Lightweight High-Performance Pipelayer
First Claim
1. A pipelayer, comprising:
- an undercarriage;
a boom movable relative to the undercarriage; and
a counterweight movable relative to the undercarriage ranging between fully deployed and fully retracted positions, the counterweight being deployable only when the boom has extended a predetermined distance from the undercarriage.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pipelayer providing higher lifting capacities without adding weight or size to an undercarriage or boom of the pipelayer is disclosed. The pipelayer is designed and sized to have a maximum lifting capacity when the boom is extended from the undercarriage a predetermined, relatively short distance. However, in use the boom often needs to extend further away from the undercarriage, and in so doing the lifting capacity of the pipelayer decreases. The present disclosure provides additional lifting capacity in that extended range by selectively deploying a counterweight away from the undercarriage once the boom is extended past the predetermined distance. In so doing, not only is the lifting capacity of the pipelayer increased, but the size and weight of the undercarriage and boom are not increased. This enables standard sized undercarriages and other supporting structure to be used, thereby aiding in maneuverability and shipping of the pipelayers, while at the same time reducing manufacturing and usage costs.
27 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A pipelayer, comprising:
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an undercarriage; a boom movable relative to the undercarriage; and a counterweight movable relative to the undercarriage ranging between fully deployed and fully retracted positions, the counterweight being deployable only when the boom has extended a predetermined distance from the undercarriage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of operating a pipelayer , comprising:
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extending a boom away from an undercarriage; measuring a distance the boom is extended away from the undercarriage; deploying a counterweight only when the measured distance is greater than a predetermined length. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A heavy lift assembly for a pipelayer, comprising:
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a position sensor adapted to measure a parameter indicative of the distance a boom is extended away from an undercarriage of the pipelayer; a processor receiving a measured parameter signal from the position sensor; an operator interface connected to the processor and provided with an input device through which an operator can engage the heavy lift assembly, the input device being actuable only when the boom has extended away from the undercarriage by a predetermined distance. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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- 26. In a pipelayer having an undercarriage , chassis and boom weight of A and a machine maximum lifting capacity of B, a heavy-lift attachment adapted to increase the machine maximum lifting capacity to a value greater than B within a heavy lift operating range, while maintaining the undercarriage, chassis and boom weight as A.
Specification