Patent GB-1416185-A (GB)
Title: Drum clamping units
Inventor: LUND H E
IPC: B66F9/18
Filed: 1972-11-07
Abstract: 1416185 Drum lifting devices MARVEL INDUSTRIES Inc 7 Nov 1972 [18 Nov 1971] 51236/72 Heading B8H A drum clamping unit with which it is possible to raise and lower four drums comprises a spider 16 which is suspended from a housing (10) having openings (11) for receiving the forks (12) of a lift truck (13), Fig. 1 (not shown), the spider 16 being in the form of a cross having a central opening from which four pairs of arms 17 project, the pairs of arms 17 being spaced 90 degrees apart, a cantilever arm 19 being pivotally mounted at 71 between the walls of each of the pairs of arms 17 and being upwardly biased by means of a spring 70, each of the cantilever arms 19 supporting a casing 20 in which two clamping jaws 21, 22 are pivotally mounted at 83, 84 respectively, each pair of jaws being engageable with a separate drum to be lifted, an actuator frame 41 being mounted on the spider 16 for movement relative to the rails 17 and having four arms 43 each with a camming surface 96, and in operation of the unit when the unit is lowered on to the drums an abutment surface 51 of the actuator frame 41 engages with the top of the drums causing the frame 41 to move upwardly relative to the arms 17 such that each of the camming surfaces 96 engages with a respective pin 90 mounted on a lever 91 in each of the casings 20 and as the levers 91 are each pivotally mounted at 92 in their respective casings the pins 90 are each cammed along a slot 95 formed in the associated casing 20 thereby causing an associated central lever 76, in a slot 89 of which the associated pin 90 is located, to be pivoted inwardly about a pivot pin 75, each control lever 76 having a slot 77 in which a pin 79 mounted on a central link 80 is located, the link 80 being pivotally coupled at 81 and 82 to the upper and lower jaws 22, 21 respectively, such that the said inward movement of a control lever 76 causes actuation of the associated link 80 to cause the associated jaws 22, 21 to be brought into engagement with the bead of the associated drum on the upper and lower parts thereof respectively. On raising the spider 16 by means of the fork lift truck (13) the cantilever arms 19 pivot about their respective mountings 71 in accordance with the weight of the drums and the drums are stabilized by means of four abutment and guide members 25 (only two of which are shown) which pivot about respective vertical axes defined by hinge pins 37, the members 25 each consisting of a vane 97 and a buffer member 103 which extends along the vane 97 for the entire height thereof, the members 25 being mounted in respective right-angular shaped plates 23 of the spider 16 which extend downwardly. The actuator frame 41 is latched in the position shown by means of a latching pawl 53 which engages a latch plate 48 in the non- operative condition of the clamping unit, but when the actuator frame 41 is moved upwardly a tooth of a release pawl 57 rotates a ratchet 59, a cam wheel 62 which is rotated by the ratchet 59 causes movement of the latching pawl 53 away from the latch plate 48 and the cam whee 62 retains the pawl 53 in its released position.