Lawn and turf maintenance unit

Claim 2

A lawn building and maintenance unit comprising: a. a support frame, said frame being adapted for connection to motive power means; b. a dispensing bin mounted on said frame, said bin having a dispensing opening at the bottom thereof; c. an accumulator box positioned beneath and in communication with said dispensing bin and having an opening at the bottom thereof, said opening in said accumulator box having a metering slide associated therewith, said slide being operable to adjust the size of said opening in a first direction; d. metering means positioned beneath said accumulator box and in communication therewith through said opening in said accumulator box, said metering means being mounted for rotation; e. two metering bars positioned between said metering slide and said metering means, one said bar being located on a side of said accumulator box opening opposite said other bar, said bars being operable to adjust the size of said accumulator box opening in a second direction; f. spreader means located beneath said metering means for receiving material metered from said accumulator box and broadcasting same over a surface being treated; and g. drive means for said metering means and said spreader means.

Claim 3

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 1 wherein said frame has at least one wheel connected to an end thereof opposite the end adapted for connection to motive power.

Claim 4

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 1 wherein said dispensing bin is equipped with an off-on slide to control the condition of the dispensing opening.

Claim 5

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 1 comprising further a liquid dispensing tank, saiD tank being operatively associated with pump and spray means for spraying liquid from said tank onto a surface being treated.

Claim 6

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 1 wherein drive means for said metering means are supplied from motive power means, said drive means comprising a chain drive system.

Claim 7

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 5 wherein said chain drive system has incorporated therein one way clutch means for transmitting driving power in one direction only.

Claim 8

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 1 further comprising material diverter means located between said metering means and said spreader means for receiving material from said metering means and diverting same onto said spreader means.

Claim 9

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 1 wherein said spreader means comprises a rotatable plate, said plate having a plurality of ribs affixed thereto and extending upwardly therefrom.

Claim 10

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 1 comprising further aerating and rolling means attached to said frame.

Claim 11

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 9 wherein said aerating and rolling means are a combined aerating and rolling device, said device comprising at least one cylindrical member having a plurality of tines positioned around the periphery thereof.

Claim 12

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said combined aerating and rolling device is equipped with raising and lowering means.

Claim 13

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said tines are positioned around the periphery of said cylindrical member in such a manner that the surface to be aerated is rolled immediately prior to being aerated by each tine.

Claim 14

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 12 wherein said tines are positioned around the periphery of said cylindrical member such that said tines define a series of adjacent diamonds.

Claim 15

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 1 comprising further motive power means.

Claim 16

A lawn building and maintenance unit comprising: a. a support frame, said frame having at least one wheel attached to one end thereof and being adapted for connection to motive power means at an opposite end thereof; b. a plurality of dispensing bins mounted on said frame, each said bin having a dispensing opening in the bottom thereof; c. an accumulator box positioned beneath said dispensing bins, said accumulator box having a plurality of compartments, one compartment being in communication with each dispensing bin, each said compartment having a dispensing opening in the bottom thereof, each dispensing opening having a metering slide associated therewith, said slide being operable to adjust the size of said opening in a first direction; d. metering means mounted for rotation beneath each compartment of said accumulator box; e. two metering bars being positioned between each said metering slide and said metering means, one said bar being positioned on a side of said accumulator box dispensing opening opposite said other bar, said bars being operable to adjust the size of said accumulator box dispensing opening in a second direction; f. spreader means located beneath said metering means for receiving material metered from said compartments and broadcasting same over the lawn being treated; g. drive means for said metering means and said spreader means; and h. aerating and rolling means attached to said frame.

Claim 17

A lawn building and maintenance unit comprising: a. a support frame, said frame having at least one wheel attached to one end thereof and being adapted for connection to motive power means at an opposite end thereof; b. a plurality of dispensing bins mounted on said frame, each said bin having a dispensing opening in the bottom thereof; c. an accumulator box positioned beneath said dispensing bins, said accumulator box having a plurality of compartments, one compartment being in communication with each dispensing bin, each said compartment having a dispensing opening in the bottom thereof, each dispensing opening having a metering slide associated therewith, said slide being operable to adjust the size of said opening in a first direction; d. metering means mounted for rotation beneath each compartment of said accumulator box; e. two metering bars being positioned between each said metering slide and said metering means, one said bar being positioned on a side of said accumulator box dispensing opening opposite said other bar, said bars being operable to adjust the size of said accumulator box dispensing opening in a second direction; f. spreader means located beneath said metering means for receiving material metered from said compartments and broadcasting same over the lawn being treated; g. drive means for said metering means and said spreader means; and h. aerating and rolling means attached to said frame.

Claim 18

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 15 wherein said spreader means comprises a rotatable plate, said plate having a plurality of ribs mounted thereon and extending upwardly therefrom.

Claim 19

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 15 wherein said drive means for said metering means comprises a chain drive arrangement.

Claim 20

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 17 wherEin said chain drive system includes switch means for interrupting driving power from said system as desired.

Claim 21

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 17 wherein said chain drive system includes one way clutch means for permitting driving power in one direction only.

Claim 22

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 15 wherein said aerating and rolling means comprises at least one cylindrical member having a plurality of tines positioned around its periphery.

Claim 23

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 20 wherein said tines are positioned around the periphery of said cylindrical member so as to form a series of adjacent diamonds around the periphery of said cylindrical member.

Claim 24

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 20 wherein said aerating and rolling means comprises two cylindrical members, said cylindrical members each having a plurality of tines positioned around the periphery thereof, said tines being positioned so as to permit the surface being treated to be rolled immediately prior to ingress of the tines.

Claim 25

A lawn building and maintenance unit as defined in claim 15 wherein further, said metering means is a driven cylindrical member having a plurality of grooves extending across its width; said spreader means is a rotatable plate having a plurality of ribs thereon and extending upwardly therefrom and said aerating and rolling means is at least one cylindrical member having a plurality of tines positioned around the periphery thereof.