LIFT TRUCK SIDE SHIFTING MEANS

• US 3,734,327 A
• Filed: 04/05/1971
• Issued: 05/22/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William R. Ellis Jr
• Original Assignee: William R. Ellis Jr
• Inventors: Ellis, William R. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Forlenza, Gerald M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oresky, Lawrence J.
• Application Number:
  US05/131,422
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 214/730,731,71P,750,660
• US Class Current: 414/667
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/148 Whole unit including fork support moves sideways
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/16 inclinable relative to mast

Abstract

A side shifting means for lift trucks utilizing the horizontal support bar of shaft type fork mountings both as the support member for the forks and as the piston-cylinder for lateral shifting of the forks. By so doing, this allows the forks to pivot about the horizontal support bar and allows the front plate to be lifted upwardly for maintenance, without disengaging the piston from the remainder of the side shifting structure and reduces the load center loss.

Claims

1. In combination, a hydraulic side shifting means, a lift truck including a vertically movable means and a load engaging means, said side shifting means comprising a frame supported on said vertically movable means of said lift truck for vertical movement therewith, a hydraulic cylinder arranged horizontally adjacent the front of said lift truck and with said cylinder defining oppositely opening end openings, a horizontal support rod means extending through said cylinder and through the opposite end openings thereof, means slidably supporting said rod means from said frame for bidirectional endwise movement of said rod means relative to said frame in a direction along the longitudinal axis of said rod means, said cylinder being free to align with said rod means and being substantially unrestrained on the exterior thereof except being constrained from substantial endwise movement relative to said frame, piston means supported on said rod means and sealingly fiTted in said cylinder, mounting means mounting said load engaging means, means supporting said mounting means from said rod means for pivotable movement about the longitudinal axis of said rod means and for lateral movement with the endwise movement of said rod means, and hydraulic power means operative for energizing said cylinder and selectively actuating said piston bidirectionally to move said rod means endwise and thereby laterally shifting said mounting means and said load engaging means.

2. A hydraulic side shifting attachment for lift trucks, said attachment including frame means for attachment to the lift truck, a horizontal support rod slidable horizontally in said frame means in a direction along its longitudinal axis and extending from said frame means, fork mounting plate means, of the hook type including means for hooking forks thereto, attached to the rod, and pivotable about the longitudinal axis of said rod, a hydraulic cylinder incorporated in said frame means, said cylinder being free to align with said rod means and being substantially unrestrained on the exterior thereof except being constrained from substantial enwise movement relative to said frame, a piston on said rod within said cylinder, and means to supply hydraulic fluid to said cylinder thereby laterally shifting said piston, laterally shifting said rod in a direction along its longitudinal axis, and laterally shifting said fork mounting plate therewith.

3. The invention of claim 2 including brackets suspended from the ends of the rod, and fork mounting plates attached to said brackets.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said frame means includes laterally spaced apart bosses, said cylinder extending between said bosses, and bushings mounted within said bosses slidably engaging said rod.

5. A hydraulic side shifting attachment for lift trucks including a frame removably attachable to the lift truck, a pair of laterally spaced apart bosses extending upwardly from the frame, a double ended hydraulic cylinder mounted between said bosses, a horizontal support rod extending through said bosses and slidable horizontally therein in a direction along the longitudinal axis of said rod, said cylinder being free to align with said rod and being substantially unrestrained on the exterior thereof except being constrained from substantial endwise movement of said bosses, a piston attached to said rod within said cylinder between said bosses, a pair of brackets respectively adjacent the ends of said rod, means suspending said brackets from said rod for pivot about said longitudinal axis of said rod, fork mounting plates horizontally mounted between and attached to the brackets, forks removably hooked to said plates and fixedly held relative to said plates, and hydraulic conduits communicating with each end of the cylinder.

6. The invention of claim 5 including packing glands at each end of the cylinder adjacent each boss, and bushings within each boss.

7. A hydraulic side shifting attachment for lift trucks including a double ended hydraulic cylinder, means for attaching said cylinder to the lift truck permitting pivotal movement of said cylinder about its longitudinal axis relative to the lift truck but preventing endwise movement thereof, a piston within the cylinder, piston rods extending from both ends of the cylinder, hook type mounting means for hooking forks thereto, hydraulic fluid means communicating with the interior of said cylinder for shifting said piston and said piston rods laterally, and means pivotally attaching said mounting means to said piston rods for pivot of said mounting means about the longitudinal axes of said rods and for causing lateral shifting of said mounting means laterally with said piston rods.

8. The combination with an industral lift truck having lift mast means, power operative lifting elements supported from said lift mast means selectively elevationally positionable and having load engaging means adapted for directly engagIng and supporting load structure to be manipulated, of side shifting carriage means comprising frame means;

means supporting said frame means from the lift mast and lifting elements of said lift truck;

a hydraulic cylinder arranged horizontally generally at the forward center of said lift truck and with the cylinder structure defining oppositely opening end openings;

continuous rod means extending through said cylinder and sealingly projecting through the opposite end openings;

said cylinder being supported only by said rod means;

piston means supported on said rod means and sealingly fitted in said cylinder means;

hydraulic power means selectively operative for energizing said cylinder and actuating said piston bidirectionally;

said frame means including left and right boss means arranged respectively adjacent opposite end structure of said cylinder means;

left and right arranged primary bearing means supporting said rod means respectively from said left and right frame boss means, and left and right arranged secondary bearing means supporting respectively left and right end structure of said cylinder from said rod means;

abutment means operative between said cylinder means and said frame means constraining said cylinder means against axial bidirectional displacement relative to said frame means;

said cylinder being free to align itself with said rod means and being substantially unrestrained on the exterior thereof except by said abutment means; and

mounting means for mounting said lift truck load engaging means forwardly of said frame means including mounting plate means, left and right arranged bracket means suspended from opposite end structure of said rod means and supporting said mounting plate means, and means arranged subjacently of said rod means permitting shifting movement of said mounting means and movement of said load engaging means while constraining said mounting means and said load engaging means against pivotal downward displacement about the axis of said rod means.

9. The combination with an industrial lift truck having lift mast means, power operative lifting element supported from said lift mast means selectively elevationally positionable, and having load engaging means adapted for directly engaging and supporting load structure to be manipulated, of side shifting means for shifting load structure laterally of said lift truck comprising frame means, means supporting said frame means from the lift mast and lifting elements of said lift truck;

a hydraulic cylinder arranged horizontally generally at the forward center of said lift truck and with the cylinder having structure defining oppositely opening end openings;

continuous rod means extending through said cylinder and sealing projecting through the opposite end openings thereof;

piston means supported on said rod means and sealingly fitted in said cylinder means;

hydraulic power means selectively operative for energizing said cylinder and actuating said piston bidirectionally;

said frame means including left and right boss means arranged respectively adjacent opposite end structure of said cylinder means;

left and right arranged bearing means supported respectively from said left and right frame boss means simultaneously supporting said rod means and said cylinder means and permitting bidirectional shifting movement of said rod means relative to said frame means;

abutment means operative between said cylinder means and said frame means constraining said cylinder means agains axial bidirectional displacement relative to said frame means;

said cylinder being free to align itself with said rod means and being substantially unrestrained on the exterior thereof except by said abutment means and;

mounting means for mounting said lift truck load engaging means forwardly of said frame means including mounting plate means, left and right arranged bracket means suspended from opposite end structure of said rod means and supporting said mounting plate means, and means arranged subjacently of said rod means permitting shifTing movement of said mounting means and shifting movement of said load engaging means while constraining said mounting means and said load engaging means against pivotal downward displacement about the axis of said rod means.

10. The side shifting means as defined in claim 9 wherein said rod means is in the form of a solid integral support rod.

11. The side shifting means as defined in claim 10 wherein said rod means is of composite form and includes an integral rod member, annular piston means concentrically arranged about said rod member and in the interior of said cylinder, left and right arranged rod sleeve means concentrically arranged on said rod member on opposite sides of said piston;

primary fastening means releasably constraining said piston, said left and right sleeve means and said rod member against relative axial displacement; and

secondary fastening means releasably constraining said rod means against axial displacement relative to said left and right bracket means.

12. The side shifting means as defined in claim 11 wherein said bracket means includes a left and a right arranged annular bracket boss means concentrically fitted respectively over said left and right arranged rod sleeve means.

13. The side shifting means as defined in claim 12 wherein said left and right annular bracket boss means each are turnably supported respectively on said left and right rod sleeve means, and wherein said primary and secondary fastening means include respectively nut means arranged oppositely outwardly respectively of said left and right bracket boss means and detachably engaging opposite end portions of said rod member.

14. Side shifting attachment means for shifting load structure laterally of an industrial lift truck of the type including lift mast means, power operative lifting element supported from said lift mast means selectively elevationally positionable, and including load engaging means adapted for directly engaging and supporting load structure to be manipulated;

said side shifting means comprising frame means;

means for supporting said frame means from the lift mast means and lifting element of said lift truck;

a hydraulic cylinder for arrangement horizontally generally at the forward center of said lift truck and with the cylinder having structure defining oppositely opening end openings;

continuous rod means extending through said cylinder and sealingly projecting through the opposite end openings thereof;

piston means supported on said rod means and sealingly fitted in said cylinder means;

hydraulic power means selectively operative for energizing said cylinder and actuating said piston bidirectionally;

said frame means including left and right boss means arranged respectively adjacent opposite end structure of said cylinder means;

left and right arranged bearing means supported respectively from said left and right frame boss means simultaneously supporting said rod means and said cylinder means and permitting bidirectional shifting movement of said rod means relative to said frame means;

abutment means operative between said cylinder means and said frame means constraining said cylinder means against axial bidirectional displacement relative to said frame means;

mounting means for mounting said lift truck load engaging means forwardly of said frame means including mounting plate means, left and right arranged bracket means suspended from opposite end structure of said rod means and supporting said mounting plate means, means arranged subjacently of said rod means permitting shifting movement of said mounting means while constraining said mounting means against pivotal downward displacement about the axis of said rod means;

said rod means being in the form of a solid integral support rod;

said rod means being of a composite form and including an integral rod member;

annular piston means concentrically arranged about said rod member and in the interior of said cylinder;

left and right arranged rod sleeve means concentricalLy arranged on said rod member on opposite sides of said piston;

primary fastening means releasably constraining said piston, said left and right sleeve means and said rod member against relative axial displacement; and

secondary fastening means releasably constraining said rod means against axial displacement relative to said left and right bracket means.

15. The side shifting attachment means as defined in claim 14 wherein said bracket means includes a left and a right arranged angular bracket boss means concentrically fitted respectively over said left and right arranged rod sleeve means.

16. The side shifting attachment means as defined in claim 15 wherein said left and right annular bracket boss means each are turnably supported respectively on said left and right rod sleeve means, and wherein said primary and secondary fastening means include respectively nut means arranged oppositely outwardly respectively of said left and right bracket boss means and detachably engaging opposite end portions of said rod member.