Truck fork attachment including adjustable mast for ground clearance

• US 20070059135A1
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard Mizner
• Original Assignee: Richard Mizner
• Inventors: Mizner, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,090,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/462
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/4442 the raising device, when not in use, being stored inside the load-transporting compartment
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/082 inclinable
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/96 with arrangements for alternate or simultaneous use of different digging elements E02F3/7604, E02F3/769, E02F3/78 take precedence; quick-acting devices to connect tools to arms or booms E02F3/3609, for arms to tractors or the like E02F3/627

Abstract

A fork lift for a truck may have at least one mounting beam for pivotally supporting a fork lift mast on a truck frame. The fork lift may extend well below a level of the truck bed to enable engagement of palletized loads resting on the ground by the forks of the fork lift. The mast and fork of the fork lift may be adjusted by removably attaching a pivot connection of the mounting beam to the mast at a selected position along the mast. Attachment elements on the mast may be formed by one or more attachment structures or points. The pivot connection may be attached directly to the mast or may be attached via an attachment bracket having a bracket attachment mechanism that may include one or more attachment elements similar to those on the mast for mutual attachment at a desired height.

Claims

1. An adjustment bracket for adjustably supporting a fork lift mast on at least one mounting beam fixed to a vehicle, the adjustment bracket comprising:

at least one adjustment bracket base, the base having an attachment mechanism including a plurality of attachment points; and

a pivot connection piece, the pivot connection piece supported on the base.

2. The adjustment bracket of claim 1, wherein:

the base is an elongate base; and

the plurality of attachment points form an elongate pattern extending along at least a portion of the elongate base.

3. The adjustment bracket of claim 2, wherein the elongate pattern comprises a repeating pattern of the points.

4. The adjustment bracket of claim 1, wherein the attachment points comprise mounting holes.

5. The adjustment bracket of claim 1, wherein the mounting holes comprise a plurality of different sized bolt holes for selectively receiving a set of bolts corresponding to a predetermined particular height.

6. The adjustment bracket of claim 1, further comprising at least one flange extending transverse to a plane of the base.

7. The adjustment bracket of claim 1, further comprising a pair of adjustment brackets including the adjustment bracket, the pair of adjustment brackets having respective bases having respective adjustment mechanisms and respective pivot connection pieces supported on the respective bases.

8. An adjustable height fork lift mast for adjustable mounting on a mounting beam supported on a truck, the adjustable height fork lift mast comprising:

at least one outer piece and at least one inner piece movably supported on the at least one outer piece; and

an attachment mechanism comprising a plurality of attachment points on the at least one outer piece and disposed at least partially along a length of the outer piece.

9. The adjustable height fork lift mast of claim 8, wherein the plurality of attachment points comprises a pattern of mounting holes.

10. The adjustable height fork lift mast of claim 9, wherein the plurality of attachment points comprises a plurality of distinct patterns of mounting holes.

11. The adjustable height fork lift mast of claim 10, wherein the plurality of distinct patterns of mounting holes comprises mounting holes of a first of the patterns having different dimensions from mounting holes of a second of the patterns.

12. The adjustable height fork lift mast of claim 8, further comprising:

a pair of outer pieces including the at least one outer piece; and

a pair of inner pieces including the at least one inner piece;

wherein the attachment mechanism comprises a matching pattern of attachment points on each of the outer pieces.

13. A fork lift for height adjustable mounting on a truck, the fork lift comprising:

a pair of adjustment brackets adjustably connecting pivot connections of respective mounting beams to respective outer pieces of a fork lift mast, the adjustment brackets having bracket attachment mechanisms on respective adjustment brackets, and wherein the mounting beams are adapted to be supported in a truck; and

mast attachment mechanisms on respective outer pieces of the mast;

wherein;

one of the bracket attachment mechanisms and the mast attachment mechanisms has at least one attachment element and the other of the bracket attachment mechanisms and the mast attachment mechanisms has a plurality of attachment elements; and

the at least one of the attachment elements of the one of the attachment mechanisms is removably attached to one of the plurality of attachment elements of the other of the attachment mechanisms.

14. The fork lift of claim 13, wherein:

the attachment elements comprise a plurality of discrete attachment points; and

at least one set of fasteners connecting respective ones of the attachment points of the adjustment brackets to respective ones of the attachment points of the outer pieces of the mast.

15. The fork lift of claim 13, wherein:

a first of the plurality of the attachment elements is centered at a position spaced from a second of the plurality of the attachment elements; and

selective attachment of the at least one attachment element to one of the first and second attachment elements determines a height position of the mast relative to the mounting beams.

16. The fork lift of claim 13, wherein:

the attachment brackets each comprise a plurality of patterns of attachment points; and

the outer pieces of the mast each comprises at least one pattern of attachment points that matches at least one of the patterns of the attachment points on the attachment brackets;

wherein the plurality of patterns are spaced along a length of the adjustment bracket.

17. The fork lift of claim 13, wherein:

the attachment brackets each comprises at least one pattern of attachment points; and

the outer pieces of the mast each comprises a plurality of patterns of attachment points that match the at least one pattern of the attachment points on each of the attachment brackets;

wherein the plurality of patterns are spaced along a length of the outer pieces of the mast.

18. A method of adjusting a height of a mast and a fork of a truck mounted fork lift, the method comprising:

adjusting a position of a pivot connection of a mast to a mounting beam along a height of the mast, wherein the mounting beam is adapted to be supported on a truck; and

removably attaching the pivot connection to the mast.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

adjusting a position of a tilt hydraulic ram connection of a mast along the mast; and

removably attaching the ram connection to the mast.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the steps of adjusting and attaching comprise a rough height adjustment for locating the mast and the forks of a truck mounted fork lift above a ground level, the method further comprising finely adjusting a height of the forks above the ground level by adjusting chain bolts of the fork lift.