Forklift attachment

Abstract

To provide a forklift attachment that can change the form of the forklift depending on the application.SOLUTION: A left base body 20 of a forklift attachment 1 comprises a left insertion section 21 into which the left fork 11 of the forklift 10 is inserted, a left hooking section 22 that can be hooked onto the left flange section of the mesh pallet, and a left sliding section 23 that connects to the right base body 30. The right base body 30 comprises a right insertion section 31 into which the right fork 12 of the forklift 10 is inserted, a right hooking section 32 that can be hooked onto the right flange section of the mesh pallet, and a right sliding section 33 that connects to the left base body 20. The left sliding section 23 and the right sliding section 33 are linked, so that the left base body 20 and the right base body 30 are restricted to relative movement only in the left-right direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a forklift attachment that can clamp a mesh pallet from both sides by attaching it to the forks of a forklift. [Background technology]

[0002] A forklift transports cargo or materials by inserting forks underneath them and lifting them up. For this reason, at work sites where forklifts are used, it is common for cargo to be placed on a transport pallet or the like, with a gap left below the cargo for the forks to be inserted. Also known is a so-called bale clamp lift, which has the function of clamping cargo from both sides and lifting it for transport (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A bale clamp lift is suitable for clamping cargo or materials from both sides that do not have a gap below them for the forks to be inserted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-109297 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in actual work sites, there are often a mixture of cargo that is suitable for transport by forklift and cargo that is suitable for clamping from both sides. In such work environments, it is desirable to use both a forklift and a bale clamp lift appropriately, but there are many situations where it is difficult to use both lifts due to reasons such as cost, workspace issues, and the hassle of switching between them.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a forklift attachment that allows the configuration of the forklift to be changed depending on the application. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides an attachment for a forklift that is attached to the forks of a forklift capable of adjusting the distance between a pair of left and right forks, and that hooks onto both left and right lower parts of a mesh pallet to sandwich the mesh pallet from the left and right directions to transport the mesh pallet. The attachment comprises a left base body attached to the left fork and a right base body attached to the right fork, and the left base body has a left insertion part into which the left fork of the forklift is inserted, a left hook part that can be hooked onto the left lower part of the mesh pallet, and a left sliding part for connecting to the right base body, and the right base body has a right insertion part into which the right fork of the forklift is inserted, a right hook part that can be hooked onto the right lower part of the mesh pallet, and and a right-side sliding part connected to the left-side sliding part for connection to the left-side base, the left-side sliding part and the right-side sliding part being connected so that the left-side base and the right-side base are relatively movable in the left-right direction and move toward and away from each other, and when the left fork is inserted into the left-side insertion part and the right fork is inserted into the right-side insertion part, the pair of left and right forks move toward each other, causing the left-side hooking part of the left-side base and the right-side hooking part of the right-side base to move toward each other, and the left-side hooking part is hooked onto the lower left part of the mesh pallet, and the right-side hooking part is hooked onto the lower right part of the mesh pallet, thereby clamping the mesh pallet from the left and right directions.

[0007] With this configuration, for example, the forklift attachment can be attached to the forklift by inserting the forks of the forklift into the right and left insertion sections of the forklift attachment while the forklift is moving. This allows the forklift to have the function of a bale clamp lift. On the other hand, if you want to change from this function to the function of a regular forklift, you can simply remove the forklift attachment from the forks. Therefore, this configuration significantly improves work efficiency.

[0008] In addition, a configuration is proposed in which the left hook portion and the right hook portion are provided with a fall prevention means that prevents the mesh pallet in the clamped state from falling when the fork rotates around its axis.

[0009] Here, in the case of a forklift that has the function of rotating the forks around a predetermined axis, the mesh pallet can be inverted while being clamped using the forklift attachment of the present invention.If a fall prevention means is provided to prevent the mesh pallet from falling, as in this configuration, the forks can be rotated and only the contents of the mesh pallet can be safely discharged from the top opening of the mesh pallet.

[0010] Furthermore, a configuration is proposed in which the left sliding portion and the right sliding portion are provided with a distance regulation means for regulating the maximum distance between the left insertion portion and the right insertion portion.

[0011] With this configuration, an appropriate range of movement can be defined, and the left base body and the right base body can be prevented from being unintentionally separated and detached. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The forklift attachment of the present invention has the excellent effect of allowing the configuration of the forklift to be changed depending on the application. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a forklift attachment according to an embodiment is attached to the forks of a forklift; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a mesh pallet is clamped using the forklift attachment according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a mesh pallet is rotated while being clamped by the forklift attachment according to the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, specific examples of the forklift attachment according to the present invention will be described in detail. Note that the present invention is not limited to the examples shown below, and design modifications are possible as appropriate.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the forklift attachment 1 is used by inserting the left fork 11 and the right fork 12 of a forklift 10 into the attachment. The forklift 10 has a function that allows the driver (operator) to adjust the distance between the left fork 11 and the right fork 12 while working. In this embodiment, the left and right directions are described as those seen from the driver's perspective.

[0016] The forklift attachment 1 includes a left base body 20 attached to the left fork 11 and a right base body 30 attached to the right fork 12.

[0017] The left side base 20 includes a cylindrical left side insertion portion 21 with its axis in the fore-and-aft direction, which is inserted into the left side fork 11 of the forklift 10; a left side hook portion 22 which is elongated in the fore-and-aft direction and has a U-shaped cross section, which is connected to the upper part of the left side insertion portion 21; and a left side sliding portion 23 for connecting to the right side base 30.

[0018] The right-side base 30 includes a cylindrical right-side insertion portion 31 with its axis in the fore-and-aft direction, which is inserted into the right-side fork 12 of the forklift 10; a right-side hook portion 32 which is elongated in the fore-and-aft direction and has a U-shaped cross section, which is connected to the upper part of the right-side insertion portion 31; and a right-side sliding portion 33 for connecting to the left-side base 20.

[0019] The opening of the left hook portion 22 and the opening of the right hook portion 32 are disposed so as to face each other.

[0020] Describing the left side hook portion 22 in detail, the left side hook portion 22 comprises a left side vertical plate portion 41 extending upward from the left side insertion portion 21, a left side lower plate portion 42 extending from the lower end of the left side vertical plate portion 41 toward the right side hook portion 32, and a left side upper plate portion 43 extending from the upper end of the left side vertical plate portion 41 toward the right side hook portion 32.

[0021] Similarly, the right-side hook portion 32 comprises a right-side vertical plate portion 51 extending upward from the right-side insertion portion 31, a right-side lower plate portion 52 extending from the lower end of the right-side vertical plate portion 51 toward the left-side hook portion 22, and a right-side upper plate portion 53 extending from the upper end of the right-side vertical plate portion 51 toward the left-side hook portion 22.

[0022] A fall prevention means is formed by the left upper plate portion 43 and the right upper plate portion 53. The function of the fall prevention means will be described later.

[0023] Furthermore, a connecting rod 60 extends in the left-right direction from the left sliding part 23 toward the right sliding part 33, and is slidably inserted into an insertion hole 61 formed in the right sliding part 33. The insertion hole 61 is provided so as to penetrate the right sliding part 33 in the left-right direction. As a result, the left sliding part 23 and the right sliding part 33 are linked, and the operating direction (sliding direction) of the left base body 20 and the right base body 30 is restricted so that they can move relatively only in the left-right direction.

[0024] Furthermore, a restricting hole 62, which is elongated in the left-right direction and communicates with the insertion hole 61, is formed at the upper end of the right sliding part 33. A restricting protrusion 63 protrudes upward from the connecting rod part 60 toward the restricting hole 62 and is inserted into the restricting hole 62. When the connecting rod part 60 slides inside the insertion hole 61, the restricting protrusion 63 abuts against the edge of the restricting hole 62, thereby restricting the separation distance between the left base body 20 and the right base body 30 within a predetermined range. In other words, the restricting hole 62 and the restricting protrusion 63 constitute a separation distance restricting means that restricts the maximum separation distance between the left insertion part 21 and the right insertion part 31.

[0025] When transporting a mesh pallet M by a forklift 10 equipped with such a forklift attachment 1, as shown in Figure 2, the pair of left and right forks 11, 12 are brought close to each other, and the left flange portion 71 at the lower left end of the mesh pallet M is inserted into and hooked onto the left hook portion 22, and at the same time, the right flange portion 72 at the lower right end of the mesh pallet M is inserted into and hooked onto the right hook portion 32. As a result, when the mesh pallet M is lifted, the left flange portion 71 hooks onto the left lower plate portion 42 of the left hook portion 22, and the right flange portion 72 hooks onto the right lower plate portion 52 of the right hook portion 32, allowing the mesh pallet M to be transported in a clamped state.

[0026] Furthermore, in a forklift 10 in which the pair of left and right forks 11, 12 have the ability to rotate around a rotation axis in the front-to-rear direction, even if the forks 11, 12 are rotated around the axis to rotate the mesh pallet M, as shown in Figure 3, the left flange portion 71 hooks onto the left upper plate portion 43 of the left hook portion 22, and the right flange portion 72 hooks onto the right upper plate portion 53 of the right hook portion 32. In this way, the mesh pallet M can be turned over while being clamped, and the contents can be discharged from its upper end opening. At this time, the mesh pallet M is prevented from falling by the fall prevention means described above.

[0027] The forklift attachment 1 described above can be attached simply by inserting it onto the forks 11, 12 of the forklift 10. Therefore, the forklift attachment 1 can be attached and detached to and from the forklift 10 as needed depending on the item to be transported, allowing the item to be transported instantly.

[0028] Furthermore, the forklift attachment 1 is assembled so that the left base body 20 and the right base body 30 cannot be separated by the restricting protrusion 63 arranged in the restricting hole portion 62, making it easy to attach and detach the forklift attachment 1.

[0029] The forklift attachment 1 uses a fall prevention means formed by the left upper plate portion 43 and the right upper plate portion 53 to hold the mesh pallet M being transported while flipping it over and discharging the contents from the upper end opening of the mesh pallet M.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the dimensions and shapes of each part can be freely selected as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 Forklift attachment 10. Forklift 11 Left fork 12 Right fork 20 Left side base 21 Left side insertion part 22 Left side hook 23 Left sliding part 30 Right side base 31 Right insertion section 32 Right hook part 33 Right side sliding part 41 Left vertical plate 42 Lower left side plate 43 Upper left side plate 51 Right side vertical board 52 Lower right side plate 53 Right side top plate 60 Connecting rod 61 Insertion hole 62 Restriction hole 63 Regulatory protrusion 71 Left flange 72 Right flange M Mesh Pallet

Claims

1. A forklift attachment is attached to the forks of a forklift that can adjust the distance between a pair of left and right forks, and hooks onto both left and right lower parts of a mesh pallet to sandwich the mesh pallet from the left and right directions, thereby transporting the mesh pallet. The left base body is attached to the left fork, and the right base body is attached to the right fork. The left side substrate is a left insertion portion into which the left fork of the forklift is inserted; a left hook portion that can be hooked onto the left lower portion of the mesh pallet; a left sliding portion for connecting to the right base; Equipped with The right side substrate is a right insertion portion into which the right fork of the forklift is inserted; a right hook portion that can be hooked onto the right lower portion of the mesh pallet; a right sliding part connected to the left sliding part for connection with the left base; Equipped with the left sliding portion and the right sliding portion are linked together, so that the left base body and the right base body are relatively movable in the left-right direction and move toward or away from each other; With the left fork inserted into the left insertion portion and the right fork inserted into the right insertion portion, As the pair of left and right forks approach each other, the left hook portion of the left base body and the right hook portion of the right base body approach each other, and the left hook portion is hooked onto the lower left part of the mesh pallet, and the right hook portion is hooked onto the lower right part of the mesh pallet, resulting in a clamped state in which the mesh pallet is sandwiched from the left and right directions. A forklift attachment characterized by:

2. The left and right hook portions are provided with fall prevention means for preventing the mesh pallet in the clamped state from falling when the forks rotate around their axes.

2. The forklift attachment according to claim 1.

3. The left sliding portion and the right sliding portion are provided with a distance regulation means for regulating the maximum distance between the left insertion portion and the right insertion portion.

3. The forklift attachment according to claim 1 or 2.

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