Pivoting axle wheeled mobile gantry
AssigneeJ & R Engineering Company, Inc.
InventorRoger L. Johnston
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile gantry for transporting heavy loads includes first, second, and third booms which are supported on the ground by respective wheel sets. The booms are spaced from one another so to present a generally triangular configuration when viewed from above. First, second, and third lift legs telescope to extend and retract the booms, and the lift legs are interconnected to one another and can raise and lower a load. The load can be maintained level by individually adjusting the length of each boom by extending and retracting the lift legs. A pivot axle, attached to each one of the wheel sets, allows each of the wheel sets to pivot about an axis that is at least generally parallel to the ground, thus maintaining a uniform load while the mobile gantry encounters changes in slope or other surface irregularities.
Claims19
A mobile gantry comprising:
- a first boom having a first, lower end and a second, upper end opposite the first end;
- a first wheel set supporting the first end of the first boom on the ground;
- a second boom having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a second wheel set supporting the second boom on the ground;
- a third boom having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a third wheel set supporting the third boom on the ground, wherein the mobile gantry extends longitudinally from front to rear ends thereof and laterally from first to second sides thereof, wherein the first, second and third booms are offset from one another so as to present a triangular configuration when viewed from above with the third boom being spaced longitudinally from and positioned laterally between the first and second booms;
- first, second, and third pivot axles, each of which is attached to a respective one of the wheel sets and configured to allow the wheel set to pivot longitudinally about a pivot axis toward a front side of the mobile gantry and toward a rear side of the mobile gantry;
- wherein the pivot axis extends laterally of the mobile gantry and at least generally parallel to the ground;
- and
- wherein each of the first, second, and third wheel sets includes wheels that rotate about axles that are parallel with but offset from the respective pivot axis.
A mobile gantry comprising:
- a first boom having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a first wheel set attached to the first end of the first boom;
- a second boom having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a second wheel set attached to the first end of the second boom;
- a third boom having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the mobile gantry extends longitudinally from front to rear ends thereof and laterally from first to second sides thereof, wherein the first and second booms are longitudinally offset from the third boom and the third boom is located laterally between the first and second booms so as to present a generally isosceles triangular configuration when viewed from above;
- a third wheel set attached to the first end of the third boom;
- a first beam joining each one of the first and second booms;
- a second beam joining the second and third booms;
- a first lift leg attached to the first boom;
- a second lift leg attached to the second boom;
- a third lift leg attached to the third boom;
- wherein the first, second, and third lift legs are configured to telescope from a respective end of the first, second, and third booms when in an extended position and to retract within the respective first, second, and third booms when in a retracted position, and wherein the first, second, and third lift legs are controllable to extend and retract independently of one another such that the first, second, and third beams may be configured to be maintained horizontally level while the mobile gantry traverses over a sloping ground;
- first, second, and third pivot axles, each of which is attached to a respective one of the wheel sets and which configured to allow the wheel set to pivot about a pivot axis that extends laterally of the mobile gantry and that extends at least generally parallel to the ground, and wherein each of the first, second, and third wheel sets includes wheels that rotate about axles that are parallel with but offset from the respective pivot axis;
- a load beam joining the first and second beams;
- and
- a load rigging suspended from the load beam and configured to suspend a load when the lift legs are in an extended position.
A. mobile gantry comprising:
- a first boom having a first, lower end and a second, upper end opposite the first end;
- a first wheel set supporting the first end of the first boom on the ground;
- a second boom having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a second wheel set supporting the second boom on the ground;
- a third boom having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a third wheel set supporting the third boom on the ground, wherein the mobile gantry extends longitudinally from font to rear ends thereof and laterally from first to second sides thereof, wherein the first, second and third booms are offset from one another so as to present a triangular configuration when viewed from above with the third boom being spaced longitudinally from and positioned laterally between the first and second booms;
- first, second, and third pivot axles, each of which is attached to a respective one of the wheel sets and to a respective one of the booms, wherein each of the pivot axles extends laterally of the mobile gantry and is configured to allow the respective wheel set to pivot about the pivot axle, wherein each of the pivot axles extends horizontally when the mobile gantry is supported on a horizontal surface;
- and
- wherein each of the first, second, and third wheel sets has wheels that rotate about axes that are parallel to but offset from the respective pivot axle, and
- wherein each of the first, second, and third wheel sets includes at least one wheel disposed in front of the respective pivot axle and at least one wheel disposed behind the respective pivot axle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.