US 8,540,213 B2Granted

Powered pallet truck

AssigneeBig Lift, LLC

InventorsMeng Feiquan, Liu Yuanwei, Jinhui He

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Abstract

A powered pallet truck is provided having a drive motor mounted in a drive wheel, a lift mechanism in general fore-and-aft alignment with the center of the drive wheel, and a pressurized fluid supply mechanism mounted to the load lift portion of the frame assembly. In one aspect, the powered pallet truck has a fluid conduit connected to an upper portion of a lift cylinder device adjacent a pivot connection between the lift cylinder device and a load lift portion of the pallet truck to limit movement of the fluid conduit during up and down movement of the load lift portion. In another aspect, the powered pallet truck has a base support portion with an arcuate window permitting movement of one or more cables extending therethrough as a steering assembly of the pallet truck is turned.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A powered pallet truck comprising:

a frame assembly having a base support portion and a load lift portion, the frame assembly having a central longitudinal axis extending in a fore-and-aft direction and the load lift portion of the frame assembly includes a pair of forks which extend forwardly on either side of the central longitudinal axis;
a rear drive wheel having a center and a rotary axis extending therethrough, the drive wheel disposed below the base support portion;
the forks each having a distal forward end and the frame assembly and the drive wheel having an overall longitudinal length extending in the fore-and-aft direction from the distal ends of the forks to the center of the drive wheel;
a drive motor for driving the drive wheel and being mounted in the drive wheel with the drive wheel extending about the drive motor;
a lift mechanism operable for moving the load lift portion of the frame assembly and the forks thereof up and down relative to the base support portion and being mounted to extend upwardly in general fore-and-aft alignment with the center of the drive wheel;
a fluid conduit connected to the lift mechanism;
and
a pressurized fluid supply mechanism connected to the fluid conduit and configured to supply pressurized fluid to the lift mechanism through the fluid conduit with the pressurized fluid supply mechanism being mounted to the load lift portion of the frame assembly forward of the lift mechanism generally along the central longitudinal axis of the frame assembly.

5 more elements

A powered pallet truck comprising:

a frame assembly having a base support portion and a load lift portion, the load lift portion including a pair of forks that extend forwardly of the base support portion in a longitudinal direction, and the base support portion including a steering seat and a separate lift cylinder device seat;
a steering assembly rotatably coupled to the steering seat;
a lift cylinder device having an upper end portion and a lower end portion and being operable to move the load lift portion and the forks thereof up and down relative to the base support portion;
a pivot connection between the upper end portion of the lift cylinder device and the load lift portion of the frame assembly that permits movement of the upper end portion relative to the load lift portion with up and down movement of the load lift portion and the forks thereof;
a connection between the lower end portion of the lift cylinder device and the lift cylinder device seat of the base support portion wherein the lower end portion of the lift cylinder device and the lift cylinder device seat are fixed against longitudinal movement relative to each other;
a pressurized fluid supply mechanism mounted to the load lift portion of the frame assembly;
and
a fluid conduit between the lift cylinder device and the fluid supply mechanism with the fluid conduit connected to the upper portion of the lift cylinder device adjacent the pivot connection between the upper portion of the lift cylinder device and the load lift portion of the frame assembly limiting movement of the fluid conduit during up and down movement of the load lift portion and the forks thereof.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/363,247Filed 31 Jan 2012
Priority: CN 2011 1 042052015 Dec 2011
Published: US 2013/0153840 A120 Jun 2013
Granted: 24 Sep 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B66F 9/065
Movable, with their loads, on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks: non-masted
B66F 9/07513
Constructional features or details: details concerning the chassis
B66F 9/22
Means for actuating or controlling masts, platforms, or forks: hydraulic devices or systems
B66F 9/085
Masts; Guides; Chains: multiple forks, i.e. more than one pair mounted on a single mast or with more than one mast