Method and apparatus for incorporating already used and extracted infill into the subsurface of a newly installed field

Abstract

Particulate infill from a worn down infilled artificial turf, particularly a sand/rubber mixture which includes crumb rubber from vehicle tires, is extracted from a prior field and then thereafter incorporated into the top surface of the compacted base at the same site, thereby to assure better drainage conditions in the compacted base for the subsequently installed field. The extracted and incorporated infill helps to maintain open drainage channels throughout the top of the compacted base, particularly in areas where limestone is prevalent. Otherwise, the limestone 'fines' are susceptible to compacting and creating a cement-like crust at the top of the base. An existing infill extractor/collector device is modified to operate in a second mode, so that instead of merely performing the conventional bagging of the already-used infill, the already-used infill is laterally diverted back on to the base at the same site, and thereafter, distributed and tilled into the base. By incorporating the extracted infill into the base of the new field, the need to bag, remove, and dispose of the used infill is eliminated, along with the time and costs associated therewith, while at the same time improving the drainage of the new field. Two structures for diverting the collected infill are disclosed.