GB2198700A - Vehicle with crane for self loading - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to vehicles of the type provided with a crane for self loading long loads (4) e.g. railway rails wherein the crane (5) is mounted on the load bearing area (2) at one longitudinal edge thereof so that said load bearing area is essentially free from obstructions. Mounting blocks (3) of increasing height on the area provide support for the rails which may be up to 18 metres in length. The crane has an extended length greater than the width of the vehicle. The crane is mounted on a structure (6) with outriggers (8) between the structure and the vehicle chassis (7). Stiffeners (9) prevent twisting of the chassis and stabilising struts (10) are lowered into contact with the ground when the crane is in use. <IMAGE>

Description

VEHICLES This invention relates to vehicles, and is particularly concerned with vehicles provided with a crane.

Vehicle mounted cranes are known both of a type where the vehicle merely serves as a means of transporting a crane to a desired location, and of a type where the crane provides the vehicle with a self-loading capability. However, invariably with vehicles intended to carry relatively heavy loads, the self-loading crane has been mounted on the longitudinal axis of the load-bearing platform of the vehicle.

Such an arrangement is adequate when the load is relatively short, for example, palletted bricks, but in any circumstance where the load is relatively long, such self-loading vehicles cannot readily be used.

This generates added expense when the loads to be transported are, for example, lengths of railway rails. When delivering railway rails to, or recovering railway rails from a particular location, it has, hitherto, been necessary to provide a vehicle to transport the railway rails such as an articulated lorry with a load bearing area of a length to suit the lengths of the rails, and hence up to 6 feet long, and, frequently, an additional crane to load the railway rails onto or unload them from the vehicle. Thus, when the rails are being recovered from an on-site location, two vehicles have frequently needed to be employed, one to transport a required crane to that location, and the second onto which the rails are loaded.Given some of the on-site locations involved it is, on occassion impossible to gain access with an articulated lorry with a trailer of considerable length, and even if access is possible, it is on occassions impossible for such an articulated lorry to be manoeuvred or for it to be turned round for safe exit.

The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle that avoids the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to the present invention, a vehicle comprises a load bearing area, a crane mounted on said load bearing area, said crane being located at one longitudinal edge of said load bearing area, and said load bearing area being provided with means to take the weight of the crane and any load being lifted by the crane. It is important to ensure that twisting of the vehicle chassis does not occur.

Whilst a chassis of sufficent strength can be provided, it is preferred to provide a conventional chassis with additional means to prevent twisting, particularly during use of the crane.

Thus, by locating the crane at one transverse edge of the load bearing area, the full length of the load bearing area becomes available for the load. This is of considerable advantage when the load is railway rails. By using a crane with a folding arm, its location at one side of the vehicle does not impair its ability to lift and lower loads to either side of the vehicle, as an arm of total length considerably greater than the width of the load bearing area can be provided.

To avoid the use of a load-bearing area of excessive length, it is preferred to provide mounting blocks on the load bearing area, that increase in height from the rear of the area towards the front. Thus, the rails are loaded onto the vehicle with an inclined disposition and such that the front of the rails overhang the cab of the vehicle, and only overhand the rear of the vehicle by an acceptable amount.

With conventional vehicles with self-loading cranes, the loading of railway rails in this manner is quite impossible, because the centrally located crane constitutes an insurmountable obstruction, unless the distance from the position of a centrally mounted crane to the end of the load bearing area is comparable with the lengths of the rails. In contrast, the invention permits rails of considerable length, e.g., 6 feet, to be loaded and transported without there being the need to provide a load bearing area of excessive length, permitting the use of lorries with fixed load bearing areas of 24 feet length.

By enabling the use of relatively short, fixed platform lorries, it is possible to employ vehicles with both front and rear wheel drive, a factor of considerable importance when the vehicle needs to travel over rough terrain to reach an on-site location for the delivery or removal of railway rails.

To provide support for the crane, box-like outriggers may be provided secured to and extending transversely from one side of the vehicle chassis, to a position below the position of the crane and to provide further support particularly when the crane is in use, mechanically or hydraulically operable stabilising struts can be provided, to be lowered into ground contact during use of the crane.

The means of preventing twisting of the chassis under the weight of the crane or under a load applied to the crane, can simply be by welding one or more stiffening members to an existing chassis member, the stiffening members being such that they of themselves are capable of withstanding all predictable twisting moments, or such that they combine with the chassis to provide the required resistance to predictable twisting moments.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the vehicle of Figure 1.

In the drawings, a lorry 1 has a fixed platform 2 provided with support members 3 of increasing height from the rear to the front of the platform. Thus, very long loads such as railway rails 4 can be carried by the lorry with a minimum of overhang at the front and the rear of the lorry.

To enable the railway rails 4 to be loaded on and unloaded from the lorry, a crane 5 is provided, located at one longitudinal edge of the platform 2 and thereby to leave substantially the whole width of the platform free to receive the load. Below the platform 2, a support structure 6 is provided connected to the chassis 7 of the lorry, and additional box-like outriggers 8 are provided extending from the chassis 7 to a position directly below the position of the crane. To prevent excessive and damaging twisting of the chassis under the moments created by the weight of the crane or load applied to the crane, stiffening members 9 are provided extending transversely of and welded to the chassis, and although not shown, additional stiffening plates can be welded to the longitudinal chassis members.

When the crane is in use further support is provided by telescopic stabilising struts 18, hydraulically or mechanically operable, being lowered into contact with the ground.

The crane 5 has a main stand 11 supporting two folding arms 12, with the outermost arm being telescopic. Thus, the crane 5, as is indicted by Figure 2 has the ability to lift the load from or lower the load to the ground at the side of the vehicle opposite to the position of the crane, without difficulty.

It will be immediately apparent from the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, by way of example, that the invention provides an ability to transport loads of considerable length on a fixed platform lorry of conventional length, with the ability to on and off load the long lengths involved by its onboard crane The invention provides for the first time an ability to operate adequately in an off-theroad situation by avoiding the need for there to be a trailer vehicle of considerable length to transport such items as railway rails, by avoiding the need for the presence of a second vehicle on which a crane is mounted with the known difficulty of being able to put the vehicles in a correct juxtoposition e.g., alongside a railway track, and by allowing the employment of relatively short fixed platform lorries provided with both front and rear wheel drive better able to deal adequately with the relatively rough terrain ordinarily to be found alongside, e.g., railway tracks.

Claims (10)

1. A vehicle comprising a load bearing area, a crane mounted on said load bearing area, said crane being located at one longitudinal edge of said load bearing area, and said load bearing area being provided with means to take the weight of the crane and any load being lifted by the crane.

2. A vehicle as in Claim 1, having a conventional chassis, wherein additional means are provided to prevent twisting of the chassis particularly during use of the crane.

3. A vehicle as in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the crane is a folding arm crane having a total extended length greater than the width of the vehicle whereby to allow lifting and lowering of loads to either side of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle as in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein to avoid the use of a load-bearing area of excessive length, mounting blocks are provided on the load bearing area, that increase in height from the rear of the area towards the front.

5. A vehicle as in any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle is a fixed platform lorry.

6. A vehicle as in Claim 5, wherein the front and rear wheels are driven wheels.

7. A vehicle as in any of Claims 1 to 6, wherein box-like outriggers are provided secured to and extending transversely from one side of the vehicle chassis, to a position below the position of the crane.

8. A vehicle as in any of Claims 1 to 7, wherein mechanically or hydraulically operable stabilising struts are provided, to be lowered into ground contact during use of the crane.

9. A vehicle as in Claim 2, wherein the means of preventing twisting of the chassis under the weight of the crane or under a load applied to the crane are one or more stiffening members welded to an existing chassis member, the stiffening members being such that they of themselves are capable of withstanding all predictable twisting moments, or such that they combine with the chassis to provide the required resistance to predictable twisting moments.

10. A vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.