Lateral-shift device for fork-lift vehicles

Claim 1

In a fork-lift vehicle having a lifting frame, a fork carrier vertically shiftable on said frame, and a fork member having a pair of forwardly-extending prongs mounted on said carrier, the improvement which comprises a lateral-displacement device on said carrier for displacing said member horizontally relative to said frame, said carrier comprising a flat horizontally-extending upper bar, a flat horizontally-extending lower bar spaced from and parallel to said upper bar, and vertical struts at opposite ends of said bars rigidly connecting them together, said bars and said struts framing a horizontally elongated window, said bars having forward and rearward facial planes, said device lying substantially completely between said planes and comprising a flat, rectangular section elongated body shorter than said window and disposed between said bars and spaced from said struts within said window, said body having a front face lying in said forward facial plane, said body being formed with a pair of oppositely-extending horizontally aligned cylinder bores each opening at a respective end of said body opposite a respective strut and terminating close to the center of said body, and a respective piston pin slidably received in each bore and bearing upon the respective strut upon fluid pressurization of the respective bore to displace said carrier horizontally, said body being mounted upon said frame, a linear array of ball bearings disposed between each of said bars and a respective side of said body for guiding said bars on said body, said upper bar being formed with a riding block complementarily engaging said rail and shiftable thereon, and pawl-and-notch means between said rail and said member enabling selective positioning of said member horizontally along said rail.