GB2280664A - Portable vehicle lifting device - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable vehicle lifting device has two lifting features, a parallel lifting system [17] and an integral hoist [13] both operated by a single hydraulic unit [14] which is detachable. The parallel system comprises of a central link [15] operated by the hydraulic unit [14] and stabilising links [16] which maintains the lifting frame [17] parallel to the ground at all times as shown in figure 2. The lifting frame [17] supports wheel ramps [20] on which the wheels of the vehicle being raised are supported. The parallel lifting system also incorporates a safety catch [22] to prevent the system from lowering due to a hydraulic failure. The integral hoist [13] is adjustable in reach with a safety hook mounted at its extremity for lifting heavy object this is operated by the hydraulic unit [14] which is interchangeable between the two lifting features. The portable vehicle lifting device can be folded down for transport and storage purposes with the hydraulic unit detached from the device. <IMAGE>

Description

PORTABLE VEHICLE LIFTING DEVICE This invention relates to a portable vehicle lifting device.

Vehicle lifting devices are well known in the automotive industry in which they are used. There are vehicle lifting devices which are permanently secured to the floor of a garage orworkshop that raises the whole of the vehicle being raised These comprise of four posts which supports the platform that the vehicle being lifted is supported on.

These are powered by an electric motor which rotates the wormdrive that is located in the posts which intern raises and lowers the platform. These are relatively expensive and only perform one lifting action.

There are portable vehicle lifting devices such as trolley jacks and scissor jacks which lifts a small part of the vehicle being raised off the ground. Trolley jacks comprises of a wheeled chassis on which is mounted a pair of parallel links with one link end connected to a hydraulic ram and the other end connected to a lifting cup . The hydraulic ram is powered by an integral pump which is manual operated. When the hydraulic unit is operated the lifting cup is kept parallel by the stabilising links as its raised and lowered.The stabilising links are connected through pivots to the wheeled chassis and to the lifting cup which maintains the lifting cup parallel to the ground at all times Scissor jacks comprises of a set of links that are connected to a worm screw operated by a manually operated handle which lifts a lifting pad connected to the links.

When the jack is operated the worm screw draws the links together which raises the lifting pad. The lifting pad supports a small area of the vehicle's chassis when being raised but in general not safe to work under the vehicle without extra support.

These types of portable vehicle lifting devices have a limited lifting capacity and also havelimited lifting height which proves to be difficult to work comfortable underneath vehicles.

According to the present invention there is provided a portable vehicle lifting device comprising of a wheeled chassis on which is mounted a parallel lifting system provided with vehicle wheel ramps and a integral hoist both powered by the single hydraulic unit. The parallel lift system comprises of three links, one central link powered by the hydraulic lifting unit and two stabilising links which maintains the lifting frame parallel to the ground. The two wheel ramps provided slide into the lifting frame for compatibility with the vehicle's wheel track width. The lifting system also incorporates a safety catch to prevent the system from lowering due to a hydraulic failure The hoist provided is made up of two box sections with one sliding into the other for adjustment terminating at its extremity with a safety hook.The hoist is pivoted on a upright frame which is provided that is mounted on the wheeled chassis. The hoist is provided with the same hydraulic unit which is provided to the parallel lifting system which is detachable. The hydraulic unit provided is made up of a integral cylinder ram and a manually operated pump which controls the lift on the device. When the portable vehicle lifting device is not in use or for transport or storage purposes the device folds flat with the hydraulic unit is easily detachable from the device.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows in perspective ; the portable vehicle lifting device with the parallel lifting system in the lowered position and the hoist not in use.

Figure 2 illustrates the portable vehicle lifting device with the parallel lifting system in the raised position.

Figure 3 shows in perspective ; the portable vehicle lifting device with the hoist in operation and with the parallel lifting system in the lowered position.

Figure 4 illustrates the portable vehicle lifting device in the folded flat position for transport and storage purposes.

Referring to the drawings the portable vehicle lifting device comprises of a wheeled chassis [10] is supported on two front wheels [18] and two rear swivel castors [19] as shown in figure 1. The wheeled chassis supports the upright frame [11] to provide support for the hoist [13] and supports the hydraulic unit [14] the frame is kept upright by the upright supports [12]. The upright frame and the uprights are connected by pins to the wheeled chassis with the rear two pins removable so that the upright frame [11] can fold flat as shown in figure 4. This device is also provided with a detachable hydraulic unit [14] which comprises of a manually operated pump with an integral ram and cylinder which provides lifting power for the device.

The parallel lifting system which is mounted on the wheeled chassis [10] comprises of three links, one central link [15] which is connected to the hydraulic unit [14] and two stabilising links [16] which maintains the lifting frame [17] parallel to the ground as illustrated in figure 2. The central link [15] is a fabricated beam with holes and pins provided which allows the link to pivot on the wheeled chassis [10] on which its mounted on. The central link [15] is also connected to the lifting frame [17] and the hydraulic unit [14] which all are pivoted on pins. There are two stabilising links [16] provided which pivot on the wheeled chassis [lO]and on the lifting frame [17] on pins.

So when the hydraulic unit [14] is operated the central link [15] is rotated on its pivot point to the wheeled chassis [10] which raises the lifting frame [17] with the stabilising links [16] maintaining the lifting frame parallel to the ground as illustrated in figure 2.

The lifting frame [17] comprises of two channel sections in which the stabilising links [16] are connected by pivot pins and the central link [15] is mounted on the rear of the two box sections provided with a pivot pin. The two box sections provided which form the lifting frame [17] are hollow in which the wheel ramps [20] slide in for compatibility to vehicle's wheel track width. The two wheel ramps [20] each comprises of a box section frame in which the vehicle's wheel is supported and with wheel retention catches [21] provided to positively retain the wheels in the wheel ramps whilst the vehicle is being raised. The wheel retention catches [21] are connected to the wheel ramps [20] by pivot pins so that the catches can rotate around the vehicle's wheels as the device is being raised.

The wheel retainers [21] also provides another purpose which is to assist the vehicle's wheels to be driven onto the wheel ramps [20] whilst the device is in the lowered position as shown in figure 1.

The portable vehicle lifting device is provided with a safety catch to prevent the parallel system from lowering due to the hydraulic unit [14] failure. The safety catch [22] is located on the upright supports [12] that acts on the central link [15] as shown in figure 2. The safety catch [22] is made up of two hollow box sections with a central box section joining the two hollow sections which slide over the upright supports. The central box section of the safety catch [22] acts on lugs on the central link [15] that are provided to prevent the central link from lowering whilst in the raised position as shown in figure 2.When the parallel lifting system is being lowered the safety catch [22] is held off the central link [15] by lugs mounted on the upright supports ,when the system has been lowered the central link moves the safety catch off the lugs and back on to the central link ready for the system to be raised.

The other lifting feature of the device is the hoist [13] which uses the same hydraulic unit [14] as the parallel lifting system as shown in figure 3. The hoist is made up of two hollow box sections with one sliding into the other one for adjustment of reach with a hook on its extremity for lifting of heavy objects. The hoist [13] is pivoted by a pin on the upright frame [11] which is shown in figure 3 and with the hydraulic unit [14] attached to the hoist. The hydraulic unit [14] is mounted on the upright frame [11] and to the hoist by pivot pins so when the hydraulic unit is operated thus raises the hoist [14] as shown in figure 3. In order to detach and attach the hydraulic unit [14] to the two lifting features support pads are provided to position the hydraulic unit on both lifting features.

Referring to the drawing in figure4 the portable vehicle lifting device can be folded down for transport and storage purposes with the hydraulic unit easily detachable from the device. In order to fold the device down the upright frame[ll] is disconnected from the wheeled chassis [10] by the removable pins at point [23] which allows the upright frame [11] to rotate down as shown in figure 4. To reassemble rotate the upright frame [11] to the upright position and locate pins at point [23] through the wheeled chassis [10] as shown in figure 1.

The structure of portable vehicle lifting device is made out of mild steel hollow box section for strength and lightness.

Claims (8)

1 The portable vehicle lifting device comprising of a wheeled chassis on which is mounted the parallel lifting system, the integral hoist are operated by the detachable single hydraulic unit.

2 The portable vehicle lifting device incorporates the parallel lifting system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising of three links one central link operated by the hydraulic unit and two stabilising links which maintains the lifting frame parallel to the ground at all times.

3 The portable vehicle lifting device incorporates the parallel lifting system as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 is provided with a pair of wheel ramps which slide into the lifting frame for adjustment of the vehicle's wheel track width.

4 The portable vehicle lifting device incorporates the parallel lifting system as claimed in claim 1,2, and 3 is provided with a safety catch to prevent the system from lowering due to a hydraulic failure.

5 The portable vehicle lifting device incorporates the integral hoist as claimed in claim 1 which consists of two box sections with one sliding into the other one for adjustment of reach and a safety hook is mounted at its extremity.

6 The portable vehicle lifting device incorporates the integral hoist as claimed in claim 1 and in claim 5 which is operated by the single detachable hydraulic unit.

7 The portable vehicle lifting device as claimed in all preceding claims with the upright frame and supports folding down when the retainer pins are removed from the upright frame which is connected to the wheeled chassis.

8 The portable vehicle lifting device substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1-4 of the accompanying drawing.