Spreader hopper for dump truck

Claim 2

In a dump truck including a bed and means for tilting said bed, said bed defining a container having a substantially horizontal bottom wall, a front end wall, a rear end wall and sidewalls, and an outlet opening adjacent the intersection of said bottom wall and said rear end wall, said container being tiltable to place said bottom wall in an inclined position with said outlet opening at substantially the lowest elevation point on said container, the improvement comprising: partition means for forming a spreader hopper compartment in said container to dispense through said outlet with said bottom wall in a substantially horizontal position, said partition means having a generally rectangular outline including top and bottom edges and side edges and being dimensioned to extend across said container from sidewall to sidewall thereof with said top and bottom edges substantially parallel to said front and rear end walls with said bottom edge adjacent said bottom wall and spaced closely adjacent said outlet opening, and with said top edge spaced substantially below the upper edges of said sidewalls and rearwardly and above said bottom edge so that said partition slopes upwardly from said bottom wall in a direction away from said outlet opening, said partition means when so positioned defining a spreader hopper on one side thereof with said outlet opening leading from said spreader hopper and defining a recharging hopper on the other side thereof with said recharging hopper being of substantially greater volume than said spreader hopper, and material in said container being gravitationally displaceable over said top edge of said partition means from said recharging hopper to said spreader hopper when said container is tilted.

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 wherein said partition means includes fastening means on said side edges for detachably securing said partition means in said container.

Claim 4

The device of claim 1 wherein said partition means includes another generally rectangular portion sloping downwardly and away from said top edge, said other portion having another bottom edge positionable adjacent said bottom wall and other side edges positionable adjacent said sidewalls.

Claim 5

The device of claim 1 wherein said partition means includes attaching means adjacent the intersection of said top edge and side edges for pivotally and detachably mounting said partition means to said sidewalls in said container.

Claim 6

In a dump truck including a bed and means for tilting said bed, said bed defining a container having a substantially horizontal bottom wall, a front end wall, a rear end wall and sidewalls, and an outlet opening adjacent the intersection of said bottom wall and said rear end wall, said container being tiltable to place said bottom wall in an inclined position with said outlet opening at substantially the lowest elevation point on said container, the improvement comprising: partition means extending across said container from sidewall to sidewall thereof to define first and second compartments in said conTainer, said first compartment having said outlet opening leading therefrom, said second compartment being substantially larger than said first compartment and defining a recharging hopper compartment for said first compartment, said container being tiltable to gravitationally displace material from said second compartment past said partition means to said first compartment, said first compartment defining a spreader hopper for dispensing material from said container through said outlet with said bottom wall in substantially horizontal position, said partition having a bottom edge, said bottom edge being adjacent said bottom wall and spaced closely adjacent said outlet opening, said partition sloping upwardly from said bottom edge in a direction away from said outlet opening, said partition being detachably mounted in said container and the top edge thereof being spaced substantially below the upper edges of said sidewalls.

Claim 7

In a dump truck including a bed and means for tilting said bed, said bed defining a container having a substantially horizontal bottom wall, a front end wall, a rear end wall and sidewalls, and an outlet opening adjacent the intersection of said bottom wall and said rear end wall, said container being tiltable to place said bottom wall in an inclined position with said outlet opening at substantially the lowest elevation point on said container, the improvement comprising: partition means extending across said container from sidewall to sidewall thereof to define first and second compartments in said conTainer, said first compartment having said outlet opening leading therefrom, said second compartment being substantially larger than said first compartment and defining a recharging hopper compartment for said first compartment, said container being tiltable to gravitationally displace material from said second compartment past said partition means to said first compartment, said first compartment defining a spreader hopper for dispensing material from said container through said outlet with said bottom wall in substantially horizontal position, said partition having a bottom edge, said bottom edge being adjacent said bottom wall and spaced closely adjacent said outlet opening, said partition sloping upwardly from said bottom edge in a direction away from said outlet opening, said partition being detachably mounted in said container and the top edge thereof being spaced substantially below the upper edges of said sidewalls.

Claim 8

In a dump truck including a bed and means for tilting said bed, said bed defining a container having a substantially horizontal bottom wall, a front end wall, a rear end wall and sidewalls, and an outlet opening adjacent the intersection of said bottom wall and said rear end wall, said container being tiltable to place said bottom wall in an inclined position with said outlet opening at substantially the lowest elevation point on said container, the improvement comprising: partition means extending across said container from sidewall to sidewall thereof to define first and second compartments in said container, said first compartment having said outlet opening leading therefrom, said second compartment being substantially larger than said first compartment and defining a recharging hopper compartment for said first compartment, said container being tiltable to gravitationally displace material from said second compartment past said partition means to said first compartment, said first compartment defining a spreader hopper for dispensing material from said container through said outlet with said bottom wall in substantially horizontal position, said partition having a bottom edge, said bottom edge being adjacent said bottom wall and spaced closely adjacent said outlet opening, said partition sloping upwardly from said bottom edge in a direction away from said outlet opening, said partition being pivotally attached to said sidewalls at substantially the top side edges of said partition means at points spaced substantially below the upper edges of said sidewalls.

Claim 9

In a dump truck including a bed and means for tilting said bed, said bed defining a container having a substantially horizontal bottom wall, a front end wall, a rear end wall and sidewalls, and an outlet opening adjacent the intersection of said bottom wall and said rear end wall, said container being tiltable to place said bottom wall in an inclined position with said outlet opening at substantially the lowest elevation point on said container, the improvement comprising: partition means extending across said container from sidewall to sidewall thereof to define first and second compartments in said container, said first compartment having said outlet opening leading therefrom, said second compartment being substantially larger than said first compartment and defining a recharging hopper compartment for said first compartment, said container being tiltable to gravitationally displace material from said second compartment past said partition means to said first compartment, said first compartment defining a spreader hopper for dispensing material from said container through said outlet with said bottom wall in substantially horizontal position, said partition having a bottom edge, said bottom edge being adjacent said bottom wall and spaced closely adjacent said outlet opening, said partition sloping upwardly from said bottom edge in a direction away from said outlet opening, said partition being pivotally attached to said sidewalls at substantially the top side edges of said partition means at points spaced substantially below the upper edges of said sidewalls.

Claim 10

In a dump truck including a bed and means for tilting said bed, said bed defining a container having a substantially horizontal bottom wall, a front end wall, a rear end wall and sidewalls, and an outlet opening adjacent the intersection of said bottom wall and said rear end wall, said container being tiltable to place said bottom wall in an inclined position with said outlet opening at substantially the lowest elevation point on said container, the improvement comprising: partition means extending across said container from sidewall to sidewall thereof to define first and second compartments in said container, said first compartment having said outlet opening leading therefrom, said second compartment being substantially larger than said first compartment and defining a recharging hopper compartment for said first compartment, said container being tiltable to gravitationally displace material from said second compartment past said partition means to said first compartment, said first compartment defining a spreader hopper for dispensing material from said container through said outlet with said bottom wall in substantially horizontal position, said partition having a bottom edge, said bottom edge being adjacent said bottom wall and spaced closely adjacent said outlet opening, said partition sloping upwardly from said bottom edge in a direction away from said outlet opening to define a first partition portion and further including a second partition portion sloping upwardly from said bottom waLl in a direction away from said recharging hopper compartment toward said spreader hopper compartment, said first and second partition portions intersecting along a line spaced substantially below the upper edges of said sidewalls.

Claim 11

In a dump truck including a bed and means for tilting said bed, said bed defining a container having a substantially horizontal bottom wall, a front end wall, a rear end wall and sidewalls, and an outlet opening adjacent the intersection of said bottom wall and said rear end wall, said container being tiltable to place said bottom wall in an inclined position with said outlet opening at substantially the lowest elevation point on said container, the improvement comprising: partition means extending across said container from sidewall to sidewall thereof to define first and second compartments in said container, said first compartment having said outlet opening leading therefrom, said second compartment being substantially larger than said first compartment and defining a recharging hopper compartment for said first compartment, said container being tiltable to gravitationally displace material from said second compartment past said partition means to said first compartment, said first compartment defining a spreader hopper for dispensing material from said container through said outlet with said bottom wall in substantially horizontal position, said partition having a bottom edge, said bottom edge being adjacent said bottom wall and spaced closely adjacent said outlet opening, said partition sloping upwardly from said bottom edge in a direction away from said outlet opening to define a first partition portion and further including a second partition portion sloping upwardly from said bottom waLl in a direction away from said recharging hopper compartment toward said spreader hopper compartment, said first and second partition portions intersecting along a line spaced substantially below the upper edges of said sidewalls.