Apparatus for compacting surface material

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR COMPACTING SURFACE MATERIAL, A FRAME; TWO CHASSIS MOUNTED BY SAID FRAME FOR ROTATION ABOUT SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXES; MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR ROTATING SAID CHASSIS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS; A PLURALITY OF GROUND ENGAGING WHEELS; A PLURALITY OF PIVOT MEANS ON EACH CHASSIS AT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DEPLOYED LOCATIONS THEREON, SAID PIVOT MEANS MOUNTING A PLURALITY OF SAID WHEELS ON SAID CHASSIS IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DEPLOYED RELATION IN SEPARATE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANES AND RESPECTIVELY MOUNTING EACH OF A PLURALITY OF SAID WHEELS FOR PIVOTAL ADJUSTMENT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM A POSITION IN WHICH ITS SAID PLANE IS SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIAL TO THE GENERAL PATH OF ROTATION OF SAID WHEELS ABOUT THE CHASSIS AXIS OF ROTATION TO POSITIONS SKEWED RESPECTIVELY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SAID TANGENTIAL POSITION; MEANS INCLUDING TWO ECCENTRIC DEVICES CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID TWO CHASSIS AND BEING SHIFTABLE IN VARYING AMOUNTS AND IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS FROM POSITIONS CONCENTRIC WITH THE AXES OF ROTATION OF THE RESPECTIVE CHASSIS AND WHEN SO SHIFTED BEING OPERABLE DURING ROTATION OF SAID CHASSIS FOR SEQUENTIALLY ADJUSTING THE PIVOT MEANS ON BOTH CHASSIS TO ADJUST EACH ASSOCIATED WHEEL IN ONE DIRECTION FROM SAID TANGENTIAL POSITION TO ONE OF SAID SKEWED POSITIONS, THEN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION BACK TO SAID TANGENTIAL POSITION AND CONTINUING IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE OTHER SKEWED POSITION, AND THEN AGAIN IN SAID ONE DIRECTION TO SAID TANGENTIAL POSITION AND SO ON CYCLICALLY; MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID ECCENTRIC DEVICES SELECTED AMOUNTS OF ECCENTRICITY; AND SEPARATE INDIVIDUALLY OPERABLE STEERING MEANS CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID ECCENTRIC DEVICES FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF ECCENTRICITY OF EACH OF SAID ECCENTRIC DEVICES INDEPENDENTLY OF THE DIRECTION OF ECCENTRICITY OF THE OTHER ECCENTRIC DEVICE.