Portable spreader for particulate material

A portable hand-operated spreader for fine particulate materials, comprising a housing, a handle on top of and affixed to said housing, a distribution chamber having a circular inner cross-section with a vertical axis and mounted on one end of said housing, said chamber having a circumferential slot on the side thereof away from said handle, and at least the central portion of the top of said distribution chamber being open, a motor mounted below said distribution chamber and having a shaft extending upwardly centrally into said distribution chamber, a rotor mounted for rotation with said shaft in said distribution chamber, the top surface of said rotor being substantially flat and aligned with said slot, a plurality of radially extending vanes on said top surface of said rotor, the radially inner ends of said vanes being spaced from the center of said rotor whereby the top surface of said rotor is free of projections at least in an annular region thereof radially inwardly adjacent said vanes, a hopper mounted above said distribution chamber for directing material therein downwardly into the center of said distribution chamber, valve means for adjusting the flow of material from said hopper into said distribution chamber, first control means positioned at the side of said handle towards said distribution chamber for controlling said motor, and second control means positioned at the side of said handle toward said distribution chamber for controlling said valve means, said first and second control means being coupled to a single lever arm, the actions thereof being synchronized thereby.

A portable hand-operated spreader for fine particulate materials, comprising a housing, a handle on top of and affixed to said housing, a distribution chamber having a circular inner cross-section with a vertical axis and mounted on one end of said housing, said chamber having a circumferential slot on the side thereof away from said handle, and at least the central portion of the top of said distribution chamber being open, a motor mounted below said distribution chamber and having a shaft extending upwardly centrally into said distribution chamber, a rotor mounted for rotation with said shaft in said distribution chamber, the top surface of said rotor being substantially flat and aligned with said slot, a plurality of radially extending vanes on said top surface of said rotor, the radially inner ends of said vanes being spaced from the center of said rotor whereby the top surface of said rotor is free of projections at least in an annular region thereof radially inwardly adjacent said vanes, a hopper mounted above said distribution chamber for directing material therein downwardly into the center of said distribution chamber, valve means for adjusting the flow of material from said hopper into said distribution chamber, first control means positioned at the side of said handle towards said distribution chamber for controlling said motor, and second control means positioned at the side of said handle toward said distribution chamber for controlling said valve means, said distribution chamber having a removable top wall with a central aperture, and a pair of pin means extending upwardly from said top wall on opposite sides of said central aperture, said hopper having an elliptical aperture at its lower end, the major axis of the elliptical aperture being longer than the maximum distance between the most remote extremeties of said pin means, the minor axis of said elliptical aperture being of a distance to enable locking of said hopper to said pin means at the top of said top wall, whereby said hopper may be removably affixed to the top of said top wall by engagement with said pin means.