2019/208 with longitudinal auger
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 10/007 Mobile apparatus specially adapted for preparing or applying liquid or semi-liquid thawing material or spreading granular material on wintry roads

Abstract

A vehicle is disclosed which includes a chassis and a storage and dispensing apparatus. The storage and dispensing apparatus can be mounted directly to the chassis or disposed within or on a body, which in turn is mounted to the chassis. The storage and dispensing apparatus has an opening therein to permit material to be transported therethrough. A conveyor assembly for selectively conveying materials from the opening of the storage and dispensing apparatus is also included. The conveyor assembly can include a dual auger arrangement. The vehicle includes a spreader chute that is operably arranged with the conveyor assembly to direct the materials to a spreader. A liquid storage system for storing liquid is provided. A liquid dispensing system is provided for selectively dispensing liquid from the liquid storage system. The liquid dispensing system includes an anti-icing system for selectively dispensing liquid from the vehicle and a pre-wetting system for selectively dispensing liquid onto material being transported by the endless conveyor out of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a chassis;

a body for storing material, the body being mounted to the chassis, the body comprised of front and rear ends and first and second side walls;

a conveyor assembly configured to selectively transport material from the body out of the vehicle;

a liquid storage system for storing liquid, the liquid storage system mounted to at least one of the chassis and the body; and

a liquid dispensing system for selectively dispensing liquid from the liquid storage system, the liquid dispensing system mounted to at least one of the chassis and the body, the liquid dispensing system including an anti-icing system for selectively dispensing liquid from the vehicle and a pry-wetting system for selectively dispensing liquid onto material being transported by the conveyor assembly out of the vehicle;

wherein the pre-wetting system includes at least one liquid dispensing element and the anti-icing system includes at least one nozzle rotatable along at least two perpendicular axes.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the conveyor assembly comprises an anger.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the conveyor assembly comprises an endless chain conveyor disposed between the side walls and extending beyond the rear end of the body.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 wherein the rear end of the body includes an opening, the vehicle further comprising:

a feed gate assembly for selectively covering the opening of the rear end of the body, the feed gate assembly being mounted to the body.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:

a spreader disc mounted to at least one of the chassis and the body, the spreader disc being cooperatively arranged with the conveyor assembly to receive materials therefrom.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 further comprising:

a spreader chute, the spreader chute being operably arranged with the conveyor assembly to receive materials therefrom and to direct the materials to the spreader disc for selectively spreading materials.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:

a spreader assembly operably arranged with the conveyor assembly to receive materials therefrom and to direct the materials in a spread pattern at a flow, the spreader assembly adapted to adjust the spread pattern and the flow of material.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the liquid storage system includes first and second liquid storage tanks.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the liquid dispensing system includes a manifold having a plurality of lines fluidly connected thereto, the manifold being fluidly connected to the anti-icing system and the pre-wetting system, the manifold operable to control the flow of liquid from the liquid storage system to the anti-icing system and to the pre-wetting system.

10. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the liquid dispensing system includes a manifold having a plurality of lines fluidly connected thereto, the manifold being fluidly connected to the anti-icing system and the pre-wetting system.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the liquid dispensing element of the pre-wetting system comprises a nozzle.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:

a spreader assembly including a spreader chute and a spreader disc, the spreader chute being operably arranged with the conveyor assembly to receive materials therefrom and to direct the materials to the spreader disc for selectively spreading materials;

wherein the pre-wetting system includes a plurality of nozzles, the nozzles being disposed within the spreader chute.

13. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the and-icing system includes a plurality of nozzles and a corresponding plurality of deflector plates for selectively moving the nozzles.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 further comprising:

a spreader assembly including a spreader chute and a spreader disc, the spreader chute being operably arranged with the conveyor assembly to receive materials therefrom and to direct the materials to the spreader disc for selectively spreading materials;

wherein the deflector plates are pivotally mounted to the spreader chute and depend therefrom, and the nozzles depend from the deflector plates.

15. A vehicle comprising:

a chassis;

a storage and dispensing apparatus, the storage and dispensing apparatus disposed upon the chassis, the storage and dispensing apparatus including a hopper for storing material, a conveyor assembly for selectively transporting material from the hopper, at least a portion of the conveyor assembly disposed within the hopper, a liquid storage system for storing liquid, and a liquid dispensing system for selectively dispensing liquid from the liquid storage system;

wherein the liquid dispensing system includes a pre-wetting system and an anti-icing system, the anti-icing system includes a pair of nozzles assemblies, the nozzle assemblies depending from the storage and dispensing apparatus, each nozzle assembly includes an upper pair of nozzles, a lower pair of nozzles, and an intermediate pair of nozzles disposed between the upper and the lower pairs, each nozzle being rotatable along at least two perpendicular axes.