Abstract: A hydraulic control circuit for a dock leveler which includes a deck pivotable between stored and raised positions and a lip pivoted to the deck for movement between pendant and extended positions is disclosed. The hydraulic control circuit, includes a deck cylinder couplable to the deck for controlling motion of the deck, a lip cylinder couplable to the lip for controlling motion of the lip, a pump for providing a source of pressurized fluid to the deck and lip cylinders, and an operator-actuated switch for selectively directing the pressurized hydraulic fluid to one of the deck cylinders and the lip cylinder.

Abstract: The present invention to provides a rapidly deployable system and method for arresting the movement of a vehicle with minimal injury to the vehicle or its occupants. The invention provides a system which applies a braking force which varies according to vehicle weight and speed by utilizing a series of frangible rods for dissipating the energy.

Abstract: A raised pavement marker includes a reflector assembly that is resiliently supported by a membrane, that in turn is supported by a frame. The reflector assembly includes a skirt that overlaps the membrane, thereby allowing large-area reflectors and low-angle ramp surfaces. A vent is formed between the skirt and the membrane, and this vent is resistant to clogging. Locating elements are placed on the frame of the pavement marker to assist in proper installation of the marker in a recess of a roadway, such that all portions of the frame are positioned below the surface of the roadway. Indentations allow the installer to gauge the level of adhesive in the recess.

Abstract: A raised road marker has a flat bottom surface with an outer periphery. At least one cavity opens onto the bottom surface laterally inwardly of the periphery and extends upwardly into the marker body. A venting groove extends along the bottom surface from the cavity to the periphery to provide a vent for air trapped in the cavity when the marker is urged into a pool of adhesive to secure the marker to a roadway. The venting of air provides a stronger bond between the marker and adhesive. For markers having a rounded top surface, there is preferably an indexing projection on the top surface and a complementary recess on the bottom surface. This enables interlocking of a plurality of markers in a vertical stack to prevent tilting of the markers.

Abstract: A railway short span trestle is designed for quick erection at an installation site by assembly of a minimum number of parts. Those parts include a pair of spaced apart girders and whatever number of modular floor assemblies are required to span the length of those girders. Each floor assembly may be preassembled in the shop to include crossbeams for connection to the girders, a ballast floor plate which interconnects the crossbeams, and the bent curb plates which contain and support the ballast for a railway track. The invention is further directed to a method of constructing a railway short span trestle including tho preassembly of the modular floor assemblies and final connection of those floor assemblies to a pair of girders to provide a unitary trestle ready for placement onto a substructure.

Abstract: An inlaid brick walkway bed leveler consisting of a handle affixed to a rakehead with the handle being supported by a pair of equivalent mediolateral struts attached to the handle and the rakehead, a brace serving to support the struts, a straight bottom edge of the rakehead, the lateral aspects of the front face of the rakehead being amenable to receipt of snugly fitting, adjustable width gauge components with chair shaped ends each amenable to receipt of a clip component and to each of which width gauge components there is affixed a pair of threaded posts extending through elongated slits in the rakehead with an anteroposterior through hole medially positioned in the rakehead near the topside thereof and with there being affixed to the top side thereof just above the anteroposterior hole, an encased leveling bubble component.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved roadway information display apparatus wherein scrap tire particles are molded to form a support base and opposed lengths of elastomeric material of corded ply construction are fastened to the support base so as to provide a flexibly hinged connection for a vertically extending information display board. For improved visibility, the display board may be highlighted by photo-cell operated LEDs, powered by a solar panel charged battery pack.

Abstract: A stripping finger insert is attached with a single bolt for easy adjustment of the gap between fingers on an ultra narrow row cotton stripper. The point of the insert wedges underneath a rearwardly angled edge of an upright planar fin member located at the front and center of the finger. The single bolt secures the insert near the center of the finger where cotton snagging is less likely to occur, and a clip allows the bolt to be placed through the center of the angle iron, rather than in the legs of the angle, to eliminate an obstruction for the cotton between the fingers. The clip fits precisely into the profile of the insert and has a flat surface on top for clamping the bolt with gently sloping front and rear surfaces for smooth cotton can flow. Two insert sizes provide five different gap adjustments to optimize productivity.

Abstract: A paver machine for applying paving material to narrow paths is disclosed. The machine includes a storage hopper and frame elevated above a roadbed by at least three wheeled unit members. A free-floating screed assembly located beneath the hopper and pivotally attached to the frame applies a paving material matte to the roadbed as the paver machine is moved along by a front end loader or the like.

Abstract: A raised pavement marker includes a rigid reflector assembly that supports two retroreflectors. The reflector assembly is resiliently mounted over a base by a resilient membrane, which is secured to the base at its outer edge. When a vehicle contacts the reflector housing, downward forces supplied by the vehicle to the reflector housing deform the membrane, which allows the reflector housing to move downwardly to pavement level. After the vehicle has passed, the resilience of the membrane restores the reflector assembly to its raised position. Methods for installing and removing the pavement marker are disclosed.

Abstract: A road spike device useful for deflating the tires of a fleeing or trespassing vehicle for the purpose of halting the vehicle. The road spike device preferably comprises a plurality of support arms and connected base members that are pivotally and replaceably secured to one another in a lazy tong configuration. A plurality of frangible cups are carried in spaced relation on the support arms. A hard rigid spike, adapted to allow air to flow through the spike, is carried by each of the frangible cups in a tight frictional fit such that spike is not readily removeable from frangible cup. As a vehicle tire (not shown) rolls onto the spike, the tire is impaled by the spike. As the tire progresses over the support arm with the spike embedded in the tire, the spike begins to rotate, relative to the axis of the frangible cup, creating a force moment against the outer lip of the frangible cup.

Abstract: A portable curb ramp (1) for wheeled vehicles and equipment (4) having a curb conforming contact surface (7) and a planar road contact surface (6) on an underside and a sloping top surface (5) to allow tires (3) to transverse from a road surface up and over a curb (2). The sloping top surface (5) may have a plurality of transverse ridges (8) for improved traction. The underside curb conforming contact surface (7) may have a lip which extends over the top of the curb and one or more ridges (9) on the planar contact surface to reduce slippage of the ramp on a road surface. Magnets (13) attached to the planar contact surface allows the ramp to be secured to metal surfaces (14) on the wheeled vehicle and equipment so the ramp is readily accessible. The curb conforming contact surface (7) may have two low bearing side walls (16) with a hollow cutout (12) in between in order to reduce the weight of the ramp.

Abstract: A vehicle trafficway controller characterized by a person friendly driver intimidating wrong-way traffic condition for causing vehicle tire tread damage, having a vertically extensible tire tread piercing member shiftably carried by a frame and with a retractile tread piercing point, and a movable person protective cover isolating said point when in said person friendly driver intimidating wrong-way traffic condition, and exposing said tire tread piercing point to a tire tread rolling thereover, the tire tread piercing member being frangible and/or extended and retracted.

Abstract: The invention provides a lane marker comprising an elongate housing having a top portion length shorter than the base portion length, the ends of the housing tapering from the end of the base portion up to the end of the top portion such that a part of the ends of the base portion are open to the top. A vertical reflector is secured inside the reflector end of the housing, between the top portion and the base portion and a horizontal reflector is secured on the base portion of the reflector end of the housing. The tapered design reduces damage to the marker and to tires, and exposes mounting holes in the base portion which are easily accessible from the top.

Abstract: A universal hand held tool for harvesting fruit and nuts. Harvesting is accomplished by a plurality of specially shaped spring wire tines. Tines are covered with plastic to minimize fruit and tree damage. Passing through a guide bracket secured to a handle, tines are held by a retainer that slides along the handle. Moving the retainer along the handle adjusts the tine spacing to accommodate different sizes and shapes of fruit. Retainer can be locked in any of a number of selected positions. Extension handles of various or adjustable length can be attached to harvest the crop safely from the ground. Fruit, such as olives that will be used to make olive oil, can be stripped from the branches using a raking motion into a tarp or container on the ground. To harvest for edible fruit without allowing it to fall to the ground a removable container is easily attached under the tines to capture the fruit. The container is made from a pliable material with a resilient aperture to reduce bruising or damage to the fruit.

Abstract: An apparatus for removal and collection of roadway markers comprises a shearing blade and a collection bin mountable on a transport vehicle, the blade being forwardly disposed relative to the collecting bin, the bin having no substantial front wall. A flexible vertical skirt is disposed in forwardly surrounding relation to the blade to effect the trapping of the removed markers and the deposit thereof into the collecting bin. The collecting bin is vertically movable to a dumping position relative to a larger storage bin.

Abstract: A rotary blade assembly for a rotary mower that provides an equivalent cut with a substantial reduction in necessary driving power, and a method of implementing the same to reduce the necessary driving power of a mower. The rotary blade assembly includes a support structure fixedly disposed to a rotary drive shaft, at a height sufficient to avoid or to minimize contact with vegetation, such that the rotary drive shaft rotates the support structure about an axis. The rotary blade assembly includes a plurality of cutting elements that project downwardly and outwardly from the support structure to a predetermined distance such that the cutting elements are positioned to avoid contact with the ground and to cover the area to be cut in a more uniform way. The support structure of the rotary blade assembly can be a support arm having the cutting elements spaced over a length thereof.

Abstract: An impact recovery delineation quick connect/disconnect adapter system having plate studs and a pin that when added to the impact recovery delineation system allows the delineation panel, support post and load cell to be quickly connected to and/or disconnected from the supporting base (fixed or portable) with speed and without the use of any tools. The adapter plate which is connected to the load cell provides for radially aligned slots in a recessed platform to allow the plate to engage and lock with studs that are connected to the supporting base when the load cell is rotated about its vertical axis. The studs are particularly geometrically configured and have shoulder that is larger than the barrel and a head that is larger than the shoulder which results in a mechanical locking between the plate slots and the studs upon rotation of the plate with respect to the stationary studs.

Abstract: A roadway access device such as manhole cover, a storm drain, or a utility valve box which facilitates road paving and grinding operations. The access device includes a riser assembly having an inverted frustoconical top portion that minimizes frictional engagement between the riser and the paved surface and permits repositioning in an elevated plane with no excavation necessary. There is a tapered upper portion that engages with an internally threaded extension nut with tool-engaging receptors and when the nut extension is rotated, the upper conical portion does not rotate, but displaces vertically. There is a riser member that is externally threaded and fixed in position relative to the rest of the assembly around which the extension nut rotates in order to vertically displace the access device. Additionally, there are separate removable lids constructed of high strength material which can be put in place during paving and grinding operations and easily removed when operations are complete.

Abstract: A combine dust eliminator attachable to the feeder housing of a John Deere carbine consists of an elongate dust eliminator housing having a pair of dust discharge chutes at either end. The dust discharge chutes are swingably mounted on the dust eliminator housing and may be swung upwards toward the center of the dust eliminator housing for access to internal parts. Mounted on each dust discharge chute is a dust curtain which hangs downwardly outside the sides of the combine feeder housing. The dust eliminator housing is swingably mounted to the top surface of the combine feeder housing and tilts upwardly and forwardly to allow access to the combine feeder housing. Locking devices hold the dust eliminator housing in horizontal contact with the feeder housing while in operation. Within the dust eliminator housing is a shaft having a driven rotating fan at each end, near the dust discharge chutes.