Barrel lifting device

Claim 1

A lifting device for an upright drum having a cylindrical wall and having its upwardly facing end surface surrounded by an annular bead with the depending limit of the bead disposed below the upper end surface of the drum wall, comprising: beam means horizontally overlying said drum and including at least three radial equally spaced arms interconnected at one end portion and projecting outward at their other end portion and intersecting a cylindrical plane generated by the wall of said drum; first and second drum engaging jaws rigidly connected respectively with the outer end portion of two of said arms; a third drum engaging jaw pivotally connected with the outer end portion of the other said arm for movement toward and away from said drum, each of said jaws being elongated and arcuately curved longitudinally on a radius complemental with the radius of the drum to be lifted; a lever connected at one end portion with said third jaw in depending coextensive horizontal spaced relation with respect to said other arm; at least one leg extending between and connecting each said jaw to the respective outer end portion of each said arm in depending spaced relation with respect to the horizontal position of said lever a distance at least as great as the spacing between the depending limit of the drum bead and the upper end surface of said drum wall; and, lifting means including an endless loop surrounding an intermediate portion of said lever and said other arm adjacent the juncture of said arms, a guide secured to at least one said arm and horizOntally partially surrounding an intermediate portion of said endless loop for maintaining said endless loop adjacent the juncture of said arms, a stop secured to said other end portion of said lever for preventing relative separating movement of said lever and said endless loop, and, a cross bar extending horizontally across said endless loop above the upper limit of the juncture of said arms.