"""True free fall"" hydraulic winch system for converting a ""backhoe"" to a ""crane"""

A conversion backhoe-to-crane type system, including preferably a box type, 50' boom and two, hydraulically driven cable or line winches, the hoist one of which is mounted directly on the crane-like boom. The winches have "true free fall" characteristics, by using a high torque, radial piston hydraulic motor directly driving the drum, which motor can be put into a "neutral" disposition, exerting no significant drag on the cable winch drum when it unwinds under the force of the suspended load and/or work implement falling under the force of gravity. Additionally, a supplemental braking system, e.g. a disc brake carried on the winch drum shaft, is added. Thus, the winch drum becomes truly free wheeling, when the hydraulic winch is put in "neutral," but can still be controlled, when desired, by the supplemental disc brake sub-system. A second, spring apply, disc brake is included for emergency back-up. For exemplary purposes, the backhoe conversion is illustrated in a dragline configuration (FIG. 1), but the invention is applicable to providing in a "backhoe" other converted "crane" configurations, e.g. a lift crane (FIG. 9), a clamshell digger or loader (FIG. 10), or a pile driver (FIG. 11), etc. In the conversion the box boom is mounted in place of the standard backhoe type boom, with the supplemental winch mounted on the main body of the backhoe. Alternatively, the winching system of the invention can be used on hydraulic cranes generally to achieve regular, operational "true free fall" for the load.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
1. Fields of Invention 
The present invention relates to hydraulic winching systems for hydraulic 
backhoes and the like, and more particularly to a conversion system for 
such vehicles, which with the conversion of the present invention use a 
boom and winch line sub-system that allows the "backhoe" to be used in 
operations such as draglines, lift cranes, clamshell diggers or loaders, 
pile drivers, etc.; and even more particularly to such a system in which 
"true free fall" is achieved on a repetitive, regular, operating basis, 
when the load and/or work implement being carried by the boom is allowed 
to freely descend under the force of gravity. The present invention also 
relates to the providing of a combined boom/winch system as an accessory 
piece of equipment for backhoe vehicles and the like, to convert them into 
a crane type piece of equipment. Additionally, the present invention 
relates to an improved hydraulic winch system for cranes and the like 
which achieves "true free fall" for the load, when desired, on an ongoing, 
regular operational basis with the use of an hydraulic motor directly 
driving the winch drum and a supplemental braking system for the winch 
drum, such as for example a disc brake. 
2. Prior Art & General Background 
A backhoe type vehicle is well known in the art as a very versatile piece 
of equipment. Although originally used as an excavator, "backhoes" are 
also usable alternatively, with the proper accessory equipment, as for 
example a scrap metal/grapple, a logging-heeler, a logging-grapple, scrap 
shearer, an hydraulic tree feller buncher, etc. Such backhoes typically 
have a boom pivotally supported underneath by an angled hydraulic 
cylinder, with the boom carrying a front, accessory arm, which is pivoted 
about an upper axis by a top hydraulic cylinder to be moved toward and 
away from the cab under the operator's control; hence the term "backhoe." 
Winches generally have not been used on backhoes, and as a general rule 
backhoes heretofore have not been usable as a crane type piece of 
equipment. 
However, as a separate piece of equipment of a different type, cranes have 
been well known which can be alternatively configured to be a dragline, a 
lift crane, a clamshell digger or loader, a pile driver, etc., by 
appropriately changing the accessory equipment attached to the boom of the 
crane. Typically, such cranes use a lattice type boom made of lacings and 
cords, forming an open structure, and use winches usually powered by 
hydraulic motors of the gearing type, with the hoist winch and the in-haul 
winch mounted on a common shaft on the main body of the crane. 
Alternatively, expandable clutches working on the cylindrical interior of 
a drum are typically use to transmit the power from the main power or 
prime mover. In either case, for braking of the winch drum, externally 
contracting band brakes working against the exterior, cylindrical surface 
of a drum have been typically used to brake the winch. 
Thus, in the prior art, to do the jobs the backhoe does best and do the 
jobs a crane was designed to do, it has been practically necessary to have 
separately both a backhoe and a crane, resulting in very great expense for 
the user, with duplication of the crawler (or wheeled) and cab/prime-mover 
portions of the two pieces of equipment. This very unsatisfactory 
situation has been with the heavy equipment industry for a long period of 
time. 
The present invention, it is believed, is the first to achieve on a 
practical, reliable, cost effective, quick-changeover basis, a combined 
backhoe/crane system embodied in a single piece of main equipment, with 
the change over from backhoe to crane being achieved with an accessory 
system, thereby avoiding any substantial duplication of the main 
equipment, with the equipment achieving "true free fall" for the load when 
desired on an ongoing, operational basis. 
There apparently has been at least one attempt at combining backhoe and 
crane systems on a combined "backhoe," as indicated by a brochure on the 
HITACHI MA125U STV amphibious soft terrain vehicle apparently printed in 
1982. However, it mounts its two winches side-by-side on the main body of 
the backhoe and does not mount the hoist winch on the boom itself in the 
line-of-sight of the operator, as in the preferred embodiments of the 
invention. Additionally, it apparently uses relatively low torque 
hydraulic motors for the winches. 
Thus, additionally, one of the problems that has persisted in the prior art 
over a long period of time with hydraulic crane systems, that is ones 
using hydraulic gearing motors, has been the lack of "true free fall" of 
the object being carried from the end of the boom by the cable line, when 
the hydraulic winch lets loose on the hoist line. Thus, usually because of 
the retarding or dragging action of the hydraulic winch gearing elements, 
the object being carried by the cable line is slowed down in its descent 
under the force of gravity. 
Typically, hydraulic winches of the hydraulic gear type have a relatively 
low torque, for example 200 foot/pounds, requiring that they be torqued up 
to drive a winch for the loads encountered in cranes. Such reduction 
gearing usually involves a ratio of the order of 20:1 and uses planetary 
gearing, including for example input sun gear, secondary sun gear, primary 
planet gear, secondary planet gear, ring gear, output planet gear, etc.; 
note for example the PD15 hydraulic winch manufactured by Braden Winch Co. 
of Broken Arrow, OK, which is used on hydraulic cranes for hoist lines and 
the like. When the hydraulic motor is cut off to allow the hoist cable to 
"freely" spool out, the reduction, planetary gearing still is being 
rotated, producing significant retardation or drag on the line. 
Although some manufacturers claim "free fall" characteristics for its 
released hoist line, when the hydraulic gear motor has been cut off, such 
has been meant in the prior art only as a relative term, and it is 
believed that "true free fall," which allows the load or work implement at 
the end of the cable to freely move under the force of gravity without any 
significant retardation or drag, has not been achieved in such a system on 
a regular, operational, repetitive basis until the present invention. 
As an indicator of the difference in the "free fall" characteristics of the 
prior art hydraulic gear motor compared to that used in the exemplary 
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the former takes of the 
order of a 1,500 lb. minimum load to initiate spooling out of the hoist 
line in "free fall," while the present invention in the initial prototype 
required only approximately 150 lb. minimum load. 
Additionally, it should be understood that the so-called "emergency" 
subsystem, which is provided in some prior art hydraulic cranes as a 
safety factor, which allows a load to be quickly dropped to prevent for 
example tip over of the crane due to imbalance, is just that, namely a 
one-time-usage, emergency system, analogous to the safety "seat ejector" 
in an airplane. In one such "emergency" system, a pin connecting the 
reduction gearing to the drum is pulled, allowing the drum to then to 
"truly" freely rotate without the supplemental gearing. However, if the 
motor is attempted to be "re-engaged" before the pin is properly 
reassembled, the motor train can be substantially damaged. Additionally, 
the operator loses all control over the hoist line and its load, once the 
"emergency" button is actuated. 
In contrast, the present invention achieves "true free fall" on a 
repetitive, regular operational basis, every time it is desired to have 
the load or working implement suspended from the cable off of the boom to 
freely fall or drop under the force of gravity. Such action allows, not 
only emergency use, but repetitive use to speed up the operation at hand 
on a regular operational basis, since no unnecessary time is lost due to 
delayed load or implement movement. 
In the preferred embodiments the invention achieves these long desired, 
advantageous goals by utilizing a high torque hydraulic motor directly 
driving the winch drum, that is without any supplemental, interconnecting 
gearing, and a supplemental braking system, preferably a disc brake 
system. Although there have been prior attempts to combine an hydraulic, 
high torque motor to directly drive winches (see Hagglunds' Viking Motors 
for very large crane winches and the like, and the "HYDROSTAR" MRH 95 & 
2/3-95 apparently used on a trawl winch), none it is believed were part of 
a backhoe-to-crane conversion system, but rather a regular crane or trawl 
winch installation, and additionally used, to the extent known, the 
standard, old type of externally contracting band brake, in comparison to 
the disc type brake of the preferred embodiment. 
Thus, in summary, the present invention allows a backhoe to be quickly and 
easily converted to a crane type piece of equipment, with preferably at 
least part of the winching system being included on the boom itself, and 
with the winching system being capable of "true free fall" by preferably 
using a high torque hydraulic motor directly driving the drum winch with a 
supplemental brake system being provided, preferably of the disc brake 
type. Such an achievement allows the converted crane "backhoe" type 
vehicle adapted with the present invention to operate much more quickly 
and safely, in comparison to those of the prior art, without having any 
substantial duplication of heavy, expensive equipment. 
GENERAL, SUMMARY DISCUSSION OF THE INVENTION 
Thus, the present invention in its primary aspect is directed to an 
improved accessory or sub-system for use on or with backhoe type vehicles 
and the like to quickly and easily convert them to a crane type piece of 
equipment, in which at least the hoist winch includes an hydraulic powered 
motor which can be put into a "neutral" non-retarding disposition, and in 
which there is further provided a supplemental braking system for 
controlling, as desired, the cable movement independently of the 
hydraulics of the winch. Such a combination achieves for the first time, 
it is believed, "true free fall" for such a converted vehicle. 
Thus, the present invention achieves this highly desirable characteristic 
by utilizing a direct drive hydraulic motor for the winch, which can be 
put in a neutral or neutralized position, that is a disposition which 
produces no significant drag or retardation on the cable winch drum, when 
the hoist line is released, and be of a size easily mounted on a backhoe 
and preferably on the boom itself, and further utilizing a separate, 
supplemental braking system for the hoist drum, an exemplary such braking 
system being a disk-type brake, associated with the axle of the winch 
drum. Thus, when the hoist line is released, no significant retarding drag 
is put on the released line, allowing the load at the end of the cable to 
fall freely down under the force of gravity. However, when it is desired 
to retard or stop the cable from being further played out, the 
supplemental braking system is actuated to the extent desired. 
The system of the present invention is applied to backhoe type vehicles, 
whether they are needed to be used in a dragline configuration or other 
such configurations as a lift crane, clamshell digger or loader, or pile 
driver, etc. 
In such configurations, an in-haul, hydraulic winch is also typically used, 
with the exception of the lift crane configuration, in addition to the 
hoist winch. The present "true free fall" aspects of the invention are 
likewise equally and Preferably applied to this winch as well, thereby 
also providing the in-haul winch with an hydraulic motor that can be put 
into a true neutralized disposition, along with a supplemental brake 
system, such as for example a disc brake system, mounted in association 
with the axle of the winch drum. 
Additionally, the boom used with the hydraulic hoist winch system of the 
present invention is preferably of the box boom type, in contrast to for 
example a lattice boom with pennant line(s), although the present 
invention can likewise be applied to a crane type structure having such a 
lattice boom structure, if desired, with preferably the hoist winch being 
mounted on the boom itself as a combined structure. 
It is thus a basic object of the present invention to provide an hydraulic 
backhoe type vehicle and the like with crane capabilities on an easy 
conversion basis, with hydraulically powered winch(es) which allow "true 
free fall" when released, in such a manner that such "true free fall" is 
achievable on a repetitive, regular operational basis, and not merely on a 
one-time "emergency" basis. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a system 
which is reliable, long-lasting and relatively economical in both its 
original cost and its maintenance costs, and avoids the substantial 
duplication and substantial expense in having two separate pieces of heavy 
equipment for backhoe operations and for crane operations. 
It is also an object of another aspect of the present invention to provide 
an hydraulic winch system for cranes generally which achieves "true free 
fall" on a repetitive, regular operational basis, and not merely on a 
one-time "emergency" basis and without endangering the winch equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED, EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
With reference to FIG. 1, a first preferred, exemplary embodiment of the 
present invention is shown, as applied as an adaptive accessory system for 
converting a standard crawler, hydraulic backhoe vehicle 100 to work as a 
dragline. However, it should be understood that, as illustrated in FIGS. 
9-11, the present invention is likewise applicable to achieving "true free 
fall," not only for a dragline configuration, but also for other exemplary 
backhoe adaptive configurations, such as for example a lift crane, a 
clamshell, a pile driver, etc. 
The exemplary backhoe type vehicle illustrated is an "FMC Link-Belt" 
backhoe model LS-2800B, having an approximate operating weight of forty 
thousand pounds, although of course the present invention is likewise 
adaptable to many other different backhoes and like type vehicles. 
As can be seen in FIG. 1, such an exemplary backhoe includes an operator's 
cab 101 mounted on a base platform 102. The base 102 is mounted on a three 
hundred and sixty degree turntable on the endless track undercarriage 103 
for movement over the ground as desired. Housing 104 contains the main 
power package for the backhoe, including the main motor or prime mover, 
hydraulic fluid pump, etc. 
Hydraulic boom hoist cylinders 108 (one on each side) extend upwardly from 
the front of the main body of the backhoe 100 to raise and lower, as 
desired, whatever boom may be attached by pivot pins to the main foot 
pivot 109 and the upper ends of the hydraulic cylinders 108, to change the 
effective angle and/or height of the boom. Typically, a backhoe excavator 
will include a main boom extending up and out from the backhoe's foot 
pivot, with the boom having at its distal end an attachment arm designed 
to do some specific backhoe type work, with the interconnection between 
the boom and the arm including a further hydraulic cylinder for moving the 
arm with respect to the boom. 
All of the foregoing represents standard backhoe type construction. 
As can be seen in FIG. 1, the first exemplary embodiment of the present 
invention converts a standard backhoe 100 to have dragline, crane 
capabilities using a standard type dragline bucket B. As is well known in 
the dragline art, the bucket B is raised by a hoist line, moved to a 
desired location by moving the crane boom (if necessary), dropped 
preferably with "true free fall" into the area being dragged out, and then 
pulled or dragged in toward the operator's cab with an haul-in line, 
picking up a load in the bucket B. 
As will be described more fully below, the conversion structure of the 
present invention primarily includes the boom 400, the winches 200A, 200B 
and the fair leader 105. As illustrated in FIG. 1, at the front of the 
base platform 102 the fair leader structure 105 is included, which swivels 
or pivots about a horizontal axis and includes a series of vertically and 
horizontally disposed rollers or sheaves for properly guiding the in-haul 
line 106 to the in-haul winch 200B. 
The preferred, exemplary embodiment of the winching subsystem of the 
present invention for the dragline configuration of FIG. 1 includes two 
winches, a hoist winch 200A and the in-haul winch 200B. Both of these 
winches can have substantially identical structures, the former being used 
to hoist in and let out the hoist line 107, and the latter to haul in and 
let out the in-haul line 106 through the fair leader 105 in the embodiment 
of FIG. 1. 
As can best be seen in detail in FIGS. 2-4, the preferred, exemplary 
embodiment of the "true free fall" winch comprises a drum 204 mounted for 
rotation about a horizontal axis on axle 217. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 
and 3, the outer, exterior surface of the drum 204 is formed with 
appropriate fluted lagging to position the cable line in a standard, 
side-by-side disposition when spooled up on the drum. 
A radial piston, hydraulic motor 214/300 is included on one side of the 
drum structure for directly driving the shaft 217, causing the drum to 
either pull in the cable line or to play it out, depending upon the 
direction of rotation of the motor. 
Mounted co-axially with the drum 204 is a brake disc 206, which passes 
through or between the caliper elements of the caliper disc brake 
sub-system 215. This braking sub-system is completely independent of the 
hydraulic operation of the hydraulic motor 214/300. When it is desired to 
retard or completely brake, i.e. stop, the winch drum 204 from rotating, 
the disc caliper sub-system 215 is hydraulically actuated, causing the 
calipers to clamp down on the side edges of the moving disc 206, in a 
fashion well known to those familiar with the disc brake technology. 
A second, back-up caliper sub-system 215' is mounted for example ninety 
degrees spaced from the main one on the drum base plate 210 and is 
identical to the main one except with spring apply. If the hydraulics 
should go out, the back-up, emergency unit 215' will then be 
"automatically" applied, due to the spring apply working against the new 
defunct hydraulic retraction. 
An exemplary caliper disc brake, which is used in the motor vehicle art for 
braking vehicles, such as for example an "eighteen wheeler" trailer truck, 
is the "MICO" 530 model series sliding caliper with hydraulic apply for 
the main unit 204 and spring apply for the back-up unit 215. The disc 206 
can be made for example of "316" stainless steel. 
As can best be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hydraulic motor 300 includes a 
series of five, radially extending, hydraulic cylinders 301, peripherally 
spaced about the shaft 217 for directly driving the shaft by means of cam 
connecting rods 305. 
With reference to FIG. 5, hydraulic pressure 302 is distributed to each 
cylinder 301 by a rotary valve (not illustrated) which rotates in 
conjunction with a crankshaft supplying hydraulic pressure to the power 
stroke of the pistons 304. 
The hydraulic pressure to the cylinder 301 exerts a force (note direction 
arrows) onto the piston 304 as shown in FIG. 5. The force is transmitted 
to the ball end of the connecting rod 305. This force on the connecting 
rod is relayed to the surface area of the cam 307, thus providing the 
rotary movement to the shaft 306, directly rotating the winch drum 204. 
To offer smooth rotation, two or three of the five cylinders 301 are always 
subject to pressurized fluid. The shaft 306 is directly connected by a 
splined connection to the drum shaft 217, so that they always rotate 
together as one. 
The cam 307 is interconnected to the shaft 306 by means of internal ported 
pistons (not illustrated), which are moveable radially and when 
pressurized by action of the operator by means of an internal port line, 
are moved out of the shaft 306, "breaking" the interconnection. This is 
the "neutral" disposition of the cylinders 301, making the shaft 306 
freewheeling, so that the radial pistons 304 are static, while the shaft 
306 is free to rotate without any significant drag on it from the working 
elements of the hydraulic motor 300. 
In this disposition, there is no significant resistance to the rotation of 
the axle 217 by the hydraulic motor 300, allowing the shaft to rotate 
without any significant retarding or dragging action, resulting in "true 
free fall" for the cable 107 being played out from the drum 204. 
This allows the hoist line 107 to be pulled off the winch drum 204 under 
the weight and force of the load or working implement, for example the 
dragline bucket B, suspended from the end of the hoist line 107 in a "true 
free fall" action under the force of gravity. 
An exemplary hydraulic motor 300 that has sufficient torque to directly 
drive the winch is the "HYDROSTAR" low speed, high torque model "MRH 2-95" 
manufactured by KYB Corporation of America, Lombard, Ill. This motor 
generates approximately four thousand foot/pounds at the maximum 
acceptable hydraulic pressure found on most backhoes of three thousand 
five hundred psi. This is sufficient torque to run the size winches used 
for the hoist winch 200A and the supplemental winch 200B in the herein 
described "crane" application configurations. 
With reference to FIGS. 5-8, the boom 400, which can be for example at 
least around forty feet and preferably fifty feet in length, is preferably 
of the box type, made up of solid side walls forming in cross-section a 
rectangular box configuration. The hoist winch 200A is preferably mounted 
on a platform 411 on the boom 400 itself, forming a combined, integrated 
structure, while the other winch 200B is mounted on the main body of the 
backhoe 100. Alternatively, of course, the in-haul winch 200B could also 
be mounted on the boom 400 on an appropriate platform, if so desired, for 
a completely integrated conversion structure. When mounted on the boom 400 
as illustrated, the hoist winch 200A is in the operator's line-of-sight. 
Exemplary construction details for the winches 200A/B and the boom 400 are 
outlined below: 
Base plate 201 . . . 1".times.26".times.28.5" 
Motor side plate 202 . . 3/4".times.26".times.30" 
Idler side plate 203 . . 3/4".times.26".times.30" 
Drum 204 . . . 91/4" O.D..times.21" LG. 
Drum side plate 205. . . 1/2".times.23.5".times.8.5" I.D. 
Caliper disc 206 . . . 7/16".times.22" O.D..times.71/8" I.D. 
Idler bearing flange plate 208 
Pin 209. . . 71/4" LG. 
Base plate 210 . . . 3/8".times.2.5".times.61/4" 
Reinf. plate 211 . . . 3/8".times.10".times.23.5" 
Threaded rod 212 . . . 263/8" 
Pipe, reinf. 213 . . . 3/4".times.23" 
Boom, struct. tube 401 . 10".times.14".times.3/8"t 
Bushing 402. . . 7"O.D..times.31/2"I.D..times.281/8" LG. 
Bushing 403. . . 7"O.D..times.33/8"I.D..times.23" LG. 
Bushing 404. . . 41/2" O.D..times.33/8" I.D..times.21/2" LG. 
Plate, side reinf 405. . 1/2".times.29".times.40" 
Plate, sheave side 406 . 1/2" t 
Plate, Top & Bottom 407. 1/2" PL 
Top Plate 408. . . 1/2".times.10 2/4" LG.times.153/4".times.12" 
Plate, sides 409 . . . 1/4".times.13/16".times.625/8" 
Plate, bottom 410. . . 1/2".times.153/4".times.97/8".times.221/2" 
Plate,winch mounting 411 11/4".times.26".times.30" 
Plate, gusset 412. . . 1/2".times.14".times.9" 
Plate, gusset 413. . . 1/2".times.10".times.141/2" 
Plate, gusset 414. . . 1/2".times.43/4".times.87/8" 
Plate, reinf. 415. . . 1/2".times.57/8".times.103/4" 
Plate, closure 416 . . . 1/2".times.57/8".times.153/4" 
Plate, closure 417 . . . 1/2 PL.times.2".times.191/4" 
Plate, reinf. 418 . . . 1/2".times.2".times.61/2" LG. 
Pipe, support 419 . . . 2'.times.6" LG. 
Pipe, Wrap 420 . . . 1/2".times.4".times.26" 
Pin, sheave 421 . . . 2.993.times.12" LG. 
Pin, keeper 422 . . . 3/4" 
Padeye, Dead End 423 . . 1" PL 
Reinf. Plate 424 . . . 1/2".times.97/8".times.15" 
Exemplary alternate "backhoe" to "crane" conversions are illustrated in 
FIGS. 9-11, including a lift crane configuration, a clamshell 
digger/loader configuration, and a pile driver configuration, 
respectively. 
As can be seen in FIG. 9, the lift crane "backhoe" 100 includes a lift hook 
H on a block B carried by the hoist or load line 107. Only one winch 200, 
the hoist winch, is needed for this configuration. As is known, the block 
B includes a series of sheaves S, the number of which determines the load 
lift leverage of the lift crane "backhoe" 100. 
As can be seen in FIG. 10, the clamshell "backhoe" 11 includes a clamshell 
bucket C, to which is connected a tag line L, which keeps the clamshell 
bucket C from twisting around. Both winch lines 106, 107 go from the 
winches 200A/B to the clamshell C, one (e.g. 106) used to open the shell 
and the other 107 to hoist it. 
As can be seen in FIG. 11, the pile driver "backhoe" 100 includes a hammer 
weight W carried within the pile leads or rack R. A stand-off pipe S is 
used to stabilize and position the bottom of the rack R. As is known, the 
pile chain PC is wrapped around the top of a pile to be driven, and for 
example the line 107 and hoist winch 200A is used to raise and position 
the pile within the rack R under the weight W, after of course the hammer 
weight W has been raised by the line 106. The hammer weight is then 
cyclically raised and allowed to free fall down, using the "true free 
fall" characteristics of the winch 200B, until the pile section has been 
hammered down into the ground. The process is then repeated for subsequent 
pile sections, all as is well known in the pile driving art. 
When it is desired to convert the backhoe 100 from its usual excavator 
configuration to one of the "crane" configurations of the invention, the 
standard boom and its arm attachment are unpinned from the foot pivot 109 
on the main body of the backhoe 100 and from the upper end of the 
hydraulic hoist cylinder 108. This process involves only four pins, two 
pins P on one side being illustrated in FIG. 6. 
The boom 400 with its hoist winch 200A mounted on it is then substituted 
for the standard backhoe boom and attachment arm and pinned into place 
with the pins P to the foot pivot 109 and the hoist cylinder 108. If 
needed, the second winch 200B is mounted on the main body of the backhoe 
100, the appropriate crane related elements added (e.g. bucket B or 
block-and-hook B/H or clamshell C or rack-and-weight R/W, etc.), and the 
lines 106 & 107 appropriately run and connected. The quick conversion is 
now complete, and the "backhoe" is ready to go to work as a "crane" type 
piece of equipment, with the winches having "true free fall" capabilities. 
With respect to some exemplary variations, it is noted that the 
supplemental, independent braking system could be designed to operate on 
the cable itself, although having it operate on one of the operative 
elements of the winch itself, namely the drum or its shaft or the shaft of 
the hydraulic motor or the interconnections between the two shafts, and 
even more preferrably the drum shaft as illustrated, is currently 
preferred. 
The embodiments described herein in detail for exemplary purposes are of 
course subject to many different variations in structure, design, 
application and methodology. Because many varying and different 
embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concepts herein 
taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments 
herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirements of the 
law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted 
as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.