A three-wheeled machine carries a hopper positioned to receive paving material from a dump truck immediately in front of the machine, the hopper being emptied by a conveyor oriented transversely to the path of the machine. A left front wheel, a left rear wheel and a right side wheel support the machine and are so connected to the machine and to actuating mechanisms as to lift or lower the left and right sides of the machine in a selective manner, and thereby enable the machine to be elevated or lowered in level fashion, or to be inclined either toward the left or toward the right. The left rear wheel and the right wheel are independently driven and thus afford "skid steer" capability. Of particular interest is the construction and operation of the left rear wheel which selectively enables it to be moved not only up and down but also in a fore and aft direction between a retracted position, for compactness while the machine is being transported, and a projected position, for maximum stability of the machine while being operated.

A windrow-type paving machine movable along a windrow of paving material includes a loading conveyor operable to transfer the upper portion of the paving material within the windrow into a hopper. The remainder of the paving material remains on the roadway and passes through a tunnel formed in the paving machine to a lateral auger and screed which cooperate to spread and level the paving material. The machine provides a hopper which receives the upper portion of the paving material for subsequent delivery by a conveyor to the lateral auger and screed when insufficient paving material passes through the tunnel to produce the required paving. Agitator means are provided in the tunnel to break up lumps of paving material and the like before they reach the auger.

A screw conveyor in which mixing and flow-directing paddles are selectively adjustable for use on a wide variety of materials having dissimilar flow characteristics. The adjustable paddles are advantageously applied to a screw, or auger, conveyor of an asphalt paving machine to convey a sufficient amount of unsegregated paving material beneath a center drive case or other problem distribution area.

A self-propelled paver that distributes, consolidates, places and finishes polymer concrete to rapidly resurface roadbeds. A mobile, wheeled chassis mounts an adjustable hopper that receives premixed polymer from a mixer truck that precedes the paver. A finishing assembly secured to the chassis has a distribution assembly for applying concrete transversely across the surface, and a trailing finishing screed that surfaces and densifies the concrete. An active, hydraulic suspension dynamically orients the chassis and the finishing assembly with the roadbed. Individual height adjusting cylinders can be extended or contracted by an automatic grade control that logically senses grade through an external string line. The distribution system comprises an open bottom exposing the surface to be paved, and an open top adapted to receive concrete from a trough extending from the hopper. A bidirectional auger is rotatably disposed within a distribution box for moving concrete upon the surface. The finishing screed comprises a rigid strike off that initially contacts uncompacted concrete laid by the distribution system. An intermediate pan extending between the strike off and a trailing bull float mounts a plurality of vibrators that facilitate concrete densification. The vertically displaceable hopper can be adjusted to an appropriate operative orientation relative to the mixing truck. When tested in place with a nuclear densitometer, resultant concrete density will meet or exceed standards established for all modern paving jobs. Ride quality as measured by a profilograph according to known procedures will meet all established standards.

A paving material distribution system for uniformly distributing a layer of paving material includes a containment member that is slidably mounted on the rear frame of a paving machine. A first means for conveying paving material laterally with respect to the direction of travel of the paving machine is positioned at a preselected distance from the containment member. Power means are also included to controllably, simultaneously move the containment member and the first means in a substantially vertical direction.