AU2010100114B4 - Fork Lift Truck Cradle / Backrest Guard & Secondary Attachment Base - Google Patents

Description

Australian Patents Act 1990 Complete Specification Innovation Patent For Fork Lift Truck Cradle I Backrest Guard & Secondary Attachment Base The following Statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 1 Fork Lift Truck Cradle / Backrest Guard & Secondary Attachment Base This invention relates to improvements in devices for the protection of fork lifts trucks from damage occ rring through the backrest / cradle of the fork lift truck: For many operators of forklift damage can occur to equipment behind the backrest / cradle area of the fork lift. In this area there can be items which are present only for ancillary equipment nt on the fork truck such as hydraulic cylinders for side shift or load chains and masts for the primary lift function of the fork lift truck. Many operators experience damage to these items during standard operation which can lead to costly repairs or safety issues. This guard will fully protect this area to remove these items of concerns. This guard has been designed to ensure a single maintenance person can remove this guard so maintenance work can be carried out in the field. The hook system shown in the schematic(Fig 1) will allow the operator to load undo the mounting bolt by 3 turns and load the guard on o the mounting bolt. The bottom bolt can then be removed and the bottom hole locat d and bolted onto the frame. The two oval holes (Fig 2) in the front of the guard are there e to act as hand holes to give the maintenance operator an even lift when removing aid fitting the guard. It is intend ed with the use of this guard that the forks on the fork lift truck can still be moved in and >ut as per the manufacturer's standard operations. The round holes (Fig 3) in the guard have been added to increase the vision through the guard. As per standard training the fork lift truck should not be moved with the forks raised far from t ground however these holes have been added to aid vision of operators that do not follow the standard practice. The fork removal prevention (Fig 4) which is located at the bottom of the guard is provided to coun eract the removal of the forks intentionally or accidentally during standard operatio . Fork lift truck forks are fitted using a tongue and groove system loaded on from t e centre of the fork loading rack. If an operator chooses to make a lift with the forks mc ved into the centre of this carriage and drives the vehicle the forks could be struck on the ground and accidentally fall creating a hazard. The piece of guard steel can be used to e ure the guards are never pushed too far in which will prevent the for mentioned conce n. The lifting shackle load point (Fig 5) has been added to give additional hold on the load being tr sported. In many fork lift truck applications only one off loads are carried which are of different shape and weight. Some loads may be top heavy creating a potential mis placement of the load. This load shackle point will allow the load to be chained off during transport to prevent the load from falling from the fork lift truck. A secondary attachment point (Fig 6) has been added to the guard to allow for secondary systems to be ad ed to the guard such as load sensing or load pushing systems. The steel will be laser cut from flat steel sheet and the required bends added during the manufacturing process. In order to prevent corrosion a painting or powder coating option will be offered. It will be realisec that the guard can be made from heavier gauge material dependent on the application ti at the guard will be used. For heavier applications heavier material will 2 be used and the fitting and removal of the guard may need additional support of mechanical device to be removed. CLAIMS The claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. A fork lift truck back rest/cradle guard comprising of a laser cut & bent piece of steel which is mounted using a hook mounting system onto existing mounting bolts at the rear of the fork lift truck forks and is easily fitted and removed by one maintenance operator using the oval hand holes cut into the steel and will protect all items behind the backrest / cradle of the fork truck from damage such as hydraulic cylinders load chains and differentials. 2. The fork lift truck back rest / cradle guard of claim 1 will have holes cut into the steel to aid vision for forklift applications where the load is needed to be carried in an elevated position. 3. The fork lift truck back rest / cradle guard of claim 1 will have a fork removal prevention plate which will prevent the removal of the forks intentionally or accidentally by use of a bent plate incorporated into the guard design. 4. The fork lift truck back rest / cradle guard of claim I will have a mounting point for a load shackle to aid in the movement of a load which could be unstable such as top heavy 5. The fork lift truck back rest / cradle guard of claim 1 will have a secondary attachment point which will allow secondary attachments such as load sensing or load pushing system. David Edward Anderson 12 The Terrace Seabrook Victoria 3028 0400139345 true.balance bigpondicm 3

Claims (5)

1. A fork lift truck back rest/cradle guard comprising of a laser cut & bent piece of steel which is mounted using a hook mounting system onto existing mounting bolts at the rear of the fork lift truck forks and is easily fitted and removed by one maintenance operator using the oval hand holes cut into the steel and will protect all items behind the backrest / cradle of the fork truck from damage such as hydraulic cylinders load chains and differentials.

2. The fork lift truck back rest / cradle guard of claim 1 will have holes cut into the steel to aid vision for forklift applications where the load is needed to be carried in an elevated position.

3. The fork lift truck back rest / cradle guard of claim 1 will have a fork removal prevention plate which will prevent the removal of the forks intentionally or accidentally by use of a bent plate incorporated into the guard design.

4. The fork lift truck back rest / cradle guard of claim I will have a mounting point for a load shackle to aid in the movement of a load which could be unstable such as top heavy

5. The fork lift truck back rest / cradle guard of claim 1 will have a secondary attachment point which will allow secondary attachments such as load sensing or load pushing system. David Edward Anderson 12 The Terrace Seabrook Victoria 3028 0400139345 true.balance bigpondicm 3