Rotatable Bucket for Attachment to Three Point Hitch of Tractor

An apparatus for attachment to a three point hitch on a vehicle, comprising:

• a frame having attachment points for disconnectable attachment to a three point hitch on a vehicle;
• a bucket rotatably attached to said frame, said bucket having a bottom wall and side walls defining a height and width and an open mouth facing away from said vehicle and an open back facing toward said vehicle;
• a blade attached to said frame and positioned within said bucket between said open mouth and said open back, said blade being generally vertically positioned and having a width and height sufficient to substantially fill the height and width of said bucket;
• drag members attached to said bucket, whereby when said drag members are in contact with a ground surface and said vehicle is moving forward, said bucket rotates with respect to said frame and creates an opening between said blade and said bucket, such that loose material contained within said bucket flows out through said opening.

A method for moving loose materials from a first location to a second location, and spreading said loose materials at said second location, comprising the steps of:

• providing an apparatus comprising:
• a frame attached to a vehicle hitch capable of raising and lowering said apparatus;
• a bucket rotatably attached to said frame, said bucket having a bottom wall and opposed side walls defining a width and height and forming an open mouth and back, said bottom wall in a first position being substantially horizontal, said bucket further comprising drag members attached thereto;
• and
• a blade attached to said frame, positioned within said bucket and
• substantially spanning said width and height of said bucket;
• positioning said bottom wall of said bucket above a ground surface;
• moving said apparatus with said vehicle so that said bucket is inserted into a volume of loose material, thereby placing a portion of said loose material within said bucket;
• moving said apparatus with said vehicle to a desired location;
• lowering said vehicle so that said drag members contact a surface;
• moving said vehicle forward so that said bucket rotates with respect to said frame, creating an opening between said bucket and said blade and causing a portion of said loose material to flow out of said bucket onto said surface.