GB728362A - Improvements relating to lifting vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

728,362. Fork lift trucks. RANSOMES & RAPIER, Ltd. June 5, 1953 [June 6, 1952], No. 14371/52; Class 78 (3). In a fork lift truck the guide mast, together with the fork assembly, is mounted for rotation about the axis of the lifting ram 14 to enable loads to be carried at the side of the truck. To facilitate this the truck superstructure and the mast are arranged off centre as shown in Fig. 1, and a fixed support 84 is secured to the truck chassis to further support the load. The lower guide 28 of the telescopic mast is in two portions 42, 44, the former being rigidly secured to the truck chassis, whilst the latter is provided with bearings 46, 48 which enable it to be rotated, together with the upper guide 30 and fork 33, about the cylinder of ram 14. Hydraulic rams 20, 50 are provided respectively to tilt the mast about a horizontal axis at its lower end and to pivot the mast about the cylinder 14; an interlocked latch and hydraulic valve mechanism is provided (Figs. 9-10, not shown) to prevent actuation of the mast pivoting mechanism when the guide 30 extends over the portion 42 of guide 28, and to prevent actuation of the mast tilting mechanism when the forks are not pointing forwardly. As shown in Fig. 4, the piston-rod 54 of the ram 14 operatively engages the guide 30 at 52, and an amplified movement of the ram is simultaneously transmitted to the fork through a cable 56 anchored to the fork and passing over pulleys 58, 62 on guide 30 and equalizing sectors 60 pivoted to guide 28.