Material unloader

Claim 1

A MATERIAL UNLOADING AND SPREADING DEVICE COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED WHEELED CONTAINER HAVING A BOTTOM WALL, FIRST AND SECOND SIDE WALLS AND TWO END WALLS, SAID CONTAINER BEING OPEN AT THE TOP AND THERE BEING A DISCHARGE PORTION AT ONE END OF THE CONTAINER, SAID DISCHARGE PORTION BEING DEFINED BY ONE OF SAID END WALLS AND BY SIDE WALLS THE UPPER EDGES OF WHICH ARE GENERALLY CO-PLANAR WITH THOSE OF THE CONTAINER SIDE WALLS, AND SAID PORTION HAVING A FLOOR NO HIGHER THAN THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE CONTAINER; A TRANSVERSE WALL WHICH FORMS AN UPWARD EXTENSION OF THE END WALL OF THE CONTAINER; AN ARCUATE HOOD JOINED TO SAID TRANSVERSE WALL AND OVERLYING SAID DISCHARGE PORTION, SAID HOOD EXTENDING FROM THE FIRST SIDE WALL AND HAVING A FREE EDGE SPACED NO MORE THAN ABOUT 90* FROM THE SECOND SIDE WALL; HINGE MEANS CONNECTING THE TRANSVERSE WALL TO THE END WALL TO SWING THE TRANSVERSE WALL AND HOOD OUTWARDLY FROM THE END WALL, WHEREBY THE TOP OF THE DISCHARGE PORTION MAY BE OPENED TO FACILITATE LOADING OF THE CONTAINER; CONVEYOR MEANS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER FOR MOVING MATERIAL IN THE CONTAINER INTO SAID DISCHARGE PORTION; SHAFT MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN THE DISCHARGE PORTION OF THE CONTAINER, SAID SHAFT MEANS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANT FROM THE SIDE WALLS AND FROM THE FLOOR OF THE DISCHARGE PORTION; A PLURALITY OF RADIAL ARM ELEMENTS SPACED ALONG SAID SHAFT MEANS AND PROVIDING FLAILS IN SAID DISCHARGE PORTION, SAID FLAILS BEING EXTENSIBLE OUTWARDLY FROM THE SHAFT AND HAVING A MAXIMUM LENGTH WHICH BARELY CLEARS THE SIDE WALLS AND FLOOR OF THE DISCHARGE PORTION; AND DRIVE MEANS ROTATING SAID SHAFT MEANS TO DISCHARGE MATERIAL OVER THE SECOND SIDE WALL AS SAID MATERIAL IS MOVED INTO THE DISCHARGE PORTION, SAID DRIVE MEANS TURNING THE SHAFT TO MOVE THE FLAILS FROM THE FREE EDGE OF SAID HOOD ACROSS THE SPACE TOWARD SAID SECOND SIDE WALL, WHEREBY THE FLAILS MAY ACT ALWAYS UPON THE MATERIAL NEAREST THE TOP OF THE DISCHARGE PORTION.