Measured material delivery apparatus and method

Measured material delivery apparatus comprising, in combination:

• a self-propelled vehicle;
• a boom mounted on and projecting out from said vehicle;
• a first selectively controlled, two-way hydraulic cylinder arranged to raise and lower the boom between a lowered scooping position, a raised travel and weighing position and a further raised dispensing position;
• a carriage assembly including a frame mounted at the end of the boom for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis and a carriage body movable up and down relative to said frame;
• a second selectively controlled, two-way hydraulic cylinder coupled between said boom and said frame for moving said frame about a horizontal axis;
• a bucket mounted on said carriage body for conjoint movement with said carriage body and for being positioned by said boom, said bucket having a centrally disposed dispensing opening in the bottom of a selected restricted size;
• a closure member for said dispensing opening adapted to move between a closed and an open position;
• a third selectively controlled hydraulic cylinder arranged for selectively moving said closure member between said open and closed positions,
• a fourth selectively controlled hydraulic cylinder mounted on said frame and coupled to said carriage body for raising and lowering the bucket relative to said frame;
• a fluid pressure indicating gauge coupled to said fourth hydraulic cylinder so that the weight of the load in the bucket elevated by said fourth hydraulic cylinder is reflected as pressure on the indicating gauge that is calibrated to indicate the weight of the load of the material in the bucket;
• a dispensing auger in the bottom of said bucket driven by a selectively controlled hydraulic motor for moving controlled amounts of a load of material collected in the bucket toward and through said dispensing opening until a selected weight remains and for dispensing substantially all of said weighed material through said discharge opening into a selected receiving area below said discharge area when said boom is in said raised dispensing position.