Vehicle crane unit

A vehicle crane unit comprising:

• a vehicle comprising a horizontal base, having a front edge and an opposing back edge, a first side edge, and an opposite second side edge, and a vertical frame attached to and upstanding from the horizontal base,
• a cable and a winch for lifting and pulling an object,
• a boom for directing the lifting and pulling force supplied by the cable and winch, the boom comprising:
• a first arm and a second arm each having a pivot end and an opposing cantilevered end, a transverse bar perpendicular to the first and second arms and rigidly connecting the cantilevered ends of the first and second arms, and a pulley wheel attached to the transverse bar,
• the said pulley wheel configured for detachably receiving a cable adapted at one end to attach to the object to be lifted and pulled and at the other end to be taken in and let out by the winch,
• the pivot end of the first arm being pivotally attached to the vehicle near the first side edge of the horizontal base and the pivot end of the second arm being pivotally attached to the vehicle near the second side edge of the horizontal base, for allowing the boom to swing toward and away from the front and back edges of the horizontal base to selected angles and positions relative to the horizontal base, with the first and second arms swinging in parallel vertical planes,
• a container,
• for being lifted, tipped, and pulled on to and off of the vehicle by changing the position of the boom and by taking in and letting out the cable,
• the container defined by an enclosure wall having an interior surface, an exterior surface, and an opening for insertion and removal of objects into and out of the container,
• the container adapted for placement between the vehicle horizontal base and the transverse bar of the boom and between the first and second arms of the boom, the container having a bottom for resting on and cooperating with the horizontal base, a top side for facing up toward the transverse bar and the top side having an uppermost extremity, a front end for facing toward the front edge of the horizontal base, a back end for facing toward and resting near the back edge of the horizontal base, a first side for facing but not intersecting the vertical plane in which swings the first arm of the boom, an opposing second side for facing but not intersecting the vertical plane in which swings the second arm of the boom, and a bottom back corner where the bottom and back end join, and
• the container having fastening means attached to the front end for connecting the container to the cable,
• stop means, attached to the vertical frame, the stop means being adjustable to one position for contacting the boom and stopping the boom from swinging beyond a preselected angle relative to the horizontal base, adjustable to a second position for contacting the boom and stopping the boom from swinging below a preselected angle relative to the horizontal base, and adjustable to a retracted position for letting the boom swing by the stop means without interference, the stop means being for selecting the position the boom assumes when force is applied to the boom by the taking in or letting out of the cable by the winch,
• a block means attached to the vertical frame for contacting and stopping the boom in a lowered position, with the boom swung toward the back edge of the horizontal base, to block the boom from swinging to an angle that places the transverse bar in contact with the top side of the container and to block the boom from swinging to an angle that places the transverse bar below a height equivalent to the height of the upper most extremity of the top side for preventing the boom from obstructing the movement of the container as it is pulled onto and off of the vehicle, and
• a lock attached to the block means and extending to detachably connect to the boom when the boom is in the lowered position, for restraining the boom from swinging up from the lowered position,
• and wherein:
• when the boom is in the said lowered position, the boom extends through the vertical plane in which lies the back edge of the horizontal base and the transverse bar and pulley wheel lie in a vertical plane that is parallel, close to, and beyond the vertical plane of the back edge, for allowing the cable to pull the front end of the container to lie in a vertical plane with the transverse bar and pulley wheel without hitting and binding on the back edge.

A vehicle crane unit comprising:

• a vehicle comprising a horizontal base, having a front edge and an opposing back edge, and a vertical frame attached to and upstanding from the horizontal base,
• a cable and a winch for lifting and pulling an object,
• a boom for directing the lifting and pulling force supplied by the cable and winch, the boom comprising:
• an arm having a pivot end and an opposing cantilevered end, a pulley wheel, and a transverse bar extending perpendicularly for the cantilevered end of the said arm of the boom for holding the pulley wheel a horizontal distance from the cantilevered end of the arm, the said pulley wheel configured for detachably receiving a cable adapted at one end to attach to the object to be lifted and pulled and at the other end to be taken in and let out by the winch,
• the pivot end of the arm being pivotally attached to the vehicle near the horizontal base for allowing the boom to swing in a vertical plane toward and away from the front and back edges of the horizontal base,
• a container,
• for being lifted, tipped, and pulled on to and off of the vehicle by changing the position of the boom and by taking in and letting out the cable,
• the container defined by an enclosure wall having an interior surface, and exterior surface, and an opening for insertion and removal of objects into and out of the container,
• the container adapted for placement between the vehicle horizontal base and the transverse bar of the boom, the container having a bottom for resting on and cooperating with the horizontal base, a top side for facing up toward the transverse bar and the top side having an uppermost extremity, a front end for facing toward the front edge of the horizontal base, a back end for facing toward and resting near the back edge of the horizontal base, a first side for facing but not intersecting the vertical plane in which swings the arm of the boom, an opposing second side, and a bottom back corner where the bottom and back end join, and the container having fastening means attached to the front end for connecting the container to the cable,
• a block means attached to the vertical frame for contacting and stopping the boom in a lowered position, with the boom swung toward the back edge of the horizontal base, to block the boom from swinging to an angle that places the transverse bar in contact with the top side of the container and to block the boom from swinging to an angle that places the transverse bar below a height equivalent to the height of the uppermost extremity of the top side for preventing the boom from obstructing the movement of the container as it is pulled onto and off of the vehicle, and
• a lock attached to the block means and extending to detachably connect to the boom when the boom is in the lowered position, for restraining the boom from swinging up from the lowered position,
• and wherein:
• when the boom is in the said lowered position, the boom extends through the vertical plane in which lies the back edge of the horizontal base and the transverse bar and pulley wheel lie in a vertical plane that is parallel, close to, and beyond the vertical plane of the back edge, for allowing the cable to pull the front end of the container to lie in a vertical plane with the transverse bar and pulley wheel without binding on the back edge.