US2063910A - Traveling crane - Google Patents

Description

15, 1936. B E FITCH 2,063,910

TRAVELING CRANE Fi-led April 50, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet l B. F. FITCH TRAVELING CRANE Dec. l5, 1936.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 30, 1954 @gw @ma ff/kf gm/ www.

De@ 15, 1936. B. P FITCH 2,063,910

TRAVELING CRANE Filed April 30, .1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Que/who@ 7 m @www WWW Iig 6 Dec. 15, 1936. BF. FITCH TRAVELING CRANE Filed April 30, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 me, 76a/ B. F. FITCH TRAVELING CRANE Dec. 15, 1936.

Filed April 30, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ww @@Mmaw( @2M @M27 mk Patented Dec.. i5, i935 TnAvnrrrNo CRANE Benjamin il. Fitch, Greenwich, Conn., assigner to Motor Terminals Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation oiE Delaware Application ipril Sil, 1934, Serial No. 723,112

l Claims.

This invention relates to a traveling crane adapted to lift the transport demountable automobile bodies or containers with their loads, to cdect the transference between different vehicles or between a vehicle and a station platform or support. The traveling frame of the crane may be mounted to move transversely on a bridge carried by elevated supports or may be on top of a gantry, as desired. In either case I have provided four cables depending from winding drums and adapted to be secured at four corners of a rectangle directly to the container or to a cradle which may be attached to such container, and I provide means by which two of said cables may be shifted laterally as a unit with reference to the other two, so that the area served by the cables may be eliectively registered with a truck which need not stand in exact parallelism with the crane.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a transmission mechanism between the raising motor and the cable drums in a form which has been demonstrated to be satisfactory in other connections and which may be purchased in more 25 or less standard units ready for use. I accomplish this by utilizing standard driving axle construction of automobile trucks, including the axles, gearing and housings, substituting cable drums for the wheels and blocking the differentials to prevent independent movement of the axle sections. This not only gives me a thoroughly proven and readily available transmission mechanism, but enables me to secure such parts at much reduced cost over that of building them specially for the crane.

Another feature of my invention is that the transmission mechanism from the driving motor to the cable drums is underslung on the crane frame, being rigidly suspended on the underside 40 of the frame. By this arrangement I materially reduce the headroom over what would be required :if the mechanism were mounted on top oi the iframe. Moreover, in case repair is needed it is only necessary to remove the suspending bolts, 45 'thereupon the driving mechanism may be 1oW- e ed to the ground without disturbing the overhead crane frame. As such driving and transsion mechanism is largely oi standard units av .laole in many localities, it will be seen that ,m `s or the installation of new parts may be v Vith m Limum of delay. Another feature of the invention relates to the cvision 'for power operated weaving, that ls, ting cables which support one end of the body toward side or the other of the frame lll to enable the proper engagement with the body not accurately aligned with the frame, or to deposit the lowered body on a truck frame not so aligned. In prior applications of mine I have eiected this weaving by shifting sheaves over which cables depend. By the present invention I enabled to eect the result more directly by shifting the cable drums themselves, and this enables the cables at both the fixed and shifting ends of the frame to depend directly from the cable drums to a suitable suspended cradle which engage a demountable body.

passing the cables in bites around sheaves on the cradle and flaring the anchored reaches of the cables away from the sheaves, I am enabled to give the cradle a self-centering characteristic and reduce any longitudinal swaying of the body during lifting or lowering.

Another object of the invention is to provide a four-cable crane so designed that the raising mechanisms will all be located adjacent the regions of support of the crane, thus minimizing the bending moments in the body of the frame, which must be of considerable horizontal extent to enable the engagement with a large size demountable truck body.

The raising mechanism I have provided, and which is included in this invention, is powerful and at the same time compact, and requires comparatively small space, so that it may be mounted almost entirely within the connes of the crane frame itself.

While my crane mechanism is adapted for mounting in units shiftable on overhead trackways, l prefer to employ a gantry on top of which the crane may travel. My invention provides effective means for moving this gantry, which may bridge a highway and also rail tracks or station platforms or supports, to enable the ready transference of the raised demountable body.

Another object attained by my invention is the provision of self-locking raising, weaving and trolleying mechanisms, and a similar provision for the propelling mechanism for the gantry, thus avoiding the necessity for brakes of any sort.

The details of my invention will become apparent from the description about to be given of a preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated in the drawings hereof.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a gantry crane embodying my invention, showing a truck with a demountable body thereon engaged by a cradle suspended by the depending cables; Fig. 2 is a plan of the gantry, with the crane frame indicated in broken lines; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the gantry; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the gantry propelling means, as indicated by the line 4 4 on Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail in vertical section at the top of the gantry, indicated by the line 5 5 on Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a lan, on a larger scale, of the crane proper; Figs. 7 and 8 are vertical longitudinal sections of the crane in the planes indicated by the lines I-I and 8-8 respectively on Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a detail in vertical section oi one of the four cable drums, as indicated, for instance, by the line 9-9 on Fig. 6; Fig. 10 is a fragmentary elevation of a portion of the weaving mechanism, the location being indicated by the line I-IO on Fig. 6; Fig. 11 is a vertical section through the worm reduction gearing for operating one of the cable drum units, as indicated by the correspondingly numbered line in Fig. 6; Fig. l2 is a vertical section through the worm reduction gear of the weaving mechanism as indicated by the line I2-I2 on Fig. 6; Fig. 13 is a vertical section through the worm reduction gear of the mechanism for propelling the crane frame, as indicated by the line I 3-I3 on Figs. 6 and 8; Fig. 14 is a horizontal section through the worm reduction gearing of the gantry propelling mechanism, as indicated by the line I4-l4 on Fig. 1; Fig. l5 is a vertical section through one of the shafts supporting a propelled gantry wheel, as indicated by the line I5-I5 on Fig. 4.

As shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, my improved crane is embodied in a gantry comprising two sides I0, and a top portion I I. The sides are composed of structural steel members suitably bound together by angles and gusset plates. In general, a rectangle is formed, comprising a main bottom horizontal portion of two parallel beams I2 and I3, upright posts and external braces. These braces may comprise inverted buttresses I4 on the outer sides of the posts and connected to the top girders II, and fore-and-aft diagonal braces I5 leading upwardly from the bottom beams I2 and I3 to the posts.

The gantry is supported by and movable along a track composed of rails I8. suitably flanged wheels I9, mounted at the corners of the sides, between the bottom beams I2 and I3, ride on these rails and one wheel on each rail is driven to propel the gantry, as about to be described.

The gantry is preferably propelled along its trackway by a single motor mounted on the gantry top and suitable shafts and gearing connecting the same with two of the supporting wheels I9. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 2D indicates this gantry driving motor as mounted on top of the gantry frame, preferably adjacent the mid-region. The armature shaft of this motor extends in both directions and is connected by couplings 2I with two aligned shafts 22, each of which is coupled to a worm 23 mounted in a casing 24, carried by the frame. As shown, particularly in Fig. 14, each of these worms meshes with a worm wheel 25 on the upper end of a vertical shaft 25. This shaft is connected by bevelled gearing with the wheel I9. The particular connection, however, involves novel features illustrated in Fig. 4, which will now be described.

The shaft 2G is coupled at its lower end to a short shaft 30, mounted in a cap 3I, rigidly secured to the upper end of a two- part housing 32 and 33, there being interposed thin annular shims 34. The part 32 of the housing is bolted to the longitudinal member I3 of the base frame of the gantry, and the part 33 is bolted to the part 32.

The part 32 has an internal hub 35 into which screws a stub shaft B. This stub shaft rigidly carries the inner members of ball races 37, the outer members of which are mounted in the hub of the supporting wheel i5?. Rigid with the hub of this wheel is a bevel gear 40, which meshes with a bevel pinion @I on a shaft 30, the inner end of which is mounted in a roller bearing 42 in an ear carried by the housing member 32.

The free end of the shaft 36 beyond the wheel I9 extends into and is supported by a flanged sleeve 5, which, as shown in Fig. l5, is bolted to the inner face frame beam i2 by a series of bolts d6, arranged equidistantly. The stub shaft is slidably mounted in this sleeve and has a splined connection therewith indicated at 4l.

The construction described not only makes an effective bevel connection between the shaft 26 and the supporting wheel I9, with the rotating parts mounted in rolling bearings, but provides convenient means for adjusting the mesh of the bevel pinion and its gear as the same wear. Thus, the pinion may be adjusted toward the gear axis by removing one of the thin annular shims 34.

n the other hand, the gear may be adjusted toward or from the pinion by removing the bolts [it and giving the flanged sleeve 45 a portion of a rotation. Such fractional rotation by reason of the spiined connection rotates the stub shaft in the thread provided by the hub of the housing, and this carries the ball-bearings, the Wheel I9 and bevel gear laterally to adjust its mesh with the pinion. When adjusted and the holes in the sleeve flange and the beam web I2 are re-registered, the bolts 156 are inserted in the new presentation and the ange bolted in place.

At the top of the gantry or other traveling bridge is a traveling frame 68, which carries wheels 7i) riding on rails i? on the gantry top girders Il'. The rails Il extend at right angles to the rails I8 at the bottom of the gantry frame. The gantry bridge is rectangular in shape, comprising two long transverse girders I I, and two shorter side beams 5D. Included within this top rectangle is the lateral bracing comprising two long members 5| parallel to the members II and spaced therefrom, and lattice bracing 52. Between the long sides 5i of the lateral bracing and the sides I I of the top, are long, narrow open spaces. As will be hereinafter described, this space is to allow the cables, which depend from the frame and support the load-engaging cradle, to shift freely as the frame travels.

The frame 68, which is mounted on the top of the gantry, or on a crane bridge, is most clearly shown in Fig. 6. A rectangular frame work is formed, comprising two side members I3 I, 62, and two end members 53, 513, and four intermediate members 65, 66, 61 and 68, parallel with the end members. Between each end member and the adjacent cross member are wheels '10, supported by bearings on such members and adapted to ride on the guide rails Il of the bridge. There are four of these wheels, one substantially in each corner of the rectangle forming the frame work.

Two of the wheels i8, one on each track I?, furnish the driving means for the frame across the bridge. A motor it, supported by frame bars 712, drives a worm 'i3 meshing with a worm wheel il! (Fig. 13) in a easing 'i9 on a long shaft '15, extending across he bridge. At each end of the shaft '15, which is journalled in the frame GG, are pinions 56. These pinions engage internal gears TI in the corresponding wheels 10 to drive the wheels as the motor 1| is electrically excited. The longitudinal transmission shaft 15 which is preferably made of separate aligned connected sections extends through the 1 various frame members, and if desired may have bearings mounted thereon and suitable couplings 18 allowing suflicient iiexibility to prevent binding.

Two of the raising cables 8|, 82, are mounted on winding drums 85, which are rotated, but do not shift axially, while the other two cables 83, 84 are mounted on similar drums 86 which, however, may be shifted axially. I will rst describe the means for supporting and operating the drums 85 shown near the bottom of Fig. 6, and near the right-hand end of Fig. 8.

The cable drums 85 and the housings |00 which carry them and contain their driving axles, are mounted between the frame beams 65 and 66, and thus stand close to the supporting wheels 10.` This construction reduces the bending moment of the crane frame and allows the frame to be made of lighter construction than otherwise. The peculiar construction of the transmission mechanism to the cable drum, which, as heretofore explained, is of standard automobile construction and suspended by the frame members, is best shown in Figs. 6, 7, 9, and 11. As

there shown, V| indicates a hollow housing which 30- has'an enlarged central portion of approximately spherical form |0|, and lateral extending tubular portions |02. These tubular portions are approximately square, Aas shown in Fig. 7, and mounted between a pair of clamping plates and |06. Vertical bolts |01 pass through eyes in these 'clamping plates and through eyes in another plate |08, which rests on top of short frame beams |09, exten-ding between the frame beams 65 and 85 and rigidly connected to them. This enables the housing to be effectively suspended from the crane frame and lie partially in the space between transverse members 65 and 66.

Within the center portion of the housing |0| is a suitable worm wheel ||0, (Fig. 11) rigidly connected with the two aligned driving axles (Fig. 9), which are connected at their ends, as hereinafter described, to the cable drums 85. The driving mechanism, hereinafter described, operates a worm H4 within the housing below the worm wheel, with which it meshes. On the outer end of each axle is a head ||5, which is bolted to a sleeve ||6, surrounding the housing |02 and journalled thereon by means 'of interposed roller bearings ||1 and ||8, the

bearing space being closed by a grease washer ||9 after the manner of the standard mounting and connection of the hub of an automobile driving wheel.

The cable drum 85 is a hollow member having on its exterior an annular region bounded by circular ribs |2| and |22 for the reception of various turns of the cable. Beyond this cable region the drum extends as a sleeve |25, terminating in .an .outward flange |26. This iiange is bolted to an annular flange |21, formed on the exterior of the hub sleeve H6. At its other end the cable drum has anend wall |28 with a central hub |29, in which is rigidly mounted a stub shaft |30. This shaft extends into a roller bearing |3|, mounted in a cage |32 which, by means of a ange |33, is bolted to the web of a short channel beam |35, which has its ends rigidly secured to the cross beams 65 and 66 of the crane frame.

It will be seen from the construction described that the drum is journalled by roller bearings at the outer end in a rigid frame member and at the inner end by roller bearing on the housing |02, which is rigidly carried by the frame. This gives a very firm support; at the same time, by removing the bolts which secure the cage |32 and the bolts which support the housing, the construction at this end may be detached.

The arrangement for supporting and driving the cable drums at the weaving end of the crane which is shown near the top of Fig. 6 and near. the left-hand of Fig. 7, is identical with that described, except that the housing and drums instead of being mounted on the rigid frame are mounted on a shiftable carriage |40, composed of a pair of main beams |4l, end beams |42, and intermediate beams |43. The intermediate beams |43 correspond to the beams |09, which support the housing |00 at the other end, and carry corresponding plates |45 and bolts |45 by which the housing |50 is suspended. The winding drums 88 at this end are journalled on the housing yand connected to the drive shafts, and the end supporting studs are journalled in roller bearings in the cage |48, secured to the end beams |42 in the manner heretofore de' scribed.

The carriage |40 in which the drums 86 and their driving mechanism within the housing |50 are mounted is provided with four laterally projecting studs on which are supporting wheels |50, which'track on rails |6| and |62, rigidly supported on the'frame beams 61 and 68. To shift the cradle one way or the other, as desired, I provide a motor |10, the armature shaft |1| of which is connected by a suitable coupling with a worm |12, meshing with a worm wheel |13 (Fig. 12) journalled in a housing |14 secured to the frame beam 61. The worm wheel is on a shaft |15, which carries .a crank |16 (Fig. having a roller k|11 on its crank pin, which lies between a pair of vertical gibs |18 secured to the side member |4| of the carriage.

It results from the construction described that when the motor |10 is energized the moving crank pin travels in the space between the gibs |18 after the manner of a Scotch yoke .and thus shifts the carriage 40 in one direction or the other. This shifting if allowed to continue for a complete rotation of the shaft would move the carriage to the limit in one direction and then reverse it and move it to the limit in the other direction, and accordingly, it is not neces sary to have a reversing motor, as I can obtain a shift in either direction by allowing the carriage to move first in the other direction and then return. However, as lthe movement of the carriage is comparatively slow, it is entirely feasible to provide a reversing motor and actuate it in one direction or the other according to the direction of shift desired for the carriage.

The worm |53, which drives the worm wheel |52 (Fig. '7) at the weaving end is in the same horizontal plane as the worm ||4 at the xed end. Both these worms are driven simultaneously by a common motor. However, the connection to the carriage worm employs an extensible universal shaft to enable the drive to be effected for any position of the carriage. The mechanism for driving these two Worms will now be described.

Extending longitudinally of the crane frame in a central region are parallel beams |80, spaced apart. Beneath the region between these beams is suitably suspended a housing |82, having a central chamber and extending sleeves |83 similar to that heretofore described but preferably of smaller construction. Each of the sleeves |83 is embraced by plates through which pass bolts |84, securing the housing to brackets |85, depending from the frame beams |80. Within the housing |82 is a driving worm |90 connected by a suitable coupling with the armature shaft |9| of a motor |94, supported by frame beams |95 leading from the adjacent beam |80 to the side beam 62.

Within the housing |82 is a worm wheel 200 (Fig. 7) meshing with the worm |90 and rigid with two aligned axles, one of which extends out of the housing and is suitably coupled as at 20| to the worm ||4. The axle at the other end extends within a suitably supported bearing member 202 and terminates in one member of a girnbal joint 203 connecting it to a universal shaft 205. This shaft is tubular and slidably receives a splined extension 206 of a shaft 201, which is connected by a gimbal joint 208 with the worm |53. The telescoping universal shaft accordingly maintains continuous driving connection between the axle in the housing |82 and the worm |53 of the weaving unit. Accordingly, when the motor |94 is energized the rotation is simultaneously transmitted to all four of the cable drums, operating them to the same extent to wind the cables in or out. and thus raise or lower the body while maintaining it level. This action is entirely independent of the Weaving, which may take place during the raising or lowering of the load.

The four depending cables 8|, 82, 83, 84 may, if desired. be directed to the load, as, for instance, to the lift hooks a at the eaves of the demountable body A, (Figs. 1 and 3). However, I prefer to provide a rectangular floating cradle 2|0 (Figs. l, 3 and 8) having depending loops or shackles 2| which may engage such lift hooks, the cables being connected to this cradle. To increase the power, I prefer to mount sheaves 2|3 on the cradle, which may be journalled about the same bolts 2| 4 which carry the shackles, and I extend the cables in bites about these sheaves.

Each cable depends vertically from the drum about the innermost edge of the sheave and lies beneath it for about half its circumference, and then, instead of extending vertically, extends somewhat diagonally away from the line connecting the drum and sheave axes, as shown in Fig. 8. At its upper end each of the diagonal reaches of the cables 8| and 82 is attached to a hook 2|5, secured to the cross frame beam 65, while the corresponding reaches of the cables 83 and 84 are attached to hooks 2| B secured to the carriage beam IM. It will be seen that by reason of this diagonal course of the anchored reaches of the cables, both of them outwardly from the cradle, the cradle is automatically centered and the longitudinal swaying thereof reduced.

It will be understood from the description given that I have provided a gantry crane with lifting mechanism which may be very powerful by reason of the extensive reduction furnished by the two worms in series, as lwell as the further reduction, by the fall blocks on the cradle. This extension reduction in transmission enables a comparatively light motor to be used to effect the raising of a heavily loaded body. Moreover, the load-supporting portions of the crane are mounted immediately adjacent its supporting wheels, thus reducing the bending moment on the crane frame and allowing it to have the great span desired while being of comparatively short depth.

The driving units being of standard construction, and similar to each other in various parts of the crane, are not only economical in original purchase but may be cheaply repaired and spare parts readily obtained. The whole power transmission construction being underslung from the crane frame may be readily detached and lowered to the ground for such repairs as may be necessary.

'I'he weaving of the heavy load is readily effected by the light weaving motor through the worm reduction gearing, as explained; the propulsion of the crane proper on the gantry bridge, and the propulsion of the gantry along its track, are also readily effected by comparatively light motors by reason of the reduction gears employed in their transmission. All the worm gears are encased in suitable housings to enable them to be packed in grease; rollingbearings of standard construction are employed throughout; and suitable means are provided for making adjustments from time to time in the mesh of the gears.

Reference is made to the following divisional application filed Dec. 10, 1934 for claims covering features shown but not claimed in this application, namely Serial No. 756,859, for the driving and supporting mechanism for the gantry; and to the following applications led Dec. 10, 1934, which are continuations in part of this application, and which also cover features shown but not claimed in this application, namely Serial No. 756,858, for the weaving characteristics of the crane, and Serial No. '756,860 for the load handling cradle suspended as illustrated.

I claim:

1. The combination, with an overhead crane frame, of a housing carried thereby and having a central enlargement with oppositely substantially horizontally extending mutually rigid elongated sleeves, a shaft member in the sleeves, reduction driving gearing to the shaft member in the enlargement of the housing, and cable drums having their cable-supporting surfaces located beyond the ends of the sleeves, said drums being respectively permanently connected to the ends of the shaft member.

2. The combination of an overhead traveling frame, a housing rigidly suspended to the underside of the frame, reduction gearing and a driven shaft within the housing, and a raising drum connected wtih the shaft and rotatably supported in part by the housing independently of the shaft and in part by the frame independently of the housing.

3. The combination of a hoist frame, a horizontally disposed substantially rigid housing in the form of an elongated hollow beam, secured at spaced points to the frame, gearing and driven mechanism within the housing, and cable actuating wheels rotatably mounted on the housing substantially at its ends and connected with the driven mechanism and having cable supporting portions disposed beyond respective ends of the housing.

4. The combination of a hoist frame, a housing mounted thereon, gearing within the housing, shafting within the housing driven by the gearing, a cable actuating wheel and driving means therefor detachably connected with the wheel,

rotatably mounted thereon and connected with the shafting, and a supporting bearing for the wheel spaced from the housing axially of the wheel and mounted on the frame.

5. The combination of a hoist frame, a housing secured thereto, a shaft within the housing, a cable drum mounted on the housing and connected to the shaft, said cable drum having a stub shaft extending away from the housing, and a device removably secured to the frame and having a bearing for the stub shaft.

6. A hoist comprising, in combination, a frame constructed of longitudinal beams and cross beams rigidly connected together, short longitudinal beams mounted between cross beams of the frame, a transverse housing suspended from the short longitudinal beams, driving mechanism Within the housing, cable drums at the ends of the housing connected with the driving mechanism, a motor mounted on the frame, and transmission mechanism between the motor and the shaft mechanism within the housing.

7. In a hoist, an overhead traveling frame, a housing of the type employed to support and encase the driving axles and differential of an automobile carried thereby and having reduction gearing, longitudinally extending shaft members connected therewith, power means on the frame for driving the reduction gearing, two sets of individual cable drums on transverse axes, mechanism for driving the same including reduction gearing, and means connecting the first-mentioned longitudinal shaft members with the respective reduction gearings of the transverse mechanisms.

8. In a traveling crane, the combination of a frame, two automobile-driving axle type housings removably suspended from the frame, reduction gearings and lateral shafts in the respective housings, raising drums at ie ends of the housings and partially supported thereby connected to the respective shafts, additional bearings for the drums beyond respective housings, a raising motor, and transmission mechanism between said motor and the two reduction gearings.

9. In an overhead hoist, a main frame, a selfcontained hoisting unit comprising a housing in the form of an elongated hollow beam, a driving shaft contained therein, a sleeve rotatably mounted on one end of the housing, a cable drum operatively adjacent the same end drivingly secured to the shaft and connected with the sleeve, a bearing for the drum beyond the end of the housing and supported independently thereof, and means supporting the unit on the frame.

i0. In an overhead hoist, the combination of a supporting frame, a housing removably suspended thereby and demountable from underneath, a driving shaft device within the housing, and a pair of cable drums rotatably mounted on the housing and connected with the driving shaft, and means exteriorly of 'the housing for operating said driving shaft.

il. In a hoist, the combination of a frame, a housing removably secured thereto, a cable drum permanently supported on two axially spaced rings, one bearing being on the frame and one g on the housing, and driving mechanism within the housing connected to the cable drum.

The combination of a suspending frame, a housing carried thereby having a sleeve-like portion, a shaft within the housing, a sleeve rotatably mounted on the exterior of the housing, a driving connection between said sleeve and the shaft, a cable drum secured at one end to said sleeve, and a bearing on the frame for the other end of the cable drum.

i3. The combination of a crane frame, a housing suspended therefrom, shaft mechanism within the housing extending beyond the ends thereof, sleeves rotatably mounted on the housing and connected beyond the ends of the housing with the shaft mechanism, a pair of cable drums secured to said sleeves, and bearings for the cable drums mounted in the frame independently of the housings.

ill. In a device of the character described, the combination of a suspending frame, a housing carried thereby, a shaft within the housing, a sleeve rotatably mounted on the housing, a cable drum extending about the sleeve and secured to a connection between the slee e and the shaft beyond the end of the housing and within the cable drum, a bearing for the other end of the cab e drum carried by the frame, driving mechan i on the frame, and gearing connecting it with said shaft.

l5. In a hoist for lifting portable freight containers of the type adapted to be demountably supported on trucks, an overhead frame, a substantially rigid housing carried on the frame and having a length substantially equal to the width of the body to be lifted, Winding means carried on the ends of the housing and adapted for operative attachment to respective side portions of the containers to lift them, and driving mechanism in the housing connected with the winding means.

BEN J AMIN F. FITCH.

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