Patent Application
20250075443
The present disclosure relates generally to construction and/or maintenance of a road and, more particularly, to a system, machine and method for stabilizing and controlling dust generated by a primitive road.
For the purposes of this disclosure, a road can be considered a durable surface (e.g., a route, way, path, drive, street, lane, lot, or similar thoroughfare or park) that has been prepared on land or over water to support any one or more of various types of traffic (e.g., vehicular traffic, pedestrian traffic, railway traffic, aircraft ground traffic, bicycle traffic, etc.). In some applications, a road (e.g., a primitive road) can be fabricated from a material (e.g., dirt, clay, sand, gravel, etc.) that quickly breaks down to dust when traversed and/or exposed to harsh weather conditions (e.g., excessive heat, sun exposure, wind, moisture, freezing, etc.). Unless otherwise accounted for, the dust can be a nuisance, soil or contaminate nearby areas, and/or pose a health risk. Additionally, the formation of dust is associated with degradation of the road—a greater amount of dust being a symptom of faster and/or more severe degradation of the road.
Different methods have been employed to reduce generation and migration of dust from a primitive road. In one example, a road is bladed to create a windrow that extends along a length of the road. The road and windrow are sprayed with water that will act a binder. The windrow is reworked (e.g., moved back-and-forth across the road) while additional water is soaked into the material. The windrow is then smoothed across the road and the road is reshaped and sometimes compacted. Thereafter, a specialized product (e.g., magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, or another hygroscopic material) is scattered or sprayed over the road. The product absorbs the previously applied water, as well as moisture from the air and/or subsequent precipitation, and helps maintain a desired level of humidity within the road that is too high for dust to be generated or to levitate.
In another example, repurposed motor oil is sprayed onto the surface of a primitive road. The oil penetrates the surface and wets the road material for a period of time. This wetted road material is then less likely to generate dust that can drift away.
Yet another example is disclosed in a technical report entitled “Dust Control Using an Asphalt Emulsion” that was prepared for the Iowa Highway Research Board in 1977 by Vernon J. Marks as Project HR-196 (“HR-196”). In HR-196, an asphalt emulsion, consisting of a cationic asphalt blended with warm water, was sprayed from a distributor truck over the surface of a road in an attempt to control dust generation and migration. It was concluded that the blending and application would need “to be improved to reduce equipment and personnel requirements for a routine, cost effective procedure.” HR-196, pg. 12. Additionally, it was concluded that the “asphalt emulsion did not provide satisfactory dust control and, therefore, is not cost effective.” Id.
Although conventional methods of dust control may be adequate for some situations, they can also be problematic. For example, the specialized products applied to the road can be expensive, difficult to source, and/or damaging to the environment. The products may also need to be replaced frequently, and the process of applying the products can be time consuming and/or require a high degree of skill and/or large equipment.
The disclosed machine, system, and methods are directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.
In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a machine for use in processing a road. The machine may include a frame having a leading end and a trailing end, relative to a travel direction of the road processing machine. The machine may also include a first spray bar located at one of the leading end or the trailing end. The first spray bar may be configured to distribute a first material onto a road over which the road processing machine is traveling. The machine may also include at least one of a second spray bar or a broadcast spreader located at one of the leading end or the trailing end opposite the first spray bar. The at least one of the second spray bar or the broadcast spreader may be configured to distribute a second material onto the road. The machine may further include at least one processing tool located between the leading and trailing ends of the frame and being configured to process a material of the road.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method of processing a primitive road. The method may include towing a groomer, and directing a primary material from the groomer onto a surface of the primitive road. The method may also include disrupting the surface of the primitive road to loosen road material with at least a first processing tool onboard the groomer, mixing the road material with the primary material using the at least a first processing tool, and compacting the mixed road material and primary material with a second processing tool onboard the groomer. The method may further include directing a sealing material from the groomer onto a compacted surface of the primitive road.
The terms “about” and/or “generally” as used herein serve to reasonably encompass or describe minor variations in numerical values measured by instrumental analysis or as a result of sample handling. Such minor variations may be considered to be “within engineering tolerances” and in the order of plus or minus 0% to 10%, plus or minus 0% to 5%, or plus or minus 0% to 1%, of the numerical values.
The term “substantially” as used herein refers to a majority of, or mostly, as in at least about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, 99.9%, 99.99%, or at least about 99.999% or more.
One or more of machine(s) 12 may be configured to apply any number of different materials to an existing or newly prepared layer (e.g., surface, bed, underlayment, etc.) of road 14 to form, build up, treat, shape, repair, or otherwise modify at least a portion of road 14. The materials may function to control dust generation/migration and/or to stabilize road 14.
Multiple different materials may be used alone or together, as will be disclosed via different examples below. These materials may generally include, among other things, a pretreatment material (PtM), a primary material (PM), and a sealing material (SM). As suggested by their names, the pretreatment material may be the first material applied by machine(s) 12, followed by the primary material. The sealing material may be applied last. It is contemplated that only the primary material may be applied in some applications. It is also contemplated that only the pretreatment material and the primary material may be utilized together. It is further contemplated that only the primary material and the sealing material may be utilized together. In some instances, multiple different pretreatment materials, multiple different primary materials, and/or multiple different sealing materials may be used together in the same or different applications. All combinations of these materials are considered.
The pretreatment material may be utilized and configured to prime a surface of road 14 before subsequent disruption and/or additional treatment. In one example, priming of the surface enhances a soil structure of road 14 (e.g., elevates a surface area, increases deformation resistance, etc.) for purposes of stabilization. In another example, priming of the surface wets the particles making up the road prior to disruption, such that the disruption process itself produces a lesser amount of dust. In yet another example, priming of the surface increases subsequent penetration by and/or bonding of soil particles with another material (e.g., the primary material). The pretreatment material may be a liquid (e.g., an emulsion) or a solid (e.g., a granular or powdery substance). Example pretreatment materials include biochemicals (e.g., vegetable oil, tree resin, tar, etc.); recycled materials (e.g., chopped plastics, reclaimed cement, sand, rubber particles, slags, low-PI clays, sand blasting grit, used motor oil, carbon black, biochar made from leaves or other waste products, etc.); and natural or synthetic rubbers (e.g., latex). It is contemplated that an exemplary pretreatment material may fall into two or more of these categories (e.g., a bio-chemical that is also recycled), in some situations.
The primary material may normally be a liquid that is applied with or without previous application of a pretreatment material. In one example, the primary material includes some of the same types of materials (emulsions of latex such as a polychloroprene latex or styrene-butadiene-rubber latex, water and/or biochemicals) described above as example pretreatment materials, applied in the same or differing (e.g., greater) amounts before and/or during soil disruption of road 14. In another example, the primary material may be an acrylic or asphalt emulsion. An exemplary embodiment includes, among other things, a relatively soft bitumen (e.g., a 70-300 bitumen) suspended in another liquid (e.g., water or a solvent). The primary material may also be a polymer-modified asphalt. The primary material may or may not be hygroscopic.
The sealing material may be a liquid or a solid and applied after application of the primary material to seal road 14 (e.g., to create a solid or semi-solid coating over the particles of road 14, to bond the particles together, etc.) after disruption. Sealing of road 14 may help to shed water away from road 14 that might otherwise erode road 14 and/or to trap dust particles and inhibit them from migrating away. In some instances, the sealing material may also or alternatively be used to color road 14, to reduce a tackiness caused by application of the underlying primary material, to provide a desired texture, and/or to enhance curing/drying of the primary material. In one example, the sealing material is acrylic latex. In another example, the sealing material includes an asphalt emulsion having a bitumen that is harder than the bitumen in the primary material. For example, the asphalt emulsion of the sealing material may include a 10-70 (e.g., 10-40 or 40-70) bitumen. Commercially available materials suitable for sealing of road 14 may include, for example, NanoTac® by All States Materials Group®; Quick-Seal® by Idaho Asphalt Supply, Inc.; and PASS QB® or FastSet® by Western Emulsions, Inc.
It should be noted that, while machine(s) 12 will be described in detail as land-based machines used to disrupt road 14 and/or apply the materials described above, any one or more of the disclosed machine(s) 12 could embody a non-land based machine (e.g., an aerial drone) configured to perform the same or similar operations, if desired. It is also contemplated that the configurations of and/or operations disclosed as being performed by a single machine 12 could alternatively be distributed among multiple different machines 12 arranged into a convoy. Likewise, it is contemplated that the configurations of and/or operations disclosed as being performed by multiple different machines 12 could alternatively be integrated into a lesser number of machines (e.g., one machine) 12.
The tow vehicle may be an assembly of components that supports and/or powers other components/systems of machine(s) 12. In the disclosed embodiment, these components may include a chassis, a power source mounted to the chassis, a drivetrain that is operatively connected to and driven by the power source, and one or more propulsion devices powered by the drivetrain. The power source may include any source known in the art for powering a vehicle. Example sources include an engine (e.g., a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, a gaseous fuel-powered engine, etc.), a battery, or a hybrid engine/battery configuration. Example drivetrains include a transmission, a driveline, a final drive, one or more electric motors, and/or a hybrid transmission/final drive or electric motor configuration. Example propulsion devices include wheels, tracks, feet, fans, jets, blades, and/or propellers. In some embodiments, the tow vehicle may include a power-take-off (PTO) that provides power (e.g., mechanical power, hydraulic power, pneumatic power, electrical power, etc.) to the groomer.
As a distributor, the tow vehicle may additionally include components that cooperate to apply one or more materials (e.g., PtM) to the surface of road 14 before disruption of road 14 by the groomer. These components may include, among other things, one or more (e.g., two or three) vessel(s) 16 supported by the chassis of the tow vehicle and configured to hold the material(s), and a distribution arrangement (“arrangement”) 18 configured to receive the material(s) from vessel 16 and distribute (e.g., spray, scatter, etc.) the material(s) onto the surface of road 14 and/or to the groomer. It is contemplated that vessel 16 and/or some or all portions of distribution arrangement 18 could be mounted to the groomer instead of or in addition to being mounted on the tow vehicle, if desired.
Any number of vessels may be utilized in conjunction with machine(s) 12. In the disclosed embodiment, three vessels 16 are shown and configured to hold three different materials (e.g., PtM, PM, and SM). However, in some applications, a lesser number of vessels 16 may be needed when the pretreatment, primary and/or sealing materials have the same or a similar formulation. In any of these embodiments, more than one vessel 16 may be mounted to the chassis of the tow vehicle and/or to the groomer. Each of these vessel(s) 16 may include an inlet to receive the material, an outlet to discharge the material, and any number of conditioning devices (e.g., mixers, agitators, heaters, coolers, recirculators, sensors, valves, conduits, injectors, etc.) that serve to condition the material inside of vessel(s) 16.
Arrangement 18 may include components mounted to the chassis of the tow vehicle and/or to a frame of the groomer and that cooperate to selectively discharge the material(s) from vessel(s) 16 onto road 14. In the embodiment of
Each pump 26 may be controlled to draw material from a corresponding vessel or vessels 16 and direct the material under pressure to a corresponding one or more spray bars 28. In multi-pump embodiments, pumps 26 may be arranged in parallel and independently controlled to provide a different flow rate and/or pressure of material to the corresponding spray bars 28. Each pump 26 may be mechanically, hydraulically, pneumatically, and/or electrically driven by the power source of the tow vehicle (or another source, for example a chassis- or frame-mounted auxiliary power unit—not shown). In some embodiments, one or more of pumps 26 can be regulated somewhat or completely independent of the tow vehicle power source (e.g., an electrically powered pump may operate independent of speed and/or torque outputs of the power source) to provide a variable (e.g., infinitely variable) flowrate and/or pressure. In these embodiments, pumps 26 may be rate- and/or pressure-regulated via a command directed to the corresponding pumps and/or associated motors (not shown) driving the pumps 26.
Each spray bar 28 may be arranged lengthwise across a partial or full width of the machine 12 to which it is attached (e.g., at a leading end, at a trailing end, and/or at a point between the leading and trailing ends, relative to a normal or forward travel direction represented by an arrow 25). Spray bars 28 may be fluidly connected to receive the pressurized material(s) from pump(s) 26. If multiple spray bars 28 are included, they may be arranged in series or in parallel and configured to conduct the same or different materials to their associated nozzle(s) 30.
In the disclosed embodiment shown in
In the embodiment of
Spray bars 28 are shown as being configured to conduct desired material(s) from vessel(s) 16 through the nozzles 30 associated therewith. A distance between spray bars 28 and/or from spray bars 18 to the surface of road 14 may be selected to allow a desired amount of soil penetration, wetting, surface coverage, drying, curing, etc. before soil disruption and/or before the same or another material is sprayed onto road 14 by nozzles 30 of a subsequent spray bar 28.
Each of spray bars 28 could be supplied with the same material via a single pump 26 and have a similar flowrate and/or pressure or be supplied with different materials via separate pumps 26 that have different flowrates and/or pressures. It should be noted that any combination of the first, second, or third spray bars 28 could be utilized alone or together and separately or simultaneously.
Each spray bar 28 may function as a manifold for the corresponding nozzles 30 fluidly receiving material therefrom. In one particular embodiment, forty-eight nozzles 30 are distributed along the length of each spray bar 28 and across the width of machines 12. In this embodiment, a length of each spray bar 28 is sixteen feet, such that vehicle 20 has a nozzle density of three nozzles per foot. It is contemplated, however, that the number of nozzles 30 and/or the length of each spray bar 28 could be different.
Any type, size, and/or configuration of nozzle 30 may be utilized in conjunction with arrangement 18. In some embodiments, multiple types/sizes and/or configurations of nozzles 30 may be utilized at the same time. It is also contemplated that nozzles 30 may be selectively swapped out for nozzles 30 of different types, sizes and/or configurations to provide a different rate and/or profile of material application.
Nozzles 30 may be independently regulated, regulated all together, or regulated in groups, as desired. For example, one or more valves may be associated with each spray bar 28, each nozzle 30, or different groupings of nozzles 30. The valve may be any type of valve known in the art for regulating a flow of pressurized material. In one example, each valve is a poppet-style valve associated separately with each nozzle 30, and the flow/pressure of material supplied to each nozzle 30 is regulated via operation of the corresponding pump and/or another valve (e.g., a butterfly valve) associated with spray bar 28. Each nozzle 30 may be controlled to spray a desired amount of material within a given period of time based on the pressure of the material within spray bar 28, how often the poppit valve is opened, how far the poppit valve is opened, and/or how long the poppit valve remains open. When nozzles 30 are regulated in groups, an actuator (e.g., a pneumatic cylinder, an electric solenoid, a hydraulic pilot, etc.—not shown) may be associated with multiple valves 32 to synchronize their openings/closings.
In some embodiments, nozzles 30 may be dynamically adjustable. For example, nozzles 30 may be rotated and/or shifted (e.g., side-to-side) to adjust a spray angle, spray area, spray orientation, and/or spray overlap. In these embodiments, an additional rotary and/or linear actuator (not shown) may be associated with each nozzle 30 or grouping of nozzles 30.
It is contemplated that spray bars 28, together with their associated nozzles 30, may also or alternatively be dynamically adjustable. For example, spray bars 28 may be extended, folded, tilted, and/or separately deployed to adjust a width, a depth, and/or an overlap of spray areas. Any number/type of actuators and any configuration of motions platforms (e.g., hinges, sliding carriages, linkages, etc.) may be used to facilitate these motions.
An example groomer is illustrated in detail in
The groomer may include at least one tractive element 36 (omitted from
In some implementations, a lift mechanism 40 may be provided to raise or lower frame 35 of the groomer (e.g., in a manual or automatic manner) relative to road 14. In one example, lift mechanism 40 embodies an arm, cantilever, pulley, shoe, and/or tractive element (e.g., a chain or strap) operative to raise or lower frame 35 from an upper side (e.g., a side away from road 14). In other implementations (shown in
In one example, frame 35 may additionally function to contain material(s) discharged by spray bars 28 within a prescribed area of road 14. That is, frame 35 may embody or otherwise include a containment basin having at least three sides (e.g., a trailing end-wall and opposing left/right side-walls that are connected to the trailing end-wall). In some embodiments, a leading end-wall may also be provided opposite the trailing end-wall and connected to leading ends of the left/right side-walls. In these embodiments, frame 35 may be generally rectangular.
The containment basin may corral the material(s) applied by the first, second, and/or third spray bars 28, such that the material(s) may be spread only within a designated area and/or to a desired thickness. For example, the containment basin may include one or more sealing elements (not shown) that extend downward from frame 35 toward road 14. The sealing elements may be any structures suitable to seal gaps between the walls of frame 35 and road 14. The sealing elements may be made of a pliant material, such as an elastomer (e.g., natural or synthetic rubber), that can flex with variations in road 14 and/or height changes of the groomer and thereby help confine the material(s) within the containment basin. In some implementations, the leading end-wall of the containment basin may not be supplied with a sealing element, such that the material applied by the first spray bar 28 may easily enter the containment basin as the groomer moves over a surface of road 14 on which the material has already been or is being applied.
In some examples, the containment basin may be laterally expandable (e.g., in a manual or automatic manner). In one application, the left and/or right side-walls may be selectively pushed or pulled (e.g., manually, pneumatically, hydraulically, mechanically, etc.) outward away from the centerline of the groomer, thereby expanding a width of the containment basin. In another application, fixed basin extensions (not shown) may be selectively pivoted or folded down onto road 14 from an elevated stow-position. In these embodiments, the width of the containment basin may expand, for example, from about 8 ft to about 12-16 ft. Other configurations may also be possible. It should be noted that, during expansion of the containment basin, any one or more of the spray bars 28 may also expand in a lengthwise direction to accommodate the increasing width of the groomer, if desired.
As seen in these figures, in addition to frame 35 supporting the second and third spray bars 28, any number of processing tools may be mounted thereto (e.g., between spray bars 28). These processing tools may include, among other things, primary tillage elements 42, secondary tillage elements 44, mixing elements 46, and contouring elements 48. Multiple rows of processing tools may be arranged in series along a length of frame 35 (e.g., along the travel direction of machine 12 represented by arrow 25). In general, primary tillage elements 42 may be followed by secondary tillage elements 44, followed by mixing elements 46, and finally followed by contouring elements 48. It is contemplated that a single groomer may be equipped with one or more rows of each of these processing tools or that one or more of the processing tools may be omitted, as desired.
For the purposes of this disclosure, a primary tillage element 42 may function to lift, disrupt, open and/or loosen the surface of road 14. In some applications (e.g., in dust control only applications), primary tillage element 42 may penetrate up to about 1″ into road 14. In other applications (e.g., in soil stabilization applications, with or without dust control), primary tillage element 42 may penetrate road 14 to a depth of 3″ or more. Example primary tillage elements 42 include rippers, plows, or rotary hoes (e.g., gangs of tines, discs, blades or sweeps that are powered to rotate with or against the motion of the groomer at a desired speed).
A secondary tillage element 44 may function to agitate, breakup, chop, or pulverize already disrupted clods of road material into a finer tilth. Example secondary tillage elements 44 include harrows, cultivators, serrated blades, or pulverizers. In some applications, secondary tillage element(s) 44 may be configured to break up the clods of road material into tilth having a particle size (e.g., average diameter) of about 1.25″ or smaller.
A mixing element 46 may be configured to stir, turn over, relocate (e.g., generally in a lateral direction of the groomer), or otherwise mix the fine tilth (if a secondary tillage element is included) or disrupted clods of soil (if a secondary tillage element is not included) with any already applied pretreatment and/or primary material. Example mixing elements 46 include angled grader blades (with or without serrations), drums equipped with spikes and/or rakes, etc. It should be noted that some processing tools may function as both secondary tillage elements 44 and mixing elements 46.
Contouring elements 48 may function to smooth, shape, and/or compress the surface of road 14, before a final application of the sealing material by the third spray bar 28. Contouring elements 48 may include, for example a straight grader blade (e.g., oriented at about 90° relative to the longitudinal direction of road 14), a broom, a rolling drum, a series of weighted rollers aligned end-to-end across a width of the groomer, a leveling frame or plate, etc.
In the embodiment disclosed in
In the embodiment disclosed in
In the embodiment disclosed in
In these examples, and in general, an amount (e.g., by volume and/or weight) of pretreatment material applied to road 14 may be measurably less (e.g., 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, or 75%) than the amount of primary material applied and measurably greater (e.g., 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, or 75%) than the amount of sealing material. The relative amounts of applied material may be regulated, for example, by regulating a fluid pressure of the material supplied to and/or an orifice diameter/shape of nozzles 30. In one example, the nozzles 30 selected for use with the first spray bar 28 have a V-shaped orifice that applies about 0.18-0.45 gallons of the pretreatment material per square yard; the nozzles 30 selected for use with the second spray bar 28 have a V-shaped orifice that applies about 0.15-0.40 gallons of primary material per square yard; and the nozzles selected for use with the third spray bar 28 have a V-shaped orifice that applies about 0.10-0.35 gallons per square yard. It is contemplated that one or more of nozzles 30 may have other orifice shapes (e.g., a coin slot shape) to provide a different spray pattern, if desired. A pressure of the pretreatment material in the first spray bar 28 may generally be measurably (e.g., 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, or 75%) higher than a pressure of the primary material in the second spray bar 28, which may in turn be measurably higher (e.g., 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, or 75%) than a pressure of the scaling material in the third spray bar 28. A spray pattern from each nozzle 30 used in conjunction with the first spray bar 28 and pretreatment material may be generally smaller (e.g., 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, or 75%) than the spray pattern from each nozzle 30 used in conjunction with the second spray bar 28 and primary treatment material, which in turn may be smaller (e.g., 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, or 75%) than the spray pattern from each nozzle 30 used in conjunction with the third spray bar 28 and sealing material. A higher pretreatment material pressure and smaller spray pattern may together allow for greater penetration, while a lower sealing material pressure and larger pattern may together allow for greater surface coverage.
The disclosed machines, system and methods may improve the performance of primitive roads. For example, the roads built using the disclosed machines, system and methods may be more stable, degrade slower, and/or produce less dust that migrates shorter distances. Operation of the disclosed machine(s), system and method(s) will be described in detail below, with reference to
During a typical road-working operation, the tow vehicle may pull the groomer over a surface of road 14. As the tow vehicle passes over the surface, pump 26 associated with the first spray bar 28 may be activated (e.g., manually or automatically) to pressurize pretreatment material received from vessel 16. The pressurized pretreatment material may be directed through the first spray bar 28 to the corresponding nozzles 30, such that the pretreatment material is distributed onto the road surface at a location between the tow vehicle and the groomer. As described above, this application of pretreatment material may enhance the soil structure of road 14 for purposes of stabilization, wet the particles making up the road surface to reduce an amount of dust generated by the groomer, and/or increase bonding of soil particles with any subsequently applied material(s).
After application of the pretreatment materials, the same or a different pump 26 may draw primary treatment material from the same or a different vessel 16 onboard the tow vehicle or groomer. This pump 26 may pressurize the primary material and discharge the pressurized material through the second spray bar and associated nozzles 30. Thereafter, the primary tillage elements 42 may engage road 14 to a depth of about 1-3″ and disrupt the surface thereof. This disruption may result in lifting, fracturing, opening and/or loosening of the surface, thereby producing larger clods of soil that begin to mix with the previously applied pretreatment and/or primary materials.
The clods of material generated by the primary tillage elements 42 may then be engaged by the secondary tillage elements 44. The secondary tillage elements 44 may break up and/or pulverize the clods of soil in preparation for mixing by the mixing elements 46 (if so equipped).
After mixing of the applied materials with the finer tilth produced by elements 44, the mixture may be moved, shaped, compacted, or otherwise used to produce a desired contour of road 14. Thereafter, the same or another pump 26 may draw sealing material from the same or another vessel 16 onboard the tow vehicle and/or groomer. The sealing material may be pressurized by the pump 26 and directed through the third spray bar 28 to the corresponding nozzles 30. These nozzles 30 may discharge the sealing material with a desired pattern and flowrate to produce a seal on the contoured surface of road 14.
The disclosed system, including the tow vehicle and the groomer, allows for a compact and complete dust-control solution. The system may require fewer human operators, less equipment, and less time than conventional dust-control methods. In addition, while a single pass with the disclosed system may provide satisfactory results, repeated treatments may improve stabilization and gain strength over time. This may be particularly true when one or more of the materials utilized include an emulsion of asphalt.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed machine, system and methods. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed machine, system and methods. For example, it is not required that the tow vehicle be a distributor—it is contemplated that the groomer may be towed behind any other vehicle that is not necessarily equipped with its own distribution arrangement. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/579,931 that was filed on Aug. 31, 2023, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63579931 | Aug 2023 | US |
