Title: Apparatus and method for transferring a crane boom assembly from a crane carrier to an independent transport vehicle

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1. A method of transferring a crane boom from a carrier vehicle to an independent transport vehicle comprising the steps of lowering the crane boom while attached to said carrier vehicle to a substantially horizontal position above said transport vehicle and engaging the lowered boom with a first support on the transport vehicle, disconnecting the boom from the carrier vehicle and thereafter engaging and lifting the boom free of the carrier vehicle by means of a second support on the transport vehicle, moving the first and second supports on the transport vehicle with the supported boom to a forward transport position on said vehicle and then lowering the boom in relation to the second support into supportive engagement with a third support on the transport vehicle near the rear thereof.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, and the additional steps of locking the transferred boom on the transport vehicle immovably relative to the first and third supports of the transport vehicle, and additionally locking the first and second supports at said forward transport position on said transport vehicle.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, and the additional step of disconnecting boom lift cylinders from said carrier vehicle and engaging and lifting the boom lift cylinders free of the carrier vehicle and supporting them with said second support on the transport vehicle prior to disconnecting the boom from the carrier vehicle.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, and the preliminary steps of mechanically coupling said carrier and independent transport vehicles rear end to rear end and leveling them prior to said lowering of the crane boom to said substantially horizontal position.

5. A method of transferring a crane boom from a carrier vehicle to an independent boom transport vehicle comprising the steps of lowering the boom while on the carrier vehicle to a down position over the transport vehicle and thereby engaging a forward end portion of the boom with a forward carriage rest on the transport vehicle and while the carriage rest is in a rearward position on the transport vehicle, separating said boom from its connections with the carrier vehicle and thereafter supportively engaging the boom and lifting it free of the carrier vehicle by operation of a second carriage rest on said transport vehicle and while the second carriage rest is in a rearward position on the transport vehicle, advancing the first and second carriage rests with said boom in unison to a forward transport position on said transport vehicle and locking the advanced first and second carriage rests at said forward transport position on the transport vehicle and then lowering the rearward end of the boom into supportive engagement with a third and stationary rest on the rear of said transport vehicle and rearward of said second carriage rest and thereby relieving the second carriage rest of its supportive engagement with said boom.

6. Apparatus in combination with a crane boom for transferring the crane boom from a crane carrier vehicle to an independent boom transport vehicle comprising a transport trailer having a tracked bed, a boom support and transfer carriage guidingly mounted on the tracked bed for fore and aft movement thereon, power means connected with the tracked bed and said carriage to advance and retract the carriage on said bed, a forward boom rest on said carriage adapted to supportively engage locator means near the forward end of the boom after the boom is lowered to a substantially horizontal position above said carriage and tracked bed, a rearward boom rest on said carriage including an elevatable cradle means adapted to engage and lift the rear portion of the boom after separation from the carrier vehicle and after said supportive engagement with said forward boom rest, and means to lock said carriage in an advanced position on said transport vehicle.

7. The apparatus as defined by claim 6, and independently operable power means coupled with said forward boom rest and said rearward boom rest to adjust the same laterally of said carriage and tracked bed to achieve proper alignment with a crane boom being transferred by the apparatus.

8. The apparatus as defined by claim 6, and said rearward boom rest further comprising power lift and vertical guideway means for said cradle means above said carriage, said cradle means having spaced supporting elements for a pair of boom lift cylinders and a pair of spaced boom lift elements above said supporting elements and laterally outwardly thereof, whereby said cradle means may first be raised into supportive engagement with boom lift cylinders and upon continued elevation may afterwards by supportively engaged with side lifting parts of a boom.

9. The apparatus as defined by claim 8, and support and lateral guidance means for said rearward boom rest on said carriage and power means connected with said boom rest to shift it laterally in opposite directions on said support and guidance means.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, and said independently operable power means comprising a single power cylinder coupled to said carriage and forward boom rest, and a pair of opposing power cylinders coupled to said carriage and to said rearward boom rest.

11. The apparatus as defined by claim 7, and said forward boom rest comprising a transverse rest bar on said carriage, and a rest sleeve slidably mounted on said bar and connected with said power means coupled with said forward boom rest.

12. The apparatus as defined by claim 11, and laterally spaced boom carried locator elements adapted to engage said rest sleeve supportively.

13. The apparatus as defined by claim 12, and means to releasably lock said locator elements in engagement with said rest sleeve.

14. The apparatus as defined by claim 6, and a relatively stationary boom support on the rear of said transport vehicle and rearwardly of said carriage and adapted to bear the weight of a boom conjointly with said forward boom rest on said carriage after said carriage is advanced by said power means and the boom is lowered into supportive engagement with said stationary boom support by said cradle means of the rearward boom rest on said carriage.

15. The apparatus as defined by claim 14, and means on said relatively stationary boom support to clampingly lock the boom in engagement with the stationary boom support.

16. The apparatus as defined by claim 15, and said last-named means comprising a pair of laterally spaced clamping devices at the top of said stationary boom support engageable with projecting side flanges of a boom resting on said stationary support.

17. The apparatus as defined by claim 6, a rear stationary boom rest on said transport vehicle rearwardly of said carriage and of a height to receive and support the rear portion of the boom after the boom is advanced with said carriage and lowered by said cradle means, and means on the rear of said transport vehicle for mechanically coupling it to the rear of a crane carrier vehicle.

18. The apparatus as defined by claim 6, and power means on a crane carrier vehicle having a boom and boom lift cylinders to disconnect the boom and said lift cylinders from their supports on the crane carrier vehicle.

19. In apparatus for transferring a telescopic crane boom from a crane carrier vehicle to an independent boom transport vehicle, means to couple a crane carrier vehicle and said transport vehicle in back to back relation, means to level said coupled vehicles, power means on said crane carrier vehicle to disconnect the crane boom and crane boom lift cylinders therefrom, a carriage on said transport vehicle, power means connected with said carriage to advance and retract the same on the transport vehicle, forward and rear boom rests on said carriage, the rear boom rest including a vertically movable cradle and power means to raise and lower the cradle, said cradle having boom and boom lift cylinder engaging parts, and a rear stationary boom support on the transport vehicle.

20. Apparatus as defined by claim 19, means to couple said carriage in an advanced position on said transport vehicle, and means to releasably lock a transferred crane boom to said forward boom rest and rear stationary boom support for safe transport on said vehicle.

Other info:

Inventors: Whittingham, Reginald P. (St. Thomas, PA, US)

Application Number: 548149
Filing Date: 1975-02-07
Publication_date: 1976-05-04
Assignee: Walter Kidde & Company, Inc. (Clifton, NJ)
Primary Class(es): 414/343 212/180, 212/292, 212/348, 414/522, 414/809
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

2690268	Sep, 1954	Woolslayer et al.	214/38.
2787342	Apr, 1957	Jenkins et al.	52/143.
3091312	May, 1963	Woody et al.	52/143.
3302806	Feb, 1967	Brown et al.	214/38.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Makay, Albert J.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Brady, O'Boyle & Gates