"Hopper" Stone Applicator for Shoulder Maintenance
- Roadway/roadside
Innovation
The Hopper is used to apply stone along roadway shoulders. It is designed with sloped sides, a Teflon liner, and a vibrator to ensure material flows down the chute and onto the shoulder. It also has a fully adjustable plate to accommodate elevation differences from the hard-surfaced road to the shoulder.
Benefit and Implementation
Traditional application of stone along shoulders is a slow process, and the stone is not uniformly applied. Cleanup after shoulder stone application is time consuming and the equipment used for the application requires a lot of maintenance. Using the Hopper devices will result in less material wasted and reduced labor and equipment costs, and will produce more lane miles covered and increase safety for residents.
