The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 03, 1994
Filed:
Sep. 22, 1992
Vernon J Worrel, Mahtomedi, MN (US);
Terry Bondeson, Woodbury, MN (US);
Turfco Manufacturing Incorporated, Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
A top dresser (10) is disclosed in a first preferred form including a discharge gate (56) of a pusher (44) movably mounted in a hopper (30) for forcing material forward towards a rotating, cylindrical, dispensing drum (66) as the top dresser (10) is being pulled forward. The pusher (44) is slideably mounted by slides (50) secured to ears (48) extending between the sides (36) and the bottom (34) of the hopper (30) and slideable on tubular rails (52) positioned on the outside of the hopper (30). The pusher (44) is moved by expandable and contractable actuators (58, 60) pivotally mounted by their opposite ends to the frame (12) and the pusher (44) in a non-parallel, crossing manner. The drum (66) includes corrugated sheeting (70) around its periphery for gripping the material in the hopper (30) and drawing it under a metering gate (72) and a rotating brush (74) which propels the material onto the ground. The top dresser (10) is movably supported by four wheel assemblies each having a pair of wheels (16) rotatable about an axle (28) of a block (24) pivotable about stub shafts (26) pivotally mounted to the free end of a cantilevered mounted leaf spring (20). In an alternate form, a top dresser (100) is disclosed including an endless conveyor (140) including the corrugated sheeting (70) in the form of an endless belt passing around spaced, parallel rollers (148, 160) and beneath a hopper (136) for dispensing the material from the hopper (136) onto the ground and through the end of the hopper (136).