Title: Material handling apparatus

I claim:

1. A lift apparatus for use in material handling comprising a chassis member mounted on wheel means for movement along the ground, a pair of laterally spaced, oppositely disposed mast assemblies extend upwardly from said chassis member, a lift platform assembly is disposed between and operably connected to said mast assemblies for vertical lifting movement toward and away from said chassis member, and fluid power means are operably associated with each of said mast assemblies to impart said lifting movement to said lift carriage assembly, wherein said wheel means includes a pair of steering and traction units each including a motor and a steering and traction wheel, and a pair of freely rotatable caster wheels, endless chain drive means operably connecting one of said caster wheels with an associated one of said steering and traction units for synchronously turning said caster wheels upon actuation of an associated of said motors, and an operators cab mounted for movement with said lift carriage assembly, and steering control means operable from said operator's cab for controlling steering movement of said steering and traction units from said cab, wherein said steering and traction units each include driven sprocket means disposed for meshing engagement with said drive chain means and said orbital drive motors including drive sprocket means for driving meshing engagement with said drive chain means for synchronously turning said caster wheels with said traction wheels.

2. A lift apparatus for use in material handling comprising a chassis member mounted on wheel means for movement along the ground, a pair of laterally spaced, oppositely disposed mast assemblies extend upwardly from said chassis member, a lift platform assembly is disposed between and operably connected to said mast assemblies for vertical lifting movement toward and away from said chassis member, and fluid power means are operably associated with each of said mast assemblies to impart said lifting movement to said lift carriage assembly, wherein said wheel means comprise a pair of diagonally oppositely disposed steering and traction units each comprising a motor and a steering and tractional wheel, and a pair of caster wheels diagonally oppositely disposed on said chassis member, and wherein a chain drive means operably connects each of said steering and traction units to one of said caster wheels for turning said caster wheel in synchronization with said traction wheel upon actuation of said motor.

3. A lift apparatus in accordance with claim 2, including stabilization torsion bar means operably associated with said mast assemblies and said carrige lift assembly for maintaining said carriage lift assembly in a substantially horizontal position upon raising and lowering movement thereof.

4. A lift apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said mast assemblies each include an outer mast assembly, an intermediate mast assembly disposed for telescopic movement in said outer mast assembly and an inner mast assembly telescopically movable in said intermediate mast assembly, said outer mast assembly being fixedly mounted on said chassis member and said inner mast assembly being fixedly connected to said lift carriage assembly.

5. A lift apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein a multi-stage hydraulic cylinder means is mounted for movement on and with said intermediate mast assembly, first chain lift means fixedly connected at its opposite ends to said outer and inner mast assemblies and drivingly connected intermediate its ends to said intermediate mast assembly, and second lift chain means fixedly attached as its opposed ends to said inner mast assembly and intermediate its ends being drivingly connected to an outermost plunger of said cylinder means for raising and lowering said intermediate and inner mast assemblies upon actuation of said cylinder means.


Other info:


Inventors: Laurich-trost, Victor R. (34600 McAfee Dr., Solon, OH, 44139)

Application Number: 06/302515
Filing Date: 1981-09-18
Publication_date: 1984-03-13
Assignee: Laurich, Trost Victor

Primary Class(es): 187/224 187/240, 182/148, 182/14, 187/274
Other Classes: B66F9/07; B66B11/04
US Patent Ref:

3757899	September, 1973	Smith	187/9E	DOUBLE MAST SIDE LOADER LIFT TRUCK AND DOUBLE ACTUATOR BALANCING
3782503	January, 1974	Sinclair	187/9E	MAST STABILIZER FOR LIFT TRUCKS
3788444	January, 1974	McWilliams	180/6.48	STEERING CONTROL FOR POWER DRIVEN MOBILE CONVEYORS
4261438	April, 1981	Olson	180/9E	Lift truck mast having high visibility and extensibility

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Rolla, Joseph J.
Assistant Examiner: Fitzgerald, Thomas
Attorney: Watts, Hoffmann, Fisher & Heinke Co.