Gantry stacker with two side-by-side spreaders

Abstract

A gantry stacker for transporting and stacking freight containers consists of two chassis beams with steerable wheels, supports, a hoist, an overhead frame, a lifting beam a driver's cab and engines. There are at least two spreaders that are movable in a horizontal direction independent of each other and are disposed in a side-by-side relationship on a lifting beam. Containers deposited directly side-by-side with no gap there between may be gripped, transported and separated or that spaced-apart containers with an alley may be gripped, transported and moved toward each other so that they may be readily transported further, using multispreader systems. Containers of different heights may be gripped and transported. The lifting height allows for straddling containers standing on the floor with attached and lifted containers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.