Clark Material Handling Company

Clark Equipment Compnay

Clark C Simpson

Jack L Shafe

Jeffrey C Hansell

Bobbylee Pease

Jeffery C Hansell

Paul C Weirs

John Hodgman

An upright for a lift truck includes a first group of mast sections in a first stagger arrangement where a first mast section of the first group of mast sections is fixed to the lift truck. The upright further includes a second group of mast sections in a second stagger arrangement that is reverse nested inside the first stagger arrangement. Further, the upright includes a drive system for telescopingly extending and retracting the second mast sections relative to the first mast section.

Upright for a lift truck

A carpet pole carriage assembly for a lift truck includes a carriage having a front plate and a back plate. The front plate includes a carpet pole receiving opening. A carpet pole retainer is carried on the carriage. A carpet pole retainer includes a first section secured to the front plate about the carpet pole receiving opening and a second section secured to the back plate.

Carpet pole carriage assembly

An overhead support frame assembly provides enhanced strength for an attachment for the vehicle or the like, and features minimum obstruction of vision from the driver station. The frame assembly has a pair of laterally spaced frame units; each including an interconnected tower support plate, overhead extension plate, and upstanding support post. The base of each tower support plate is attached to the vehicle deck at an approximate 30.degree. angle to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and slanted forwardly toward the horizontal overhead extension plate at an approximate 10.degree. angle. The position and angle of the tower support plates provide a 60.degree. unobstructed rear view from the driver station. Each extension plate is directed to the front of the vehicle and terminates at the upper end of an upstanding support post positioned adjacent to the driver station for secondary support. Front and rear cross beams extend between the upper ends of the secondary support posts and the tower support plates, respectively. The frame units and cross beams form the substantially rigid support frame assembly with increased strength in both the compression/tension modes, and especially adapted for mounting overhead cylinders for a forklift attachment. The arrangement also provides an extended lateral opening for unobstructed side engine access and a substantially unobstructed view to the sides of the vehicle.

Overhead support frame assembly for vehicle

A carriage assembly, 20h for a lift truck upright assembly, 12, has pivotally mounted forks, 30, controlled by hydraulic cylinders, 36, that are operated by side shifter circuit, 110, having a single operator control, 124, for manipulating the forks in unison, opening or closing the forks, or shifting them right or left in a coordinated fashion.

Carriage assembly and side shift system for a lift truck

A lift truck includes an upright assembly having first, second and third telescoping mast sections. Each mast section is formed from pairs of laterally spaced and interconnected I-beam rails. A carriage assembly is mounted for movement along a path on the third mast section. Rollers are provided for mounting the mast sections and carriage assembly together for relative movement. A drive assembly connected to the upright assembly and carriage assembly serves to move the carriage assembly at a first, relatively slow speed over a first portion of the movement path and at a second relatively fast speed over a second portion of the movement path. More particularly, the drive assembly includes twinned actuating cylinders for operatively connecting the first and second mast sections. A first dead chain operatively connects the first and third mast sections. A second dead chain operatively connects the second mast section and the carriage assembly. A guide rod is connected to one end of the second dead chain and a guide sleeve is mounted to the second mast section. The guide rod is received in free sliding engagement in the guide sleeve so as to prevent relative movement between the carriage assembly and the third mast section at all times when the carriage assembly is in a negative lift configuration, that is, below ground level. A stop is mounted to the distal end of the guide rod. When the carriage assembly is in a positive lift configuration, that is, above ground level, the stop abuts against and engages the guide sleeve. This engagement causes relative movement of the carriage assembly along the third mast section when in any positive lift configuration.

Lift truck with negative drop upright

A self-propelled, counterbalanced, container transporter vehicle having a frame, a counterweight supported at the rear, an elevating upright, carriage pick-up and lift frame assembly for lifting, transporting and stacking containers in which a tower structure supports a cab providing an operator's station with controls for hydraulically raising and lowering the upright, the cab has a wide angle front window area that partially wraps around the operator's station to permit a horizontal line of sight to the maximum extension of the lift frame and is sloped back to afford high angle vision to the maximum vertical extension of the upright for high stacking containers. In addition, the tower structure is positioned rearwardly of the center, and projects upwardly to a height that provides an elevated line of sight from the cab through the upright, the inner rail section of which is shorter than the outer rails to allow a better view through the upright and beneath a container in the transport, partially elevated position and the outer rails being mounted on the frame closer together to narrow the track width of the vehicle for better spotting containers on the tarmac.

Container transporter

Container transporter vehicle body

A unified frame/body assembly is provided for a vehicle, such as a tow tractor. The reinforced center core of the tractor has a pair of longitudinal box-like body sections. Each body section includes a box beam with an integral extension panel. Substantially planar fenders structurally bridge between and connect the body sections to a wing at each end of a bumper member. The extension panel, fender and wing of the bumper form a substantially rigid quarter panel providing support for the vehicle through the suspension means of the vehicle. A pair of cantilever arms mount the suspension, preferably leaf springs, by attachment to the box beams with the distal end of the springs being connected to a mounting plate extending along the bottom of the bumper member. The quarter panel provides structural support between the body sections and the bumper member so as to provide an open space within the tractor that is substantially free of obstructions so as to allow a lowered profile and increased turning radius of the wheels of the tractor. The fender includes an inwardly extending lip along the upper margin so as to increase rigidity. The lower margin of the fender includes tabs and weldments are provided around the tabs to form the quarter panel. Preferably, strong structural material, such as 0.5' steel is used to provide the requisite support strength and for added weight to the tractor for increased friction to allow efficient handling of heavy loads.

Unified frame/body assembly for vehicle

A spreader frame assembly for engaging, lifting and transporting freight containers includes a pair of parallel spaced-apart lifting beams. A twist lock is connected at each end of each lifting beam for engagement with a respective corner fitting of a container. Each twist lock includes a shank projecting downwardly from the respective lifting beam. The lower end of the shank is capable of lifting engagement with the corner fitting when the shank is rotated in a selected direction. A circular disc is rigidly connected to the upper end of each shank. A hydraulically actuated mechanism is connected to simultaneously rotate the shanks. A pin having an enlarged upper portion has a first position where the enlarged upper portion of each of the pins is received in a recessed portion in each respective disc to prevent rotation of the respective shank from its no-lift position, and has a second position where the upper portion of the pin is raised above the disc so that the shank may be rotated to a lift position.

Interlock system for container handler twist lock

A hydraulic cylinder assembly in which cylinders are separated into two coaxial cylindrical portions sealed hydraulically one from the other, one having an extensible piston therein and the other being extensible together with the extensible piston on a fixed supporting piston. In an exemplary embodiment two such cylinder assemblies are mounted to operate in opposite directions within various predetermined fixed limits of extension to control the extension of a telescopic spreader frame for handling containers to selected ones of such fixed limits. For different combinations of such fixed limits of extension in one or more selected installations, different length spacers are used at the time of assembly in the cylinder assemblies to establish various fixed and predetermined intermediate extensions between full extension and full retraction thereof. A hydraulic control system for the cylinder assemblies includes first and second valves and conduits variously connecting the valves to both cylinder portions of both cylinder assemblies.

Growing community of inventors

Martin, MI, United States of America

Clark C Simpson