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AssigneeCascade Corporation
InventorBrent G. RUNNING
Estimating the term…
A load-handling clamp mountable on a lift truck has one or more hydraulic clamping cylinders of the type having two or more sequentially extensible stages capable of applying either load-weight-responsive variable hydraulic load-clamping force or, alternatively, load-size-responsive variable hydraulic load-clamping force, without risking the clamp's dropping of a clamped load. The length of the hydraulic clamping cylinder(s) may in some applications extend generally forwardly from a supporting lift truck, and in other applications extend generally laterally from a supporting lift truck.
A hydraulic load-clamping and load-lifting system including at least one load-clamping hydraulic cylinder of a type having at least first and second sequentially extensible stages capable of applying clamping force to a load in response to a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid, said first stage having a first fluid pressure-receiving area greater than a second fluid pressure-receiving area of said second stage, said first stage being capable of applying a first clamping force to said load automatically variably dependent on a hydraulic pressure supporting a weight of said load applied to said first fluid pressure-receiving area, and said second stage being capable of applying a second clamping force less than said first clamping force to said load automatically dependent on a size of said load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.