Patent ID: 7044705

Claim:
A load handling machine including a body, a lifting arm pivotally mounted at or closely adjacent one end to the body for pivotal movement about a first generally horizontal pivot axis, and the lifting arm carrying at a second end opposite to the first end, a load handling implement, which is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the lifting arm about a second generally horizontal pivot axis, a first fluid operated linear actuator pivotally mounted at respective first and second ends to the body of the machine at one side of the first pivot axis, and to the lifting arm, for raising and effecting lowering of the lifting arm about the first pivot axis, and a second fluid operated linear actuator for pivoting the load handling implement about the second pivot axis, the second actuator including a piston linearly moveable in a cylinder, the cylinder thus having an annulus side and a non-annulus side, and there being a linear displacement device which includes a pair of cylinders each having linearly moveable therein, a respective piston, each cylinder thus having an annulus side and a non-annulus side, and each cylinder being pivotally mounted at respective first and second ends to the body of the machine at the same one side of the first pivot axis as the first actuator, and to the lifting arm, and wherein the second actuator is mounted above the second pivot axis and is operable to pivot the load handling implement through a lever, the second actuator and the displacement device being interconnected so that as the lifting arm is lowered, fluid is ejected from a non-annulus side of one of the pair of cylinders of the displacement device and is fed to an annulus side of the second actuator, and as the lifting arm is raised, fluid is ejected from the annulus sides of both of the cylinders of the displacement device and is fed to the non-annulus side of the cylinder of the second actuator thus to maintain the attitude of the load handling implement relative to the ground, during lowering and raising of the lifting arm.