COMBINATION TRUCK

Abstract: A combination truck in the form of a shackle wagon comprising a vertically movable shackle frame having two interconnected shackle frame parts and mounted on two parallel wheel supports (2) and comprising a load handling means (3) for connection to a corresponding means of a load unit (4) and for lifting and lowering said load unit (4), and in which said load handling means (3) comprises a guide (15) which is mounted vertically movable in relation to the shackle frame and displacable carries a slide (17) having a yoke (18) with a connection means for the load unit (4) at one end thereof. The slide (17) can be expelled for fetching and depositing a load unit, and it can with or without load be retracted into the shackle frame. The guide (15) with the slide (17) and the yoke (18) is supported by wires or chains (8) which over pulleys or pulley chain sprockets at the upper end of the shackle frame (1) are connected to the wheel supports (2) preferably over exchangeable links or hydraulic cylinders (21).

Description: Combination Truck The present invention generally relates to a combination truck and the invention is more particularly directed to a straddle truck or a U-shaped vehicle of the type in which the load is handled between the supporting legs of the vehicle and which can be used for picking up loads from a specific level, for instance the bottom level or the ground, and transport, lift and deposit said load on any wanted level or oppositly to pick up the load on a certain height and after having transported same deposit the load on a lower level. Such trucks or straddle trucks are generally used for transporting and handling of all kinds of heavy material, for instance timber charges etc. A special field of use for such U- shape vehicles is handling of containers. For handling of containers it is customary to use either conventional straddle trucks or fork trucks or both. Both types ' of trucks involve different disadvantages in handling of goods like containers, but since it is expensive to supply both types of load handling means it has generally been necessary to restrictively use only one type. A main object for the present invention is to provide a straddle truck or a U-shape vehicle which combines the advantages of conventional straddle trucks and fork trucks. One example of a known U-shape vehicle is shown in the Swedish laid out publication 355556. U-shape vehicles or shackle vehicles generally comprises two shackle frames having at the upper part thereof connection means for a vehicle and which is carried by four struts having wheels, and from which a load supporting container yoke can be raised and lowered. U-shaped vehicles or shackle vehicles of this types are disadvantageous in some respects. For receiving a load, whether the load is located on the ground level or on a higher level it is necessary that the shackle vehicle is moved with the legs thereof straddling over the load, and as a consequence there is a relatively large need of space in front of the load and between the load units. Therefore it has been difficult or impossible to economically make use of available parking or storing areas. For fetching or despositing a load slightly in front of or aside of the shackle vehicle it has also been necessary to make use of special handling equipment in combination with the shackle vehicle. Special problems have appeared in moving loads for instance between a lorry and a railway wagon. There also have been problems in case the load has been located inclined in relation to the driving direction of the shackle vehicle or so that it has been impossible to drive the shackle vehicle over the load. Attempts have been made to design the shackle vehicle so that the lifting hooks thereof together with the ' attached load can be raised to a height equivalent to three or possibly still further containers. Generally the raising and the lowering of the load is made by means of hydraulic cylinders, and for strength technical reasons and considering the normal operating length of the hydraulic cylinders it has thereby often been necessary to use several hydraulic cylinders or hydraulic motors operating in series after each other, and this has been expensive and complicated. T e object of the present invention therefore is to solve the problem of providing a straddle vehicle or shackle vehicle of the above mentioned type, - which combines the advantages of conventional straddle trucks and the advantages of conventional fork trucks, _ which allows a handling including fetching and depositing of loads even outside the bottom area of the shackle frame, especially in front of and rearwardly of the shackle vehicle, - which allows a fetching and depositing of loads offset sideways or inclined in relation to the shackle vehicle, _ which allows a handling of loads on heights equivalent to a height of three or more containers, - which normally utilizes only one set of four hydraulic cylinders for any raising and lowering, - which allows a direct transfer of loading between a lorry and a railway wagon, and - which is of a rugged and simple construction. According to the invention the shackle wagon is formed with a slide at the upper side of the verticaly movable shackle frame, which slide can be moved out from the shackle frame a distance at least equivalent to a half container length, and which at the outer end carries a yoke having a connection means for a load unit, for instance a container. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the slide is formed so that a counter weight, when expelling the slide, is moved in the opposite direction for counteracting the unbalanced load which otherwise would be present in the shackle frame. In a further preferred embodiment- of the invention the yoke at the end of the slide is transversally displacable some distance in relation to the slide so as to make it possible to get and deposit the load slightly offset transversally in relation to the slide and the shackle wagon Preferably the yoke is also rotatable some angle so that -load units can be received and desposited-standing obliquely in relation to the longitudinal direction of the shackle wagon. The yoke even can be rotated 180° or more, for instance 360°. A further development of the combination truck according to the invention is also characterized in that the load lifting means including the slide with its yoke and its guides can be raised and lowered independently of the shackle frame, and in that the load lifting means is carried by chains, wires or similar means, which overpulleys at the top of the shackle frame are fixed connected to the wheel frame or the wheel bogies of the shackle wagon, whereby all lifting of the load is made by means of the lifting cylinders of the shackle frame, whereby the load is lifted twice as high as the shackle frame. The advantages thereof is both that it is possible to provide high liftings by means of one single set of lifting cylinders, and that it has been possible, by simple means, to make the shackle frame and thereby the entire shackle wagon or straddle wagon very generally useful and still stable and simple in construction. Further characteristics of the invention will be evident from the following detailed specification in which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings figure 1 shows a perspective view of a combination truck or a shackle wagon according to the invention in the course of depositing a unit load in an oblique position on a height position corresponding to two containers. Figure 2 shows the shackle wagon according to the invention in its highest position while depositing a unit load on a height level of three containers. Figure 3 diagrammatically shows the shackle wagon according to the invention seen from above with the slide in its retracted position, and figure 4 shows in an equivalent view the apparatus with the slide expelled to its outer most position. Figure 5 is a diagrammatical side view of a shackle wagon according to the invention having a displacable and rotatable control cab and with the shackle frame shown in its lower most position. Figure 6 diagrammatically shows an end view of the shackle wagon and in the left half thereof the shackle fram is shown with a load handling means in its lower most position and in the right half it is shown in its upper moist position. The combination truck illustrated in the drawings is formed as a straddle wagon or shackle wagon which generally comprises a shackle frame 1 including two interconnected shackle frame parts and which is mounted for movement up and down on two parallel wheel supports, and which vertically movable carries a load handling means 3 for lifting, lowering and transport of loads, for intance containers 4. The shackle frame 1 comprises two identical U-formed shackles 5 and 6 which are connected to each other over bars 7 thereby providing a solid integral unit. In the upper part of the shackle frame there are guides in the form of pulleys or pulley cog wheel for wires or chains 8 which carry the load handling means 3. Each branch 9 of the shackle frame 1 encloses the cylinder portion of a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit, the piston rod 10 of which is connected to one end of the wheel support 2. By operating the hydraulic cylinders of the shackle frame the frame can be raised and lowered in relation to the wheel supports 2. Each wheel support 2 comprises a wheel frame 11 which over two oppositly projecting arms carry a wheel bogie 12 comprising a bogie frame 13 and two wheels 14 which are rotatable around a vertical axis. Each wheel or pair of wheels can be separately rotated and steered so that the shackle wagon can be driven and rotated in practically unlimited movements making it possible to fetch and deposit a load even in ery narrow passages. Preferably each wheel or pair of wheels is formed with a separate drive motor both for rotating the wheel around its vertical axis and for driving the shackle wagon. 0 The load handling means 3 comprises a guide 15 in the form of two parallel guide bars 16, for instance H-bars, which are interconnected over bars to a solid integral unit which is carried by four wires or chains 8. Said wires or chains 8 extend over not illustrated pulleys or pulley chain sprockets at the top 5 of each shackle branch and fixed connected to the wheel supports 2. By raising and lowering the shackle frame the guide 15 thereby is " raised and lowered respectively a distance which is twice as t • long as that of the shackle frame 2 thereby eliminating the need of special lifting means for the load handling means and reducing 0 the necessary stroke of the lifting cylinders 9, 10 of the shackle frame 2. In the guide 15 a slide 17 is horizontally displacable in the longitudinal direction of the shackle wagon. The slide preferably have such length that it can be expelled a distance 25 equivalent to half a load length, for instance half the length of a container, so that the container can be received from a distance in front of the shackle wagon and be lifted and displaced into the shackle frame or be projected and deposited in front of the shackle frame, for instance in connection to 30 transferring a load from a lorry to a railway wagon. Adjacent its outer end the slide 17 is formed with a yoke 18 which is rotatable around a vertical axis and which is formed with not- illustrated ordinary lifting hooks or lifting blocks adapted for being connected to the load, for instance to the container. The 35 yoke 18 in turn can be formed with projectable support arms, for instance the arms 19 shown in figures 3 and 4 adapted for further guiding or connection to the load. Preferably the yoke 18 together with its lifting hooks is displacable some distance in the transversal direction in relation to the slide 17 for facilitating catching of loads slightly aside of the center of the slide 17 and for guiding said load towards the center. For counteracting the unbalance which is obtained when loads are received and deposited aside of the shackle frame the load handling means also comprises a counterweight 20 which is movable in the guide 15 and which can be expelled in a direction which is opposite to that of the slide 17. The expelling of the counter weight can be made automatically or by the actuation of a suitable drive motor therefore. The actuation means of the counter weight 20 is of a type known per se and can be varied upon need as obvious- to the expert in this technical field, and therefore said means are not shown and described in detail. As previously mentioned the suspending wires or chains 8 for the load handling means 3 are fixed connected to the wheel supports 2. Preferably a substitutable Hnk is provided between the chain 8 and the wheel support 2, which link upon wish can be substituted to a longer or shorter link-thereby lowering and raising respectively the load position in relation to the shackle frame. Normally the load handling means is adjusted for handling standard loads, for instance standard containers, whereby the load handling " eans 2 in the lower most position, that is when the shackle frame is completely retracted to the wheel supports, is positioned on a suitable height for receiving and depositing such a standard container. If the shackle wagon shall than be used for handling of so called half containers, the load handling means must be lowered which is made in that a longer link is connected between the chain or wire and the wheel support. In case of frequent handling of differently high loads it may be suitable to provide a hydraulic cylinder 21 between the chain 8 and the wheel support 2 which allows a quick and simple adjustment of the height position of the load handling means 3 in relation to the shackle frame 1. As shown in figure 5 the shackle wagon according to the invention may be formed with a driver's cab 22 which is mounted displacable on top of the upper longitudinal frame work bar 23 so that the cab can be driven between the two support shackles 5 and 6. The cab is mounted on a projecting cantilever which is rotatable 180° on a turning disc 25 so that the cab 22 can be rotated so as to be located outside the support shackles in both extreme positions. Thereby the driver has full sight in the driving direction both forwardly and rearwardly and full sight and control possibilities of all functions of the vehicle. The described apparatus is operated as follows: When fetching a load the shackle wagon can be driven to a position over the load with the legs straddling over the load like in conventional straddle wagons whereupon the load yoke is hook-connected to the load and the load is lifted, transported and deposited on any intended place. In the illustrated case the wagon is of such height that it is possible to pile three standard containers on top of each other as shown in figure 2. It -is also possible to fetch a load outside or aside of the shackle wagon. Such a case is illustrated in figure 1. In the illustrated case the wagon is driven up towards the load 4 and * the slide 17 with the yoke 18 is expelled so that the connection means of the yoke 18 comes to a position straight over the corresponding connection means of the load, and the shackle frame 1 and the load handling means 3 are lowered so that the yoke 18 possible after a " rotation around its vertical axis, can be hook- connected to the load. Before the load is lifted the counter weight 20 is expelled in the opposite direction for compensating the unbalance of the schackle wagon which otherwise should be received. The load can be transported directly in its received position in which the load is located outside the shackle wagon or lying almost transversally to the moving direction, but preferably the yoke 18 with the load 4 is rotated so that the load 4 comes on line with the shackle groves of the wagon whereupon the slide 17 with the yoke 18 and the load 4 is retracted to a position between the shackle legs. The depositing of the load is made oppositly and after choice directly on the ground or on top of another load unit or even on top of two previously piled load units. Since all wheels 14 are rotatably the wagon can be driven in any direction and can even be rotated on any wanted spot whereby the load can be deposited practically anywhere. Since the load can be fetched even outside the shackle wagon it is also possible to deposit and fetch loads standing in direct contact with each other which is not possible when using conventional straddle wagons whereby it is necessary that there is space for the straddle legs between the load units. It is to be undestood that the invention described above and shown in the drawings is only an illustrating example and that many modifications may be presented within the scope of the following claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Combination truck in the form of a shackle wagon comprising a shackle frame (1) mounted on two parallel wheel supports (2) and having a load handling means (3) adapted for connection in corresponding means of a load unit (4) and for lifting and lowering said load unit (4), c h a r a c t e¬ r i z e d in that the load handl ng unit (3) comprises a guide (15) which is mounted vertically movable in relation to the shackle frame (1) and which displacably supports a slide (17) which at one end has a connection means for a load unit and which can be expelled for fetching and depositing a load unit and which can together with or without a load be retracted into the shackle frame (1). 2. Combination truck according to claim 1, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the connection means of the slide (17) is "a yoke (18) which is rotatable around a vertical axis, for instance rotatable 360°. 3. Combination truck according to claim 2, c h a r a c- t e r i z e d in that the yoke (18) is side displacable some distance transversally to the direction of displacement of the slide (17). 4. Combination truck according to claim 2 or 3, c h a¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the slide (17) with the yoke (18) is displacable in the moving direction of the shackle wagon and in that the slide can be expelled some distance outside the shackle frame at least corresponding half the length of the unit load for which the truck is intended to be used. 5. Combination truck according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the guide (15) of the load handling means (3) carries a counter weight (20) adapted to be displaced in a direction which is opposite to the displacement direction of the slide (17) for compensating the load of a load unit. 6. Combination truck according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the load handling means (3) is conncted to the wheel supports (2) over chains or wires (8) extending over pulleys at the upper part of the shackle frame (1), and in that all lifting and lowering of the load handling means (3) is made by lifting and lowering respectively of the shackle frame (1) in relation to the wheel supports (2), and in that the lifting wires or chains (8) preferably are fixed connected to the wheel supports (2) over an intermediate, exchangable link. 7. Combination truck according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the truck carries a drivers cab (22) on an upper longitudinal beam (23) of theshackle frame (1), which cab is mounted at the end of a projecting counter lever, which is displacable between the supporting shackles (5, 6) of the shackle frame (1) and which is rotatable for instance 180°, so that the drivers cab (22) can be located a distance in front of or behind the supporting shackles (5, 6) of the truck for obtaining'a full sight and checking possibilities " of the functions of the truck when driving both forwardly and rearwardly. 8. Combination truck according to claim 6, c h a r a c¬ teri zed in that each lifting wire or chain (8) is connected to a wheel support (2) over a hydraulic or pneumatic piston-cylinder apparatus (21) by means of which the load handling means can be vertically displaced in relation to the shackle frame (1). 9. Combination truck according to claim 6, 7 or 8, c harac te r i z e d in that the lifting wires or chains (8) at the lifting end is connected to a guide (15) which displacably supports a projectable slide (17) having connection means (18) for the load, and in that said guide (15) is provided vertically movable centrally in relation to the shackle frame (1). 10. Combination truck according to any of the preceding claims, charac te r i z e d in that each of the two parallel wheel supports (2) comprises a wheel frame (11) which carries two spaced wheel bogies (13) including wheels (14), and in that all wheels (14) are rotatable around a vertical axis and are connected to means for rotating and for driving said wheels.

Inventors: JANSSON HADAR, JANSSON, HADAR
Applicants: JANSSON HADAR, JANSSON, HADAR
Application year: 1985
Main classification: B66F9
IPC codes: B65G63, B66C5, B66C19, B66F9