Method and apparatus for collecting particulate material on a roadway

A front-end loader apparatus for removing particulate material from a roadway, the apparatus comprising:

• a frame assembly having a main frame with a forward end and a rear end;
• drive means for supporting and selectively driving the frame assembly over the roadway;
• a brush-supporting forward subframe supported at the forward end of the main frame;
• a first forward brush assembly supported by the brush-supporting forward subframe and having a first forward brush rotatably about a substantially vertical rotational axis;
• a second forward brush assembly supported by the brush-supporting forward subframe and having a second forward brush rotatable about a substantially vertical rotational axis, the first and second forward brushes supported for counter-rotation and positioned in a spaced-apart spatial relationship so that particulate material on the roadway engaged by the first and second forward brushes will be incorporated into a windrow between the first and second brushes as the frame assembly moves forward;
• feeder means supported at the forward end of the main frame for scooping up the windrow of particulate material and moving the scooped material in a rearward direction;
• a first material lifting conveyor having a first end and a second end, the first end connected to the frame assembly in near proximity to the feeder means, the first material lifting conveyor adapted to receive the particulate material from the feeder means;
• a flexible ground scoop supported beneath the frame assembly in sliding contact with the roadway surface and disposed to allow residual particulate material to pass therebeneath;
• transverse brush means supported beneath the frame assembly for sweeping the residual particulate material forward and onto the ground scoop;
• and
• residual material conveying means, supported by the frame assembly, for receiving the residual particulate material contacted by the transverse brush means, the residual material conveying means elevating the residual particulate material to a position over the first material lifting coveyor.

A method for collecting particulate material scattered along a collection path on a roadway surface comprising the following steps in order:

• (a) sweeping particulate material disposed along the collection path into a windrow substantially coincident with the collection path;
• (b) collecting substantially all of the particulate material of the windrow by scooping said material onto a first material lifting apparatus as said material lifting apparatus is moved along the collection path;
• (c) moving the collected particulate material on the first material lifting apparatus to an overhead discharge position;
• (d) sweeping residual particulate material remaining on the roadway following step (b) into a residual windrow along the collection path;
• (e) sweeping the residual particulate material of the residual windrow onto a second material lifting apparatus as said material lifting apparatus is moved along the collection path;
• (f) moving the collected residual material on the second material lifting apparatus to the overhead discharge position so that the collected particulate material carried by the first material lifting apparatus and the collected residual material carried by the second material lifting apparatus are combined to form a combined discharge material;
• and
• (g) dropping the combined discharge material into a selected trailing receiving vehicle.