Patent ID: 7798472

Claim:
A pressurized fluid operated load balancer hoist for supporting and moving a load, said hoist comprising; a) a housing defining an interior chamber and having first cap closing off one open end of the housing and a second cap closing off an opposite open end of the housing, the first cap having a removed portion opening toward the chamber; b) a piston moveable within the chamber of said housing and having a removed portion opening toward the first cap, the piston being operable to contact the first cap during operation of the hoist; c) a first pulley rotatably mounted in the removed portion of the first cap; d) a second pulley rotatably mounted in the removed portion of the piston and moveable therewith toward and away from said first pulley, each of the first and second pulleys being recessed within their respective removed portions so as to not contact each other when the piston contacts the end cap; e) a cable wound around and extending between said pulleys and having one end anchored within said chamber to the first cap; f) the other end of said cable extending from said housing for attachment to and supporting the load thereon whereby movement of said piston toward said first pulley causes said cable to be lowered from said housing to lower the load and movement of said piston away from said first pulley retracts said cable into said housing to raise the load; and g) fluid pressure chambers on each side of said piston and a control for introducing pressurized fluid to and exhausting fluid from each of said chambers to control movement of said piston and said cable.