Artificial mulch cleaning system

A rubber mulch cleaning and redistributing assembly configured to gather, clean and dispense rubber mulch from a ground surface, the assembly comprising:

• a vehicle configured for being driven over the ground surface, the vehicle including a housing having a front end, a back end and a plurality of wheels being attached to the housing and supporting the housing on the ground surface;
• a collecting assembly being attached to and extending forward of the front end, the gathering assembly having a distal end with respect to the front end, the distal end being configured to engage and capture rubber mulch positioned on the ground surface, the collecting assembly including:
• a ramp having an attached end coupled to the vehicle and a free end positioned opposite of the attached end;
• a receiving conveyor being positioned on the ramp, the receiving conveyor having an upper surface moving rearwardly from the free end to the attached end when the receiving conveyor belt is turned on;
• a sweeping apparatus being attached to the ramp adjacent to the distal end and being configured to urge the rubber mulch onto the receiving conveyor, the sweeping apparatus including:
• a horizontal sweep including a horizontal axle having a plurality of vertical bristles mounted thereto, the horizontal axle rotating the vertical bristles from an area forward of the ramp toward the ramp when the horizontal sweep is actuated to an engaged condition;
• a pair of vertical sweeps each including a vertical axle, each of the vertical axles having a plurality of horizontal bristles mounted thereto, the horizontal axle being positioned between the vertical axles, the vertical axles rotating the horizontal bristles from an area lateral of the horizontal sweep toward an area forward of the horizontal sweep;
• a cleansing assembly being mounted on the vehicle rearward of and in communication with the collecting assembly, the cleansing assembly cleaning the rubber mulch brought into the vehicle by the collecting assembly, the cleansing assembly including:
• a transferring conveyor extending from the collecting assembly to an area adjacent to a back end of the vehicle, the transferring conveyor having a top side for receiving the rubber mulch from the collecting assembly, the transferring conveyor moving the rubber mulch from the collecting assembly to the back end of the vehicle when the transferring conveyor is engaged, the transferring conveyor being perforated to allow fluids and small particles to pass through the transferring conveyor while retaining the rubber mulch on the transferring conveyor;
• a plurality of cleansing nozzles being directed at the transferring conveyor, the cleansing nozzles being positioned in a forward area of the vehicle, the plurality of cleansing nozzles including a plurality of upper nozzles being directed downwardly at the top side of the transferring conveyor and a plurality of lower nozzles positioned below and directed upwardly at the top side;
• a cleansing tank configured for holding a cleansing fluid being mounted on the vehicle and being fluidly coupled to the cleansing nozzles, the cleansing nozzles spraying the cleansing fluid on the transferring conveyor;
• a plurality of drying nozzles being positioned above and directed at the top side of the transferring conveyor, the drying nozzles being positioned between the cleansing nozzles and the back end;
• a compressed air source being fluidly coupled to the drying nozzles such that the drying nozzles force air downwardly onto the top side;
• a plurality of sanitizing nozzles being positioned above and directed at the top side of the transferring conveyor, the sanitizing nozzles being positioned between the cleansing nozzles and the back end of the vehicle;
• a sanitizing tank configured for holding a sanitizing fluid being mounted on the vehicle and being fluidly coupled to the sanitizing nozzles to spray the sanitizing fluid on the transferring conveyor;
• at least one catch bin being positioned below the transferring conveyor and being configured to capture fluids and particulate moving downwardly through the transferring conveyor;
• a spreading assembly being attached to vehicle and in communication with the cleansing assembly such that the spreading assembly receives the rubber mulch from the cleansing assembly, the spreading assembly being configured dispense the rubber mulch from the back end of the vehicle.