US3842984A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Crane counterbalancing trailer assembly
Assignee: AMERICAN CRANE Corp A CORP OF
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Filing: 1972-12-11
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Granted: 1974-10-22
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Expires: 1992-12-11
Abstract
Abstract In connection with a crane having a movable car body supported on a supporting surface, a crane deck pivotally mounted on the car body about a vertical axis, a boom and a mast pivotally mounted on the crane deck for independent movement in a common vertical plane, and linkages between the rear of the deck and the mast and between the mast and the boom; a counterbalancing trailer assembly is pivotally connected to the crane deck by a pair of arms for limited movement in a vertical plane. The trailer assembly includes a counterweight trailer which includes a means for holding ballast and which is supported on the supporting surface by a plurality of wheel assemblies. A third linkage between the trailer assembly and an upper portion of the mast is of length to insure that a portion of the boom load is supported by the trailer assembly. Each wheel assembly includes a wheel support means which is mounted to the trailer to be rotatable on a vertical axis, and each has ground engaging wheels and releasable means to hold the wheel support means to position the wheels either in first selected arcuate positions so that the track of the wheels over the ground will describe an arc concentric with the pivot point of the crane deck, or in second selected positions whereby the wheels all rotate on axes which are mutually parallel. Manual means or hydraulic piston-cylinder motors can be used to move the wheel support means between the first and the second positions. The trailer assembly includes means to insure that the weight load of that assembly is distributed over the ground engaging wheels in such a manner as to insure that the trailer assembly frame will not be subjected to excessive working forces.
Inventors
- 👤 A Brown
- 👤 J Montgomery
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 04:50
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60G; B60G21/00; B60G21/02; B60G21/06; B60G3/00; B66; B66C; B66C23/00; B66C23/62; B66C23/72; B66C23/74; B60G2300/00; B60G2300/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
366 words
In a load lifting machine having a crane carrier supported with respect to a generally horizontal supporting surface, a crane deck rotatably mounted on a generally vertical axis with respect to said crane carrier, an upstanding mast and an upstanding boom both pivotally mounted on a forward portion of the deck for movement in a vertical plane passing through the axis of rotation of the crane deck with respect to the carrier, a first linkage between an upper portion of said mast and an upper portion of said boom, means for varying the length of said first linkage, a second linkage between an upper portion of said mast and a rear portion of said deck, means for varying the length of said second linkage, a load line extending over the point of said boom, means for rotating said deck, means for powering the load line, and a load handling device supported by the load line hanging from the point of the boom; the improvement including: A. an independent counterbalancing trailer assembly spaced and separated from the rear of the crane deck, said trailer assembly including: a counterweight trailer and a plurality of wheel assemblies with wheels to support the weight of the trailer assembly on said supporting surface independent of the support of the deck of the load lifting machine, said wheel assemblies including means to support said wheels so that they are capable of supporting movement of the counterbalancing trailer in an arc about the axis of crane deck rotation; B. coupling arms pivotally connecting the counterweight trailer to the rotatable crane deck to permit vertical movement of the trailer with respect to the deck but to cause the trailer to rotate with the deck as the deck rotates on the carrier about its generally vertical axis; and C. a third linkage from the counterweight trailer to the top end of the mast, whereby the length of the second linkage can be varied with respect to the length of the third linkage so that substantially the entire counterbalancing load of the counterweight trailer acts on the mast through the third linkage before further counterbalancing load is applied to the crane deck through the second linkage.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
366 words
In a load lifting machine having a crane carrier supported with respect to a generally horizontal supporting surface, a crane deck rotatably mounted on a generally vertical axis with respect to said crane carrier, an upstanding mast and an upstanding boom both pivotally mounted on a forward portion of the deck for movement in a vertical plane passing through the axis of rotation of the crane deck with respect to the carrier, a first linkage between an upper portion of said mast and an upper portion of said boom, means for varying the length of said first linkage, a second linkage between an upper portion of said mast and a rear portion of said deck, means for varying the length of said second linkage, a load line extending over the point of said boom, means for rotating said deck, means for powering the load line, and a load handling device supported by the load line hanging from the point of the boom; the improvement including: A. an independent counterbalancing trailer assembly spaced and separated from the rear of the crane deck, said trailer assembly including: a counterweight trailer and a plurality of wheel assemblies with wheels to support the weight of the trailer assembly on said supporting surface independent of the support of the deck of the load lifting machine, said wheel assemblies including means to support said wheels so that they are capable of supporting movement of the counterbalancing trailer in an arc about the axis of crane deck rotation; B. coupling arms pivotally connecting the counterweight trailer to the rotatable crane deck to permit vertical movement of the trailer with respect to the deck but to cause the trailer to rotate with the deck as the deck rotates on the carrier about its generally vertical axis; and C. a third linkage from the counterweight trailer to the top end of the mast, whereby the length of the second linkage can be varied with respect to the length of the third linkage so that substantially the entire counterbalancing load of the counterweight trailer acts on the mast through the third linkage before further counterbalancing load is applied to the crane deck through the second linkage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
a generally horizontal axle mounted below, and with respect to, each wheel support means; and
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
a generally horizontal axle mounted below, and with respect to, each wheel support means; and
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said crane carrier is constituted as a movable carbody and wherein said wheel assemblies each include:
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
a horizontal axle mounted with respect to each such trailer support means in spaced relation to and beneath said trailer, and
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
a horizontal axle mounted with respect to each such trailer support means in spaced relation to and beneath said trailer, and
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
123 words
at least one trailer support wheel rotatably mounted on each such axle; B. wherein a second set of wheel assemblies are mounted under and support a second end of said trailer; C. said first and second wheel support means each including downwardly extending stantions to which the wheel axles are affixed; D. each such stantion having a hydraulic cylinder-piston actuator situated between said axle and the point of rotatable mounting of the wheel support means with respect to the trailer; E. each cylinder of each actuator defining an upper chamber situated above its piston and a lower chamber situated below said piston; and F. there being a closed hydraulic passage interconnecting said upper chambers and a closed hydraulic passage interconnecting said lower chambers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
123 words
at least one trailer support wheel rotatably mounted on each such axle; B. wherein a second set of wheel assemblies are mounted under and support a second end of said trailer; C. said first and second wheel support means each including downwardly extending stantions to which the wheel axles are affixed; D. each such stantion having a hydraulic cylinder-piston actuator situated between said axle and the point of rotatable mounting of the wheel support means with respect to the trailer; E. each cylinder of each actuator defining an upper chamber situated above its piston and a lower chamber situated below said piston; and F. there being a closed hydraulic passage interconnecting said upper chambers and a closed hydraulic passage interconnecting said lower chambers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
The structure of claim 2 wherein said wheel support means are rotatable on a vertical axis between, and fastenable at, positions where said wheel axles are in parallel alignment with the vertical plane passing through said mast and said boom, positions where said wheel axles are all in perpendicular relationship to said vertical plane, and positions wherein each wheel axle lies on a radius of the vertical deck axis.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
9 words
a trailer support wheel rotatably mounted about each axle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
9 words
a trailer support wheel rotatably mounted about each axle.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
51 words
The structure of claim 3 wherein each wheel support means includes a sleeve element and stantion element nested one inside the other, one such element being angularly fixedly mounted with respect to the counterweight trailer and the other such element being angularly fixedly mounted with respect to its associated wheel axle.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
The structure of claim 4 wherein said means for holding said wheel support means in position includes a positive lock between said elements involving a locking pin on one element contacting a stop on the other.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
The structure of claim 4 and power means for rotating the wheel axles and associated elements about said vertical wheel support axles.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The structure of claim 6 wherein said power means includes a plurality of cylinder-piston motors connected to rotate said stantion and sleeVe elements with respect to each other.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The structure of claim 7 wherein said means for holding said wheel support means in position includes said cylinder-piston motors.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
82 words
The structure of claim 2 wherein one of said wheel assemblies includes a horizontal transverse beam pivotally mounted at a midpoint thereof to said counterweight trailer and extends transversely across one end thereof, a separate wheel support means rotatably mounted at each end of the beam on a vertical axis, a horizontal axle mounted with respect to each wheel support means in spaced relation to and beneath said trailer, and at least one trailer support wheel rotatably mounted on each horizontal axle.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
14 words
The structure of claim 2: A. wherein a first set of wheel assemblies includes:
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-10-21 | 1978-04-22 | 1978-10-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-10-21 | 1982-04-22 | 1982-10-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-10-21 | 1986-04-22 | 1986-10-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |