1. Field
This invention relates to front-discharge trucks in general, and in particular it relates to a front-discharge truck having an articulated boom wherein predetermined amounts of a prilled material, for example prilled ammonium nitrate, can be discharged through a hollow boom into a bore hole. The control of the boom is done by an operator within the cab of the truck.
2. Prior Art
Front-discharge trucks for various purposes have been known heretofore. Front-discharge concrete trucks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,321 (Sims), while U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,567 (Robert L. Sims) discloses a movable chute for use with front-discharge concrete trucks. Front-discharge concrete trucks use a large conical bowl with vanes or flights in its interior. The vanes or flights convey the concrete to the front open end of the conical container whereby the concrete then discharges by gravity down a chute or other means.
Articulated booms of various types are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,280 (Bennett et al) illustrates a truck having a rigid boom which may be elevated to various positions through which solids such as concrete or other wet slurries or pastes may be pumped. U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,175 (Westerlund et al) discloses a trailer with a pivotable boom wherein two hydraulic cylinders are used to pivot the boom about a limited horizontal arc. The boom may be telescoped.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,304 (Drause) discloses a folding-boom, race-track sprinkler. The boom has a hinge on it about midway in its length. Another sprinkling apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,307 (McMahon). This boom disclosed in McMahon may fold in a vertical fashion to fold alongside the truck. It has a hinge about midway in the boom length. The boom may move manually about a pivot point near the front end of the truck to assume a position extending laterally from either side of the truck. U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,754 (DeKoning) illustrates a front-loading garbage truck wherein a large diameter flexible hose is attached atop the truck at the front and is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder and manually at its distal end whereby the free end may be placed in garbage pit containers to suck the garbage into the truck.