Patent Application
20140158656
The present concept relates to cranes in general and more particularly relates to mobile boom trucks and tower cranes and more particularly relates to a combination mobile boom truck and tower crane.
Known mobile cranes are generally of the type having a mobile platform for example the chassis of a carrier vehicle and are either a dedicated boom truck which includes a pivoting boom and/or jib having telescoping sections which are mounted onto a mobile carrier such as a flatbed truck.
There are also known mobile tower cranes which are described more particularly in patents filed by Donald E. Wellman in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,934,729, 3,938,670 and 3,939,988 all under the title Tower Crane by Donald E. Wellman. These tower cranes are mounted onto a chassis of a carrier vehicle and are erected for use as a traditional tower crane.
Lifting requirements particularly in urban environments in some instances requires the use of a boom truck for lifting and in other instances requires the use of a tower crane for accomplishing the lifting due to the close proximity of buildings and the ability to position the crane in only certain locations.
There is a need for a combination mobile boom truck and a tower crane which can easily operate as both a traditional boom truck and/or if necessary can be easily erected into the configuration of a tower crane and operated as a tower crane.
The advantages of the herein described combination mobile boom truck and tower crane will become known to the reader as it is described below.
The present concept will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which:
The present invention a combination mobile boom truck and tower crane is shown generally as mobile crane 100 which includes the following major components namely a truck portion 194 including a truck 102, boom portion 190 including boom 104, and a tower portion 192 including a tower 106. Truck portion 194 may be any type of mobile platform for use with mobile cranes including but limited to the truck configuration shown in the figures. It may include a tractor section 183 for motorizing the truck portion 194 thereby providing motive power for transporting the combination crane 100 to and from job sites.
Mobile crane 100 is shown in a collapsed position 101 in
The combination mobile boom truck and tower crane which is depicted as combination crane 100 in both
The major components in order to operate the combination mobile boom truck and tower crane as a boom truck are the boom portion 190 which includes boom 104 main section 111, which can be extended with telescoping section 110 and telescoping section 112. A winch 122 controls the cable 114 which moves across pulleys 116 and terminates at a hook 118 and includes a ballast 120.
Boom 104 further includes lower end 181 a boom ram 124 which is used to move boom portion 190 into the boom truck position 103 and also select the angle of the boom 104 relative to horizontal. The tower 106 is mounted horizontally in the collapsed position 101 for transporting between job sites. The cab 126 is mounted on an upper side 231 of tower 106 in the collapsed position and is also supported by support frame 130 when the combination crane 100 is in the collapsed position 101 and boom truck position 103.
The operator of boom truck 105 as shown in
Cab 126 is supported by a cab base 128 which is further supported by support frame 130.
Tower 106 which is shown in a horizontal position laying down flat upon platform 134 of truck frame 132 ready for deployment.
Truck 102 further includes stabilizing outriggers 136 having outrigger pads 138 as well as stabilizing feet 208 located at strategic positions around truck 102.
Combination crane 100 as operated as a boom truck 105 shown in the boom truck position 103 in
The operator can extend boom 104 by raising out telescoping sections 110 and 112 as required and can lift and lower a load by either winching in the cable 114 with winch 122 and/or by raising and lowering boom 104 with boom ram 124.
The reader will note that a minimal amount of set-up time is required in order to put into operation combination crane 100 as a boom truck 105 and to be able to put it into boom truck position 103.
In order to operate the combination mobile boom truck and tower crane as a tower crane 203 the tower portion 192 must be erected from the collapsed position 101 shown in
Cab is approximately always positioned at the lower end 181 of boom 104. Cab 126 pivots from resting on top of upper side 231 of tower 106 such that cab base 128 comes to rest on the top portion 280 of the upper portion 214 of tower 106 when tower 106 is in the vertical position 270. Cab 126 is moved into position using cab cylinder 230 and cab cylinder 232. Hydraulic cylinder 206 is supported by a back stay 242 as well as a cross member 240 which is connected to platform 134.
Hydraulic cylinder 206 as well as tower ram 250 and support frame 130 all work together in order to move and support tower 106 from the horizontal position 272 as shown in
Tower 106 includes a lower portion 210 terminating at a tower base 212 and a telescoping upper portion 214 terminating at top portion 280.
The drawings depict a two section tower 106 when in fact tower 106 may have two, three or more sections depending upon the vertical elevation that is required.
The reader will note that cab 126 is now located on the top of portion 280 of tower 106. This enables the operator to have an excellent view downwardly when operating combination crane 100 as a tower crane 203.
When operating combination crane 100 as a tower crane 203 the reader will note that the tower is easily and quickly erected from a horizontal position 272 shown in
The operator from cab 126 on top of tower 106 can operate the boom by raising and lowering the boom using ram 124 and/or can pivotly rotate the boom 104 about cab base 128. Additionally the operator can extend boom 104 using telescoping sections 110 and 112 and can pay out cable 114 using winch 122 therefore positioning hook 118 in the desired location.
The reader will note that the advantage of combination crane 100 is that first of all the operator is sitting on the top of the tower 106 when the crane is in the tower crane position 200. This provides the operator with an excellent view downwardly such that he can accurately position the hook 118 onto the load that is being lifted.
The major advantages of the present concept namely combination crane 100 is that it can be easily moved into position at a job site and can be operated either as a boom truck wherein almost no setup time is required other than the deployment of the boom and perhaps outriggers 136. In the event it is not possible to carry out the lift using a simple boom truck 105 in the boom truck position 103 due to being “boom bound” meaning it is not possible to reach the desired location with the load using a simple boom then it is possible to erect the tower 106 from the horizontal position 272 into the tower crane position 200 and operate the combination crane 100 as a tower crane 203 shown in
It should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which defined in the appended claim.
This application claims priority from previously filed U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/733,944 filed Dec. 6, 2012 by Charles Pembleton under the title COMBINATION MOBILE BOOM TRUCK & TOWER CRANE.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61733944 | Dec 2012 | US |
