Abstract:
A releasably detachable forklift assembly is coupled to a snowplow mount on a light truck to utilize the mechanical actuating features of the snowplow assembly to actuate the forklift assembly for lifting the forklift and angling it. The use of the light truck provides for forklift transport, adequate clearance for uneven terrain, and with the height of the seat of the light truck affording excellent visibility above the load carried by the tines of the forklift assembly.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to forklifts and more particularly to a forklift assembly removably attachable to a snowplow mount.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Forklift trucks are exceedingly common for materials handling in which heavy loads such as pallets are moveable from one location to another through the insertion of the tines of a forklift underneath the pallet and the raising of the pallet on an elevator assembly at the front of a small, specially adapted vehicle. The vehicles themselves are designed to run on flat floors and to move pallets from one warehouse position to another by running over the smooth floor. While relatively small, these forklift trucks are not affordable to a wide variety of contractors and must be transported to a worksite, for instance by using flatbed trucks.  
         [0003]     Thus, when bidding on a construction job, contractors very often will decline to bid due to the inability to move heavy loads at a worksite. The primary reason for their inability to bid is the fact that the traditional forklift truck is either incapable of moving over uneven terrain or is not designed to be moved to the jobsite by other than a flatbed truck.  
         [0004]     Moreover, if the traditional forklift truck were to be positioned at a jobsite where there is uneven terrain, there is usually not enough clearance underneath the forklift truck to work on anything but flat pavement or flooring, making the use of the traditional forklift undesirable for remote jobsite use.  
         [0005]     It will be appreciated, for instance, that gardeners and other landscape contractors must oftentimes transport trees and other large bushes by first trucking the trees to the jobsite at one point where there is access to the jobsite and then either dragging the tree or bush over the ground, picking it up manually or providing it with skids so as to be able to position the tree or large bush for planting. Under such circumstances forklift trucks would not be appropriate due to the uneven terrain over which the tree or bush most travel from the place where it is dropped off at the edge of the jobsite to the place where it is to be planted.  
         [0006]     Moreover, for curbing and sidewalk contractors it is oftentimes necessary to transport heavy, cumbersome granite slabs from a place where they are deposited, again at the entrance to the jobsite to a position well within the jobsite where the slabs are to be laid out. Additionally, general building contractors, especially bricklayers, stonemasons, roofing contractors, ironworkers and carpenters who must transport heavy materials from the jobsite entrance to the place at which they are to be used.  
         [0007]     As will be appreciated, on jobsites it is oftentimes necessary to transport barrels of material such as fuel, chemicals, paints and finishes or other materials where these items again are dropped off to another location on the jobsite.  
         [0008]     The way that contractors attempt to handle such problems is through the use of manual labor or skids or other towing devices; or the contractor merely does not bid the job because he does not have the equipment to be able to do these short distance transport operations.  
         [0009]     Thus there is a need to provide adequate short distance transport of heavy items, including pallets and the like, over uneven terrain.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0010]     Rather than transporting the traditional forklift to the jobsite and rather than having to determine how the traditional forklift can traverse uneven terrain, in the subject invention the ubiquitous pickup truck with snowplow attachment is provided with a releasably detachable forklift assembly that is moved up and down by virtue of the same mechanism that moves the plow blade up and down.  
         [0011]     In one embodiment the tines of the forklift are made to pivot on a vertical axis by the snowplow actuators so as to provide increased positioning flexibility. In an additional embodiment the normal backwardly-sloping tines when lifted can be corrected to a horizontal position by an actuator so as to adjust the leveling of the tines of the forklift assembly as the assembly is lifted upwardly and tilted back.  
         [0012]     The assembly in one embodiment is open at the top to permit a person in the truck cab to see over and above the load due to his high perch and open forklift, unlike traditional forklift trucks that block the operator&#39;s sight line due to the carriage rack normally used.  
         [0013]     Most importantly, when mounted on a four wheel drive pickup truck, the forklift assembly is transportable to the jobsite over the normal highway infrastructure and then over the uneven terrain of the jobsite due to the clearance of the undercarriage of the pickup truck and due to its four-wheel drive.  
         [0014]     The forklift assembly is releasably attachable to the snowplow mount after the snowplow has been detached by mounting the forklift assembly in the same way as the snowplow is coupled to the snowplow mount. This involves the insertion of three pins two laterally to either side of the mount to accommodate the snowplow positioning actuators normally used to angle the plow blade, and one in the center to permit lateral pivoting.  
         [0015]     The result of this type of mounting is that, unlike traditional forklift trucks, the forklift tines of the truck may be angled with respect to the center line of the pickup truck so that the tines may be able to be maneuvered at the point at which they are to be inserted underneath the load.  
         [0016]     It will be appreciated that, rather than having an elevator that moves the forklift on a forklift truck, in the subject invention the forklift is upwardly moved by the same type of pivoting action that picks up the snowplow. Thus the load is lifted by virtue of the pivoting of the forklift attachment upwardly through a chain drive or other actuator, with the forklift assembly pivoted upwardly from a lateral pivot for the frame normally used in the snowplow mount.  
         [0017]     Moreover, in one embodiment, as the forklift assembly is hoisted up by the chain drive or other actuator, the tines tilt backwardly so that the load is moved against a backing member of the assembly for safety purposes.  
         [0018]     In a still further embodiment, upon raising of the forklift assembly, the tines are rotated downwardly as the assembly is pivoted upwardly so as to level the tines as they are lifted.  
         [0019]     The result is that one can use existing snowplow mounts attached to small trucks to give contractors the ability to bid jobs that they heretofore have not been able to bid. The clearance of the pickup truck accommodates uneven terrain and the forklift is transportable to the jobsite by simply driving the truck over the highway. Thus, in order to provide forklift functionality, one need not separately transport a traditional forklift truck to the jobsite. Rather, one can use one&#39;s pickup truck with snowplow mount and simply fit it with forklift tines hung on a frame attached to the mount.  
         [0020]     The subject forklift attachment for snowplow mounts thus uses the inherent capabilities of the snowplow mount and the pickup truck that include lifting a blade corresponding to lifting of the forklift tines; pivoting of the blade, which corresponds to the pivoting of the forklift tines; and transport of the entire apparatus due to the fact that it is mounted on a light truck.  
         [0021]     Moreover, when attached to a light truck, any counterbalancing that needs to be provided may be provided by adding weights to the bed of the pickup truck so that the pickup truck will not tilt forward when picking up heavy loads,  
         [0022]     In summary, a releasably detachable forklift assembly is coupled to a snowplow mount on a light truck to utilize the mechanical actuating features of the snowplow assembly to actuate the forklift assembly for lifting the forklift and angling it. The use of the light truck provides for forklift transport, adequate clearance for uneven terrain, and with the height of the seat of the light truck affording excellent visibility above the load carried by the tines of the forklift assembly. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]     These and other features of the subject invention will be better understood in connection with a Detailed Description, in conjunction with the Drawings, of which:  
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic illustration of a traditional forklift truck on the floor of a warehouse or adjacent parking lot;  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic illustration of the attempted use of the forklift truck of  FIG. 1  on uneven terrain, indicating the unsuitability thereof;  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is perspective view of the attachment of the subject forklift assembly on a snowplow mount carried by a pickup truck, showing the ability to transport a heavy load over uneven terrain;  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the forklift assembly coupled to the snowplow mount of a pickup truck, illustrating the visibility from the cab of the pickup truck such that the operator of the forklift assembly is not impaired by having to look around the elevator-driven carriage rack used by traditional forklift trucks;  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the subject forklift assembly in front of the snowplow mount to which it is to be attached, illustrating the lateral actuators for the snowplow and the central pivot point that permits angling of the forklift assembly with respect to the center line of the pickup truck to which it is attached;  
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the forklift assembly attached to a snowplow mount, illustrating the actuators and pivot point for angling the forklift attachment;  
         [0030]      FIG. 7  is a top view and diagrammatic illustration of the forklift assembly and snowplow mount of  FIG. 6 , illustrating the angling of the forklift tines using the snowplow mount actuators;  
         [0031]      FIG. 8  is a side view of the lifting of the forklift assembly of  FIG. 3  by virtue of raising the snowplow mount that results in the angling back of the tines of the forklift assembly, illustrating the horizontal repositioning of the tines of the forklift assembly as the snowplow assembly is raised to lift the forklift assembly;  
         [0032]      FIG. 9  is a side view of the final position of the forklift of  FIG. 8 , illustrating the horizontal relationship of the tines to the ground;  
         [0033]      FIG. 10  is a diagrammatic illustration of the removal of a snowplow blade from a snowplow mount that is mounted to the front portion of a light truck, illustrating removal of three pins for the removal of the blade;  
         [0034]      FIG. 11  is a diagrammatic illustration of the positioning of the subject forklift assembly on the ground adjacent the front portion of the snowplow mount for mounting the forklift assembly to the snowplow mount; and,  
         [0035]      FIG. 12  is a diagrammatic illustration of the movement of the snowplow mount into engagement with the forklift assembly and the placement of the pins to releasably attach the forklift assembly to the front end of the snowplow mount. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0036]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , in the prior art, a traditional forklift truck  10  is provided with a forklift assembly  12  attached to a forward member  14  of the forklift through an elevator  16 , such that the tines of the forklift may be raised by an operator seated at position  18 .  
         [0037]     As illustrated, forklift truck  10  is adapted to move along a flat surface  20 . The wheels  22  normally used by a forklift truck are relatively small and provide virtually no clearance between the bottom  24  of the truck and the ground or floor.  
         [0038]     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , when forklift truck  10  is to be deployed over uneven terrain  20 ′, there is insufficient clearance. Moreover, since the traditional forklift trucks are not adapted to traverse a highway, they must be transported by other means, such as flatbed truck, to a jobsite.  
         [0039]     In order to provide for a forklift operation at a remote jobsite and referring now to  FIG. 3 , a light truck  30 , such as a pickup truck, that carries a snowplow mount  32  is provided with a releasably attachable forklift assembly  34  used in place of the normal snowplow blade.  
         [0040]     Because the forklift assembly is attached to the snowplow mount in the same way as the snowplow blade, the forklift assembly can be maneuvered identically to the snowplow blade so as to be able to position the tines of the forklift assembly by raising and lowering them and by angling them from side to side. The result at a jobsite  36  is that the truck can be driven over the uneven terrain at the jobsite due to the fact that the pickup truck has sufficient clearance and may be a four wheel drive vehicle. Moreover, because the forklift assembly need not be a part of a forklift truck that has to be separately transported to the jobsite by another vehicle, the entire apparatus may be transported by the same truck used to transport workers to the jobsite by another vehicle.  
         [0041]     In the illustrated application, a heavy tree  36  is located on a pallet  40  picked up by the tines of the forklift assembly  34 . The truck is maneuvered under its own power to a position  42  over terrain  38  where the load is to be deposited,. What will be immediately appreciated is that the forklift assembly, which may be carried in the truck bed of the truck, is transported from wherever the truck is normally parked to the jobsite and then onto the jobsite, where it can be used for lifting unwieldy or heavy loads and transporting them a short distance to the point at which a load is to be deposited.  
         [0042]     In view of the ubiquitous nature of pickup trucks and snowplow attachments, the subject releasably attachable forklift assembly provides instant access for contractors to contracts that they would ordinarily be unable to bid on due to the inability, either financial or physical, to provide a forklift function at a jobsite.  
         [0043]     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , pickup truck  30  is illustrated as having the snowplow mount  32  hingedly attached to the forward end of the truck at lateral pin  44 , such that when actuator or chain  46  moves in the direction of arrow  48 , the forward edge  50  of the snowplow mount is raised.  
         [0044]     Upon raising the forward edge of snowplow mount  32  by virtue of its pivot about pin  44 , forklift assembly  34  is raised above the ground as illustrated at  52 . The forklift assembly is provided with tines  54 , which are kept parallel to the ground by an actuator  56  that angles the tines downwardly as the entire assembly is raised upwardly by chain  46 .  
         [0045]     Also important to note is that a pickup truck driver  56 , because of his height above ground  52 , has a sightline  58  that is quite high, as illustrated by double-ended arrow  60 . It is noted that the sightline is clearly above the top  62  of the forklift assembly  34 , thus to provide the operator with clear visibility, unlike the case in traditional forklift trucks.  
         [0046]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a typical snowplow mount  32  is provided with a V-shaped frame  70  that is pivoted at pivot point  72  to the truck body. The distal end of frame  70  has a cylindrical pivot pin socket  74  positioned below a stabilizing assembly  76  mounted to frame  70 . The stabilizing assembly, also V-shaped, provides a co-aligned socket  78 , with both sockets adapted to receive a central locating pin. An orifice  80  located at stabilizer  76  is mechanically coupled to a lift assembly  82  as illustrated by dotted line  84 . Lift assembly  82  is pivotally attached at  84  to a rigid frame assembly  86  attached to the body of the truck. An actuator  88 , when extended in the direction of arrow  90 , causes pivot assembly  82  to move upwardly, which tensions on line  84  lift frame  70  in an upward direction as it pivots around pivot point  72 .  
         [0047]     In this manner the entire front end of the plow mount is vertically lifted upon actuation of actuator  88  so that frame  70  pivots upwardly about pivot point  72 .  
         [0048]     Frame  70  also includes lateral actuators  92  and  94  that have respective orifices  96  and  98  at the distal ends thereof, which under ordinary use are adapted to receive the opposite sides of a snowplow to angle the snowplow with respect to the center line of the truck to which the snowplow mount is attached. The blade is normally pivoted about pin sockets  74  and  78  such that the blade may be swung or arced from left to right.  
         [0049]     Rather than mounting a snowplow place on assembly  32 , in the subject invention forklift assembly  34  is mounted to snowplow mount  32  through a pin that goes through orifices  100  in a subframe  102 . Subframe  102  has a laterally-extending portion  104  to either side of these orifices. The laterally extending portion  104  is provided with orifices  106  and  108  to either side of the frame. These orifices are adapted to receive pins that go through the orifices and into respective orifices  96  and  98 .  
         [0050]     Sub-frame  102  has a fixed frame  110  welded thereto, with a pivoted frame  112  pivoted to frame  110  at pivot point  114 .  
         [0051]     Pivoted frame  112  is provided with forklift tines  116  hung on it, with the tines extending outwardly from pivoted frame  112 .  
         [0052]     As will be seen, pivoted frame  112  is provided to horizontally position the tines when the forklift assembly is moved upwardly. Note that tines  116  are hung on pivoted frame  112  by upstanding portions  120 , having an upper portion that is notched and adapted to overlie a lip  122  of pivoted frame  112 .  
         [0053]     Thus the tines for the forklift may be carried in the bed of the truck and merely hung over lip  122  on subframe  112  in order to attach the tines to the pivoted frame. Note that the spacing between the tines  116  is adjustable by virtue of the point at which the tines are hung over lip  122 , the positioning being illustrated by double-ended arrow  124 .  
         [0054]     It will be appreciated that if it is not desired to level the tines as the forklift assembly is lifted and pivoted about point  72  with the upward pivoting of the snowplow mount, then pivoted frame  112  may either be integral to frame  110  or clamped thereto.  
         [0055]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , what is diagrammatically shown is a top view of the completed assembly of  FIG. 5 , in which subframe  102  carrying fixed frame  110  and pivoted frame  112  is mounted to V-shaped frame  70  at central point  130  with a pin and at lateral points  132  and  134 , also by pins.  
         [0056]     Here it can be seen that tines  116  are hung over lip  122  of subframe  110  for easy mounting to the forklift assembly.  
         [0057]     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , it can be seen that upon opposite actuation of actuators  92  and  94 , the original orientation of tines  116  can be pivoted about pin  130  either to the left or to the right as illustrated in dotted outline.  
         [0058]     This permits fine-tuning or adjustment of the tines just prior to the time that they engage a pallet or load. Thus if the truck cannot maneuver the tines directly by the maneuvering of the truck&#39;s front wheels, further adjustments may be made in the positioning of the tines prior to the pickup of a load.  
         [0059]     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , when snowplow mount  32  is raised by chain  46 , tines  54  will be canted backwardly so that the tines are not parallel to ground  52 . Actuator  56  can either automatically or manually be actuated to reposition tines  54  to a horizontal position as illustrated at  54 ′, thus to counteract the pivoting of snowplow mount  30  about point  72 .  
         [0060]     In this case, pivotable frame  112  is pivoted about fixed frame  110  about point  114  by actuator  56 . This actuator may either be a lead screw or other type of actuator, either manually controlled at the cab of the truck or automatically controlled by the angle of frame  70  to ground  52 .  
         [0061]     Alternatively, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the entire forklift frame, here illustrated at  150 , may be itself automatically pivoted at point  152  about reinforcing frame  78  such that the entire frame on which the tines are hung is automatically pivoted.  
         [0062]     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , what can be seen is the ease by which a plow blade  160  can be removed from snowplow mount  32  by the removal of pins  130  and  132 . Upon removal, truck  30  backs away, and as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the forklift assembly  34  is positioned on the ground in front of the truck. Truck  30  then moves the snowplow mount towards the forklift assembly and pins  130  and  132  are slipped into respective sockets and orifices, such that as illustrated at  FIG. 12 , forklift assembly  34  is releasably attached to snowplow mount  32 , whereupon it can be picked up by truck  30  and moved to any suitable location. Here it will be appreciated that assembly  34 , with tines  116  hung on lip  122 , can be conveniently placed anywhere on the ground, with truck  30  merely maneuvered to permit the mounting of the forklift assembly in place of the plow blade.  
         [0063]     What will be therefore seen is that one can adapt a light truck, ubiquitous in today&#39;s society along with its ubiquitous snowplow mount, and adapt it for a completely different purpose, namely the supplying of forklift functionality to a jobsite.  
         [0064]     It will be appreciated that the usual forklift attachments may be placed on the removable forklift, thus to be able to accommodate, for instance, oil drums and irregularly shaped articles.  
         [0065]     Note also that there is no carriage rack to obscure vision as is common in traditional forklift trucks.  
         [0066]     While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications or additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.