Apparatus for handling and distributing particulate material

摘要

Material handling apparatus comprising a vehicle trailer (14, fig.1) including a tip bucket assembly (16) suspended between upper ends of a pair of elongate arms 32 whose lower ends are secured to and rotatable with a generally horizontal shaft 30 supported on a chassis of the trailer. The trailer includes means for imparting rotation to the shaft. The tip bucket assembly comprises two separable clam shell shaped sections 20,22 moveable between a first position in which their adjacent sides abut to define a unitary tip bucket assembly (see figs.1-8) and a second position in which they separate to define two clam shell shaped sections (see figs.9-11). The apparatus may comprise a single crank assembly 38, or two spaced crank assemblies, connected to a hydraulic ram 44 for imparting rotation to the shaft. The trailer chassis may be generally U-shaped (see fig.11). Split clamshell arrangement may be used to self-load the bucket assembly. Releasable latches (36, fig.2) may be used to secure the clam shell portions together. Also claimed is a vehicle comprising a driveable section connectable to the trailer (see fig.1).