US2993605A - Loading and unloading crane - Google Patents

Description

July 25, 1961 M. SMITH LOADING AND UNLOADING CRANE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1957 INVENTOR ATTORNEY MAX 1.. SMITH July 25, 1961 M. L. SMITH 2,993,605

LOADING AND UNLOADING CRANE Filed June 14, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 I L INVENTOR F7615 MAX L. SMITH ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifiee 2,993,605 Patented July 25, 1961 2,993,605 LOADING AND UNLOADING CRANE Max L. Smith, Fort Pierce, Fla., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Curtiss-Wright Corporation, South Bend, Ind, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 14, 1957, Ser. No. 665,704 2 Claims. (Cl. 212-55) The present invention relates broadly to cranes for loading and unloading of materials, and more specifically to a crane of the travelling boom type adapted for mounting on the bed of a truck or the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a crane or boom structure of novel and simple construction adapted to be mounted upon a truck platform and which can be easily extended or retracted, and rotated in a circle to the proper angle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a crane employing the principle of a traveling boom having the point of lift always at the end of the boom, and wherein the lifting force is supplied by a hydraulic cylinder or the like located in the boom and transmitted to a lifting hook by a conventional roller chain.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a crane of a nature wherein the whole boom travels as a unit, horizontally with respect to a vertical mount or support for the crane.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide in such a crane, mounting means adapted for providing a rotating movement to the crane by use of a single interior piece of 'metal tubing rotatably supported within an exterior piece of tubing.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a crane having hydraulic motors and worm gear reduces associated with a vertical support for the boom, whereby the boom as a unit may be rotated to a desired angular disposition with respect to a truck bed or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel mounting for the boom whereby it can be swung around in a complete circle, and additionally means for raising and lowering a 'hoist carried by a boom and wherein the construction and operation are simple and sturdy in design as also inexpensive to manufacture and operate.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a crane adapted for mounting on a truck bed utilizing a wholly movable boom in which the operating mechanism for a chain lift is secured in a position to prevent external disturbances.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the crane of the present invention, parts being broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear end elevational view of the crane;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the device of the present invention is shown applied to a motor vehicle truck bed mounted on a truck frame 12. A tubular vertical support 14 having a lower flange 16 is mounted on the truck bed 10 by means of bolts or the like 18. Angularly disposed bracing supports 20 have their lower ends secured to the truck bed by means of bolts 22 and the upper ends of the braces are secured to the tubular vertical support 14 as by welding or the like. An upper flange 24 is provided at the top of the tubular vertical support 14 and aflixed thereto by welding such as at 26 on the exterior and at 28 on the interior. This upper flange 24 serves as a support for the boom and rotating structure of the crane as will appear hereinafter.

An inner tubular vertical support 30 is inserted in and extends through tubular vertical support 14, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, and has at its upper end a flange 32 welded thereto at 34. This flange 32 rides on and is supported by the upper flange 24 on the tubular vertical support 14 and is rotatable thereon. The lower end of the inner tubular vertical support 30 extends below the support 14 and has secured thereto a gear 36 which, by means of a chain 38, is associated with a sprocket gear 40 carried on a shaft of reducing gear 42 for providing rotational movement to the inner vertical support 30 by means of oil motor 44 connected into the reducing gear by shaft 46. By means of a plurality of oil inlets and outlets of a known type and disposition, diagrammatically indicated at 48, the oil motor 44 can be so operated as to rotate the inner tubular vertical support 30 in any desired direction of rotation.

Affixed to and carried by the flange 32 of the inner tubular vertical support 30 is a boom head 50. Upper and lower sets of rollers 52 and 54 respectively, are rotatably mounted in the boom head 50, as shown in detail in FIGURE 4, by means of shafts 56 extending through the side walls of the boom head 50. Washers or collars 58 are operatively associated with the rollers 52 and 54 and constitute guide means for the traveling boom, generally designated 60, which is mounted for movement between the upper and lower sets of rollers and for rolling engagement therewith into extended or retracted position.

The boom 60 is of substantially box-like configuration having side members 62 and upper and lower inturned flanges 64 and 66 respectively adapted to ride in rolling engagement with and be supported between upper and lower rollers 52. and 54. Mounted interiorly of boom .60 is a hydraulic cylinder, diagrammatically shown at 68, and secured to the boom structure at 70. ,A shaft 72 is secured to the piston of the hydraulic cylinder 68 and is telescopically mounted with respect thereto, as indicated by the arrow 74 in FIGURE 1. At its free outer end, the shaft 72 carries a rotatably mounted gear wheel 76. A chain 78 is secured at 80 to the boom 60 and extends around gear wheel 76, through a chain guide 82 over another gear wheel 84 in proximity to the free end of the boom 60, and at its lower vertically extended end is adapted to support a lifting hook 86 or the like, although manifestly any desired lifting or carrying means can be supported by the chain.

The chain 78 constitutes a lift chain actuatable by means of the hydraulic cylinder 68 through hydraulic leads 88 and 90 attached into opposite ends of the cylinder 68 and extending to a suitable hydraulic pressure means or source whereby the piston in the cylinder 68 can operate to drive shaft 72 into retracted or extended position and thereby, by means of gear wheel 76 acting on chain 78, serve to raise or lower the lifting hook 86 as desired. A spring 92, supported from the boom head 50, serves as a resilient support for the hydraulic lines to accommodate the lines to horizontal traveling of the boom 60. As will be understood hereinafter, the actuation of the lift hook and chain apparatus is wholly independent of operational movement of the boom either in horizontal extension or in rotation.

Atrixed to the boom 60, interiorly thereof, is a second chain 94 secured at 96 which passes over a gear wheel 98, under gear wheel 100, over gear wheel 102, and is again secured to boom 60 at 104. An oil motor 106 is mounted on boom head 50 and connected into a reduction gear 108 by means of shaft 110. A stub gear 112 is to retracted position. A rear stop 118 and a front stop 128 are provided on the exterior of boom 60 to limit the extent of movement thereof by coaction with boom head 50 in an obvious manner.

Springs 122 interconnect the boom with the boom head by means of arm 124 to facilitate return of the boom 60 from a fully retracted position to an extended position.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that operation of the present device will be readily apparent.

The boom can be extended or retracted by means of the chain 94; the lifting hook can be actuated in the directions of the arrow in FIGURE 1 by means of chain 78 and associated mechanism; and the boom 60 can be angularly rotated by means of the chain 38 and associated mechanism. Each of these operations is separate and distinct from each of the other operations, which provides a very facile operation to the device of this invention.

Manifestly, minor changes in details of construction can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined in, and limited solely by, the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A boom crane, comprising: a vertically disposed tubular support having an inner support member rotatably disposed therein and supported on the upper end thereof, a boom head 'fixed to said inner support and rotatable therewith on said tubular support, said boom head including side wall members having spaced upper and lower roller means secured therebetween and serving as cross braces for said side Walls, a reciprocal boom disposed through said boom head and between said upper and lower roller means for cantilevered support thereby in extended positions thereof, said boom comprising parallel spaced channel beam members in open faced relation and having the flanges thereof in rolling engagement with said roller means, a drive chain provided on the underside of said boom between the ends thereof and within the protection of the spaced lower flanges of the channel beams thereof, chain drive means mounted on said boom head and operatively engaged to said drive chain for reciprocating said boom relative to said boom head, drive means operatively engaged to the lower end of said inner support member for rotation thereof and of said boom head and boom therewith, a lift chain mounted within said boom and extending beyond one end thereof, a power cylinder mounted within the other end of said boom and operatively engaged to said lift chain within a reversely laid loop thereof, and means operatively connected between said boom and boom head for assistance in the extension of said boom for loading and unloading operations.

2. A boom crane, comprising: a vertically disposed tubular support having an inner support member rotatably disposed therein and supported on the upper end thereof, a boom head fixed to said inner support and rotatable therewith on said tubular support, said boom head including side wall members having spaced upper and lower roller means secured therebetween and serving as cross braces for said side walls a reciprocal boom disposed through said boom head =and between said upper and lower roller means for cantilevered support thereby in extended positions thereof, said boom comprising parallel spaced channel beam members in open faced relation and having the flanges thereof in rolling engagement with said roller means, a drive chain provided on the underside of said boom between the ends thereof and Within the protection of the spaced lower flanges of the channel beams thereof, chain drive means mounted on said boom head and operatively engaged to said drive chain for reciprocating said boom relative to said boom head, drive means operatively engaged to the lower end of said inner support member, for rotation thereof and of said boom head and boom therewith, a lift chain mounted within said boom and extending beyond one end thereof, and a power cylinder mounted within the other end of said boom and operatively engaged to said lift chain within a reversely laid loop thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS 678,188 Macbeth July 9, 1901 2,382,299 Deiters 'Aug. 14, 1945 2,462,926 Wilson Mar. 1, 1949 2,528,588 Forslund Nov. 7, 1950 2,592,993 Adams Apr. 15, 1952 2,755,939 Rush July 24, 1956 2,787,383 Antos Apr. 2, 1957 2,792,138 Olson May 14, 1957

Images