Ride-On Roadway Maintenance Machine

Abstract

A self-propelled roadway crack routing machine has an operator's station located on a front portion of the machine's chassis and including a forward-facing operator's seat. A driven crack routing cutter drum for routing cracks in a roadway surface is mounted on the front portion of the chassis in a location that can be monitored by a forward-facing operator while controlling machine steering and propulsion. The machine includes a steered rear wheel and unsteered front wheels. Machine steering and propulsion and implement operation may all be effected hydraulically.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A roadway maintenance machine comprising:
 a chassis having front and rear portions disposed fore and aft of a lateral centerline, respectively;   wheels that support the chassis on a roadway, the wheels including first and second laterally spaced non-steerable front wheels that each rotates about a horizontal axis that extends laterally of the machine and a rear wheel disposed laterally between the front wheels, the rear wheel being turnable about a vertical axis to steer the machine;   an engine mounted on the chassis;   an operator's station located on the chassis and including a forward-facing operator's seat; and   a routing cutter drum, mounted on the front portion of the chassis, for performing roadway crack routing operations as the machine is propelled forwardly along the roadway, the cutter drum including a rotating cutter assembly that rotates about a horizontal cutter assembly axis that extends laterally of the machine.   
     
     
         2 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the operator's station further comprises one or more operator-actuated controls for controlling the machine. 
     
     
         3 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the controls include at least one joystick. 
     
     
         4 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the cutter assembly includes first and second disks that are rotatable about the cutter assembly axis and a plurality of peripherally spaced cutter wheel assemblies, each of which is mounted between the disks and supports at least one cutter wheel that is configured to rotate about an axis that is parallel with but radially offset from the cutter assembly axis. 
     
     
         5 . The roadway maintenance machine of  claim 4 , wherein each cutter wheel assembly includes a pin and first and second bushings that support the pin and that are removably inserted into respective bores in the first and second disks, and further comprising first and second retainers that releasably retain the first and second bushings in the respective bores of the first and second disks. 
     
     
         6 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 4 , wherein each cutter wheel assembly comprises a pin extending between the first and second disks, a cutter wheel mounted on the pin in a free-wheeling manner, at least one spacer mounted on the pin between the cutter wheel and one of the disks, and a sacrificial washer surrounding the pin and attached to an inner axial surface of each of the first and second disks. 
     
     
         7 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising an actuator that raises and lowers the cutter drum relative to the chassis and that, during a cutting operation maintains a uniform cutting depth. 
     
     
         8 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising first and second footrests that flank opposed lateral sides of the cutter drum, wherein each of the footrests has a front end, and wherein a portion of the cutter drum being is behind the front ends of the footrests. 
     
     
         9 . A roadway maintenance machine comprising:
 a chassis having front and rear portions disposed fore and aft of a lateral centerline, respectively;   wheels that support the chassis on a roadway and that include at least one wheel that can be driven and/or steered;   an engine mounted on the chassis;   an operator's station located on the front portion of the chassis and including a forward-facing operator's seat;   a crack router cutter drum, mounted on the front portion of the chassis at a location positioned at least in part behind a front end of the operator's seat, for performing a roadway crack routing operation, wherein the location at which the cutter drum is positioned provides an unobstructed line of sight from an operator to the cutter drum when the operator is sitting on the operator's seat and facing forwardly;   controls, accessible by a seated operator, that are configured to steer and propel the machine and to control operation of the cutter drum including cutter drum rotation and raising and lowering of the cutter drum.   
     
     
         10 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the wheels include first and second laterally spaced non-steerable front wheels that each rotates about a horizontal axis that extends laterally of the machine and a rear wheel disposed laterally between the front wheels, the rear wheel being turnable about a vertical axis to steer the machine. 
     
     
         11 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 9 , further comprising first and second footrests that flank opposed lateral sides of the cutter drum, wherein each of the footrests has a front end, and wherein a portion of the cutter drum being is behind the front ends of the footrests. 
     
     
         12 . A roadway maintenance machine comprising:
 a chassis having front and rear portions disposed fore and aft of a lateral centerline, respectively;   wheels that support the chassis on a roadway and that include at least one wheel that can be driven and/or steered;   an engine mounted on the chassis;   an operator's station located on the front portion of the chassis and including a forward-facing operator's seat;   a crack router cutter drum, mounted on the front portion of the chassis; and   first and second footrests that flank the cutter drum, wherein each of the footrests has a front end, and wherein a portion of the cutter drum is behind the front ends of the footrests.   
     
     
         13 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 12 , the cutter drum is positioned at a location that provides an unobstructed line of sight from an operator to the cutter drum when the operator is sitting on the operator's seat and facing forwardly. 
     
     
         14 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the cutter drum is positioned at least in part behind a front end of the operator's seat. 
     
     
         15 . The roadway maintenance machine as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the wheels include first and second laterally spaced non-steerable front wheels that each rotates about a horizontal axis that extends laterally of the machine and a rear wheel disposed laterally between the front wheels, the rear wheel being turnable about a vertical axis to steer the machine.