This invention relates to a mobile crusher/shredder apparatus.

Crushers are used in quarries in order to break up large pieces of stone and rock into smaller pieces, and usually comprise one or more toothed crusher roll, and which can also be used to break down rubble, debris and waste material.

Shredders are used to tear up or shred material, such as scrap tyres, domestic and industrial waste, rubble, branches and tree roots, and comprise robustly constructed sets of rotary shredder blades arranged at spacings along drive shafts and which interleave, ie one blade of one set moves through the space defined between a pair of blades of another set, in order to exert a shredding action on the material supplied.

The disposal of waste material on landfill sites is a continuing problem, as the quantities of waste requiring disposal eg domestic and industrial waste, rubble from demolition sites continue to grow, while the availability of landfill sites is finite. It is therefore important to reduce the bulk of waste material as much as possible, prior to disposal on a site.

The present invention has therefore been developed primarily, though not exclusively, with this in mind, and seeks to provide a mobile crusher/shredder apparatus which renders easier the treatment and handling of waste material for disposal. However, it should be understood that the invention is not restricted to this use, and may be employed in the treatment and handling of other material which requires to be broken down in size, eg a crusher to break down stones, rocks and minerals.

According to the invention there is provided a mobile apparatus for breaking-up material fed to the apparatus, and comprising: a main frame; a wheel set supporting the main frame; a towing hitch at one end of the frame to permit the

apparatus to be towed from one site to another by a towing vehicle; a crusher and/or shredder device mounted on the frame; a hopper arranged to supply the material to said device; and an outlet from said device for discharging the material broken up by the device; in which; the towing hitch is carried by a carrier frame which is pivotally connected to the main frame for movement between a substantially horizontal towing position and an upright supporting position for supporting said one end of the frame upon uncoupling of the apparatus from the towing vehicle; and the main frame includes an arched portion on which said device is mounted, whereby material discharged from said outlet can be received by a collection and/or distribution device introduced into the space defined below the arched portion.

The apparatus according to the invention therefore is readily rendered mobile after operating at any particular site, so that it can be towed to a further site, by pivoting of the towing hitch carrier frame from the supporting position to the towing position.

However, once the apparatus has been installed at a new site, it is uncoupled from the towing vehicle, and the carrier frame is then pivoted to the supporting position. The arched frame portion defines a space in which a collecting device, such as a collecting bucket of a front loader can be placed, in order to receive a charge of broken- up material from the device outlet. The front loader can then withdraw the bucket from this space and move to a deposition region, eg a landfill site.

The apparatus therefore can be used on site to break¬ down, eg waste and trash, to reduce its volume, thereby making more efficient use of the landfill site.

Any suitable collection and/or distribution device may be used with the apparatus, including in addition to a front

loader, an endless conveyor arranged to receive and to transfer the discharged material direct to the deposition region.

The device mounted on the arched frame may comprise a crusher device or a shredder device, or even a stack of one device upon the other.

The wheel set is preferably mounted on a trailing end portion of the main frame, whereas the towing hitch carrier frame comprises a forward prolongation of the arched frame portion.

The wheel set may comprise a single or double axle arrangement as required.

To facilitate the movement of the towing hitch carrier frame between its two positions, it is preferred that a temporary support leg is attached to the main frame and which can be adjusted to take up a temporary ground engaging position in which it provides vertical support for the main frame in addition to, and balancing the support provided by the wheel set.

The carrier frame is preferably adjustable under the action of a fluid pressure cylinder.

An adjustably mounted end plate may be attached to the main frame in order to close-off one end of the space defined under the arched portion, to provide an upright support against which discharged material can be pressed during loading with a front loader.

One embodiment of mobile apparatus according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an end view of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a side view of a central part of an arched frame portion forming part of a main frame of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a side view of a trailing end or rear part of the main frame supported by a twin axle wheel set;

Figure 4 is a side view of a front end portion of the main frame adjusted to take up a supporting position;

Figure 5 is a side view, similar to Figure 4, showing

-4- upward adjustment of a towing hitch carrier frame portion to a towing position; and,

Figure 6 is a schematic view, in side elevation, of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an embodiment of mobile apparatus for breaking-up material fed to the apparatus, such as stones and rocks in a quarry, or domestic or industrial waste, or debris resulting from a demolition. The apparatus will be provided with a crusher device, eg one or more toothed crusher rolls of the type used in quarries, or may comprise a shredder device for tearing or shredding material. The apparatus may also comprise a crusher device and shredder device arranged in a stack.

The apparatus is designated generally by reference 10 and comprises a main frame 11 having a horizontal rearward portion 12 supported by a twin axle arrangement of wheel sets 13. A towing hitch 1 is arranged at the forward end of the main frame, and permits the apparatus to be towed from one site to another by a towing vehicle. The embodiment of towing hitch 14 shown comprises a hitching device of a type suitable for coupling with a conventional "fifth wheel" coupling of a towing vehicle.

In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus 10 is provided with a shredder device 15 comprising rotary chopper blades mounted at spaced apart positions along respective drive shafts, and in which the chopper blades interleave with each other during rotation in order to exert a shredding action on the material supplied. A hopper 16 is arranged above the shredder device 15 to supply material thereto, which is to be broken—up or shredded into small pieces.

An outlet 17 extends substantially throughout the full length of the underside of the shredder device 15, to discharge the broken—up material for subsequent disposal.

As can be seen particularly from Figures 2 to 4, the main frame 11 includes an arched frame portion 18, and the shredder device 15 is mounted along an upper horizontal portion 19 of the arched frame 18. Therefore, the arched

frame 18 defines a space into which the material discharged under gravity from the outlet 17 can fall, to be collected by any suitable collection and/or distribution device introduced into the space. The space therefore can readily accommodate any suitable collecting device, such as a bucket mounted at the front of a front end loader.

The towing hitch 14 is mounted on the underside of a carrier frame 20 which comprises a forward prolongation of the main frame 11 when adjusted to the horizontal towing position shown in Figure 5. However, carrier frame 20 can be pivoted under the action of a fluid cylinder 21 in order to take up a ground-engaging support position shown in Figure 4.

To facilitate the movement of the towing hitch 14 between its two positions, a temporary support leg type attachment 22 is provided on the main frame 11 and can be adjusted to take up a temporary ground-engaging position under the action of fluid cylinder 23 as shown in Figure 5. In this position, it provides vertical support for the main frame 11, which is in addition to and which balances the support provided at the rear end by the wheel set 13.

The temporary support 22 includes an extendible leg which can be lowered, when the support 22 is in the supporting position shown in Figure 5, to bring it down into firm contact with the ground.

Although not shown, an adjustably mounted end plate may be attached to the main frame 11 in order to close off one end of the space defined under the arch 18, and any material deposited directly on the ground from the outlet 17 can then be readily picked up by a front loader which pushes the material up against this end plate.

The embodiment of apparatus shown in the drawings is particularly suitable for use at landfill sites, and will be of use by organisations, such as local councils, who are charged with the disposal of domestic and industrial waste.

The apparatus however may have other uses, including as a mobile crusher plant for use in quarries.