Patent ID: 8205359

Claim:
A method of grading an area reserved for a sidewalk to a predetermined specified grade and elevation to form the base of a designed sidewalk that extends adjacent to and along an existing road structure of the type having a curb as a border, using a vehicle having a tracking assembly attached configured to extend laterally from the vehicle in a direction toward the curb, the tracking assembly having a tracking member and a grading blade with a slope selected according to the specified sidewalk design grade, the method comprising the steps: positioning the vehicle on the road structure, adjacent to one side of the curb thereof and disposed to move forward over the road structure in a direction along the road structure substantially parallel thereto; positioning the tracking member in engagement with a top surface of the curb of the road structure and using the top surface as a point of reference for operation of the sidewalk grader as the vehicle moves forward over the road structure; positioning the grading blade to an opposite side of the curb, over the location of the area reserved for the designed sidewalk, at a slope selected according to the specified sidewalk design grade and in contact with material to be graded at the location; and moving the vehicle forward over the road structure in a direction along the road structure substantially parallel thereto, with the tracking member engaging the top surface of the curb and providing the point of reference for positioning of the grading blade to maintain the grading blade in the desired position in relation to the curb as the vehicle advances along the road structure.