Photo Gallery: Concrete Floor Spreader

The pictures are of a hydraulic powered floor laying machine which is based on an electric vehicle chassis, similar to a milk float. We designed this machine from scratch and acted as project manager whilst the machine was being manufactured at a local company.

The hopper on the back of the vehicle holds a dry powder, which is ready mixed and only requires water to be laid as a levelling screed.

The powder is mixed with water by a continuous mixer, which is hydraulically driven, and dropped into a vibrating spreader box, this ensures that the mix is evenly distributed across the full width of the path being levelled. This laying mechanism can be tilted up so that the vehicle can travel at a faster speed whilst not in laying mode.

As the machine moves slowly along, the mix is levelled using a spreader bar that is adjusted up or down by hydraulic cylinders. These cylinders are controlled by proportioal valves which obtain commands from specially manufactured electronics that sense the verical position of a rotating lazer.

All of the power to operate the machine, both hydraulic and electric, is generated by a modified Kobota generator set. The fuel tank was removed and replaced with a hydraulic tank, a hydraulic pump fitted to the engine and the engine modified to run on gas, so that it was suitable for running indoors. This then provided all of the hydraulic power for the mixer, levelling system and tilt mechanism and electrical power for the water supply, powder vibrators, proportional valves and could even charge the truck batteries via a battery charger in the cab.

Click image for close-up