GB2067479A - Trolley for transporting stacks - Google Patents

Abstract

The trolley comprises two tubular struts 1, 2 connected by cross-bars (3), a clamping sleeve (13), being provided for connecting all parts to the struts, the clamping sleeve (13) having a tensioning screw (16) projecting inside the sleeve and having a free spacing from the axis of the sleeve which is greater than the inner radius of the tubular strut 1, 2 at this point. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Trolleys for transporting stacks This invention relates to trolleys for transporting stacks.

Trolleys for transporting stacks are manufactured at low cost for relatively heavy daily use.

These wooden or steel trolleys couid be repaired even in remotely situated plant or countries.

The ever-increasing use of trolleys for transporting stacks and thus the lifting of these trolleys on and off lorries which takes place countless times, resulted in these trolleys being made from aluminium.

Since welding did not provide the required strength in some joints except by making the trolley unnecessarily heavy or expensive, the struts were bent from a tubular rod and the cross-stays were welded in, the axle supports and the axies were screwed to the struts and a handle or guide bar having clips was fixed to the strut. The strut manufactured from a curved rounded tubular rod does not permit extension of the strut by insertion of a further element.

The welding of the aluminium joint led to twisting of the aluminium strut and aligning work was necessary.

When despatching the dismantled trolleys for transporting stacks (eg:- by air freight), the struts welded to the cross-stays took up a larger amount of space than tubular struts having detached crossstays for example.

Screwing the axle supports tight through the centre of the tubular strut caused weaknesses and the danger of cracking in the case of tubular aluminium rods.

The clips for fixing the handle and guide bars to the tubular strut became loose due to differing expansion of the material. The differing expansion of the material. The differing individual height of the handle necessary in different countries (average height in Europe = 1.75 m, in the Far East = 1.60 m) necessitates different handles or guide bars.

These handle or guide bars would therefore have to be prefabricated in different sizes. Moreover, in the previous trolleys, the handle bar determined the height of the handle.

The load was balanced at its centre of gravity by the person pushing the trolley positioning his arms differentlyforeach load, which meantthatthe load was to some extent on the arms.

It was not possible to produce the so-called "earlike" handles as they did not permit the required handle covering and with regard to their ability to be dismantled there were considerable difficulities in manufacture, particularly when trying to achieve a suitable shape for gripping from an ellipsoid tubular rod.

The invention seeks to produce atrolleyfortransporting stacks in which some or all of the disadvantages listed above are abbreviated or substantially reduced.

According to the invention, there is provided a trolley for transporting stacks having two tubular struts connected together by means of cross-bars, wherein the parts fixed to the tubular struts are connected to the tubular struts with the aid of clamping sleeves, and a tensioning screw is provided projecting into the inside of each clamping sleeves with the clear spacing of the tensioning screw from the axis of the clamping sleeve is greater than the outer radius of the tubular strut encircled by the clamping sleeve at this point.

The axis of the tensioning screw lies preferably in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the clamping sleeve and approximately at 45" to the plane of determined by the axes of the tubular struts. The clamping sleeve may be in one piece with the parts to be arranged or fixed on the tubular such as axle supports or ear-shaped handles. Forms of clamping sleeve may be utilized which have mirror image portions and can then be used at right-hand and lefthand side elements.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the perspective drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows one form of trolley in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 shows a cross-barforthetrolley shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows the upper end of a trolley, and Fig. 4 shows an axle support.

The trolley has two tubular struts 1, 2 which are connected together by means of cross-bars 3. A displaceable bar 4 is arranged at the upper ends of the tubular rods 1, 2. An ear-shaped handle 5 is fixed to each of the tubular rods 1, 2 at a suitable height, these handles 5 being connected, if necessary, by means of a stay 6.

A platform 7 is provided at the lower ends of the tubular rods 1,2 and is fixed to axle supports 8.

Wheels 10 are also mounted on the axle supports by means of a wheel axle 9 and are protected by means of plates 11. Further support skids 12 extend from the axle supports to the tubular rods 1 and 2.

The trolley may be dismantled simply into its individual elements. The clamping connection used is shown in Figs. 2 to 4, by way of example. The crossbar 3 shown in Fig. 2 has sleeves 13 at its ends which are provided at least in part with a longitudinal slit 14 in each case. A transverse bore 15 is provided in the sleeve which serves to accomodate a screw 16. With the aid of the screw 16 the slit sleeve 13 may be reduced in its diameter. The bore is thus so arranged that the screw partially projects into the clearcrosssection of the sleeve 13.

The cross-bars may be slid on to the tubular struts as indicated on the left-hand side in Fig. 2. In this case, the tubular rods have cut or embossed depressions at those points at which the cross-bars3 are arranged, these depressions receiving the tensioning screws 16. In order to prevent undesirable weakening of the strength of the tubular struts, the clear spacing of the tensioning screw from the axis of the sleeve should be greater than the inner radius at the same point on the tubular strut encircled by the clamping sleeve.

During assembly, the cross-bar is slid on to the two tubular struts and is brought into its predetermined position. The tensioning screws 16 are then inserted and tightened. The strength of the joint depends, therefore, not only on the clamping forces but on the engagement of the tensioning screw into the notches of the tubular struts, which serve to position the cross-bar. By removing the tensioning screws 16 the cross-bar3 may be removed from the tubular struts 1, 2.

In the same way the remaining parts of the trolley, more particularly the ear-like handles 5 and the axle supports 8, are fixed to the struts. One of these axle supports is shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4. It has a longitudinal sleeve 17 which is provided with a longitudinal slit 18. The tubular strut 1 is inserted into this sleeve. A bore 19 is also provided here for the purpose of accommodating a tensioning screw.

It is advisable to provide the bore with an inclination of approximately 45 with respect to the plane defined by the two tubular rods 1, 2. As a result the notch provided for accommodating the tensioning screw is located in the tubular struts at a point at which there is the lowest loading on the tubular rod when the trolley is in use. Obviously bore 15 shown in Fig. 2 may also have a similar inclination.

The axle support 8 is made in one piece with the protective plate 11. Furthermore, it has three further slit sleeves, two of which 20, 21 are inclined with respect to the tubular struts and are symmetrical so that the same axle support may be arranged on the tubular strut 2 for the opposite side of the trolley. For this reason, a slit sleeve 22 and a bore 23 are provided atthe other edge of the protective plate 11 too.

The third sleeve 24 serves to accommodate the support slide 12. It has its lower end clamped firmly in the sleeve 24 by a tensioning screw 25.

Moreover, the axle support is arranged for the purpose of accomodating the wheel axle 26.

The extension bracket 4 shown in Fig. 2 comprises two tubular extension rods 27, 28 which may be displaced telescopically in the tubular struts 1,2. Their upper ends are connected together by means of a crosspiece 29, the above described clamping joint being used here also. The extension bracket 4 may be clamped firmly in the desired position in a manner knownperse with the aid of a clamping device 30 which is seated on the upper ends of the tubular rods 1,2.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown. The collects or clamping sleeves are shown in one piece with the elements which are to be arranged on the tubular struts. It is obvious that the collects or sleeves may form a special element which is connected separately to the cross-bars etc. It is advisable as shown in the drawings, for the elements to be attached to the struts to be constructed in mirror image of each other so that they may be arranged both on the right-hand and on the left-hand tubular strut. This embodiment is not compulsory however.

In preferred manner tubular rods having an elliptical cross-section are used wherein the main axis of the ellipse is directed to be perpendicular to the plane provided by the two tubular struts.

Claims (5)

1. Atrolley fortransporting stacks having two tubular struts connected together by means of cross-bars, wherein the parts fixed to the tubular struts are connected to the tubular struts with the aid of clamping sleeves, and a tensioning screw is provided projecting into the inside of each clamping sleeves with the clear spacing of the tensioning screw from the axis of the clamping sleeve is greater than the outer radius of the tubular strut encircled by the clamping sleeve at this point.

2. Atrolley according to Claim 1, wherein the axis of the tensioning screw lies in a plane perpendicularto the axis of the clamping sleeve, and is arranged inclined at approximately 45'to the plane defined by the axes of the tubular struts.

3. A trolley according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the clamping sleeve comprising one piece with the elements which are to be connected on to the tubular struts.

4. A trolley according to Claim 1, wherein the elements are fixed in mirror image to each other so that they may be used on eitherthe right-hand oron the left-hand side.

5. Atrolley for transporting stacks substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.