Road construction apparatus with pivotally connected trimmer

Abstract

A road construction apparatus having a spreader, a pivotable trimmer assembly and an auger assembly. The trimmer assembly is movable between a first operational position and a second storage position. The trimmer assembly includes a housing, a rotatable cutter and a drive mechanism for rotating the cutter. A power drive system is coupled to the drive mechanism for rotating the cutter and moving the trimmer assembly between the first and second positions. The apparatus includes drive means for moving the apparatus on a supporting surface. A power source is coupled to the drive means and power drive system.

1 . A road construction apparatus comprising: 
 a mainframe having a forward end and a rearward end defining a longitudinal axis and a left side and a right side defining a width transverse to the longitudinal axis, said mainframe including drive means for moving said mainframe on a support surface;    a rotatable cutter connected to said mainframe and having a width extending generally transversely along at least a portion of said width of said mainframe for cutting surfaces when in a first operative position, said first operative position defining a cutting plane along which said cutter is movable for cutting; and    a powered drive system coupled to the rotatable cutter and arranged to selectively move said cutter between said first operative cutting position and a second storage position transverse to the cutting plane.    
     
     
         2 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said mainframe includes pivoting means, said cutter including a housing connected at least to said pivoting means, the cutter pivoting about said pivoting means.  
     
     
         3 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said cutter includes a drive mechanism that is coupled to the powered drive system, said cutter having a forward end and a rear end, said pivoting means is positioned in proximity to said forward end of said cutter.  
     
     
         4 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said powered drive system includes a hydraulic system comprising a control panel and at least one hydraulic actuator, said hydraulic actuator being connected to said mainframe and said cutter, said control panel actuates said at least one hydraulic actuator to pivot said cutter.  
     
     
         5 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said at least one hydraulic actuator is connected to said cutter in the vicinity of said rearward end of said cutter.  
     
     
         6 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said powered drive system pivots said cutter up to approximately ninety degrees.  
     
     
         7 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said powered drive system pivots said cutter in a forward direction from said first position to said second position.  
     
     
         8 . A road construction apparatus including a mainframe having a forward end and a rearward end defining a length and a left side and a right side defining a width, said mainframe being positioned on a surface and including drive means configured to provide mobility to said mainframe on the surface, the apparatus comprising: 
 a trimmer assembly including a housing and an elongate cylindrical cutter, said trimmer assembly having a forward end and a rearward end and a first end and a second end, said first end and said second end being generally aligned with said width of said mainframe and extending along at least a portion of said width of said mainframe, said mainframe being connected to said trimmer assembly for the selective cutting of surfaces; and    a powered drive system operatively connected to the drive means and to said trimmer assembly, said powered drive system being connected to said mainframe for the movement of said trimmer assembly between a first position having a first clearance distance between said trimmer assembly and the surface and a second position having a second clearance distance between said trimmer assembly and the surface, wherein said second clearance distance above the surface is a greater distance than said first clearance distance above the surface.    
     
     
         9 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said mainframe comprises a plurality of pivots located in the vicinity of and connected to said forward end of said trimmer assembly.  
     
     
         10 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said trimmer assembly has a width that is at least approximately equal to said width of said mainframe.  
     
     
         11 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said power drive system comprises a hydraulic system including a plurality of hydraulic actuators connected on one end in the vicinity of said rearward end of said trimmer assembly.  
     
     
         12 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said trimmer assembly includes a drive mechanism connected to said housing and said trimmer assembly for the rotation of said cutter.  
     
     
         13 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein said hydraulic system includes a control panel and said trimmer assembly is moved between said first position and second position from said control panel by the movement of said hydraulic actuators.  
     
     
         14 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said cutter is pivoted from said first position to said second position in a forward direction on said mainframe by said power drive system.  
     
     
         15 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein said trimmer assembly drive mechanism is connected during the movement of said trimmer assembly between said first position and said second position.  
     
     
         16 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said housing has a top end and a bottom end and accommodates the movement of said cutter in said housing at least partially between said bottom end and said top end.  
     
     
         17 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said mainframe includes a top end and a bottom end defining a vertical axis, said trimmer assembly in said first position being approximately aligned with the vertical axis.  
     
     
         18 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said trimmer assembly in said second position can range in position between being transverse to the vertical axis and being generally aligned with said length of said mainframe.  
     
     
         19 . The combination road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein a concrete spreader assembly is connected to said mainframe.  
     
     
         20 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a concrete spreader assembly is connected to said mainframe.  
     
     
         21 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said mainframe has a length and said length of said mainframe is increased to accommodate said cutter in said second position.  
     
     
         22 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said length of said mainframe is increased to accommodate said cutter in said second position.  
     
     
         23 . A road construction apparatus comprising: 
 a mainframe having a forward end and a rearward end defining a longitudinal axis and a left side and a right side defining a width transverse to the longitudinal axis, said mainframe including drive means for moving said mainframe on a support surface;    a trimmer assembly connected to said mainframe and having a width extending generally transversely along at least a portion of said width of said mainframe for cutting surfaces when in a first operative position, said trimmer assembly including a housing, a cutter and a drive mechanism; and    a power drive system powered by the drive means and connected to said main frame, the power drive system being operatively connected to pivot said trimmer assembly about pivoting means connecting the mainframe and the trimmer assembly between a first position for cutting and a second position for storage, the trimmer assembly being approximately vertical in the first position and transverse to the vertical in the second position such that the distance between the supporting surface and the trimmer assembly has increased between the first and second positions.    
     
     
         24 . The road construction apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein said pivoting means comprises a plurality of pivots, said cutter rotates about a first axis for cutting and pivotally rotates about a second axis defined by said plurality of pivots between said first position and said second position.  
     
     
         25 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 22 , wherein said power drive system comprises a hydraulic system including a plurality of hydraulic actuators connected on one end to said trimmer assembly and on the other end to said mainframe, said plurality of actuators for moving said cutter between said first position and said second position.  
     
     
         26 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 22 , wherein said trimmer assembly in the first operative position is removably detachable on a first side and pivotally connected to the mainframe on a second side.  
     
     
         27 . The road construction apparatus according to  claim 22 , wherein said trimmer assembly includes attachment mechanisms for connecting with retaining mechanisms of the mainframe in the second storage position.  
     
     
         28 . A method of repositioning a trimmer assembly of a road construction apparatus, the road construction apparatus comprising a frame, a drive means and a power drive system, the frame being connected to the trimmer assembly, the drive means and power drive system, the drive means moving the construction apparatus along a supporting surface, said power drive system being operatively connected to said trimmer assembly, said method comprising the steps of: 
 positioning said trimmer assembly using said power drive system between being connected to said frame in a first position for using said trimmer assembly for cutting surfaces and being connected to said frame in a second position for storing said trimmer assembly, the trimmer assembly in the first operational position defining a first axis for cutting and the trimmer assembly in the second storage position defining a second axis for cutting that is transverse to the first axis for cutting.    
     
     
         29 . The method of repositioning a trimmer assembly wherein the step of positioning further comprises the step of repositioning the trimmer assembly between the approximately vertical first operative position and the transverse second storage position such that the distance between the trimmer assembly and the supporting surface in the first position is less than the distance between the trimmer assembly and the supporting surface in the second position.