Lifting apparatus for heavy folding doors

Claim 1

In a device for lifting a large, long and wide object, such as a folding steel garage door, into position in an opening in a building wall wherein there may be limited headspace above said opening: a transverse base having opposite ends, a longitudinal member mounted on said base for tilting to lean the top thereof against a support such as the wall of a building structure, said longitudinal member being longitudinally adjustable, a top frame on said longitudinal member comprising a support means projecting outwardly from the top of the longitudinal member for installation where there is low head room of only a few inches and a transverse engaging member mounted transversely across said support means having spaced locations contacting but not attached to the wall of the building above a particular location such as the top of a door opening for movement and relocation thereon, cable means on said longitudinal member and one end of the cable being suspended from said top frame, means for winding and unwinding said cable on said longitudinal member, said top frame having first and second sheaves mounted in spaced relation thereon, said cable passing around said sheaves, said support means projecting outwardly from the top of the longitudinal member being mounted at an angle of more than 90° to the longitudinal centerline of said longitudinal member whereby, when said longitudinal member is leaned to place said transverse engaging member against a support, said projecting support means is substantially horizontal thereby placing said cable between said sheaves in approximate horizontal position, ground support base moving means adjacent each opposite respective end of said base for supporting and moving said longitudinal member relative to the wall in a transverse direction while said top frame is adjacent or against said wall and said longitudinal member is elevated with said object hanging in place on said cable whereby said entire device may be relocated in selected increments along said wall so as to reposition said hanging object without returning same to the ground.