Forklift Spool Lifting Apparatus with Intermediary Hooks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large spools of cable or wire, with widths exceeding the fork spacing of common forklift trucks, are difficult to lift without damaging the wound material due to the weight transfer onto the forks.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with elongated channel members and hooks that allow the forks of a forklift truck to be inserted, enabling the hooks to engage with protruding sections of the spool, allowing for secure lifting and transport without damaging the wound material, and featuring adjustable components for accommodating various spool sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the forks of a forklift truck are directed beneath a large spool to lift it, then the spool can be lifted and transported, but the wound material on the spool may be damaged due to weight transfer onto the forks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary lifting apparatus consisting of channel members and hooks that mediate between the forklift forks and the spool. The forks engage with the channel members rather than directly with the spool, and the hooks engage with the spool's protruding sections, creating a protective intermediary structure that prevents direct contact and potential damage to the wound material.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting apparatus is segmented into distinct functional components: channel members that receive the forks, hooks that engage the spool, and suspension means connecting the two. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, with the channel members bearing the fork engagement and the hooks bearing the spool engagement, thereby protecting the wound material.
2Adaptability or versatility
If commonly-used forklift trucks are used to lift spools, then the forklift is readily available, but the spool width exceeds the fork spacing capability of these trucks
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting apparatus incorporates adjustable components including telescopic channel members and adjustable hook positions that can be dynamically reconfigured to accommodate different spool widths. This dynamic adjustability allows the same apparatus to adapt to various spool sizes without requiring multiple specialized devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting apparatus is designed as a universal solution that can handle spools of varying widths by incorporating adjustable features. Rather than requiring a different forklift or lifting device for each spool size, this single apparatus can be configured to accommodate a range of spool dimensions, making it a multi-functional tool.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus enabling a barrel-including spool of windable material to be lifted and transported with a forklift truck includes two elongated channel members having open ends into which forks of a forklift truck can be directed and transversely-extending members for maintaining the channel members in a parallel relationship. A pair of hooks are pivotally suspended from the channel members and are capable of being hooked about end portions of an axle which is directed through the barrel of the spool. By directing the forks of a forklift truck into the open ends of the channel members, positioning the apparatus above the spool, and then hooking the hooks of the apparatus about the end portions of the axle which protrudes from the opposite sides of the spool, the spool can be lifted by way of the forklift truck.