Ballast leveling apparatus

Claim 1

A ballast leveling apparatus mounted on a machine for treating ballast, the machine being adapted to move in a working direction on a track including ties resting on a ballast bed and the machine comprising a ballast excavating means extending transversely of, and underneath, the track for removing ballast from the ballast bed, a guide frame for the ballast excavating means, a ballast cleaning screen for separating the removed ballast into cleaned ballast and rubble, conveyor means for conveying the removed ballast from the ballast excavating means to the screen and for conveying the cleaned ballast to underneath the track behind the excavating means in the working direction, the ballast leveling apparatus being mounted behind the ballast excavating means for leveling the cleaned ballast and consisting of an arrangement of bars extending substantially transversely of the track and over the entire length of the track ties, the arrangement consisting of a central one of rod-like bars extending substantially parallel to the ties and two outer ones of the bars, the ends of the central bar being pivotally joined to respective inner ends of the outer bars, and elongated guide elements freely movably connecting the outer ends of the outer bars and the joined ends of the central and outer bars to the guide frame.