Patent ID: 9296571
Filing Date: 2016-03-29
CPC Classification: B65G,E01C

Claim Text:
1. A material spreader adapted to be mounted to a vehicle, said vehicle having a vehicle bed with a laterally extending front and rear portion, said spreader comprising: a hopper including a base extending along a plane for overlying said bed of the vehicle and further including a front end wall and a rear end wall extending transversely from said plane of said base in spaced relationship with one another and including a pair of side walls, said hopper for receiving and containing material to be spread, said hopper having a hopper outlet positioned in said rear end wall above said plane for discharging material to be spread, said hopper being adapted to mount upon said vehicle bed with said hopper outlet being spaced from said rear portion of said vehicle bed; said front end wall of said hopper being positioned adjacent said front portion of said vehicle bed, wherein said hopper is positioned forward of said rear portion of said vehicle bed and adjacent said front portion of said vehicle bed; a spinner assembly spaced from said hopper outlet and said rear end wall by a conveying distance and adjacent said rear portion of said vehicle bed for maintaining all of the material within said hopper forward of said rear portion of said vehicle bed by said conveying distance; a material conveyor disposed parallel to and above said plane of said base and extending at least said conveying distance from inside said hopper through said hopper outlet to said spinner assembly, said material conveyor adapted to convey material from said hopper to said spinner assembly; an extension assembly disposed parallel to and above said plane of said base and extending at least said conveying distance between said hopper outlet in said rear end wall over and above said plane of said base to said spinner assembly, said material conveyor being housed within said extension assembly such that said extension assembly surrounds and guides the material moved said conveying distance by said material conveyor from said hopper outlet over and above said plane of said base to said spinner assembly; whereby, said hopper is adapted to be positioned upon the vehicle above said vehicle bed such that said front end wall is positioned forward adjacent said front portion of said vehicle bed, said rear end wall is positioned forward of said rear portion of said vehicle bed by said conveying distance, such that the material within said hopper is substantially positioned forward of said rear portion of said vehicle bed, said material conveyor being adapted to convey material to said spinner assembly and said spinner assembly to distribute said material received from said material conveyor.