Forklift forkhook having dams adjacent its vertical contact surface to confine molten weld material

Claim 2

A forkhook for welding to a vertical surface of a fork of a forklift, said forkhook having a normally vertical contact surface for contacting said vertical surface of said fork and an elongated beveled surface extending along at least one side of said contact surface whereby, when said contact surface is in contact with said vertical surface of said fork a gap is provided between said beveled surface and said vertical surface of said fork for receiving molten weld material for welding said forkhook to said fork, and a dam at each of the opposite ends of said elongated beveled surface for retaining said weld material during said welding of said forkhook to said vertical surface of the fork, each of said dams extending outwardly from and across said elongated beveled surface and having an upper surface flush with said contact surface and a side surface facing said beveled surface.

Claim 3

A forkhook according to claim 1, wherein said side surface of each said dam facing each said elongated beveled surface extends outwardly at an obtuse angle with respect to the length of said elongated beveled surface and substantially perpendicular to said forkhook contact surface.

Claim 4

A forkhook according to claim 1, wherein said forkhook contact surface is substantially rectangular and has a plurality of said elongated beveled surfaces extending along respective peripheral sides of said rectangular contact surface, and respective dams are interposed between respectively adjacent ones of said beveled surfaces, each of said dams being at a corner of, and extending outwardly from said elongated beveled surfaces between which it is interposed and having an upper surface flush with said forkhook contact surface and respectively opposite side surfaces each facing, and extending at an obtuse angle with respect to the length of that of said elongated beveled surfaces which it faces, each said dam side surface being perpendicular to said forkhook contact surface.

Claim 5

A forkhook according to claim 3, wherein each of said dams has a width which is substantially equal to said width of each other of said dams.

Claim 6

A forkhook according to claim 3, wherein said forkhook has a normally vertically disposed groove formed within said forkhook contact surface for receiving a locking pin for locking the forkhook and the fork to a lift bracket when said forkhook is welded to said vertical surface of the fork, said groove extending transversely across a substantially parallel pair of said elongated beveled surfaces extending respectively along opposite sides of said rectangular contact surface, and which further comprises additional of said dams interposed between said groove and said pair of beveled surfaces respectively at each location where said groove extends across one of said beveled surfaces, each of said additional dams having an upper surface flush with said contact surface, a side surface forming a contination of said groove across said forkhook, and an opposite side surface facing, and extending perpendicularly with respect to the length of that one of said elongated beveled surfaces which it faces and perpendicular to said forkhook contact surface.

Claim 7

A forkhook according to claim 5, wherein each of said dams has a width which is substantially equal to said width of each other of said dams.

Claim 8

A forkhook according to claim 5, wherein all of said elongated beveled surfaces and all of said dams are formed integrally with said forkhook.