Abstract:
A self-standing structure supporting a fixed boom is built on a palette-like base that is picked up and moved by a fork truck. Railroad car lids with a variety of handles can be engaged by the boom which has fittings suited to that purpose, lifted and removed by the fork truck operator so that the contents of the car such as coils of metal can be lifted out by a crane or the like.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims benefit of provisional application No. 60/226,512 filed Aug. 21, 2000. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to the field of material handling and more particularly to apparatus to lift, remove, store and replace rail car lids. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Railroad cars such as gondolas that carry various size metal coils are covered with one or two metal lids. The top of some cars reach five and half feet from the railroad track. The top of the load lifting attachment (handle) on the top of the lids may be fourteen to fifteen feet above ground. In the normal operation of loading rails cars with large metal coils which can weigh fifteen to twenty-two tons, a crane is used, usually with a four legged bridle, to remove the lids from the rail cars. These lids are then placed far enough from the crane so coils can be delivered within reach of the crane to load the rail car. The crane operator can not do this unassisted. To attach the bridle, a man must climb onto the lid, which is inherently dangerous since these lids do not provide catwalks. This rigging is time consuming and labor intensive as well. 
   It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide apparatus that will safely and economically permit removal of the lids without rigging a crane for this purpose. Furthermore, rail yards in which this type of work is carried out have many fork lift trucks which are adapted to transport, lift and lower loads, ordinarily on skids or pallets, in the course of loading and unloading such heavy materiel as metal coils. 
   It is a further object of this invention to provide an accessory to such a fork lift truck that will permit the operator to engage, lift, transport and lower to temporary storage a rail car lid without the intervention of anyone other than the fork lift operator or use of any other piece of material handling apparatus. 
   A still further object of the invention is to provide an accessory that will not require any modification of the fork lift truck such as removal or replacement of the forks in order to engage in rail car lid lifting. 
   BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention which solves the objects stated above is an adjunct to an industrial fork lift truck comprising a boom adapted to engage all common forms of railcar lid handles and of adequate strength and length mounted on a frame of adequate height that has a palette-like base adapted for handling by a fork lift truck. It comprises a base configured as a palette adapted for fork truck handling, a frame mounted thereto, and a boom mounted to the frame at one end of the boom and having generally at the other end at least one fitting for engaging a lid handle wherein the assembly of said boom, frame and base freely stands on the base when not in use thereby providing convenient means for removing storing and replacing rail car lids and for storing the lifter itself while the fork truck is otherwise engaged. 
   In another embodiment for use with a ram truck that handles coils of sheet metal, the palette-like base carries a collar extending through the base through which the ram of the truck can be passed. Locking means are provided. This preferred embodiment is configured so that it can be handled by a fork truck as well as a ram truck. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of the railcar lid remover of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the invention in use with a fork truck (partially shown) with the boom of the invention engaged with the handle of a railcar lid. 
       FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view of a preferred boom without the end cap. 
       FIG. 4  is a partial perspective view of the preferred boom showing an alternate lifting fitting the boom having a broken-away section to show lifting hooks. 
       FIGS. 5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  are partial perspective views of typical car lid handles. 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of a further embodiment adapted for use by a ram truck. 
       FIG. 7  is a partial end view of the embodiment of FIG.  6 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The railcar lid remover or lifter  10  of the invention, as seen in  FIG. 1 , is a self-standing unit which can be stored convenient to an area where gondola cars and the like are unloaded by cranes. The structure stands on base  12  which is configured as a palette for handling by a standard industrial fork truck commonly used in loading yards. Base  12  is fabricated from members, preferably steel, of sufficient strength and thickness to withstand the loads encountered in working with the various rail car lidsf metal which may weigh as much as 1 ton. A welded structure is preferred for the base and for fabricating and joining all elements of the structure with the exception of certain fittings which are removably fastened to a boom  16 . 
   Mounted on base  12  is frame  14 , also of sufficient strength to withstand the forces of compression, bending and twisting encountered in service. It is high enough so that boom  16  which is mounted to frame  14  can be lifted by a fork truck  20  within the limits of its vertical lift distance to a level clearing the top of a lidded railcar standing on the tracks. Boom  16  is long enough to permit reaching the centerline of a railcar  17  when the fork truck has approached relatively close to the side of the car but not so long that an overturning moment is created in use or when the device is standing alone in storage. Stay  18  and standoff  19  may be provided to minimize boom bending when a lid is picked up. Safety strap  22  is provided so that the operator of the fork can insure that the lid remover remains in place on the forks when in use especially during transport without a load. This is a strong, flexible strap, cable or chain, attached to the frame at one end and of sufficient length to wrap around a part of the fork truck and, at the other end, terminated in a loop, or some equivalent for fastening the truck and frame together. It readily is released when the operator drops the lid lifter  10  for storage and returns the fork truck  20  to other activities. 
     FIG. 2  shows a typical lid removal activity (the replacement procedure essentially is the reverse). Rail car  17 , here a gondola, is covered by one or more lids  26 . These have centrally located handles  28 . Unfortunately, the railroad industry has not settled on a single standard design for a rail car lid handle. Four differing units are common and these are shown in  FIGS. 5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c , and  5   d . For convenience boom  16  carries fittings  30  and  32  which are configured so that any one of the four types of handles can be engaged. Fitting  30  is a saddle on the upper surface of boom  16 . This is suited to the handle of  FIG. 5   d . Limit stop  32  is spaced a short distance away on the top surface of boom  16  between fitting  30  and the end of the boom above frame  14 . This prevents a lid from sliding along the boom too far toward the fork truck if the operator errs. Fitting  34  is a pair of hooks on the lower surface of boom  16  useful for any variety of handle  28  which does not allow clearance for the boom between the top of the lid and the bottom of the handle or between upright member thereof. If ever other handle designs appear, it would be simple to provide suitable fittings. 
   Lifter  10  is shown in  FIG. 2  with base  12  engaged on forks  36  of the fork truck. These have been lifted high enough for boom  16  to be inserted into handle  28  and then lifted so that fitting  30  engages and then lifts handle  28  and lid  26 . 
   For lids having handles of the type shown in  FIG. 5   d , it is preferred to modify saddle fitting  30  by replacing it with plug fitting  23 . Suitable fasteners, not shown, hold the plug fitting  23  in place. An advantage of this arrangement in use is that plug  23  fits into the inside of the top of the handle and prevents it from swiveling. An elastomeric, or other cushioning material, pad  25  may be secured to the upper surface of plug fitting  23 . 
   A preferred lid remover has the following dimensions: 
   Base  12  is 9 inches high by 5 foot 8 inches on a side and fabricated from ⅝ th  inch steel plate. Two opposing sides are fabricated 8 inch by 6 and ½ inch by ½ inch I-beams with one side cut away. The remaining flange is welded in place on the underside of the base with the flange facing in. Two facing plates, with 7 inch high by 9 inch cutouts (“pockets”) for entry of the forks, are welded one inch from the end of the base to the underside and each is braced by two one inch thick triangular steel gussets. 
   Frame  14  comprises two 8 inch by 8 inch by ⅜ inch box tubes  15  and  13  that are 7 feet long and welded to base  12  slightly in from opposite ends along the centerline between the cutouts. Welded on top of the two box tubes, is boom  16  which is fabricated from a modified 8 inch by 6 and ½ inch by ½ inch I-beam with ½ inch plates for the sides as shown in  FIG. 3. A  cap is welded on each end of boom  16 . Fish plates  21  reinforce the welded joints. Saddle  30  is removably bolted on top of boom  16  about one foot from the end and stop  32  is spaced about 1 foot 3 inches farther in. An elastomeric pad  25  may be cemented on the top surface of plug  23 . 
   In use, car  17  is spotted. An operator drives fork truck  20  to where lid lifter  10  stands in storage, adjusts the height of the forks  36 , aims and drives the forks into engagement in the base  12  which is then lifted slightly for transport after safety strap  22  is fastened to the fork truck  20 . The operator approaches the side of rail car  17  and aims boom  16  into handle  28  by lifting and/or tilting the lift mechanism of the truck and driving the truck forward. A further slight lift engages saddle fitting  30 ′ with handle  28 . Additional lifting raises lid  26  away from car  17  and the fork truck  20  with its load can be backed out of the way. Car  17  can then be emptied as is customary using a crane while lid  26  is held with the fork truck or stored on the ground. When the car  17  is empty, lid  26  then can be returned and lowered into position there. The fork truck operator then can disengage boom  16  from lid  26  and back away. At will, lid lifter  10  can be stored by transporting it to a selected spot, lowering it to the ground and pulling out the fork or ram. 
   In yards handling coils of metal, it is common to use ram trucks. These are fork truck with the fork assembly unfastened and replaced by a moldboard  106  onto which a length of heavy pipe has been mounted to act as a “ram”  104 . The operator simply runs this ram  104  into the core of a coil to lift and transport it.  FIGS. 6 and 7  show an alternate embodiment of the rail car lid lifter  10  in which the base  12  is considerably enlarged in height to accommodate a through collar  102 , welded in place under the top member of base  12 . This collar is sized so that a ram  104  is an easy fit inside as seen in FIG.  7 . Pockets  108  and  110  are provided so that lifter  10  can be used with a regular fork truck as well. The advantage of using the ram-adapted configuration is that the same truck unit can handle lids and coils. For safety, moldboard  106  and lifter  10  have attached matching ears  112  with holes, one on one member and two on the other, that engage aligning the holes so that a pin, not shown, can lock the two units together.  FIG. 6  also shows an optional accessory which is shackle  114  to which a safety hook or the like can be attached. 
   Details of preferred component-structures are shown in the figures. These are designer choices and other configurations and materials of construction could be used to perform the illustrated and described functions within the strength and geometric limitations imposed by the intended service.