Snow loading and melting machine

Claim 1

A SNOW MELTING MACHINE WHICH COMPRISES (1) A TRACTOR APPARATUS HAVING A FRONT END AND A BACK END AND INCLUDING POWER DRIVE MEANS, (2) A PRE-MELTING CHAMBER MOUNTED AND DEFINED IN AND ON SAID TRACTOR APPARATUS AND HAVING OPEN AREA AT LEAST NEAR THE FRONT END OF SAID TRACTOR APPARATUS WHERETHROUGH A STREAM OF SNOW MAY FLOW INTO AND A STREAM OF COMBUSTION PRODUCTS MAY FLOW OUT OF THE CHAMBER, AND HAVING FURTHER A BOTTOM SURFACE DEFINED AT LEAST IN PART BY AT LEAST ONE BELT-TYPE CONVEYOR, SAID CONVEYOR BEING ACTUATED BY THE POWER DRIVE MEANS OF SAID TRACTOR APPARATUS, (3) SNOW SHREDDING MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID PRE-MELTING CHAMBER TO BE IMPINGED UPON BY SNOW FLOWING INTO SAID PRE-MELTING CHAMBER THROUGH SAID OPEN AREA, SAID SNOW SHREDDING MEANS BEING ACTUATED BY THE POWER DRIVE MEANS OF SAID TRACTOR APPARATUS, (4) BAFFLE MEANS WITHIN SAID PRE-MELTING CHAMBER EXTENDING FROM THE INTERIOR WALL SURFACES THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY TO THE OVERALL DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SNOW THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, SAID BAFFLE MEANS SERVING TO REGULATE THE DISPERSION OF SNOW FLOWING FROM SAID SHREDDING MEANS, AND (5) A FINAL MELTING CHAMBER MOUNTED AND DEFINED AT THE BACK END OF SAID TRACTOR APPARATUS, SAID FINAL MELTING CHAMBER BEING IN SNOW AND WATER FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PRE-MELTING CHAMBER, BOTH SAID AND WATER LEAVING SAID PRE-MELTING CHAMBER, BOTH SAID PRE-MELTING AND FINAL MELTING CHAMBERS BEING OF THE DIRECT FLAME IMPINGMENT TYPE AND INCLUDING BURNER UNITS DISPOSED TOWARD THE REAR OF THEM SO THAT THE FLOW OF COMBUSTION PRODUCTS THROUGH SAID MACHINE IS GENERALLY COUNTER-CURRENT TO THE FLOW OF SNOW AND THE WATER OF MELTING THERETHROUGH, AND SAID FINAL MELTING CHAMBER HAVING DRAIN MEANS TO DISCHARGE WATER OF MELTING.