US1838139A - Hoisting cradle - Google Patents

Description

B. F. FITCH HOISTING CRADLE Filed Dec. 5, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet l FIG' I Dec. 29, 1931. B. F. FITCH HOISTING CRADLE Filed Deo. 5, 195o 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 B. F. FITCH HOISTING CRADLE Dec. 29, 1931.

Filed Deo, 5, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 FI EN' FIG.

Dec. 2 9, 1931. B. F, F|TC|| 1,838,139

HOI S T ING CRADLE Filed Deo. 5, 1930 6 Sheets-sheet 4 i l v Y?, mw I n n l i Q/v Q n. Q I N l u T Q I I HNS I I Il i i I l I II I I I I I l n l u I l I I l l (33,. I 4 I l? l w I I I I I I I I u (D Il Q NN I LU u "u I H l H i IL I I I I I I I I I Q l g QQ mm gl QQ Q \\3 -1 I WIJ@ I l Q /1 Q l QA I l w I w-` l 1 *I I y I n l i NR L L a v Dec. 29, 1931. B. F. FITCH 1,838,139

HOISTING CRADLE Filed Deo. 5, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 29, 1931. B. F. Fl'TcH HOISTING CRADLE Filed Deo. 5, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 19%@ 351g A )'{l/U dammi,

Patented Dec. 29, 1931 U STA T E S BENJAMIN F. FITCH, OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO MOTOR TERFIINALS COMPANY,OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, CORPOAGIT 0F DELAVTARE 'HOISTING CRADLE Application le'd December 5, v1930. SerlaINo. 500,301.

This invention relates to apparatus for connecting a load to a lifting mechanism, land is particularly useful in connection with the handling of freight in demountable automobile bodies. My invention provides dexible lifting cables with load-engaging means arranged to be connected with the body at four points, two on each side, whereby the body may be wellsupported for lifting while maintained in its horizontal position.

More particularly the invention is designed to raise demountable bodies khaving supporting hooks adjacent their eaves and to that end provides a cradle or floating frame vhaving shackles or loops pivotally mounted on the frame so that they may swing beneath the hooks. Means are provided'for swinging all the shackles to idle position 'so that when the cradle is lowered the shackles vwill stand adjacent the hooksbut out of contact therewith, after which the shackles maybe swung in the reverse direction to cause them to engage the hooks, whereupon the cradle may be raised with the body.

The shackles maybe arranged-to depend normally by gravity in an 4active position and be swung to idle position by a pull on a cable, or other actuation of anoperating device; or they may be arranged so that they are normally inactive and ali-actuation of the operating device required to bring them to active position.

The features above referred to and others contributing to the efficiency of my hoisting i cradle will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of Va hoisting apparatus including a traveling crane suspending my cradle, this view showing also an rautomotive truck with a demountable body which the' cradle shackles are engaging; Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale, and intermediately broken away,

of one form of my cradle and the upper portion of a demountable body engaged thereby; Fig. 3 is an end view of the cradle intermediately broken away, as indicated by the line on Fig. 2; Figs. 4, 5 and Gare vertical sections of the cradle on planes indicated by the correspondingly numbered lines yon Fig. 2, these views `being all broken out intermediately; Fig. 7 is a plan of a somewhat different embodiment of my cradle, showing a direct attachment of the ends of the lifting cables, instead of the employment of fall blocks; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the embodiment of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a side elevation on a larger scale of a portion of Fig. 8, showing one of the shackles and the adjacent guide; Figs. 10 and 11 are vertical sections on correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 8; Fig.'12 is an axial section along the supporting bolt of any of the shackles of Figs. 7-11; Fig. 13 is a side elevation of a modilied form of my cradle; Fig. 1% is an enlarged sectional detail of the anchorage of one of the lifting cables, as employed in Fig. 13; Figs. 15 and 16 are details in vertical section on the correspondingly numbered rlines on Fig. 13; Fig. 17 (sheet l) is a sectional elevation, illustrating a shackle with a modified arrangement of supporting sheaves.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 10 indicates an automotive truck and 11 a demountable body adapted to rest thereon, this body being provided with a base, side walls and a roof and having one or more doors as indicated at 12. To enable the attachment of lifting mechanism, I provide four hooks 15 adjacent the eaves of the body which may, if desired, be continuations of vertical metal straps attached to the sides and sills as illustrated in Fig. 1, or `may be attached in another manner. As shown, the hooks extend longitudinally and face toward opposite ends of the body.

In Fig. 1, 20 indicates a suitable superstructure having tracks 21 on which travels a bridge crane 22. This bridge crane has suitable hoisting mechanism, not specifically shown, but operating to elevate four lifting cables. Two of these cables are shown in Fig. 1 at 25 and 26 depending in bights, and there are two other cables just like them directly behind them, similarly designated and appearing in Figs. 4L and 5 respectively. Each of the four cables carries in its bight a movable pulley 30, the axis of which is connected with a cradle and about to be described.

My cradle has an open horizontal rectangular frame shown as made up of longitudinal vchannel bars 32 forming the two sides, and transverse end bars 33, which may also be channel bars. Rising from the outer sides of the longitudinal bars, in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5, are metal straps 34 which carry the axles 35 of the movable sheaves 30. A transverse strap 36 carried by one of the vertical straps 34 and having flanged ends form a cable guard for the sheave.

It is to be understood that one reach of each of the cable loops and 26 is drawn upward or lowered simultaneously by the hoist mechanism on the bridge crane and thus the four sheaves are raised or lowered simultaneously, thereby raising or lowering the cradle frame While maintaining it horizontal.

The cradle frame is provided with four depending clevis-like loops or shackles designated and 41, in Figs. 1 to 5. These hoops are pivotally mounted on a suitable rod 42 extending through the longitudinal bars of the cradle frame. The loops 40 are preferably located directly below the axes of the movable sheaves 30. Accordingly, the supporting rod 42 of each loop passes not only through the channel bar of the frame, but also through the sheave straps 34, there being also preferably an intermediate filler block 38 mounted in the groove of the channel to make asolid connection. The rods 42 may be journalled loosely in the frame and have heads 44 and nuts 45, as shown. In any case they swing easily on their pivots.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the shackles 40 and 41 normally stand in the vertical position suitable for engaging and raising the hooks 15 of the body. To swing the loops outwardly to clear the hooks, I provide the following mechanism. The loops 41 are provided with upwardly extending arms 47 preferably on the inner side of the loop, as shown in Fig. 5. On the other hand, the loops 40 are provided with eyes 48 below their supporting shafts 42, as shown in Fig. 4'.

A suitable hand cable, indicated at 50 in Figs. 1 to 3 leads upwardly from a readily accessible point beneath one end of the cradle and divides into two cables 52 and 53 (Fig. 3), which pass over sheaves 54 and 55 car- 3 ried by an end member 33 of the cradle and thence lpasses outwardly toward theside of the cradle and around sheaves 56 and 57 g whereupon each section 52 or 53 of the cable is again divided along the sides of the cradle, as indicated at 58 and 59 in Fig. 2.' Each cable section 58 runs to an eye inthe upper end of the arm 48 of the loop 41, while the cable section 59 runs to the eye 48 in the arm 40 below its pivot.

It results in the above described embodiment, that if the operator pulls down on the cable 50, he will thereby swing outwardly, (that is, toward the ends of the cradle), all four shackles 40 and 41, thus bringing them into the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. This is approximately the position of the shackles when the cradle is in its lowered or engaging position. Thereafter, when the shackles are low enough to swing beneath points of the body hooks 15, the operator releases his hold on the cable 50 and the shackles swing by gravity into position to lie against the sides of the hooks, and then, as the cradle is raised, the hooks automatically pass into the recesses behind the hook points as shown in Fig. 2. The hooks retain this position without attention by the operator so long as the Weight of the demountable body is on the cradle.

When it is desired to free the described cradle from the body, the body is lowered onto a suitable support and the cradle lowered slightly further, carrying the shackles below the points of the hooks 15, whereupon the operator pulls down on the cable 50 and l swings the loops to their inactive position, enabling the cradle to be raised free of the body.

To guide the cradle into accurate position directly over the body and also to limit the descent of the cradle, I may provide suitable guides and stops on the cradle adapted to engage the roof of the body. These are illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 and comprise flat plates 60 secured to the side bars of the cra- J dle and depending vertically for a distance and then flared outwardly as shown at 61. On the inner side of the plates, angle clips 62 are secured to them in position to engage the body when the cradle has been lowered the maximum distance.

In the embodiment being described, as the cradle is being lowered from a. position approximately over the body, the flaring extensions 61 of the stop guides on one side of the body or the other engage the body and cam the cradle in the direction to centralize it with the body, so that the plates 60 pass downwardly onto opposite sides ofthe body, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Vhen the clips 62 engage the roof of the body the engaging portions of the shackles are below the points of the hooks 15, and therefore are adapted to swing by gravity into position against the faces of the hooks directly below the opening thereof; then as the cradle is raised, these loops slide into the openings of the hooks assuming the position shown in Fig. 2.

In the embodiment of Figs. 7 to 12 inclusive, the four supporting cables 27, 28 depending from the traveling crane are attached at their ends directly to the cradle. I effect this attachment by means of downwardly facing clevises which I attach to the cradle frame by the same horizontal bolts which hold the depending shackles 80 and 81. As best shown vin Figs. 10, 11 and 12, the horizontal bolts v82 pass intermediately through the side bars 32 of the cradle and filling blocks89 in the channels of these side bars. Outside of this reinforced frame member the bolt 82 passes lirstthrough eyes in the two depending arms of the clevis 70. Beyond this, .the horizontal fbolt 82 passes through eyes in the upper ends of the shackles. Beyond the eyes of these shackles th-e bolt is .provided with a head 83 on one side and a nut 84 on the other, a suitable cotter pin locking the nut.- This construction effectively pivots both the clevises and the shackles to the cradleand insures the cable being directly over the shackle, to give a direct transmission of stress from the cable to the hook of the .demountable body.

lThe shackles 80and 81 are made comparatively large and bowed out at their sides as shown in Figs. 10'and 11, so that they may readily engage the hooks of the body even though the hooks may be considerably distort-ed or turned sidewise from the normal position. It is desirable that the shackles swing freely on the pins 82, and to insure this I prefer to make an axial bore 85 in the pin leading from a grease nipple 86, this bore having openings 87 within the eyes of the shackle.

To attach the operating cable . portions 58 and 59 to the shackles, I 'prefer to mount u pwardly extended eye rods 88 in the most distant shackles 81 to which the ends of the cables 58 are attached and laterally extending eye rods 89 in `the loops of the shackles 80 nearer the cable 50 for attachment of the cable portion 59. These two eye-rods are preferably threaded Vat their inner ends and screwed into Ytapped holes in the proper parts of the shackles.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, I have attached tension springs 90y and 91 to the eye rods of the shackles, these springs leading away kfrom the end of the cradle where the hand cable 50 is located and attached at their distant ends as indicated at 92 to the side frame 32. These springs therefore tend lto swing the shackles normally into inactive position, that is, a position inclined from the vertical.

When the cradle, being described, has been lowered to position, the shackles stand adj acent the open sides of the body hooks, but out of contact therewith, being held in idle position against stops 69 welded to the frame bars 32. Now, a downward pull on the cable 50 swings the near shackles away from the operator and the far shackles toward the operator, and thus causes them to come into the open-ings of the hooks, and thereafter, as the cradle is raised, the shackles pass completely into the hooks. The operation therefore is the reverse of that shown in Figs. 1 to 6, where the shackles stood in the active position 4and were pulled to idle position by the cable 50.

To `position the cradle accurately, as it is being lowered, I provide guides 65 serving the purpose of the guides 60 heretofore explained, but in the piesent instance, engaging the hooks of the demountable body instead of the roof thereof. As shown particularly in Figs. 9 and 10, these guides 65, (which are welded to the side bars 32), have outwardly flaring lower portions 56 adapted to engage the outersides of the hooks. Each guide also has a flanged portion at right angles to the body of the guide terminating in a downwardly diverging portion 67 which is adapted to engage the back of the hook. In this embodiment I limit the downward movement of the cradle, by means of the side bar 32 engaging the top of the hook itself, as shown in Fig. 9. l rlhe guiding arrangement is very simple and effective. The cradle is simply lowered until it comes to a stop restingon the hooks and the shackles are at the same time .automatically positioned.

Figs. 13 to 16 illustrate another modification of my cradle, wherein the shackles are counter-weighted so that they tend normally to swing to idle position, and the hand cable draws them to active position whenever desired. In this embodiment, I have shown the single supporting cables 27 and 28 connected by U-bolts 75 with the longitudinal side bars of the cradle, these side bars being channel-shaped and housing filler blocks 76,

and the legs of the U-bolts 75 passing through the flanges of the channel bar and intermediately through the liller blocks, nuts '77 being screwed onto the ends of the U-bolts. The supporting pins 98 of the shackles 9a and 95 pass through these same liller blocks 76 between the legs of the U-bolts and thus centralize the shackles with the supporting cables.

rIhe shackles 94- and 95 which in this case are mounted on the bolts 93 are similar to the shackles heretofore described, in that one of them has an upwardly extending arm 97 and the other has an eye 98 beneath its pivot, for

the attachment of the hand cable branches.

In this case, however, the shackle adjacent the operator carries the arm 97 and the more distant shackle the eye 98. The operating cable 50 is arranged to pass upwardly over the sheaves and outwardly to extend lengthwise of the cradle as before, but in this case it then passes longitudinally in a single strand 58 on each side, which is anchored first to the arm 97 of the shackles 94 and then passes to the eye 98 of the distant shackle 95.

effect of these counter-weights is to tend to swing the shackles in a direction away from each other.

It results accordingly in the construction of Figs. 13 to 16, that when the cradle is lowered to the limit, as controlled by suitable guides and stops 60, 62, the shackles 94 .and 95 will automaticallyl swing out of the hooks and remain in this idle position. This frees the cradle from the body and the cradle is in position to be elevated without the body and be lowered over another' body. IVhen it has been lowered, the operator pulls downwardly on the cable 50 and thus swings inwardly the two shackles 94. and 95 .against the action of their counterweights so that they come against the edges of the hooks 15; after which, when the cradle is raised, the shackles will assume the proper position within the hooks as illustrated in Fig. 13. It will be seen that when the shackles are engaged there is a continuous vertically aligned support from the cable 27 or 28 with the body straps carrying the hooks.

A result similar to the construction of Figs. 7 or 13 may be obtained with the construction of Fig. 2 by attaching a weight to the lower end of the vertical cable 50, this Weight being sutcient to hold the shackles normally in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Then, when it is desired to latch the shackles, it is only necessary for the operator to lift the counterweight by pull. ing up on the cord 50. Such counterweight illustrated in Fig. 1 by the dotted lines 110.

The direct attachment of the cables as illustrated in Figs. 9 to 16 inclusive allows the cradle to be drawn up closer to the hoist frame than with the sheave arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 5. However, I may em- @3 ploy sheaves and reduce the head room for the cradle by mounting the sheaves directly on the bolts which carry the shackles. This modification is illustrated by Fig. 17, which indicates a.r bolt 112 which is mounted in the side bar 32 and the fall block 39 set therein,

and is loosely embraced near its ends by the shackle 115, and intermediately carries rotatably one or more sheaves 116.

IVith the arrangement just described, I

' can obtain a powerful littingaction at a point be disregarded. To swing the shackle 115,

suitable arms and eyes located in correspondence with arms 88 and the eyes 89 of Figs. 10 and 11 may be employed. In Fig. 17, I have illustrated for example, the eye 119 corresponding to the eye 89.

The arrangement of the mechanism so that the shackles are held normally in idle posivtion allows a simpler lowering operation of the cradle, as no attention need be paid to the shackles in such lowering. On the other hand, it requires more care by the operator for him to be sure that the shackles are engaged before the cradle is. raised. Each method therefore-with the shackles normally active or normally inactive-has advantages of its own with some related disadvantages, and probably one system will be better for one location and the other systcm for another. Both are included within my invention. A f

It will be seen that, whether the arrangement of Fig. 2, Fig. 7 o r Fig. 13 is employed, in each case I swing all four shackles at one time by simply pulling down on the hand cable, this swinging being either to free the shackles from the body andb position them to engage a new body, or to swing them into engagement with the body. In either case, the device is easily operated.` Furthermore, it will be noticed that if one shackle engages a hook all 'tour shackles will necessarily engage hooks, and thus there will be no chance ci2 raising a load without its being connected at the desired four points. If springs or counter-weights, tending to swing the shackles to idle position, are employed, the elfect of the same is, of course, overcome as soon as the lifting action of the raising cables has drawn the shackles up into the hooks themselves. l Y

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of `a frame, four. depending loops pivotally carried thereby, each loop being adapted to engage a hook carried by a demountable body, two on each side, and cables leading from the loops to the end of the cradle and arranged to simultaneously swing the four loops on their pivots, two of them, which are located on opposite sides of the frame, moving in the opposite direction from the other two.

2. The combination of a cradle frame, four load engaging members carried thereby, two of said membersfhaving arms extending above their pivots a-nd two of them having means below their pivots for attachment of a cable, and a cable device connected with the arms of the first mentioned members and with the second mentioned members Jelow the pivots for simultaneously swinging said members in opposite directions.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination oi an open rectangular frame, four depending loops pivotally carried thereby two on each side, each loop being adapted to engage a hook carried by a demountable body and so arranged that gravity tends to hold them in their inactive position and means for simultaneously swinging said loops on their pivots into active position.

4. In a hoisting cradle,fthe combination of an open rectangular frame having a pair of parallel side bars, fourload engaging members transversely pivoted thereto, two on each side, and means operable from a single point at one end ot the frame and connected with all of the load engaging members for simultaneously swinging the load engaging members on their pivots in vertical planes parallel with the cradle sides.

5. The combination of an open frame having parallel side bars spaced well apart, a pair of loops pivoted to one side bar, a pair of loops pivoted to the other side bar, said loops being adapted to engage simultaneously four hooks carried by a demountable body, and mechanism connected with each loop for swinging them simultaneously lengthwise of the side bars.

6. In a hoisting cradle, the combination of a floating frame, four depending shackles carried thereby two on each side, and means operable from a single point for simultaneously swinging two of the shackles on opposite sides in one direction, and the other two in the opposite direction.

7. In a hoisting cradle, the combination of a rectangular frame, means for attaching raising cables thereto at four points, two on each side, load supporting devices pivoted to the frame at points in registration with the supporting cables, each pivot being by means ot a transverse bolt common to both the attaching means and the supporting device, said load supporting devices being adapted to engage four hooks on a demountable body beneath the cradle, and means for swinging the engaging members on their pivots.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of an open rectangular frame, four depending loops pivotally carried thereby two on each side on transverse pivots, each loop being adapted to engage a hook carried by a demountable body and so arranged that gravity tends to hold them in one position and means for simultaneously swinging said loops on their pivots into another position, one` of said positions being active and the other inactive.

9. In a hoisting cradle, the combination of a horizontal frame having side bars, means for connecting lifting cables thereto. four body-enga ging depending loops pivotally carried by the side bars of the frame on transverse pivots, counterweighted arms on the respective loops tending to swing them in one direction, and cable means for simultaneously swinging said loops in the opposite direction.

10. The combination with a rigid cradle frame, transverse cross bolts mounted in the frame, pivoted loops on the cross bolts adapted to swing lengthwise of the frame to engage the hooks of a demountable body, sheaves connected to the cradle adjacent the cross bolts, and hoisting cables around the sheaves.

11. In a hoisting cradle, the combination signature.

BENJAMIN F. FITCH.

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