ARRANGEMENT FOR HANDLING A LOAD

The present invention relates to an arrangement for handling a load, preferably a drive train or other vehicle component, the arrangement including a movable jack assembly for transferring the load to and from the vehicle, and a platform assembly adapted to be secured to the load for supporting the load on the jack assembly.

Conventionally, in the handling of cars having rear wheel drives, a jack assembly is used which includes a universal lift head for removing and transporting the engine and gear box of the car separately to and from a stand or work bench. However, it has become customary to use front wheel drives for cars, where the engine, the gear box, and the front axle are integrated into a single unitary drive train assembly that is supported on an auxiliary frame of the car. As such, there is a need for a handling arrangement for moving these types of drive train assemblies to and from a stand or workbench as a unit.

It is an object of the invention to provide a load handling arrangement that overcomes the technical problems existing in conventional arrangements, and facilitates the removal, service, and replacement of automotive components and the like.

In accordance with these and other objects evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, an arrangement is provided that includes a jack, and a platform assembly. The jack includes a wheeled base and a piston-and-cylinder assembly supported on the base. The piston-and-cylinder assembly is shiftable between a retracted, lowered position and an extended, raised position. The platform assembly is arranged at the upper end of the jack.

The platform assembly permits adjustment in order to connect to and support any of several different types of components to be serviced, and the jack assembly is particularly adapted for the use with the platform assembly.

The invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

1. Fig 1 is a perspective view of a jack assembly and platform assembly forming a load handling arrangement constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
2. Fig 2 is a side elevational view of the jack and platform assemblies, illustrating the jack assembly in an extended, raised position;
3. Fig 3 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of a mounting structure forming a part of the platform assembly; and
4. Fig 4 is a fragmentary exploded view of a plurality of mounting arm assemblies forming a part of the platform assembly.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment, an arrangement for handling a load is illustrated in Fig 1, and broadly includes a jack assembly 12 and a platform assembly 14.

The jack assembly is illustrated in Fig 1, and includes a base defined by a plurality of legs 18, and a piston-and-cylinder assembly secured to and extending upward from the legs. Castors 20 are provided on the legs for supporting the jack assembly for rolling movement across a support surface such as the floor of a service garage, and wheel locks may be provided for locking the castors in any desired position to prevent subsequent movement of the assembly.

The piston-and-cylinder assembly is shown in Fig 2, and includes two stages, a lower pneumatic stage 22 and an upper hydraulic stage 24. The pneumatic stage 22 includes an air cylinder 26 mounted on the base, and a piston 28 received in the cylinder for axial shifting movement between a retracted lowered position and an extended, raised position. In order to extend the piston 28, air is forced into the cylinder 26 under pressure through an air hose 30 from a suitable source of compressed air. To lower the piston, air is exhausted. Pedals 32 are provided on two of the legs of the base for controlling air flow to and from the cylinder.

The hydraulic stage 24 is arranged on top of the pneumatic stage, and includes a cylinder defined by the pneumatic piston 28, a hydraulic piston 34 received in the cylinder for movement between a retracted lowered position and an extended, raised position, and a hydraulic control unit 36 disposed on top of the hydraulic piston. As shown in Fig 1, the hydraulic control unit 36 includes a hand-actuated pump 38 and a hydraulic valve 40. In order to extend the hydraulic piston, the valve 40 is turned clockwise and the pump 38 is repeatedly actuated until the desired amount of extension is obtained. In order to lower the hydraulic piston, the valve 40 is slowly turned counterclockwise to release pressure from the hydraulic cylinder until the desired amount of retraction is obtained. The arrangement allows fine adjustments in the height of the jack assembly to be made.

The platform assembly 14 includes a plate 50 and four mounting arm assemblies 52 that, together with the plate 50, define a mounting structure by which the platform assembly can be connected to a vehicle component or other load to be handled. The plate 50 is generally square, presenting a substantially planar upper surface and including holes at the corners by which the mounting arm assemblies 52 are connected to the plate. As shown in Fig 1, the mounting arm assemblies each include two strips of metal that are spaced laterally from one another and connected at the ends by end pieces. The strips of each arm are spaced from one another by a distance adapted to accommodate a threaded fastener 54 such that the arm can be secured to the plate at one of the corner holes, and the fastener 54 is free to slide within the space relative to the strips, allowing the arm to be extended, retracted and pivoted relative to the plate. Once the arm is properly positioned for a particular application, the fastener 54 is tightened to secure the arm in place against subsequent movement.

As shown in Fig 3, the outer end piece 56 of each mounting arm assembly includes a vertical threaded hole sized for receipt of a threaded rod 58 forming a part of a pad assembly 60. Each pad assembly 60 also includes a hand knob 62 secured to the threaded rod 58 for permitting rotation thereof, and an adapter 64 received on the upper end of the threaded rod. Preferably, the upper end of the threaded rod includes a cylindrical post 66 on which the adapter is received, and a flange 68 that supports the adapter on the post. The adapter 64 may take any desired form, and is easily removable from the post of the pad assembly so that a suitable adapter may be employed for a particular component or load. Although any particular adapter may have utility with more than one type of load, it is possible that new adapters might be required for a particular load, and the construction of the pad assembly permits the use of such adapters without requiring modification to the entire assembly.

By adjusting the angle and extension of the mounting arm assemblies 52 relative to the plate, and by mounting suitable adapters on the pad assemblies 60 and adjusting the heights of the adapters relative to the plate, it is possible to align the platform assembly with the load to be handled so that the center of gravity of the load is closely centered over the center of the plate, and thus over the longitudinal axis of the jack assembly during transfer.

Turning to Fig 4, an alternate construction of the pad assembly 60 is illustrated. In the construction shown in Fig 4 each pad assembly 60 includes a hand knob 62 secured to the threaded rod 58 for permitting rotation thereof, and an adapter 64 received on the upper end of the threaded rod. Unlike the construction illustrated in Fig 3, the threaded rod 58 in the construction of Fig 4 does not include a cylindrical post or flange at the upper end thereof. Rather, the adapter 64 is received directly on the upper end of the threaded rod 58.

The adapters 64 illustrated in Fig 4 take several different forms, each of which is threaded or otherwise adapted for receipt on the upper end of the threaded rod 58 so that the adapters can be interchanged with one another depending on the application to which the apparatus is being put. As mentioned previously, although various adapters are illustrated for use in connection with the pad assemblies 60, other adapters may also be developed in order to permit use of the apparatus with any particular type of load.

Turning to Fig 2, with the platform assembly 14 secured to the jack assembly 12, the jack assembly is moved into position beneath a vehicle, and the pneumatic stage 22 is actuated to raise the platform assembly into close proximity with the drive train or other vehicle component 132 to be removed. The hydraulic stage 24 of the jack assembly is then actuated, if necessary, to carry out fine adjustment in the position of the platform assembly relative to the vehicle, and the mounting arm assemblies 52 are manipulated to permit attachment of the lift pad assemblies to the vehicle component.

With the vehicle component secured to the mounting arm assemblies of the platform assembly, the jack assembly is lowered, first by lowering the hydraulic stage, and then by lowering the pneumatic stage.

Once the jack assembly is lowered with the vehicle component supported on the platform assembly, it is rolled from beneath the vehicle to a suitable working position.

To return the vehicle component to the vehicle, the jack assembly is moved into position beneath the vehicle and the pneumatic stage 22 is actuated to lift the vehicle component into place, as shown in Fig 2. If necessary, the hydraulic stage 24 is then actuated to make fine adjustment to the position of the vehicle component, and the component is re-installed. Subsequently, the platform assembly is detached from the component and the jack assembly is lowered out of the way and removed.