Adjustable and replaceable lateral guides for telescopic crane boom

Claim 1

In a crane boom, a pair of telescopically interfitting boom sections, the interior boom section being longitudinally extensible and retractable within the exterior section, the interior boom section having a bottom chord including opposite side parallel straight edges, a pair of lateral guide assemblies on the exterior boom section adjacent the bottom thereof and adjacent said chord and straight edges of the interior boom section, each lateral guide assembly comprising a floating wear pad having an abutment face for guiding engagement with one of said straight edges, retainer means for each wear pad disposed in a substantially vertical plane on the exterior boom section, said retainer means having wall portions in closely spaced relationship with said wear pad, whereby the wear pad is prevented from being displaced longitudinally or vertically with respect to the axis of the boom during longitudinal movements of the interior boom section, and continuously operable lateral adjusting means for each wear pad on the exterior boom section permitting an initial fine adjustment of the wear pads relative to said straight edges and subsequent adjustments of the wear pads as wear occurs.