Abstract: A ground engaging tool control system including a first sensor system, a second sensor system, a first actuator system, a second actuator system, and an electronic data processor. The first and second sensor systems detect respective positions of a first ground engaging tool and a second ground engaging tool. The first actuator system is coupled to the first ground engaging tool and the second actuator system is coupled to the second ground engaging tool. The electronic data processor determines a target grade profile and generates two or more control signals to adjust target positions of the first ground engaging tool and the second ground engaging tool. The target position of the second ground engaging tool is determined based on at least one of a position of the first ground engaging tool or the comparison of a current grade profile and a desired grade profile.

Abstract: A material transfer vehicle includes a loading conveyor and a loading component (such as a truck-receiving hopper component or a windrow pick-up component) that is adapted to be removably attached to the lower end of the loading conveyor. The loading conveyor has a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end and a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end. The loading component has a right guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor, and a left guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor.

Abstract: A control system is disclosed for use with a machine. The control system may have a first blade mountable to the machine and configured to engage a ground surface below the machine, and at least a first actuator configured to move the first blade. The control system may also have a second blade mountable to the machine and configured to engage the ground surface below the machine, and at least a second actuator configured to move the second blade. The control system may additionally have a controller in communication with the at least a second actuator. The controller may be configured to determine a first position of the first blade, and to automatically cause the at least a second actuator to move the second blade to a second position based on the first position of the first blade.

Abstract: A joint density assembly adapted for use on a screed. The preferred joint density assembly comprises an endgate having a vertical axis. The preferred endgate comprises a frame adapted to be mounted to the screed, a mounting means adapted to mount the frame to the screed, a pivoting shoe adapted to be pivotally adjusted, and a means for adjusting the pivoting shoe which is adapted to move the pivoting shoe between a retracted position and an extended position. The preferred pivoting shoe is adapted to pivot about the vertical axis of the endgate. A method for increasing the density of an asphalt longitudinal joint comprising providing a joint density assembly and adjusting the pivoting shoe.

Abstract: A float mechanism for movably attaching an implement to a vehicle has a mounting frame that connects onto the vehicle and a fixed frame that affixes to the implement. A pivot bracket pivotally attaches to one of the frames and is slidably connected to the other to accommodate a limited degree of translational motion. The pivot bracket can slidably connect to the frame by a pair of guides in combination with a pair of sleeves. Rotational motion between the fixed frame and the mounting frame can be limited by slots in one of the frames that are slidably engaged by a stabilizing element on the other frame. When the stabilizing element is a horizontal bar, it can engage a pair of vertical slots. To optionally eliminate the free motion between the frames, movable blocks can be employed to limit the motion of each stabilizing element in its slot.

Abstract: Groundbreaking equipment utilizes a gang of discs and a road grader to provide a consistent depth of tilling without skipping areas of ground. In one embodiment, the road grader weighs ten to twenty tons, has articulating tandem rear wheels, front steering wheels, and hydraulic vertical and horizontal angle blade adjusters, whereby the disc tillers may be oriented in a manner for tilling at a desired depth and orientation, and the road grader features can be adjusted to counteract forces produced by the gang of discs. Mud scrapers are preferably provided for individual discs on an opposite side of the gang of discs with respect to the grader blade. In one embodiment, a hitch mechanism with stop surfaces is provided behind the grader blade for mounting and/or removal of the gang of discs to the grader blade within minutes without need of special tools.

Abstract: The present invention provides a grading boot attachment which when attached to a roadway grading moldboard allows for more accurate and uniform grade cutting or leveling with the moldboard. The attachment includes amounting plate for mounting to the moldboard, a winged section and an adjustable leveling gate which may be adjusted to the appropriate angular position for any desired task. A compressive strut retains the leveling gate in an operable position.

Abstract: A pusher/bucket has back plate with wings pivotably mounted at either end, and a drop blade pivotably mounted thereto. The drop blade can be secured in a raised position where it is superimposed over the back plate; when in the raised position, the wings can be positioned relative to the back plate to provide a wing plow. The wings can be folded parallel to the back plate, with the raised drop blade residing therebetween. When the wings are normal to the back plate, the drop blade can be secured in a lowered, horizontal position; in this position, the drop blade acts as the bottom of a loading bucket, the sides being formed by the wings and the back plate. A float mechanism allows the pusher/bucket to push material across uneven terrain, and is preferably disabled when the pusher/bucket is configured as a bucket for loading and dumping material.

Abstract: A weep hole blade is operably mounted on the heel of the grader blade of a motor grader which is movable between raised and lowered positions with respect to the grader blade to create weep holes or channels in a ridge of roadway material being deposited at the side of a road by the motor grader.

Abstract: A grading attachment for a skid steer loader is provided with steerable wheels that are steered by an actuator. The blade of the grading attachment may be rotatable through 360 degrees by a motor and gear assembly. Actuators may be provided to raise, lower and tilt the blade. The actuators may be hydraulic, and may be controlled by switches mounted on sleeves that may be mounted on the control handles of the loader. The switches may control the flow of hydraulic fluid to the actuators by actuating solenoid valves.

Abstract: A ballast plow that is attached to a KERSHAW ballast regulator wing. The plow will be attached to the wing so that it can be moved toward and away from the wing, and in addition, it can be moved up and down and can be rotated from side to side. The plow will allow the device to extend its reach to an area outside the normal ballast area of a railroad track and to clear away brush and small trees which might impinge upon the ballast area. The plow reclaims ballast, drainage, and creates an improved walkway, thus providing a safe working area.

Abstract: There is provided a disc unit for mounting a plurality of discs to an outer end of a mouldboard of a grader. The disc unit includes a mounting bracket for securing to a rear face of an outer end portion of the mouldboard. A frame is pivotally mounted on the mounting bracket and supports an axle which mounts the discs thereon. A hydraulic cylinder pivots the frame supporting the discs in relation to the mounting bracket for raising and lowering the discs to engage the ground at various depths of cut. A cushion valve releases the hydraulic cylinder in the case of an obstruction engaging the discs. The discs include a concave inner surface which are arranged to face towards the grader and partially in the direction of travel for urging particulate material away from the shoulder and towards a center of the road.

Abstract: An attachment assembly is provided for quickly and conveniently mounting a roller onto and immediately ahead of an elongate blade of a road grader or other vehicle which manipulates and moves the blade over a ground surface. The portable roller has an elongate body with a continuous cylindrical outer surface for contacting and working the ground surface, and an axle element about which the roller rotates and which protrudes from each opposed end of the roller body. The attachment assembly is removably receivable on the blade and rotatably holds the roller by the protruding axle element. The location and orientation of the roller relative to the ground surface is controlled by manipulating the blade. The assembly provides an alternative to traditional road grading, namely by allowing a road grader to carry a roller to simultaneously level and compact a ground surface, such as a gravel road.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring the position of a motor grader blade relative to a motor grader frame. The method includes the steps of: providing an electronic controller, blade controls having position sensors, and frame controls having position sensors; monitoring the output of the position sensors to ascertain the position of the blade controls and the frame controls; receiving an input signal requesting a repositioning of the blade or the frame; determining the present blade position and the present frame position; calculating a future blade position and a future frame position based on the repositioning request; predicting an intersection of the future blade position and the future frame position; and producing an action to prevent the intersection of the future blade position and the future frame position.

Abstract: An all electric riding bunker rake primarily suited for maintaining sand traps, or bunkers on a golf course. It is embodied as a tricycle-style vehicle having a frame supported on three wheels, an electrically actuated rake lifting mechanism at the rear of the vehicle supported by the frame, and a removable rake attachment connected to the rake lifting mechanism. The rake is dragged on the sand behind the vehicle to smooth the sand in a bunker. An electric motor drives the rear wheels through a gear box, and a regenerative type braking system works in conjunction with the electric motor to slow the vehicle whenever it exceeds eleven miles per hour when driven, or two miles an hour when unattended. The frame supports an onboard electrical battery power source and a hood to which a seat is attached on which the operator sits to control the operation of the vehicle and the rake lifting and lowering function.

Abstract: Highway and road maintenance costs and time are greatly reduced by an improved method of removing the typical mound of earth that accumulates along the edges of the roadway by providing an earth moving blade defined by a lengthwise bottom edge, a forward side edge, a rearward side edge and a front face, providing at the rearward side edge of the blade a dirt distribution device that includes a motor driven dirt sling unit, positioning the blade diagonally across the mound with its bottom edge penetrating the mound to slightly above the top surface of the road, moving the blade forward to move the portion of mound immediately in front of the blade across its face toward its rearward side edge, and rotating the dirt sling unit while allowing the earth ribbon to contact the sling unit thereby to disintegrate the ribbon into small pieces of earth that are thrown away from the rearward side edge of the blade.

Abstract: A dirt distribution device for attachment to the outboard end of an earth moving blade of a grader machine includes a motor driven rotary dirt slinger carried on a platform that is pivotally carried on a support arm that, in turn, pivots on the clamp unit that mounts the device to the blade. The device serves to sling dirt scraped up by the moving blade over areas inaccessible to the blade, e.g., around the base of trees planted in rows adjacent ditches that require periodic reconditioning by scrapping using grader machines. The device basically includes a turnbuckle or equivalent unit to adjust the radial angle of the support arm relative to the blade and a similar unit to adjust the radial angle of the platform relative to the support arm, but may include further adjustment units to add additional tilt modes to the platform.

Abstract: multi-operational earthworking machine is disclosed wherein the frame includes a telescopible front wheel assembly to permit a selective varying of the length of the wheel base. A carriage, housing an operator's station, is rotatably mounted on the frame for rotation about a generally vertical axis and carries a backhoe assembly pivotally mounted thereto for working the ground beyond the frame of the machine. A pusher type scraper assembly is also provided beneath the frame between the front and rear wheel assemblies. The scraper assembly is provided with a pair of stabilizer pads engageable with the scraper blade to stabilize the machine during operation of the backhoe assembly.

Abstract: A plow for a motor grader is provided with forwardly pivotable panel members at the two ends of the moldboard so the plow can retain and carry forward removed grade debris without leaving significant windrow residue. The plow also can with suitable forward and backward tilting thereof and panel member extension be used to cut roadways with water run-off inclines or gullies with inclined side walls at the same time.

Abstract: A drag-type road grader including a skewable frame and a plurality of blade assemblies extending transversely across the frame. A tongue assembly is mounted on the frame and includes hydraulic cylinders for skewing the frame to alternative parallelogram-shaped configurations whereby the blade assemblies are angled with respect to the direction of travel. Retractible wheel assemblies are provided for transporting the grader in a non-working mode.

Abstract: A rotary broom attachment for a motor grader, which has a mold board and structure to adjust the mold board for vertical elevation, side shift and rotary position about vertical and horizontal axes, is mounted behind and parallel to the mold board and has independent adjustment and control structure for positioning, and side shifting, if desired, of the broom relative to the mold board. Sensors are used to signal automatic shifting of the broom vertically or in side shift to avoid interference with the motor grader structure as well as obstacles in the path of the broom. The downward pressure of the broom is controlled by the proportional lift applied thereto by a hydraulic lift mechanism.

Abstract: An ice removing attachment for a vehicle includes an ice cutting roller rotatably supported transversely of a vehicle and including a plurality of spaced apart cutting discs having a plurality of circumferentially staggered cutting blades extended transversely between adjacent discs. Forward and rearward scraper blades are supported rearwardly of the roller for scraping away ice cut by the roller. The forward scraper blade has a plurality of teeth along the lower edge thereof defining open spaces between them. The rearward scraper blade has a lower scraper edge which is continuous along at least those transverse positions which follow in the path of the open spaces in the forward scraper blade. The roller and blades may be supported at the front of or beneath the vehicle or both. Roller portions at the front of the vehicle may be made steerable and, in certain embodiments, a toggle mechanism may be provided for rigidifying the vehicle suspension when the ice removing attachment is in operation.

Abstract: An improved reciprocatory self-loading dual-ended earth excavation vehicle pivotally connected to two or more unmanned self-leveling and self-maneuvering telescopic conveyor vehicles, the latter in turn are pivotally connected to a multi-function dual-ended distribution vehicle capable of conveying, spreading, wetting, impacting and grading the earth fill. The above-mentioned articulated vehicles provide the means to excavate, convey and discharge a virtually continuous flow of earth while traveling in a forward or rearward direction. The excavation and telescopic conveyor vehicles are readily adaptable to surface mining of various minerals including coal and oil shale by simply exchanging the above-mentioned distribution vehicle for a pivotally connected boom conveyer vehicle which provides the means for discharging the ore at a mill site or for the loading of long haul ore carriers.

Abstract: In a snow plow having a horizontally elongated blade that extends lengthwise obliquely to the direction of plow travel, a snow retaining gate is mounted in front of the plow blade to swing flatwise about a horizontal axis near the top of the plow blade and substantially parallel to the direction of plow travel. When raised, the gate wall is substantially horizontal but has downwardly concave curvature from rear to front for close fit of its rear portion under the forwardly-upwardly curved upper portion of the plow blade. The rear edge of the gate wall has a curved upper portion so that when the gate wall is in lowered substantially upright position its rear edge, along the full height thereof, is contiguous to the front surface of the plow blade. When in lowered position the gate wall is oriented substantially parallel to the direction of plow travel and thus prevents formation of a secondary snow bank.

Abstract: A grading vehicle including a bridging vehicle chassis between a front axle and its corresponding wheels and a rear vehicle section having at least one axle with corresponding rear wheels, and control equipment mounted on said chassis, which equipment provides for adjustment in all directions of a grading device suspended therefrom and mounted between the front axle and the rear section of the vehicle, which grading device is connected by a universal joint to the rear section of the vehicle which carries a driving engine, the grading device includes a scraping blade which is of length corresponding substantially to the width of the vehicle, and the front wheels being driven wheels.

Abstract: Hydraulically-actuated snow plow attachment swingable in a vertical plane on occasion to a lowered position at which it inhibits lateral flow of snow.

Abstract: A soil stabilizer comprises a front bank of four ploughs inclined at 45.degree. to the direction of movement and a similar rear bank of ploughs. The ploughs are arranged in pairs whereof the front ploughs toss the soil/stabilizer mixture to one side where it is engaged by the rear plough which tosses to the other side. The ploughs are mounted on a frame which may be carried by pivoted arms on a road grader or may be mounted on ground engaging wheels.

Abstract: An apparatus and more specifically a drag adapted to form and condition a ski trail, and in particular two generally parallel ski traces as commonly used for cross-country skiing, such that the ski traces are of uniform parallelism and depth and are free of lumps of ice and snow. This drag includes a rear sled unit and a front unit, a pair of runners forming ski traces secured under the sled unit, a pivotal connection joining the two units and allowing only up-and-down sliding and yaw pivoting of the rear unit relative to the front unit. The rear unit includes a sled platform and a pair of runners of particular construction to cooperatively produce ski traces of uniform parallelism and depth. The front unit includes a frame carried by a runner and adjustable height relative to the latter, scrapers pivoted to the frame of the front unit between a downward operative position and an elevated inoperative position.

Abstract: A snow gate attachment to be used at the end of a snow plow blade, adapted when in operation to prevent snow from discharging from the end of the blade, thereby preventing ridging when crossing driveways and the like. The gate attachment has a frame with a bracket adapted to be mounted to the end of a plow blade, the gate member proper pivotally mounted to the frame, and actuating means mounted on the frame for actuating the pivoting movement of the gate member between an operating position and an inoperative position.