Vehicular lift mechanism for transporting large structural members

A vehicular assembly for transporting large structural bodies such as prefabricated concrete enclosures comprising:

• vehicle means;
• a longitudinal support arm having a first and a second end and pivotally mounted at said first end for pivotal movement relative to said vehicle means about a first axis extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of said support arm;
• a support device for engaging a load to be transported pivotally mounted at said second end of said support arm for pivotal movement about a second axis parallel to said first axis;
• actuating means operatively engaged between said vehicle means and said support arm for driving said support arm about said first axis to transport a load;
• first fluidic piston-cylinder means pivotally interconnected between said support arm and said vehicle means at said first end of said support arm;
• second fluidic piston-cylinder means pivotally interconnected between said support arm and said support device at said second end of said support arm;
• said first and second piston-cylinder means being congruently connected taken relative to said first and second axes, respectively;
• and means operatively interconnecting said first and second fluidic piston-cylinder means in direct fluid communication with each other to maintain said support device in a constant predetermined orientation relative to said vehicle means in response to operative movement of said support arm about said first axis.

A vehicular assembly for transporting large structural bodies such as prefabricated concrete enclosures comprising:

• vehicle means;
• a longitudinal support arm having a first and a second end and pivotally mounted at said first end for pivotal movement relative to said vehicle means about a first axis extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of said support arm;
• a support device for engaging a load to be transported pivotally mounted at said second end of said support arm for pivotal movement about a second axis parallel to said first axis;
• actuating means operatively engaged between said vehicle means and said support arm for driving said support arm about said first axis to transport a load;
• first fluidic piston-cylinder means pivotally interconnected between said support arm and said vehicle means at said first end of said support arm;
• second fluidic piston-cylinder means pivotally interconnected between said support arm and said support device at said second end of said support arm;
• with the distance between said first axis and the point at which said first piston-cylinder means is connected to said support arm being generally equivalent to the distance between said second axis and the point at which said second piston-cylinder means is connected to said support arm;
• and with the distance between said first axis and the point at which said first piston-cylinder means is connected to said vehicle means being generally equivalent to the distance between said second axis and the point at which said second piston-cylinder means is connected to said support device;
• and means operatively interconnecting said first and said second fluidic piston-cylinder means in direct fluid communication wtih each other to maintain said support device in a constant predetermined orientation relative to said vehicle means in response to operative movement of said support arm about said first axis.