Suspension apparatus

A suspension apparatus including a beam assembly, a pair of movable shackles pivotally mounted on the beam assembly and rotatable between a reset position in which they are removed from each other and a set position in which they close with each other, and a control unit for automatically engaging or disengaged or disengaged the shackles with or from the hook of a crane as the latter moves downward and upward;

• characterized by the provision of drive means supported on the beam assembly intermediate the pair of movable shackles so as to be movable in the vertical direction, the drive means being controlled between its inoperative and its operative position in response to a downward and an upward movement of the hook, connection means for operatively connecting the drive means with the pair of movable shackles, spring means for urging the drive means to its inoperative position for normally maintaining the pair of movable shackles in their reset position, and locking means for locking the drive means at a locked position intermediate the inoperative and the operative position thereof and for unlocking the drive means at a release position which corresponds to the locked position, an initial downward movement of the hook being effective to drive the drive means from its inoperative to its operative position the resilience of the spring means to thereby drive the pair of movable shackles from their reset to their set position, a subsequent upward movement of the hook being effective to cause the locking means to lock the drive means at the locked position, a following downward movement of the hook being effective to move the drive means from its locked to its operative position, and a next following upward movement of the hook being effective to cause the locking means to unlock the drive means at the release position, thereby allowing the spring means to drive the pair of movable shackles from their set to their reset position.