Apparatus for use as part of a surface cleaning vehicle and for use as part of a sander-salter vehicle

A surface cleaning vehicle comprising:

• a main vehicle;
• a main hopper connected to said main vehicle;
• a main fan having an air inlet and an air outlet;
• a debris pick-up head having an air inlet and an air outlet;
• wherein said air inlet of said main fan is connected in sealed relation to said airflow egress of said main hopper, said air outlet of said main fan is connected in sealed relation to said air inlet of said pick-up head, and said air outlet of said pick-up head is connected in sealed relation to said debris-laden airflow ingress of said main hopper;
• wherein said main hopper has a surface cleaning configuration and a sander-salter configuration;
• wherein, in said surface cleaning configuration, said main hopper has a debris-laden airflow ingress, an airflow egress, and a debris dumping egress, and is substantially sealed to the ambient surroundings other than said debris-laden airflow ingress and said airflow egress;
• and,
• wherein, in said sander-salter configuration, said main hopper has a sander and salt receiving ingress and a sand and salt egress;
• wherein, in use, and when said main hopper is in said surface cleaning configuration, substantially all debris-laden air enters the main hopper through said debris-laden airflow ingress, substantially all air exits the main hopper through said airflow egress, and substantially all debris exits the main hopper through said debris dumping egress;
• and,
• wherein, in use, and when said main hopper is in said sander-salter configuration, substantially all sand and salt enter the main hopper through said sander and salt receiving ingress, and substantially all sand and salt exit the main hopper through said sand and salt egress.

A sander salter vehicle comprising:

• a main vehicle;
• a sander-salter dispersing mechanism connected in trailing relation to said main vehicle;
• a main hopper connected to said main vehicle;
• a main fan having an air inlet and an air outlet;
• a debris pick-up head having an air inlet and an air outlet;
• wherein said air inlet of said main fan is connected in sealed relation to said airflow egress of said main hopper, said air outlet of said main fan is connected in sealed relation to said air inlet of said pick-up head, and said air outlet of said pick-up head is connected in sealed relation to said debris-laden airflow ingress of said main hopper;
• wherein said main hopper has a surface cleaning configuration and a sander-salter configuration;
• wherein, in said surface cleaning configuration, said main hopper has a debris-laden airflow ingress, an airflow egress, and a debris dumping egress, and is substantially sealed to the ambient surroundings other than said debris-laden airflow ingress and said airflow egress;
• and,
• wherein, in said sander-salter configuration, said main hopper has a sander and salt receiving ingress and a sand and salt egress;
• wherein said sander-salter dispersing mechanism disposed exteriorly to said main hopper and in sand and salt receiving relation with respect to said sand and salt egress;
• wherein, in use, and when said main hopper is in said surface cleaning configuration, substantially all debris-laden air enters the main hopper through said debris-laden airflow ingress, substantially all air exits the main hopper through said airflow egress, and substantially all debris exits the main hopper through said debris dumping egress;
• and,
• wherein, in use, and when said main hopper is in said sander-salter configuration, substantially all sand and salt enter the main hopper through said sander and salt receiving ingress, and substantially all sand and salt exit the main hopper through said sand and salt egress.