Patent Archive · Municipal Road Rollers
Before the 1916 merger that formed Buffalo-Springfield, engineers in Buffalo patented key improvements in municipal road compaction that defined 20th-century highway construction.
To prevent the heavy front steering roll from tearing up freshly laid hot asphalt or crowned macadam stone when turning corners, Buffalo roller patents introduced a pivoted gooseneck kingpin and split front roller drums capable of rotating independently on curves.
Patented rear-mounted pneumatic and steam-cylinder scarifier teeth allowed a single road roller to rip up rutted gravel streets on the first pass and compact the regraded surface on the return pass.