Abstract: A mobile hoist for loading and unloading heavy objects onto and from shelves in space limited quarters includes a hydraulic cylinder piston combination for elevating and lowering the objects utilizing a platform or a boom which may be attached to the piston. The piston moves up and down in response to a flow of hydraulic fluid to and from the hydraulic cylinder. The flow of the hydraulic fluid is controlled by a metering valve which is opened and closed by a cam driven arrangement designed to ensure that the fluid flow through the metering valve is nonlinear enabling soft, no shock stops regardless of the weight of the objects being elevated or lowered. The boom includes a sling lock mechanism which allows for placement of objects in locations with limited clearances.

Abstract: A pair of vacuum chambers (27 and 28) are mounted on a T-bar gripper (19) which engages the back walls of a pair of adjacent batteries (16). Operation of a knurled, internally threaded collar (23) draws the vacuum chambers into sealed (54) engagement with the battery casings. A pair of drills (66) mounted at acute angles greater than 45.degree. are operated to drill angular holes (71) through the casings into the vicinity of the bottoms of the casings. Application of vacuum to the chambers draws electrolyte from the casings to levels below the levels of the entries of the angular holes into the casings.

Abstract: A stable hoist for loading and unloading articles (10) onto and from shelves (11) includes a base housing (12) from which extends a cruciform-shaped standard (13). A slide arrangement (14) mounted on the standard and driven by a power source (46 and 47) mounted in the housing moves a boom (16) up and down. The boom comprises a slide (20) and a trolley (21) from which depends a clamp (22) to grip the article. Inverted L-shaped arm structures (28 and 29) extend from the crossarms (26 and 27) of the cruciform-shaped standard (13). Stabilizing plates (48 and 49) are pivotally mounted in arm sections (33 and 34) to engage the shelf during a loading or unloading operation. The weight of components mounted in the base housing (12) and on the cruciform-shaped standard (13) act to counterbalance the tilting force during a loading and unloading operation.