Material handling apparatus

Claim 1

Material handling apparatus for attachment to a tractor, the apparatus comprising: a U-shaped support structure to fit round the front end of a tractor; a pair of posts forming part of said support structure and rigidly secured thereto so as to extend upwardly when the apparatus is attached to a tractor; a boom, said boom being pivotally mounted at one end on each of said posts, the other end of the boom being adapted to have mounted thereon a material handling implement; a thrust device connected to the boom, said thrust device being operable to effect pivotal movement of the boom relative to the posts; attachment means at each side of said support structure whereby the support structure may be attached to and detached from a tractor; and a stand connected to the support structure and operable to support the material handling apparatus when said apparatus is detached from a tractor; characterized in that each of said attachment means comprises two laterally spaced pairs of attachment elements, each pair of attachment elements comprising a rod member secured to said support structure in the region of the lower end of its respective post and structure defining a socket fastenable to a tractor, the rod members extending longitudinally of a tractor when mounted thereon; and that said rod members and said structures defining said sockets are mounted in positions such that said stand supports the material handling apparatus in a position so that said rod members are approximately axially aligned with said sockets whereby the only operations required for attachment of said apparatus to the tractor is driving the tractor toward the apparatus and inserting retaining pins; and that a guide structure is mounted adjacent at least one of said attachment means, the guide structure being engageable with at least one of its respective rod members upon forward movement of a tractor on which the apparatus is to be mounted, the guide structure being effective to guide said rod member into its respective socket; and that at least two of said structures defining a socket are formed integrally with a U-shaped bracket one at each end thereof, the U-shaped bracket being proportioned so as to pass underneath a tractor and being adapted to be fastened thereto.