Patent ID: 7681691

Claim:
A planar object lifting apparatus comprising: a rectilinear elongated frame formed of two spaced U-beams, each U-beam defining a longitudinal runway and having an elongated open area along a longitudinal face, the open area being below a midpoint of the frame and defining an entranceway to the longitudinal runways; the entranceway dimensioned to receive the planar object to be lifted; a carriage for transport of the planar object disposed thereon, the carriage dimensioned to laterally span the two spaced U-beams such that a portion of the carriage and the planar object disposed thereon are confined within a lateral common channel defined by the longitudinal runways during lifting; a skid perpendicularly joined to a forward face of the carriage at about a bottom edge of the carriage configured to support the planar object during lifting; a pull cable affixed at one end to the carriage at about a midpoint of a lateral dimension and in proximity to a top edge of the carriage; a first cross member laterally joined to a top of the frame including a first pulley aligned such that the pull cable when in communication with the first pulley and affixed to the carriage are aligned along a common longitudinal centerline between the two spaced U-beams; a second cross member laterally joined to the frame in proximity to the entranceway; and, a winch coupled to an opposite end of the pull cable and configured to move the carriage and planar object through the longitudinal runways.