US3700117A - Portable crane - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable crane for lifting and positioning modular house sections from a trailer truck onto a foundation is provided with a pivotal post member which folds down onto a base and wherein the crane jib pivots and folds against the post member so that the crane is reduced in size for transport. The lower end of the post member, when in a vertical position for lifting, includes side support pads with elongated slots to allow transverse adjustment of the house section during positioning thereof onto a foundation.

Description

[451 Oct. 24, 1972 United States Patent Corley Barre, Jr.;..................2l4/1 D [54] PORTABLE CRANE [72] Inventor: Gale C. Corley, 1207 Beech Street,

Valparaiso, Ind. 46383 v March 4, 1971 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-i-George F. Abraham Attorney-Mueller & Aichele [22] Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A portable crane for lifting and positioning modular house sections from a trailer truck onto a foundation 21 Appl. No.: 120,872

[52] US. Cl..........................2l4/l H, 212/8, 212/46, 212/65, 214/130R is provided with a pivotal post member which folds down onto a base and wherein the crane jib pivots and folds against the post member so that the crane is [51] Int. 23/40 [58] Field of Search.....2l4/1 H, l D, l P, 1 PA, 130; 254/2 R, 3, 8 R; 212/8, 9,11,17, 65

reduced in vsize for transport. The lower end of the post member, when in a vertical position for lifting, includes side support pads with elongated slots to allow References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS transverse adjustment of the house section during positioning thereof onto a foundation.

Turturro et a1.

9/1966 Meyer........................254/8 R 6 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDnm24 I912 3.700.117

sum 1 OF 5 FIG! INV TOR. .1 GALE c. go Y mwrdw ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEU 2 3,700.1 17

saw 2 or 5 INVENTOR GALE C. CORLEY BY 6M ATTORNEYS PATENTED OCT 24 I973 3,700.1 1 7 SHEETS 0f 5 s3 72 n FIG?) 'IIII l8 Y 2Q l3 HF I v as I In u 87 h b 300 85b 89 INVENTOR v GALE C.CORLEY 42 MFMIL ATTORNEYS Pmmmucm I912 3.700.111

' SHEEI a 0F 5 FIGS? YINVENTOR.

GALE C. CORLEY ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEDum 24 I972 saw 5 or 5 FIGII gag INVENTOR GALE c. CORLEY BY M c) M ATTORNEYS 1 PORTABLE CRANE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to cranes, and more particularly to portable cranes to be transported from site to site. Specifically, the invention is directed to a portable crane for lifting and positioning a modular house section during construction of such homes.

Modular house construction has gained considerable popularity in recent years primarily because of the relative cost involved in constructing houses of this type. A house section, referred to as a modular section, is completely fabricated in a factory and then transported by trailer truck to the house site. Once at the house site, the modular section, by one method or another, must be lifted off the trailer truck and positioned on the house foundation which has been previously prepared. Heretofore the operation of removing the modular section from the truck trailer onto the house foundation was a tremendous task either in the terms of the expensive equipment required or the great number of man hours involved. For example, one method of removing the modular section from the trailer truck was to incorporate a large expensive crane which would hoist the house from the trailer and place it in position on the foundation. This required the use of the crane, which may have been rented at high cost, plus the expense of a skilled crane operator who had to be kept at the building site but whose skills were required only periodically. This tremendous expense of equipment and manpower, if not controlled carefully would ultimately absorb all the savings achieved by the modular construction technique of such homes thereby eliminating any economic advantage of using such construction.

Another method of removing the modular section I SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a portable crane which can be used to lift and position modular house sections quickly and simply in a matter of minutes with the use of only two men.

Another object of this invention is to provide a portable crane which is collapsible for high speed transport on public highways.

By high speed transport it is meant that the portable crane of this invention can be towed by a truck at the legal speed specified for such equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view illustrating a portable crane for positioning a house section in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the portable crane of FIG. 1 showing the positioning of a modular house section onto a foundation;

FIG. 3 is the rear view of the portable crane of this invention;

FIG. 4 is the front view'of the portable crane of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view taken along section line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged frontal view of a support pad which extends from the lower end of the crane post;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the portable crane of this invention in a collapsed transportable condition and connected to a pick-up truck for high speed transport;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the crane of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a collapsible support carriage used to support" the modular house section from the crane during positioning thereof; I

FIG. 11 is an enlarged partially sectional view of the end section of the jib of the crane of this invention; and

FIG. 12 is an end sectional view taken along line l2-12 ofFIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED I EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a portable crane .is designated generally by reference numeral 10. The crane 10 includes a base 12 to which are connected wheels 13 for transporting the crane from site to site for the erection of modular house sections. The crane 10 is readily folded down to a compact and stream-lined condition, as best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. A tow bar 14 extends from the base 12 and is secured to a prime mover, such as a truck or the like, for high speed transport over public highways. Once on the site, the crane 10 is expanded to a working position and fastened to a bulldozer or tractor 26 for a counter balance, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A fabricated post member 16 is pivotally secured to the base 12 by pivot pins 17. The post member 16 swings to an upward position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and has the upper free end thereof pivotally receiving a jib member 18 secured thereto by a pivot pin 19. The jib member 18 is pivotal about the pin 19 and serves as a hoist when necessary. However, a hydraulic hoist 20 may depend from the outer end of the jib l8 and may be used to control the raising and lowering of a load. The crane 10 is fastened to a bulldozer or heavy tractor 26 which may weigh in the order to 8,000 to 10,000 pounds and which serves as a counter balance. This allows the portable crane itself to be relatively light weight and easy to transport from site to site. The tractor is equipped with a winch 27 which has a cable 28 secured to the rearward extended portion of the jib 18. When the crane 10 is used to lift and position modular house sections, a truss or carriage 21 is fastened to the hoist 20 so that a plurality of cables 22 can receive and support the weight of a modular house section here designated generally by reference numeral 23.

In general, the modular house section 23 is transported by trailer truck from the factory and is so delivered to the site of construction. The complete removal of the modular house section from the trailer and positioning of the house section onto the foundation 24 is accomplished readily with the use of two workman, one operating the tractor 26 and the other aligning the modular house section before it is lowered onto the foundation. After the modular section is lifted from the delivery trailer, the trailer is then moved out from under the house section 23 and the tractor 26 then guides the crane so that the modular house section islocated over the foundation 24. Once in the general location, minor adjustments can be made with respect to the position of the section relative to the foundation by simply pushing or pulling on one side or the other of the house section by a single workman. The ease of lateral and transverse movement is accomplished by the fact that the section is suspended by a single book or pivot point 29 at the carriage 21. Also, laterally movable support pads 30, which extend from the crane 10, are secured to the modular house section 22 to allow ease of lateral and transverse movement for alignment. l I

Now considering the crane 10 in greater detail, the base 12 is a fabricatedwelded construction of either solid or tubular steel suitable to support heavy loads. The base 12 has side members 36 and 37 and an end 38 connected therebetween with a pairof angled members 39 and 40 coming together at the tow bar 14. A pair of upright members 41 and 42 extend from the side members 36 and 37, respectively, and provide an elevated support for the pivots 17. A pair of stays 43 and 44 extend between the uprightmembers 41 and 42 and the side members 36 and 37 for added support. The tow bar 14 preferably is movable in telescoping fashion into and out of a hollow beam member 46-which is part of the support base 12 and together with a cross member 47 forms a very' rigid support base for heavy loads. To provide means for extending the tow bar 14 a desired length from the end of the base 12, a hydraulic cylinder 48 may be mounted on the hollowmember 46 and has the extensible piston 48a thereof connected to a boss or other suitable means on the tow bar 14. The telescoping feature of the tow bar permits the operator to move the crane and suspended module toward and away from the bulldozer for positioning on the foundation without moving the bulldozer.

The fabricated post member 16 is also of welded construction of suitable tubular or solid steel members and pivotally secured to the upright members 41 and 42 at the pivots 17. To move the post member 16 to a vertical or extended position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, from a previous horizontal position, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a pair of hydraulic cylinders 50 and 51 have the fixed cylinder end thereof secured to the cross member 47 and the movable piston ends thereof pivotally secured to suitable bosses on the post member 16. The hydraulic cylinders 50 and 51 as well as other hydraulic cylinders illustrated herein, may be manually operated or operated by automatic hydraulic means (not shown) provided by the bulldozer 26.

The post member 16 includes a pair of parallel side members 52 and 53 spaced apart by cross members 54 and 56. A pair of angled members 57 and 58 diverge from the parallel members 52 and 53, respectively, and are fastened to a second pair of parallel members 59 and 60, respectively. The parallel members 59 and 60 may be integral parts of the angled members 57 and 58 and bent to fashion the parts as seen in FIGS. 4 and 8, or they may be separate components welded together at their adjoining ends. A plate 61 is secured to the parallel members 59 and 60 and to the upper ends of the angled members 57 and 58 and the plate 61 serves as a stiffener. The plate 61 has a boss 61a formed or fastened thereon by suitable welding techniques, and is arranged to receive the cylinder end of a hydraulic cylinder 62 while the piston end 62a is secured to the jib 18. Actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 62 will cause the jib 18 to move from itsfolded down position, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, to the horizontal weight supporting position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A stop plate 63 is fastened across the uppermost ends of the parallel members 59 and 60 against which the jib 18 can rest when in its folded condition as shown in FIGS.

7 and 8. I

A hold down boss 64 is secured to the cross member 56 of the postmember 16 and is arranged to receive the jib 18 when the crane is in a folded transportable condition. This is best shown in FIG. 9, which illustrates the jib 18 as being'formed of a hollow outer member 67 and a retractable inner solid member 68. In the folded down horizontal position, the solid member 68 is retracted into the jib and has the inner end thereof extending completely through the hollow member 67 to engage with the hold down boss 64. To lock the crane in the folded position for transport, a pin 69 is inserted through the hold down boss 64 and through the end of the solid member 68. However, when the crane is erected onthe site for moving the modular house section 23, the solid member 68 is extended from the ho]- low member 67 in the opposite direction and serves as a mechanical amplifier when connected to the winch 27 by the cable 28. To extend the solid member 68 from the hollow member 67 a gear 70, as best seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, engages a rack 7l which is formed on the solid member 68. The gear 70 is preferably driven by a hydraulic motor 72 but could also be driven electrically or by some mechanical means. Depending on the size and weight of the modular house section 23 being moved into position, the length of the jib 18 is adjusted by extending the solid member 68 in the direction of the tractor 26.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 10, the truss 21 is illustrated as having an eye 76 located substantially in the center of a main support beam 77 to receive a hook from the hoist 20. The truss 21 is designed to be collapsible for ready transport from site to site. To this end, a pair of end arms 78 are secured to the beam pair by hinges 78a and swing inwardly to fold against the sides of the beam 77. Similarly, central arms 80 are secured to the beam 77 by hinges 80a. A second set of intermediate or central arms 81 are hinged by hinges 81a and also fold against the beam 77 in the same direction as the arms 78 and 80. However, the other end of the beam 77 is provided with arms 82 secured by hinges 82a which in turn, are secured to short end plate 83 extending slightly transverse of the beam 77 This allows the end arms 82 to fold back over the arms 81 in the direction opposite the other arms to that the complete carriage is folded to a small package.

FIGS. 4 and 6 illustrate the detailed construction of the lateral support pads 30 and 30a. The description is directed to support pad 30 but applies equally to pad 30a. The lateral support pad 30 is secured to the side wall 23a of the modular house section 23 by means of spike or screws passing through the four corner located holes 86. The pad 30 has bent over edge portions 850 and 85b, as best seen in FIG. 2, to allow a space to exist between the pad 30 and the side wall 23a. This space allows free transverse movement of piston end 88 which passes through an arcuate slot 87. The piston end 88 is part of the movable piston of a hydraulic cylinder 89 which has the main body thereof secured to the base 12. This allows transverse and lateral movement of the modular house section 23 relative to the foundation while suspended from the boom and facilitates aligning the house with the same. Once the house is in position, the lateral support pads are easily removed from the house section.

What has been described therefore is a simple and efficient portable crane which is collapsible to a small stream-line size and readily transported over public highways at high speeds by truck or the like, and which portable crane is readily erected on the site to lift heavy loads with the aid of a tractor or bulldozer which is already a piece of equipment at the site.

lclaim:

1. A portable crane for lifting and positioning a load with respect to a reference point including in combination, a base having wheels secured thereto for transporting the crane from site to site, a jib having first and second ends, said jib having a first position wherein the same is supported on said base for transportation, means mechanically cooperating with said base for raising said jib to a second position and supporting the same therein intermediate said first and second ends thereof, means connected to said first end of said jib for hoisting its load, and means including a self-powered vehicle connected to said base and being connected to said second end thereby providing a counter balance for the crane with the jib lifting the load, said vehicle being operated to move the crane and the load attached thereto for positioning the same relative to the reference point.

2. A portable crane for lifting and positioning a modular house section, comprising in combination, a base having wheels secured thereto for transporting the portable crane from site to site, said base having a tow bar extending therefrom for connection to a motor vehicle, a post member pivotally secured intermediate its free ends to said base for pivotal movement to a folded down horizontal position during transport of the crane and for pivotal movement to an extended vertical position for supporting a modular house section, a jib pivotally secured to said post member at a first end thereof which is to be the uppermost end of said post member when in a vertical position, said jib folding against said post member when in a horizontal position during transport of the crane, hoist means secured to one end of said jib which extends in a direction opposite said tow bar, and self-powered counter balance means connected to the other end of said jib and to said tow bar, said counter balance means permitting said hoist means to lift the modular house section and also moves the crane for positioning the same on a founda- The portable crane of claim 2 further including support padsextending from the lower end of said post member and securable to the modular house section being positioned, said support pads each having an arcuate slot through which extended the piston ends of a hydraulic cylinders connected to said lower end of said post member.

4. The portable crane of claim 2 wherein said jib is formed of a hollow member and a solid member extending therethrough and expansible from said hollow member to increase the length of said jib for mechanical advantage, and said tow bar extends in the direction of said jib and is expansible to substantially the same extent as said jib.

5. The portable crane of claim 4 wherein said jib includes a drive motor having a gear, and said solid member has a rack formed thereon engageable with said gear for moving said solid member inward and outward of said hollow member under the influence of said motor, and said tow bar is expansible by means of a hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder body portion secured to said base and a movable piston secured to said tow bar for movement therewith.

6. The portable crane of claim 2 wherein said jib is formed of a hollow tubular member and a solid member extendible therethrough, and when said crane is in the folded down horizontal position said solid member extends through said hollow member in the direction of said post member and engages a holed down boss formed on said post member to lock the portable crane in a horizontal position for transport.

Claims (6)

1. A portable crane for lifting and positioning a load with respect to a reference point including in combination, a base having wheels secured thereto for transporting the crane from site to site, a jib having first and second ends, said jib having a first position wherein the same is supported on said base for transportation, means mechanically cooperating with said base for raising said jib to a second position and supporting the same therein intermediate said first and second ends thereof, means connected to said first end of said jib for hoisting its load, and means including a selF-powered vehicle connected to said base and being connected to said second end thereby providing a counter balance for the crane with the jib lifting the load, said vehicle being operated to move the crane and the load attached thereto for positioning the same relative to the reference point.

2. A portable crane for lifting and positioning a modular house section, comprising in combination, a base having wheels secured thereto for transporting the portable crane from site to site, said base having a tow bar extending therefrom for connection to a motor vehicle, a post member pivotally secured intermediate its free ends to said base for pivotal movement to a folded down horizontal position during transport of the crane and for pivotal movement to an extended vertical position for supporting a modular house section, a jib pivotally secured to said post member at a first end thereof which is to be the uppermost end of said post member when in a vertical position, said jib folding against said post member when in a horizontal position during transport of the crane, hoist means secured to one end of said jib which extends in a direction opposite said tow bar, and self-powered counter balance means connected to the other end of said jib and to said tow bar, said counter balance means permitting said hoist means to lift the modular house section and also moves the crane for positioning the same on a foundation.

3. The portable crane of claim 2 further including support pads extending from the lower end of said post member and securable to the modular house section being positioned, said support pads each having an arcuate slot through which extended the piston ends of a hydraulic cylinders connected to said lower end of said post member.

4. The portable crane of claim 2 wherein said jib is formed of a hollow member and a solid member extending therethrough and expansible from said hollow member to increase the length of said jib for mechanical advantage, and said tow bar extends in the direction of said jib and is expansible to substantially the same extent as said jib.

5. The portable crane of claim 4 wherein said jib includes a drive motor having a gear, and said solid member has a rack formed thereon engageable with said gear for moving said solid member inward and outward of said hollow member under the influence of said motor, and said tow bar is expansible by means of a hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder body portion secured to said base and a movable piston secured to said tow bar for movement therewith.

6. The portable crane of claim 2 wherein said jib is formed of a hollow tubular member and a solid member extendible therethrough, and when said crane is in the folded down horizontal position said solid member extends through said hollow member in the direction of said post member and engages a holed down boss formed on said post member to lock the portable crane in a horizontal position for transport.

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