US2520431A

US2520431A - Attachment for cranes

Info

Publication number: US2520431A
Application number: US700710A
Authority: US
Inventors: Preston G Pierce
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-10-02
Filing date: 1946-10-02
Publication date: 1950-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 1967-08-29

Description

Aug. 29, 1950 P. G, MERCE 2,520,431

ATTACHIAENT FOR CRANES FilBd OCT.. 2, 1945 INVENTOR. P. c., PIERCE ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFCE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to article handling and more particularly to an attachment for a conventional portable lioor crane to facilitate lifting objects, such as vehicle engines and the like to which access from above by a hanging crane or other lifting device cannot readily be had.

Heretofore the removal and replacement of engines in vehicles, such as automobiles, certain types of trucks, and busses has been a difficult and time consummming task due to the fact that, particularly in trucks and busses, the engines are very frequently located beneath permanent parts of the body structure, in which case vertical removal of the engine is impossible. It has, therefore, been necessary in some cases first to lift the engine vertically a slight amount and then move the same laterally on planks or other supporting members to a position such that the engine may be raised vertically, the supports and obstructions therebeneath removed and the engine lowered to the floor for removal from beneath the vehicle. In the case of automobiles having a modern alligator type hood, it is necessary to remove the entire hood structure before the engine can conveniently be lifted out of the vehicle.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an attachment for a conventional portable floor crane or the like, which facilitates the application of an upward lifting force to an object located beneath more or less permanent obstructions and the subsequent removal of the object from under the obstructions by movement of the entire crane structure.

It is another object of this invention to provide a lifting bar attachment for a crane which may be easily constructed from parts and materials commonly found in a garage.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide an attachment for a conventional portable crane which comprises an extending boom or lifting bar adapted to be inserted within confined spaces over an object to be lifted and to lift and remove the same therefrom by upward and lateral movement of said boom.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the boom or lifting bar of this invention applied to a conventional portable crane;

Fig. 2, a view in perspective showing the detailed construction of the boom or lifting bar and the manner of attachment to the crane;

Fig. 3, a detail of one form of a work engaging hook which may be applied to the boom or lifting bar; and

Fig. 4, a fragmentary detail of the bar or boom illustrating its constructionand the manner of spacing the elements thereof.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a conventional portable floor crane comprising a U-shaped base lll, an upstanding skeleton frame work Il, secured at its lower end to the base and terminating at its upper end in a portion l2 overhanging the base.

Mounted for rotation on the upstanding frame Work il is a winding drum l2 provided with `a worm wheel I3. Meshing with the worm wheel E3 is a worm ifi mounted on a shaft journalled in bearings on the frame work Il, the shaft being provided with a hand wheel I5 and crank i8, whereby upon rotation of said hand wheel and crank the winding drum l2 will be rotated and when at rest will be held against rotation by the engagement of said worm and worm wheel, Wrapped around the winding drum l2 is a cable El' which extends upwardly within the frame work E l and over guide pulleys such as I8 to the overhanging end l2 of the frame Il. Within the overhanging end l2 there is provided a pulley, not shown, over which the cable Il is trained, the cable then passing around another pulley I9 and upwardly where it is fixed to the overhanging end l2 of the frame Il. The pulley iii is provided with a swivel hook 2B which may engage objects to be lifted or the boom of the present invention.

The base III of the portable crane may be provided with Wheels 2l rotatably mounted thereon and a single steerable wheel 22 may be pivotally mounted on the bottom of the frame l l, a, tongue or tow bar 23 secured to the wheel 22 being provided for facilitating steering and movement of the crane.

The structure above described represents a conventional portable noor crane now in use in garages, shops and the like and it can readily be seen that such a, crane, while very efhcient for lifting objects to which access may be had from above, provides no means whereby objects located beneath obstructions may be conveniently lifted and removed from beneath said obstructions.

The above description has been given with a view to facilitating a better understanding of the construction and operation of the device forming this invention, and which is particularly designed to be applied to a crane of this type.

In order to utilize a crane of the type den scribed above in lifting and removing objects such as vehicle engines and the like from be neath obstructions, there is provided a bar or boom, indicated generally at 24, which is adjustably mounted on the upstanding frame Il of the crane and extends outwardly therefrom a sufficient distance to be inserted beneath an obstruction and engage a vehicle engine or the like to be removed therefrom. The lifting bar or boom is fabricated from two angle bars 25 of sucient strength to withstand the intended loads, the bars being positioned with two flanges thereof in the same horizontal plane and with the upstanding flanges facing each other and spaced apart by hollow spacers 26, a sufficient number of which are provided to give the structure the required strength and rigidity. Passing through apertures in the upstanding flanges and the hollow spacers 29 are bolts 2l' secured in place by nuts 29 threadedly received thereon which serve to clamp the angle bars 25 rigidly together.

In order to properly engage the object to be lifted, there is provided a hook 29 swivelled in a U-shaped bracket 39, there being apertures provided in the arms of the bracket 39 through which bolt 3l passes to pivotally mount the hook 29 and bracket 39 at the outer end of the bar or boom 24.

Since various objects to be lifted thereby may be located at different heights above the iloor, means is provided for adjustably mounting the bar or boom 2li on the upright frame il and this means may conveniently take the form of two plates 92, one on each side of the frame ll and bolts 33 and 943 extending through the plates to clamp them securely in place on the frame i l. The plates 32 may be provided with strengthening ribs 39. The bar or boom 2li is pivotally mounted on the plates 32 by passing the forward bolt 3d through apertures .'59 in the upstanding ilanges of the bar. If necessary, cutaway portions 3l' may be provided in the horizontal anges of the bar 2d to provide necessary clearance for upward and downward pivotal movement thereof.

In order to attach the lifting hook 29 of the crane to the boom or bar 2d, there is provided midway thereof a through bolt and spacer 39 which may be identical with the bolt and spacer 26 and 2l, the hook 29 being merely engaged around the spacer 33 to support the bar 2d from the cable Il.

In operation, it is only necessary to clamp the plates 32 on the upright portion yll of the crane at the desired height, after which the crane, together with the bar 2li, may be moved adjacent the object to be lifted with the bar 2li extending beneath any overhead obstruction and the hoek 29 engaging the object to be lifted or a sling applied thereto. rIhe crank i6 is then actuated to wind up the cable lll and raise the khoek 29, thus lifting bar 24 and the object attached to hook 29. When the Object has been raised a sufficient distance, the crane with the Object suspendedV therefrom may be moved a suiiicient distance for the object to clear any obstruction and thereafter to any desired location in the shop.

It will be seen from the abeve descriptionthat there is provided by this invention a relatively simple structure w i may be easily manufactured irc-m parte andY materials readily available around the ordinary garage or shop and which may be app n. crane at will and v-.fhich Vwill readily facilitate the use ci a crane in the removal or installation of vehicle engines or other objects which must be handled beneath overhead obstructions.

1t will be obvious to these skilled in` the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope tc er rerncved a conventional vtheir horizontal danges in substantially the same plane and their vertical flanges spaced from each other, a plurality of spacing sleeves located at spaced points along the length of said Vertical flanges, bolts passing through said vertical anges and said sleeves, nuts on said bolts securing said angle bars together to form a rigid fabricated structure, a work engaging swivelled hook having a U-shaped bracket, apertures in each leg of said bracket, one of said clamping bolts passirig through said apertures to pivctally mount said bracket and hence said hook on said boom adjacent one end thereof, apertures in said vertical anges adjacent the opposite end of said boom, clamping plates having longitudinal strengthening ribs thereon constructed and arranged to engage the sides of the crane structure, clamping bolts passing through apertures in said plates whereby plates may be clamped in any desired vertical position on said crane structure, one of said clamping bolts passing through the apertures in said vertical ianges whereby said boom is pivcftally mounted on said crane structure, and means comprising one of said spacers and angle bar securing bolts engaging the lifting hook of said crane whereby upward and downward pivotal movement of said bcorn may be obtained by actuation cf the lifting mechanism of said crane.

2. An attachment for a portable crane comprising'an elongated boom pivotally mounted on said crane fcr movement in a vertical plane, said boom comprising two paralle bars spaced from each other, a plurality of spacing sleeves located at spaced peints along the length of said bars, bolts passing through said bars and said sleeves to form a rigid fabricated structure, a work engaging swivelled hook having a U -shaped bracket, apertures in each leg of said 'bracket one of said clamping belts passing through said apertures to pivctally mount said hook on said boem against one end thereof, adjustable means .pivotally mcunting said boom cn the crane structure and arranged to be secured at any desired vertical position, and means en said boom engaging the lifting hoek cf said crane whereby upward and downward pivotal movement of said boom may be obtained by actuation of the lifting mechanism of said crane.

PRESTON G. PIERCE.

REFERENCES CITED rihe following references are of record in the le of this pat-ent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Nar-.ie Date 549,088 Clancy et al Sept. 19, 1895 1,229,597 Parker June 12, 1917 1,230,560 Cantwell Oct. 8, 1918 1,413,376 Morgan et al Jan. 30, 1923 1,489,151 Schuchert Apn 1, 1924 1,566,827 Chilson Dec. 22, 1925 2,382,054 Hercik Aug, 14, 1945 2,419,813 Berchtold Apr. 29, 1947