Spreader vehicle for solid and liquid thawing materials

A spreader of granulated and liquid thawing material for a vehicle having a longitudinal axis comprising:

• a granulated material vessel on the vehicle having a plurality of feed troughs each having a granulated material outlet;
• a conveyor in each trough for conveying granulated material to a respective granulated material outlet;
• a hydraulic motor connected to each conveyor;
• a liquid material vessel on the vehicle;
• distributor means connected to the vehicle and each feed trough outlet;
• each distributor means including a rotatable distributor plate, a hydraulic motor connected to each distributor plate, a granulated material conduit connected to a respective feed trough outlet for supplying granulated material to said distributor plate, and a liquid material conduit for supplying liquid material to said distributor plate, said granulated and liquid material conduits structured to maintain a separation of liquid and granulated material up until the vicinity of said distributor plate;
• a liquid supply line connected from said liquid material vessel to each liquid material conduit;
• a liquid pump in each supply line;
• a hydraulic motor connected to each pump;
• hydraulic control means connected to all of said hydraulic motors for activation thereof to supply at least one of the granulated and liquid material to said distributor plates at an adjustable rate which is also proportional to a speed of the vehicle so that at least one of the granulated and liquid material is spread by rotation of said distributor plates;
• a feed conduit for granulated material connected between at least one of said trough outlets and the granulated material conduit of a respective distributor means, extendable substantially transversely to the vehicle axis and of a length sufficient to position said respective distributor means outwardly beyond a side contour of the vehicle;
• a feed conduit conveyor in said feed conduit;
• a hydraulic motor connected to said feed conduit conveyor and to said hydraulic control means, which is activatable with activation of said conveyor hydraulic motor for supplying granulated material to said at least one trough outlet;
• a first one of said distributor means being connected to a first trough and conveyor on one side of said vehicle longitudinal axis with a first conveyor hydraulic motor, a first pump hydraulic motor and a first distributor plate hydraulic motor associated therewith;
• a second distributor means being associated with a second central trough with a second conveyor hydraulic motor, a second pump hydraulic motor and a second distributor plate hydraulic motor associated therewith;
• a third distributor means being associated with a third trough on an opposite side of said longitudinal axis from said first trough, with an associated third conveyor hydraulic motor, a third pump hydraulic motor and third distributor plate hydraulic motor;
• said hydraulic control means comprising a first, second and third hydraulic control unit connected to said first, second and third distributor means hydraulic motors respectively;
• each hydraulic control unit including two electromagnetic valves which are separately and jointly operable, a hydraulic fluid reservoir, a hydraulic pressure supply pump connected to said reservoir for supplying hydraulic fluid, a hydraulic fluid supply line connected to said hydraulic pressure supply pump, said hydraulic fluid supply line connected to each hydraulic control unit and connectable to each electromagnetic valve, a return line connected between each of said hydraulic control units and said reservoir and connectable to each of said electromagnetic valves;
• and a switching unit connected to each of said hydraulic control units for selectively switching said two electromagnetic valves of each hydraulic control unit into a first position for supplying hydraulic fluid to said conveyor hydraulic motors only, to a second position for supplying hydraulic fluid to said pump hydraulic motors only, to a third position for supplying hydraulic fluid to said conveyor and pump hydraulic motors, and to a fourth position for supplying hydraulic fluid to said return line only.

A spreader of granulated and liquid thawing material for a vehicle having a longitudinal axis comprising:

• a granulated material vessel on the vehicle having a plurality of feed troughs each having a granulated material outlet;
• a conveyor in each trough for conveying granulated material to a respective granulated material outlet;
• a hydraulic motor connected to each conveyor;
• a liquid material vessel on the vehicle;
• distributor means connected to the vehicle and each feed trough outlet;
• each distributor means including a rotatable distributor plate, a hydraulic motor connected to each distributor plate, a granulated material conduit connected to a respective feed trough outlet for supplying granulated material to said distributor plate, and a liquid material conduit for supplying liquid material to said distributor plate, said granulated and liquid material conduits structured to maintain a separation of liquid and granulated material up until the vicinity of said distributor plate;
• a liquid supply line connected from said liquid material vessel to each liquid material conduit;
• a liquid pump in each supply line;
• hydraulic motor connected to each pump;
• a feed conduit for granulated material connected between at least one of said trough outlets and the granulated material conduit of a respective distributor means, extendable substantially transversely to the vehicle axis and of a length sufficient to position said respective distributor means outwardly beyond a side contour of the vehicle;
• a feed conduit conveyor in said feed conduit;
• a hydraulic motor connected to said feed conduit conveyor and to said hydraulic control means, which is activatable with activation of said conveyor hydraulic motor for supplying granulated material to said at least one trough outlet;
• and
• electromagnetic and hydraulic control means connected to all of said hydraulic motors for activation thereof to supply at least one of the granulated and liquid material to said distributor plates at an adjustable rate which is also proportional to a speed of the vehicle so that at least one of the granulated and liquid material is spread by rotation of said distributor plates;
• said electromagnetic and hydraulic control means comprising a control unit associated with each distributor means, each control unit connected to one trough conveyor motor, one distributor plate motor and one liquid pump motor of a respective distributor means, each control unit including electromagnetic valve means connected to each one trough conveyor motor and liquid pump motor, and a return line, said electromagnetic valve means having a first position for supplying hydraulic fluid directly to said return line without activating said one trough conveyor motor and said liquid pump motor, a second position for supplying hydraulic fluid to said one trough conveyor motor while not supplying fluid to said one liquid pump motor, a third position for supplying fluid to said one liquid pump motor but not to said one trough conveyor motor and a fourth position for supplying hydraulic fluid to said one trough conveyor motor and said one liquid pump motor;
• each of said distributor means comprising said distributor plate rotatably mounted about a substantially vertical axis, a plurality of impellers connected to an upper surface of said distributor plate, an inner downpiece concentric about said vertical axis and defining therein said liquid material conduit, an outer downpipe positioned concentrically about said inner downpipe and defining with said inner downpipe an annular space forming said granular material conduit, said inner and outer downpipes ending substantially at a plane containing the base of said impellers, said impellers including a first prurality of impellers positioned in said annular space between said inner and outer downpipes, and a second plurality of impellers positioned radially outwardly of said first plurality of impellers and outwardly of said outer downpipe.