Patent ID: 7398859

Claim:
A lift truck, comprising: a power unit including a battery compartment and an operator's compartment; a steerable wheel coupled to the power unit; and a mast coupled to the power unit and supporting a carriage, the mast comprising: a base section having a pair of spaced, upright base rail members attached to and disposed forward of and on opposing sides of the operator's compartment of the lift truck; an outer telescopic section having a pair of spaced, upright mid rail members slidably attached to the pair of base rail members and disposed laterally inward therefrom; an inner telescopic section having a pair of spaced, upright top rail members slidably attached to the pair of mid rail members and disposed laterally inward therefrom; a pair of lift chain pulleys, one mounted to the upper end of each mid rail member and each being disposed completely forward of the top rail members of the inner telescopic section; a pair of lift chains, one disposed over each of the lift chain pulleys and having one end connected to the base rail member and a second end connected to the top rail member; and a pair of main lift cylinders connected between the base section and the outer telescopic section and being operable to extend the mast upward by sliding the outer telescopic section with respect to the base section, wherein the lift chains and the main lift cylinders are provided on opposing sides of the operator's compartment to provide an open viewing area through the mast.