Method for influencing gravitational discharge of material from a railroad hopper car

A method for influencing gravitational discharge of material from a railroad hopper car, comprising the steps:

• providing a discharge gate assembly in material receiving relation relative to an discharge outlet defined by said hopper car, said discharge gate assembly having a rigid frame including a pair of laterally spaced, opposed and generally parallel side frame members and a pair of longitudinally spaced, opposed and generally parallel end frame members secured in a generally rectangular configuration relative to each other, with said side frame members and end frame member combining with each other to define a discharge opening through which commodity is adapted to gravitationally pass from a chute opening on said hopper car, with said gate assembly further including a gate supported on said frame for linear sliding movement along a single predetermined and generally horizontal path of travel between closed and open positions to selectively control discharge of commodity from the railroad car, and wherein said side frame members and end frame members each include an upper outwardly extending mounting flange for facilitating connecting said gate assembly to said hopper car, with the upper mounting flanges on said side frame members and end frame members being arranged above an upper surface of the gate and in generally coplanar relation relative to each other, and with said side frame members and end frame members each including a depending wall extending generally perpendicular to the upper flange and below a lower surface of the gate, and with each side frame member and each side frame further having a boot flange extending generally parallel to the upper mounting flange, with the boot flanges on said frame members being arranged below the lower surface of the gate and in generally coplanar relation relative to each other;
• and
• releasably suspending an adapter beneath the discharge opening defined by said frame members to influence commodity being discharged from the discharge opening defined by said frame members, with said adapter including at least one horizontally slanted surface extending inwardly relative to the discharge opening defined by the frame members of said gate assembly, and with said adapter further including a lower boot flange for allowing a discharge boot to be abutted thereto.