Abstract: An engine hoisting assembly for supporting an engine comprises a ground supporting frame, a substantially upright member having a longitudinal axis, a boom operably connected to the upright member, lifting means to selectively move the boom up or down along upright member's longitudinal axis and engine connecting means to operably connect the boom to the engine. The boom is maintained at a substantial horizontal orientation when lifting means selectively moves boom up or down.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of operating a crane having a luffable crane boom and having a trolley travelable at the crane boom, wherein the crane can be operated in a luffing mode, on the one hand, and in a trolley mode, on the other hand. In accordance with the invention, a switch is made between a luffing mode and a trolley mode by varying the hoist rope reeving. The invention further relates to such a crane for carrying out the method.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for handling completed trusses. The truss handling apparatus moves completed trusses from a conveyor system to selected stacks in a staging area. The truss handler has an extendable boom crane mounted for rotational movement. The crane includes a truss engaging assembly which engages a completed truss such that it can be lifted by the boom crane. The engagement assembly rotates and tilts the engaged truss such that it can be aligned with a stack of trusses. The truss engaging assembly has movable arms to engage trusses of varying size and shape and has hooks for grappling the truss. The apparatus can stack the completed trusses in any of multiple stacks in a staging area. The trusses in each stack can be oriented horizontally, vertically or otherwise.

Abstract: In an aspect, the invention features a base structure and a main column vertically attached to the base structure, the main column having a mounting plate affixed above the base structure, the mounting plate adapted to attach to an engine. A rod is connected to the plate and positioned through the main column, the rod having a terminal handle opposite the plate to provide rotational movement to the plate. A boom is horizontally and pivotally attached to a top of the center beam. A trolley assembly is attached to the boom, a position of the trolley assembly along the boom controlled by a cable joined to a motor on the boom. A piston and cylinder assembly fixedly attached between the main column and boom.

Abstract: A multiple boom lifting arrangement includes a plurality of preferably four carriages, each carriage having a boom with its lower end portion pinned to the carriage. Two of the carriages are placed on a common travel path with the upper end portion of their respective booms being pinned. This provides two spaced apart pairs of carriages and booms for lifting. A horizontal beam extends between the first pair of booms and the second pair of booms being attached to the pinned connection of each pair of booms with a sling. A powered motor-driven winch is used to power a cable that is wound between sheaves on the lower end portions of a pair of booms that are connected together. During use, the winches are simultaneously or nearly simultaneously operated to elevate the first pair of the booms and the second pair of booms at about the same time so that the horizontal beam that spans in between the pinned connections of the first and second pairs of booms is elevated.

Abstract: A lifting device for pivotally raising a prefabricated wall section from a substantially horizontal position to a vertical position on the floor of a building under construction comprising a trolley having a frame, a pair of spaced rollers mounted for rotation thereon and defining an opening for receipt and passage therethrough of an elongated beam with the rollers in frictional, gripping engagement with the beam, motors mounted on the frames in operative driving engagement with the rollers, and a hinge pivotally mounted on the frame for attachment to the ultimate upper end portion of a prefabricated wall section to permit pivotal movement of the hinge about its point of attachment to the frame during wall-lifting operations. The trolley travels along the beam as the beam pivots on the floor of the building from vertical to diagonal position during corresponding pivotal movement of the prefabricated wall from horizontal to vertical position.

Abstract: A lifting apparatus that permits an object to be precisely lifted in a highly safe manner along a number of selected paths. The object to be lifted can be vertically raised along selected transversely spaced paths by vertically raising the lifting arms of the apparatus and can alternatively, or simultaneously, be pivotably lifted by imparting a pivotal, upward movement of the lifting arms relative to the base assembly. The cable or chain which actually lifts the engine is connected to a carriage that reciprocates along tracks which transversely span the lifting arms. In this way the lifting path can be varied either to the right or left.

Abstract: An apparatus including a central vertical support post, including a plurality of support legs orthogonally mounted to a lower end of the support post. The support post pivotally mounts a support boom at an upper end thereof, with a rear terminal end of the support boom including a plurality of chain members, with lower ends of the chain members mounted to a lower chain support beam that is orthogonally mounted to a telescoping portion of a jack member. The apparatus includes an engine support plate mounted upon a forward face of the support post. A modification of the invention includes the support post oriented at an obtuse angle relative to the support legs pivotally mounting the support boom at a rear terminal end of the support boom, with the jack member positioned medially of the support boom between the support boom and the engine support plate.

Abstract: A hoisting apparatus for the use in trucks has frame members 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 which are pivotally moveable and slidable connected to one another such that the apparatus can be assembled and disassembled by a single person and placed in a transporting position along the edges of the truck bed thereby occupying a very small portion of the load carrying space of the truck.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a cable arrangement and lifting platform for lifting a load in a stabilized manner. The lifting platform secures loads to a securing device and the platform is able to be suspended from a crane by an attachment carriage. The attachment carriage includes a cable winch onto which six cables suspend and attach to the lifting platform. The attachment carriage also includes cable guides which guide the six cables away from the winch in three cable pairs, preferably equidistantly-spaced. In order to secure the cables to the lifting platform, the platform includes an attachment frame having three cable attachment points, preferably spaced equidistantly apart with respect to each other. The lifting platform helps stabilize the lifting of loads by sensing the load's imbalance relative to the center of mass of the platform and repositioning the load to correct for the imbalance.

Abstract: An erectable manipulator placement system for use on a space station and comprising an elongate lattice-like boom having dual guide tracks attached to parallel chords thereof, a carriage-like dolly movable along said tracks, and a segmented maneuvering arm-like assembly pivotally mounted on and extending from said dolly. The system further includes a turntable base pivotally interconnected with the proximal end of the boom and positioned either on a part of a transferring vehicle, or on another payload component being carried by said transferring vehicle, or on the space station.

Abstract: An articulated arm-type excavator machine has a boom which has a trolley track affixed onto its underside. A trolley member from which a pulley block can be suspended travels along this track, and is urged into an operator-selected position by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder. A power winch is mounted on the overcarriage of the machine and a lifting cable runs from the winch, over the pulley block, to a lifting hook or other device.

Abstract: An articulated arm-type excavator machine has a hydraulically actuated main boom and a side boom which is detachably mounted at its proximal end to the side of the tractor of the machine, and at its distal end to a trolley arrangement on the underside of the main boom. The detachable sideboom arrangement permits the machine to be employed either as an excavator or as a sideboom lifting device.

Abstract: A crane is comprised a foundation, a supporting pole elongating vertically from the foundation, an arm capable of rotatably moving on a plane parallel with the supporting pole, and a winding drum mounted at the tip end portion of the arm, the arm consisting of two arms elongating in parallel with each other, the drum being mounted between two arms. The crane is installed on the rooftop of a building or the like and capable of effectively pulling up an object from a narrow road onto a narrow rooftop and setting it up on a rooftop.

Abstract: A ship's derrick can be swiveled and tripped up by means of a goose-neck pin-bearing and one or more topping lift tackles. Its tackle is fastened to a crab which can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the derrick by means of a tackle line. In the case of a heavy cargo derrick, the tackle line between the derrick brace and the crab comprises a multi-part tackle which may be cut and dimensioned similar to the load tackle and which is provided with two hauling parts, the arrangement being such that the topping lift tackles act on the crab.

Abstract: A crane structure mounted on a transport vehicle, preferably a marine vessel, is disclosed. The crane structure includes a gantry structure mounted on a vertical tower structure and having boom portions protruding from the tower structure. Preferably, the boom portions may be pivotally lowered from their operating positions and the tower structure may be rotated in a horizontal plane, thereby reducing the overall dimensions of the crane structure to allow transport under overhead obstructions and through narrow passageways.

Abstract: A first cable portion runs from the crab over a pulley at the point of the jib point part to the winch on the foot part. A second cable portion runs from the crab over a pulley at the end lying on the pylon side, of the jib foot part, over a pulley mounted on the end removed from the pylon, of said jib foot part, round two pulleys on the end facing the pylon of the jib point part, over a pulley at the end removed from the pylon, of the jib foot part to the winch.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring cargo between first and second bodies which are movable relative to each other where a hoist for raising and lowering cargo through a hoist line is mounted on one of the bodies includes a linkage for connecting the two bodies. The linkage is pivotally connected to the bodies for accommodating relative movement between the bodies. A guide is located between the hoist line and one of the bodies for engaging and guiding the hoist line. A trolley which is movable along at least a portion of the linkage engages the hoist line on the side opposite the guide and moves the hoist line along the linkage between the guide and the other body while the line changes length so that cargo connected to the hoist line can be moved along the linkage.