Patent Application
20140263763
Certain parts of the world routinely deal with snow and ice covering the roadways. Within these regions plowing/sanding trucks are typically utilized to clear roadways and deposit sand (or other abrasive materials) which helps to provide additional traction for drivers. In certain situations, it is necessary to use these plowing/sanding trucks for additional purposes. One particularly troublesome current situation is where the truck must be capable of plowing and sanding operations, but must also tow a trailer of some type. This is troublesome since the trailer often interferes with the equipment needed to carry out sanding operations.
The removal of snow and ice from roadways is itself often a challenging task. The failure to effectively remove snow and ice creates very hazardous driving conditions, which can ultimately result in accidents and fatalities. Even when a majority of the snow has been removed, any remaining snow or ice creates a hazard. Snowplows are typically equipped with sanding equipment to further minimize this hazard. Consequently, these snowplows have the ability to simultaneously remove snow, and to apply sand, salt or a sand/salt combination to the roadway. Sand alone will help to provide traction, while the application of salt or a salt mixture will promote melting of ice and snow.
Salting and sanding mechanisms have existed for years and typically include a spreader mechanism for distributing sand (and/or salt). Typical spreaders involve a rotational disk which is spun in a desired directed of rotation. Sand or sand salt mixture is then delivered to this spinning disk, which will cast the mixture over a desired area. These delivery mechanisms are typically attached to the rear portion of the sanding truck and will cause the granular material to be spread behind the plowing truck as it progresses along the roadway. Alternatively, a slide chute may be used, which allows sand or other material to simply slide down a sloped surface and be distributed onto the roadway.
As can be imagined, the sanding mechanisms are typically somewhat sizable due to the physical demands and functions carried out. In addition, these mechanisms take up considerable amount of space and typically interfere with the other truck features. Most specifically, these sanding mechanisms typically interfere with hitches and other towing implements. Consequently, the truck itself becomes one dimensional and cannot be used for other functions.
In an effort to more efficiently clear snow and debris from roadways, some plow trucks are also being equipped with towable auxiliary blades. These auxiliary blades can be swung outwardly extending beyond the typical path of the truck itself. In one example, the truck can be driven along a first lane of a highway, while the towable plow blade can extend into a adjacent lane. Similarly, the towable plow may extend onto an adjacent shoulder portion of a highway. In this particular configuration, a single truck can be utilized to clear multiple lanes or multiple portions of the highway itself. By making one path or trip down the highway, multiple lanes are cleared, thus eliminating the need for multiple passes by one truck, or the use of multiple trucks. Naturally, this increases efficiency and reduces cost.
To allow for these towable auxiliary plow blades to be used, a necessary amount of clearance is required. Due to this need for appropriate clearance, sanding mechanisms have not typically been used along with these towable blades. Sanding mechanism require the use of material transfer structures, which are most conveniently located at the rear of the truck. Consequently, these sanding mechanisms typically overlap or cover the hitch mechanisms that exist. There is thus a need for alternative sand handling structures which also allow for towing mechanisms to be used.
To provide a sanding truck with the ability to plow, sand, and tow accessories (including towing a supplemental tow plow) a uniquely configured sander body is provided. This particular accessory is uniquely configured to be easily attached, while also providing the truck with the ability to distribute sand and avoiding any interference with the towing capabilities of the vehicle. The sander body is attachable to the truck tailgate, in a manner that allows the tailgate/sander body unit to swing or rotate in a well understood manner. Further, the sander body provides a material movement mechanism, allowing sand or a granular mixture to be easily moved towards a delivery location. In addition, the sander body itself is uniquely configured to allow easy cleanout and access to the body interior in an efficient manner. Lastly, the sander body is designed so that it also does not occupying space needed at the rear of the truck to accommodate towing operations.
Certain features of the disclosed devices will be further apparent from the consideration of the following drawings in conjunction with the specification, in which:
In order to allow a typical dump truck to be used for multiple purposes and specifically to simultaneously accommodate plowing, sanding and towing, the mechanisms shown in the figures and discussed below carefully manage the space and dimensions behind a typical dump truck. More specifically, a sander body is configured and oriented to be easily attached to typical dump trucks in a manner which allows sanding material to be easily handled and distributed to appropriate locations, while also staying clear of towing structures.
Referring now to the figures, a sander body attachment 10 includes a main body portion 20 and a pair of attachment sidewalls 30 and 40. The attachment sidewalls 30 and 40 are configured to substantially surround and attach to the tailgate portion 110 of a dump truck 100. (Dump Truck 100 is illustrated in dashed lines in
As mentioned, main body portion 20 is designed to contain an auger 60. To further accommodate efficient operation, a pair of auger guards 62 and 64, exist to shield the portion of the auger 60 that is directly over the delivery location 22. The pair of auger guards 62 and 64 will prevent sand or a sand/salt mixture from falling directly out of an opening which exists at delivery location 22. In addition, the pair of auger guards 62 and 64 help to avoid excess pressure on the auger, and generally promote more efficient operation. It will be understood that auger 60 can be driven by many different drive sources (not shown in the figures), such as an electric motor, hydraulic motor, or some other drive system. In the embodiment illustrated, this drive source could be attached to sidewall 30 at a mounting location 68.
As mentioned above, the sander body 10 is positioned between the tailgate 110 and the box of the dump truck itself. Structures on the sander body 10 allow it to be releasibly coupled to the truck box/tailgate 110, in a manner which also allows tailgate 110 to continue operating in a typical manner. Stated differently, this attachment methodology allows the entire structure to be swung outwardly away from the truck box, when the truck box needs to be cleaned and/or emptied.
As best illustrated in
Tailgate 110 also includes a pair of holes or apertures along a sidewall thereof (not shown). These sidewall holes are added to the tailgate to accommodate attachment of sander body 10. First aperture 34 and second aperture 44 within the sidewalls (30 and 40) are specifically positioned to be aligned with the tailgate apertures. In this manner, a first pin 114 and a second pin 116 can be positioned within both apertures, to secure sander body attachment 10 to tailgate 110.
As recognized by those familiar with sanding trucks, the tailgate 110 will typically include a locking mechanism to keep the tailgate in a closed position until it is desired to dump material from the box. This locking mechanism generally includes pins attached to tailgate 110, and a coupling mechanism attached to adjacent walls of the dump truck. In order to hold the tailgate in place, the coupling mechanism will capture these pins, thus securely holding the tailgate 110 in position. In order to accommodate similar functions, sander body attachment 10 also includes a pair of pins 36 and 46 positioned at a lower portion of first sidewall 30 and second sidewall 40, respectively. These pins are positioned to cooperate with the dump truck coupling mechanism in exactly the same way similar pins (which are attached to tailgate 110) are captured. In this manner, the same swinging/dumping operation can be achieved for the dump truck itself, even when sander body attachment 10 is mounted thereon.
To further couple the sander body attachment 10 to tailgate 110, first sidewall 30 includes another aperture or slot 34 which is specifically designed to surround the locking pins which currently exist on tailgate 110. As best illustrated in
As mentioned above, aperture 34 is specifically designed to capture the tailgate pin. Again, this is made possible due to the design of the removable rear wall 90. As shown in
Removable rear wall 90 also includes a first connection structure 94 and a second connection structure 96. As further discussed below, first connection structure 94 and second connection structure 96 are specifically configured to cooperate with a first locking handle 104 and a second locking handle 106. By having a removable rear wall 90 which is rotatable in the manner described above, operators can easily open the chamber formed within sander body 10 at any point in time, to perform maintenance, cleaning, or dislodge any obstructions that may exist. The rotatable or hinged connection of removable rear wall 90, along with its overall design, will help to naturally open this component. The orientation illustrated in
As best illustrated in
Referring now to
Most significantly,
Reference may be made throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “embodiments,” “an aspect,” or “aspects” meaning that a particular described feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, usage of such phrases may refer to more than just one embodiment or aspect. In addition, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, reference to a single item may mean a single item or a plurality of items, just as reference to a plurality of items may mean a single item. Moreover, use of the term “and” when incorporated into a list is intended to imply that all the elements of the list, a single item of the list, or any combination of items in the list has been contemplated.
The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claims attached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize, after reading this disclosure, that various modifications and changes may be made without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61777242 | Mar 2013 | US |
