Patent ID: 8029036

Claim:
Apparatus for the lifting of pipelines, comprising: a. a frame having two vertical side beams and a transverse top beam interposed between said vertical beams; b. two concave and symmetrically disposed supporting members pivotally connected to said two vertical beams, respectively, and configured to achieve a pipe supporting position without applying a radial inwardly directed force to the bottommost portion of said pipe when said frame is suitably lowered and said supporting members are suitably pivoted; c. a driving unit disposed within, and fixedly attached to, each of said supporting members, for generating a linear downwardly directed force; d. a force transmitting element connected to a driving unit rod along which a corresponding driving unit housing is slidingly displaceable; e. a control unit for independently controlling each of said driving units; and f. at least one connecting means for releasably connecting said two supporting members to one another when said supporting members are in a pipe supporting position, wherein said control unit is adapted to immobilize said force transmitting elements against a trench bed in a pre-lifting mode when a first force is generated by said driving units, and to lift each of said driving unit housings together with the corresponding supporting member with respect to the corresponding force transmitting element in a lifting mode when a suitable second force greater than said first force is generated by each of said driving units.