GB2206097A

GB2206097A - Loading and unloading vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2206097A
Application number: GB08713931A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Osman Kovacevic; Leon Ashton; Brian Diggle; Michael O'brien
Original assignee: TRENCHMAN LINING SYSTEMS LIMIT
Current assignee: TRENCHMAN LINING SYSTEMS LIMIT
Priority date: 1987-06-15
Filing date: 1987-06-15
Publication date: 1988-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 2007-06-15
Also published as: GB8713931D0; GB2206097B

Abstract

A lifting unit for mounting on or mounted on a deck 8 of a vehicle 2 comprising a rigid frame 14-17 supporting a track 18 and a mobile crab unit 22 which runs on the track 18, the track 18 running substantially horizontally and from fore to aft above the deck 8, said crab unit 22 having a jib arm 28 with a hoist 30 mounted thereon, wherein the hoist 30 may be positioned above the deck 8 or outside the periphery of the deck 8. The jib arm may be pivotable through 360 DEG , or may be an extensible arm mounted on a transverse track carried by the crab unit. The hoist could be mounted directly on such a transverse track, which would replace the jib arm. <IMAGE>

Description

LIFTING UNIT The invention relates generally to lifting units, and in particular to a lorry mounted hoist. The hoist has been specifically designed for delivering barrels and crates to public houses, but could be used for other purposes.

Cranes mounted on the decks of lorries are well known. These cranes typically have pivoted booms with lifting gear suspended at the end of the boom. The base of the crane is held firmly on the deck of the lorry and fills a proportion of the surface area, and hence storage -space, of the deck.

When delivering barrels and crates from a brewery to a public house it is often necessary to offload the beverages from the lorry into the cellar of the public house. Usually the lorry driver and his mate man-handle the barrels and crates off the lorry and slide them down a chute into the cellar whilst controlling the speed of the descent of the barrels by means of a rope tied to the barrels. The driver and his mate take the strain of the rope during the descent of the barrels, and this is often hard work and can be dangerous. Furthermore, the empty barrels must be dragged manually back up the chute.

The present invention has been specifically designed to ease or simplify these tasks.

According to the present invention there is provided a lifting unit for mounting on or mounted on a deck of a vehicle comprising a rigid frame supporting a track and a mobile crab unit which runs on the track, the track running substantially horizontally and from fore to aft above the deck, said crab unit having a jib arm with a hoist mounted thereon wherein the hoist may be positioned above the deck or outside the periphery of the deck.

Preferably the track comprises two parallel universal beams or channels which are substantially equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the deck.

Preferably the jib arm is pivotally attached to a frame of the crab unit, and may be swung through 3600 about a vertical axis.

Preferably the jib arm is retractable.

Preferably the hoist is an electric hoist.

Preferably the hoist has a cable between 5 and 50 metres long and that the crab unit and hoist may be operated by remote control.

Preferably the crab unit is driven by a winch via a continuous loop cable.

It is also preferable that the winch and hoist are powered by the batteries of the vehicle.

Preferably the vehicle is a brewery delivery lorry.

The vehicle may have a roof and sliding curtains or panels extending from the periphery of the roof to the periphery of the deck.

A specific embodiment of the present invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a barrel delivery lorry according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a crab unit and track according to the present invention; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the vehicle, but omitting any sides or roof.

Referring to the drawings a barrel delivery lorry 2 comprises a cab 4 and a load carrying portion 5, which are supported on a chassis which includes the traditional fore and aft extending, spaced chassis members 6. The chassis supports a bed or a deck 8, the whole being supported by road wheels 9, 10, 1L, 12.

A rigid rear frame 14 in the shape of a goalpost comprises a first pair of vertical supports 13, upstanding fr6m the rear corners of the deck, and supported by a transverse horizontal support 16 welded to the rear-of the chassis members 6, there being a further transverse member 16a extending between- the upper ends of the vertical supports 13.

At the front of the load carrying portion 5, there is a traditional upstanding bulkhead to prevent the load sliding forward in the event of an emergency, and welded or bolted into this bulkhead is a second pair of vertical supports 15 extending to the same height as the supports 13, but spaced in from the front corners of the deck 8, their lower ends being secured to respective one of the chassis members 6. The tops of these supports 13 are connected together by a short transverse frame member 17.

Both the pairs of supports 13 and 15 are suitably braced (not shown).

A horizontal track 18, consisting of two spaced apart parallel universal bears 19, 20, is attached to the horizontal frame members 16a, 17 and runs from fore to aft, parallel to and above the deck 8.

A crab unit 22 having a double h-shaped frame 22a is supported by the track 18 via guide wheels 23, 24, and may be moved along the track by means of a continuous loop cable driven by a winch 26 supported on the frame member 17. The crab unit includes a jib arm 28 which is pivotally mounted on the frame 22a, and is free to rotate through 3600 about a vertical axis. The jib arm 28 supports an electric hoist 30 at its free end, the hoist 30 having a cable of between 5 and 50 metres in length, the length being preferably about 20 metres.

The deck 8 may be protected from the weather by means of a roof (not shown) mounted on the frame members 16a, 17, 19 and20, and by a set of sliding curtains 32 or panels may extend between the periphery of the roof and the deck 8.

The winch 26 and the hoist 30 are both powered by the batteries of the barrel delivery lorry 2, and are operated by infra-red remote control. Of course, the operation could equally well be achieved more conventionally.

The jib arm 28 is sufficiently long to extend to a position overhanging an area outside the deck area, on either side of the deck. Furthermore, the reach of the jib arm extends further outside the deck area when overhanging an end of the deck rather than the sides of the deck. The ability to reach outside the deck area enables the lifting unit to load and unload equipment or goods, such as barrels, onto or off the deck of the lorry.

The jib arm may be retractable, either bodily through the pivotal connection with the crab unit or telescopically, to give the hoist even more manoeuvrability.

The hoist cable being of the order of 20 metres in length enables goods, such as barrels or crates, to be lowered into or raised out of cellars whilst the hoist 30 takes the strain. Further, the hoist may be used to drag loads from a distance of up to 20 metres from the lorry, (or more if the hoist cable is longer), to the vicinity of the lorry. The load may then be raised by the hoist 30, swung over the deck 8 by pivoting the jib arm 28 about its vertical axis, and lowered onto the deck for transit. It should be noted that the hoist 30 can take up any position above the deck 8, and therefore that all the deck space may be utilised.

Alternatively, the hoist may also be used to raise loads to upper storeys of buildings. This may be achieved by various simple pulley systems.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example and modifications of detail may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, the invention could be used on the trailer portion of an articulated lorry, and could be used for many different purposes.

It is also envisaged that instead of having a pivoted jib arm 28, an extendable arm mounted on a transverse track carried by the frame 22a could be provided. The hoist could even be mounted directly on the transverse track, which would then act as a jib arm.

Claims

1. A lifting unit for mounting on or mounted on a deck of a vehicle comprising a rigid frame supporting a track and a mobile crab unit which runs on the track, the track running substantially horizontally and from fore to aft above the deck, said crab unit having a jib arm with a hoist mounted thereon, wherein the hoist may be positioned above the deck or outside the periphery of the deck.

2. A lifting unit according to Claim 1 wherein the track comprises two parallel channels which are substantially equidistant from the longitudinal central axis of the deck.

3. A lifting unit according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the jib arm is pivotally attached to a frame of the crab unit.

4. A lifting unit according to Claim 3 wherein the jib arm may be swung through 3600 about a vertical axis.

5. A lifting unit according to any preceding Claim wherein the jib arm is retractable.

6. A lifting unit according to any preceding Claim wherein the hoist is an electric hoist

7. A lifting unit according to any preceding Claim wherein the hoist has a cable of about 23 metres in length.

8. A lifting unit according to any preceding Claim wherein the crab unit and hoist are operated by remote control.

9. A lifting unit according to any preceding Claim wherein the crab unit is driven by a winch via a continuous loop cable.

10. A lifting unit according to Claim 9 wherein the winch and hoist are powered by the batteries of the vehicle.

11. A lifting unit according to any preceding Claim wherein the vehicle is a brewery delivery lorry.

12, A lifting unit according to any preceding Claim wherein the vehicle has a roof and sliding curtains or panels extending from the periphery of the roof to the periphery of the deck.

13. A lifting unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.