GB2223530A

GB2223530A - Toggle eye for skip

Info

Publication number: GB2223530A
Application number: GB8823344A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin Terrence Yates
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-10-05
Filing date: 1988-10-05
Publication date: 1990-04-11
Also published as: GB8823344D0

Abstract

The toggle eye for a skip has retaining means cooperable with a flanged stud 21 on the skip to releasably retain the eye on the stud. As shown, the retaining means comprises a caliper arrangement 13 mounted on a spindle 14 in a body part 11, and with a spring 16 to hold the jars 13a of the caliper arrangement closed to retain the eye on even the smallest stud; the caliper arrangement 13 is accommodated in a recess in the body part and is retained by a cover plate 18. The body part 11 has a hook 31 for receiving chain links 32 and having a spring retainer 33. <IMAGE>

Description

TOGGLE EYE FOR SKIP This invention relates to toggle eyes for skips.

Conventionally, skips of the type transported by skiploaders to be left e.g. at a worksite to be filled with material to be removed from the site, have toggle studs at the corners to receive toggle eyes of the lifting chains. The toggle studs have flanges to retain the eyes on the studs.

Unfortunately, the eyes sometimes fall off the studs when the lifting chains are loose e.g. during attachment, and this may not be noticed by the driver fitting chains to the other side. When he attempts to hoist the skip, it can tip and even destabilise the skip loader, and accidents involving quite serious injury have happened in this way.

One problem that increases the risk is that skips are not all the same size nor are the studs and flanges. A large diameter eye will more easily fall off a small diameter toggle stud. One attempted solution to this problem, namely to provide different sizes of eye in a single eye plate, however, accentuates a further problem, namely that the different skip heights mean that with the length of chain suitable for the smallest skips, there is too much slack when attaching the larger skips, and the eyes fall off the more readily. With multiple eyes in a single plate, the height mismatch problem is simply made more complicated.

Even this solution, however, is not universally attempted, the commonplace arrangements involving a simple ring on the end of the lifting chain.

The present invention provides a universal toggle eye arrangement which effectively prevents the eye from slipping off the stud.

The invention comprises a toggle eye for a skip having retaining means cooperating with the flange on the toggle stud to releasably retain the eye on the stud.

The retaining means may comprise a resilient arrangement, and may comprise a caliper arrangement having jaws openable to pass over the - flange and closable to prevent passage of the eye over the flange..

The toggle eye may have, in contrast to the prior art arrangement discussed above, but a single eye big enough to accommodate the largest sizes of studs and flanges, the retaining means, however, being adapted to retain such a large eye even on the smallest sizes of studs and flanges.

The toggle eye may have a hook for selectably engaging lifting chain links, and this hook may have a retainer for the selected link. In this way, the lifting chain length may be easily adjusted to suit different sizes of skip, a chain being provided long enough for the smallest skips, links being taken in for the larger sizes.

One embodiment of a toggle eye according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a part-sectional elevation; and Figure 2 is a section on the line II-II of Figure 1.

The toggle eye illustrated in Figure 1 and Figure 2 comprises a body member 11 which might be a casting, having an eye 12. The eye 12 has a diameter D of about 75 mm, which is adequate for all sizes of flanged stud formed on commercially available skips. A flanged stud 21 is shown in Figure 2 projecting from the side wall 23 of a skip with the toggle eye in place thereon.

The toggle eye comprises a caliper arrangement 13 mounted on a spindle 14 in the body part 11. The spindle 14 has a grease nipple 15 on the rear face of the body part 11. A spring 16 surrounding the spindle 14 holds the caliper arrangement 13 with its jaws 13a closed, in which position they retain the eye on even the smallest size of flanged stud. Levers 13b of the caliper arrangement 13 work in an arcuate throughway 17 in the body part 11.

The caliper arrangement is accommodated in a recess ila in the body part 11 and retained therein by a cover plate 18 held by screws 19.

The body part 11 has a hook 31 for receiving chain links 32, and a sprung retainer 33 for the same.

This enables the toggle eye to be attached at different positions on a lifting chain to adjust the chain desirably to a length where there is enough chain to reach the stud but no excess, so that judging when the chains will become taut during a hoist is less problematical than when an amount of slack has to. be taken up.

Claims

1. A toggle eye for a skip having retaining means cooperating with the flange on the toggle stud to releasably retain the eye on the stud.

2. A toggle eye according to claim 1, the retaining means comprising a resilient arrangement.

3. A toggle eye according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the retaining means comprise a caliper arrangement having jaws openable to pass over the flange and closable to prevent passage of the eye over the flange.

4. A toggle eye according to any one of claims 1 to 3, having a single eye big enough to accommodate the large sizes of studs and flanges, the retaining means being adapted to retain such a large eye even on the smallest sizes of studs and flanges.

5. A toggle eye according to any one of claims 1 to 4, having a hook for selectably engaging lifting chain links.

6. A toggle eye according to claim 5, said hook having a retainer.