Soil Spreading Scraper Device Including Deflecting Paddles

A soil spreading scraper device comprising:

• a frame supported for movement along the ground in a forward working direction;
• a cutting blade supported on the frame so as to be arranged to cut soil from the ground as the frame is displaced in the forward working direction;
• and
• an impeller member supported on the frame rearward of the cutting blade for rotation about an impeller axis within a plane of rotation lying generally perpendicularly to the impeller axis, the plane of rotation extending generally upward at an angle from horizontal;
• the impeller member comprising a main disc body and a plurality of impeller blades supported on the main disc body at circumferentially spaced apart locations about the impeller axis so as to be arranged to spread cut soil from the cutting blade generally radially outward from the impeller axis as the impeller member is rotated;
• each impeller blade comprising:
• a pivot shaft supported on the main disc body;
• a blade body supported on the pivot shaft so as to be pivotal about a shaft axis of the pivot shaft between a working position in which the blade body is operative to spread the cut soil and a deflected position in which the blade body is deflected about the shaft axis relative to the working position;
• and
• an actuating assembly which supports the blade body in the working position and resists displacement of the blade body from the working position to the deflected position until pressure on the paddle exceeds a prescribed holding force of the actuating assembly;
• the actuating assembly comprising a spring which is arranged to bias the respective blade body from the deflected position towards the working position throughout a full range of motion of the blade body.

A soil spreading scraper device comprising:

• a frame supported for movement along the ground in a forward working direction;
• a cutting blade supported on the frame so as to be arranged to cut soil from the ground as the frame is displaced in the forward working direction;
• and
• an impeller member supported on the frame rearward of the cutting blade for rotation about an impeller axis within a plane of rotation lying generally perpendicularly to the impeller axis, the plane of rotation extending generally upward at an angle from horizontal;
• the impeller member comprising a main disc body and a plurality of impeller blades supported on the main disc body at circumferentially spaced apart locations about the impeller axis so as to be arranged to spread cut soil from the cutting blade generally radially outward from the impeller axis as the impeller member is rotated;
• a perimeter wall supported on the frame to extend about at least a portion of the circumference of the impeller member to define an impeller chamber within which the impeller member rotates;
• a first discharge opening in the perimeter wall extending about a respective first portion of the circumference of the impeller member through which the impeller member is arranged to discharge the cut soil in a first lateral direction;
• a second discharge opening in the perimeter wall extending a respective second portion of the circumference of the impeller member through which the impeller member is arranged to discharge the cut soil in a second lateral direction opposite to the first lateral direction;
• a gate panel supported on the frame so as to be movable in a circumferential direction of the impeller member between a first position spanning the first discharge opening for discharging through the second discharge opening and a second position spanning the second discharge opening for discharging through the first discharge opening;
• a rear support arm extending radially outward from a pivotal connection to the frame at the impeller axis at a location rearward of the impeller member to an outer end of the rear support arm supporting the gate panel thereon;
• wherein the rear support arm comprises the only connection between the gate panel and the pivotal connection to the frame at the impeller axis.