Road shoulder working apparatus

An apparatus for working, grooming and compacting road shoulders, the apparatus comprising:

• a self-propelled operator-controlled machine;
• a first component provided with an outwardly extendable and retractable boom assembly having mounted thereon a plurality of cooperating devices for engaging, disrupting and urging granular aggregate materials from an outer portion of a road shoulder region toward and partially onto an adjacent road surface, said boom assembly being movable between a retracted upwardly and inwardly raised position and a laterally-extended and lowered engaged position wherein the cooperating devices are arranged to engage the outer portion of the road shoulder region;
• a second component pivotably and cooperably mounted onto the boom assembly, said second component provided with a structural support cooperating with a mouldboard for transferring granular aggregate materials from the road surface onto the road shoulder region, the structural support movable in a vertical axis between a raised retracted position and a lowered engaged position whereby the mouldboard slidingly communicates with the road surface, the second component positioned posterior to the first component;
• and
• a third component provided with a framework mounting therein a plurality of rotatable cooperating devices extending therefrom for evenly distributing and grooming said granular aggregate materials across the road shoulder region and for compacting the groomed road shoulder region, said framework movable between a retracted upward and inward raised position and a laterally-deployed and lowered engaged position wherein the rotatable cooperating devices are arranged to engage and work the road shoulder region, the third component positioned posterior to the second component,
• whereby the self-propelled operator-controlled machine is navigable to travel on the road surface wherefrom the first component is laterally disposed to engage and urge granular aggregate materials from the outer portion of the road shoulder region toward and partially onto the road surface wherefrom the granular aggregate materials are transferred by the second component onto the road shoulder region whereto the third component is laterally disposed for distributing, grooming, and compacting of said granular aggregate materials.