US2895712A - Adjustable load support - Google Patents

Description

July 2l, 1959 l. v. sTovx-:RN ErA|`v 2,895,712

'ADJUSTABLE LOAD SUPPORT Filed may 21, v1956 2,895,112 ADJUSTABLE LOAD SUPPORT Ingram v. smvem and Wendell L. vallee, sheboygan,

Wis., assignors to Blackhawk Mfg. Co., West Allis, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin i This invention relates in general to improvements in devices for supporting diverse loads in a stable manner, and relates more specically to improvements in the construction and operation of adjustable load supporting saddle assemblages for lifting jacks or the like.

The primary object of our invention is to provide an improved load supporting unit which can be readily adjusted to vary the point or points of application of the lifting force applied to the supported loads by a jack or the like.

It has heretofore been well known practice to utilize jacks of various types provided with saddles applicable to the bumpers of diverse vehicles in order to raise and lower the latter. In some of these prior jack assemblages the lifting force was applied to one or more load engaging saddles through a transverse supporting bar States PatentO functioning of a jack assemblage embodying the inven'.-

tion, may be had by referring tothe drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specication in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.4 I j i Y Fig. l is a front elevation of a typical mechanical vehicle lifting jack having an improved commercial supporting beam and saddle assemblage applied thereto, `*and showing the saddles disposed close together; v j

'Fig 2 is a part sectional side view of the same lifting unit, the section havingqbeen taken along the line` 2 2 or beam along which the saddle or saddles could be 'A slidably adjusted to vary the point or points of application of the force; and in case a pair of saddles were provided, the distance between these saddles could also be varied by moving the saddles toward or away from each other. However, in these prior lifting units, the saddles were either slidable along their supporting bar or were welded to the bar which in turn was telescopically slidable 'within a tubular member, and in either case, the range of adjustment was relatively limited while the coacting saddle and beam surfaces would also oxidize and cling together thus making it difficult to make any adjustments. l

It is therefore an important object of the presentinvention to provide an improved adjustable lifting saddle assemblage in which one or more saddles carried by a supporting beam are readily disposable either at an end vide an improved lifting jack unit especially applicable m to the bumpers of vehicles, and wherein the position of "f the points of engagement between the lift and the bumper can be quickly changed .to produce 'safe-f elevation and holding of the vehicle in raised condition;

porting'device for vehicles or thelike,l wherein one'lor more load engaging'saddles are swingably adjustable to various positions along a transverse carrying beam to which the lifting force is applied from beneath.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a load supporting and lifting accessory which is readily applicable to various types of jacks to provide a lift which is extremely exible in its adaptations.

An additional important object of our invention is to provide a durable adjustable load support comprising a supporting bar or beam and one or more work engaging saddles adjustable therealong to convert the assemblage from a two point lifting device to a single point lifting device, and wherein the several parts are prevented from becoming dismantled and lost.

of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the same unit similar to that of Fig. 1, but showing the load engaging saddlesspread apart to the maximum extent; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top and front perspective view of the supporting beam and one of the work engaging saddles alone. i

While the invention has ybeen shown; and described herein as having been applied to a mechanical vehicle lifting and lowering jack especially, adapted kfor application tothe bumpers of diverse vehicles such astrucks and automobiles, it is not the intent to restrict thev use of the improvements to such applications; and -it is also contemplated that specific descriptive terms employed herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure. i ,11. J Referringrto the drawing, the improved mechanical jack -assemblage -shown therein,. vcomprises` in' *general, a chassis having a base 6 and an upstandingguide 7 and being provided with rear supporting legs S secured to the base 6 and guide 7;.,a-rotary screw shaft 9 journalledat its opposite ends in the guide 7 and having a manipulating handle 10 secured to its upper extremity while-itsfscr'ew threads coact with longitudinally movable nut ll'jfan elevator 12 slidable along the chassis guidef7by the nut 11.7and havinga pairof forward projections 13.rigid ly secured to the medial portion ofa transverse. barfor beam14 the opposite ends of which are provided with stop pins 1S; and a pair V`of load supporting saddles V16 each having several independent work engaging upper surfaces 17, 18 and a lower loop portion 19embracii1g Vthe beam 14 between the pins 15. y

The chassis .base 6 and guide 7 may -be formed of structural steel while the legs 8 may be constructed of 4fr'netal tubing, and the guide 7 isinclined rearv'vardly soaspto position the load within the base,v whilel the legs 8 lare. bent and provided with jack transporting wheels zlflocatedjnear the bends as shown in Fig.' 2,A the wheel l 55 Y A further lmportant object of the mventlon `1s to A provide a simple but highly effective lifting and sup- 1f and axle assemblage being carried, either `directly by' the legsV 8,`orby,a special wheel-bracket .welded orbhlwise secured tofthe'legs. Thescrew-'shaft Q'has itsw'oppos'te ends Y"mounted in bearings 22 secured .withinthefch s jguide 7 `so rthat this shaft cannot" move longitudinally but is rotatable by the handle 10, and this handle may be swung forwardly as illustrated in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2, when not in use. The nut 11 which coacts with the screw threads of the shaft 9 engages an angle iron 23 which is slidable within and along a rear slot 24 in the guide 7 and is rigidly attached to the rear of the elevator 12, and this elevator slidably embraces the chassis guide 7 and is provided with plastic or nylon bearing buttons 25 coacting with the outer guide surface.

The present improved load supporting assemblage comprises the approximately horizontal transverse bar or beam 14 which is formed of solid bar stock, and the two saddles 16 which are of identical formation and are constructed of sheet metal or steel plate material and angle iron stock Welded together. The upper Wall portions of each saddle 16 are flared outwardly as depicted in Figs. 2 and 4, and the transverse angle iron upon which the load engaging surfaces 17, 18 are formed are welded-tothese upper wall portions so as to form the saddle socket. The lower loop portion 19 of each saddle 16 is provided with a pair of off-set upper and'lower transverse elements 27, 28 respectively which are covoperable with the top and bottom surfaces of the beam 14, and the saddles 16 may be interchangeably rocked relative to the beam 14 from the position illustrated in Fig. 1 to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or vice versa. The end pins 15 of the supporting beam 14 merely act as stops for preventing the saddles 16 from being removed from the cross-bar.

When the lifting unit has been properly constructed and assembled as hereinabove described, it may be transported from place to place by tilting the entire assemblage rearwardly to cause it to rest upon the wheels 21, or it may be set up for normal use as in Figs. 1 and 2 with the base 6 and lower leg portions resting upon the ground. If it is desired to have the saddles 16 coact with a load such as a vehicle bumper with the contact points spaced apart as far as possible, then the saddles should be positioned against the stop pins 15 with the saddle surfaces 18 directed upwardly as in Fig. 3. 1f it becomes desirable to have a single saddle contact point engageable with the bumper, then the saddles 16 may be rocked toward each other about the beam 14 to upwardly direct the other saddle surfaces 17 as in Fig. 1, whereupon the two saddles 16 may also be slid into actual abutting engagement with each other in central alinement with the jack.

The two saddles 16 may also be moved along the supporting beam 14 to any intermediate position to present either set of surfaces 17, 18 toward the load, and when the jack has been properly positioned relative to the work, the handle may be manipulated to rotate the screw shaft 9 and to raise the nut 11 and the elevator 12 until the load is lifted the desired amount by the saddles 16. While both saddles 16 would ordinarily be utilized in order to concentrate the load in or near the central vertical plane of the chassis guide 7, it is also possible to lift loads with the aid of only one of the saddles 16, and the suspended loads may be readily lowered by reversely revolving the handle 10 and the screw shaft 9. When the jack assemblage is not in use, the saddles 16 may be swung inwardly and the handle 10 may be swung forward as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2, so as to occupy minimum storage space.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that the present invention in fact provides a simple, compact and durable work engaging saddle aS- semblage which is highly exible in its adaptations to meet varying conditions of use. The swingable cooperation of the saddles 16 with the supporting beam 14 combined with the slidability of the loop portions 19 along this beam obviously provides means for quickly and effectively locating the saddles in any desired position for proper coaction with the loads, and the'bar and saddle are maintained in assembled condition by the Ypins 15. Whenever a load is applied either to the surfaces 17 or interchangeably to the surfaces 18 of the saddles 16, the transverse elements 27, 28 of the loops 19 coact with the top and bottom respectively of the supporting beam 14 to electively transmit the lifting force to the load while holding the saddles rmly in position. The entire assemblage may be manufactured at moderate cost from available steel plate, angle iron and metal tubing, and the improved saddles have proven highly satisfactory and successful in actual use.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction and operation-of the adjustable load support herein shown and described, since obvious modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

We claim:

l. In a load carrier for a vehicle jack, an elongated rigid horizontal beam having its mid-aortion formed for attachment to the lifting member of the jack, and a pair of unitary sheet-metal supports slidably and swing ably adjustable relatively to each other on said beam, each -of said supports having spaced side walls flared outwardly and united at their upper ends to form a saddle by an integral transverse element provided with vadjoining load engaging surfaces disposed at an angle relative to each other while the lower side wall ends are united by integral upper and lower transverse off-set beam engaging elements to provide a loop snugly but slidably embracing the beam, said supports being swingable toward or away from each other relative to said beam about said lower elements to alternately present said adjoining saddle surfaces to the load at various positions along the beam, and the supports also being bodily slidable along said beam when swung either toward or away from each other to likewise present said saddle surfaces at various positions along the beam.

2. In a load carrier for a vehicle jack, an elongated rigid horizontal beam having its mid-portion formed for attachment to the lifting member of the jack, and a pair of load supports slidably and swingably adjustable relatively to each other on said beam, each of said supports having spaced side walls united at their upper ends to form a saddle by an integral transverse element provided with load engaging surfaces disposed at an angle relative to each other while the lower side wall ends are united by integral upper and lower transverse off-set beam engaging elements to provide a loop snugly but slidably embracing the beam, said supports being swingable toward or away from each other relative t0 Said beam about said lower elements to alternately present said saddle surfaces to therload at various positions along the beam, and the supports also being bodily slidable along said beam when swung either toward or away from each other to likewise present said saddle surfaces at various positions along the beam.

` References lCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,189,778 Bates July 4, 1916 2,659,455 Green Nov. 17, 1953 2,669,422 Branick Feb. 16, 1954

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