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CRANES AND HOISTS

WHATEVER else must be done in a garage or workshop. the need to lift heavy and awkward units is ever present. While there are many different methods of handling these units, few are as successful as a hoist or crane, for overhead tracks cannot possibly become cluttered up and a suspended load can be raised and lowered at will to clear obstructions.

This survey of tackle is restricted to mediumsized and medium-priced units, most of which are suitable for use in the medium-size and not-too-rich workshop. Recovery cranes are not included but some of the smaller devices which can be mounted on a Vehicle for cargo handling are. Also included are hydraulic and mechanical jack cranes and a number of floor cranes.

BROOM AND WADE LTD.

P.O. Box No, 7, High Wycombe, Bucks.

COMPRESSED-AIR powered hoists of 10 and 20cwt capacity made by this firm are very light and of a small closed dimension from hook to hook. The lifting chain can be either of *in.pitch roller, or a iin.-link type. The standard lift is 8ft but this is limited only by the length of chain fitted. Any alternative length can be supplied.

Control is by direct-pull chains working through a rocker lever and valve or by a pair of trigger-valves piped direct to the motor. Travelling trolleys are available for both sizes of hoist.

HALTRAC LTD.

119-123 Sandycombe Road, Richmond, Surrey.

A CHEAP. light and efficient mini-hoist is made by this company. It has a maximum capacity of 1,0001b, a safe working load of 560Ib and comprises a pair of four-sheave blocks and a suitable length of nylon cord. Features of the unit are that it is completely maintenance free and rust proof.

The blocks are manufactured from tempered aluminium and high-tensile steel bolts are used throughout. The standard Haltrac is supplied with 72ft of cord which provides for a lift of 9ft. The closed height of the hoist is only 10in. Other cord lengths of 108ft. 144ft and 216ft give lifting ranges of 13ft„ 18ft and 27ft respectively. Three optional extras are available with the lit. The Haltrac Mini-Rola, a travelling irriage—which converts the hoist into an ,erhead crane—is manufactured from -1 mild steel plate and carried on selfbricating solid-nylon wheels. This unit easures only 6in x 4in x Sin and weighs only b. It has the same capacities as the hoist Id can be adjusted for use with either 24-in • 3in wide I-section beams. There is also a odel for use with wooden beams. The other dra is a device for gripping the small diameter 'Ling cords It comprises a hand grip which nbodies a serrated-cam-lock. The cam :tion traps the rope between it and a ationary member of the grip when a load is iposed on the rope. Releasing the load ;milts the cam to relinquish its grip on the pe when the grip can be moved up the rope r a second purchase.

PCO LTD.

ar Works, eds 7.

VO VARIATIONS of a hand-powered .draulic crane are produced by this company, rth constructed from tubular steel. The nge includes six models with capacities nging from 2cwt to 2 tons.

The standard Epco crane is available with pacities of from 10cwt to 40cwt. It has a idly mounted main pillar which can be adjusted to provide the boom with three horizontal levels. The Ton-draulic (Mod TC1020) Mk II 10/20cwt adjusts from 5ft Sin to 4ft 6.5in while the Two Ton-draulic (Mod 2040 20/40cwt) ranges from Eft 8in to 4ft 9in. A feature of all the Epco mobile cranes is that the steering wheels are actually steered by the drawbar and not merely castors. This makes for extremely accurate positioning when engine fitting for instance.

The dual-purpose models are equipped with a slewing main pillar and designed so that the complete lifting gear can be removed from the undercarriage or base plate on which it is mounted so making it very versatile. Dualpurpose units are available with capacities of from 2cwt up 20cwt. This type of unit is suitable for mounting permanently in floor sockets or in lorry floor-mounted sockets. The extendible main pillar permits an extremely wide range of maximum and minimum hook heights to be obtained. The boom on all the models is adjustable to three different lengths.

All the models are equipped with doubleacting pumps which permit speedy manipulation of the lifting hooks when not under load. As soon as load is applied to the hook the high speed side of the pump is by-passed and pressure is generated by a small diameter highpressure unit, so decreasing the manual effort required.

COLCHESTER TILLAGE LTD.

Hythe Hill, Colchester, A HAND-POWERED hydraulic crane with a maximum capacity of 1 ton is made by this company. Called the Tico Mini Crane, it is suitable for many uses and can be supplied as a trolley-mounted unit for mounting on a lorry, or with a floor mounting. The Tico Mini Crane is light and easily moved and it can consequently be manhandled from one position to another. Several base plates can be mounted in a lorry floor, for instance, making the crane usable from various positions.

Two heavy-duty bearings in the main column permit the unit to slew through 360deg. Supplied with a base plate for lorry mounting, the crane costs £95; the wheeledtrolley and the floor-mounted base plates cost £45 and £23 respectively.

The jib of the crane can be set at three different lengths; 3ft 1in when its capacity is 1 ton, 4ft 2in when 15cwt and 5ft 5in when 10cwt. At this last setting the jib has a maximum lift of 7ft 9in.

The jib is raised by a double-acting hand pump and the main column of the unit forms an oil reservoir, so eliminating the need for a separate tank.

PICKROSE AND CO. LTD.

Delta Works, Audenshaw, Manchester.

THIS company produces a vast range of winching and hoisting equipment mainly for use by the heavy engineering industries. One model, however, is applicable to a vehicle workshop it is the size 0 portable hoist known as the Zero autobrake. A compressed air driven unit with a lifting capacity of 14,-Icwt, the unit can be mounted on an overhead trolley or on a portable frame and is made in either light alloy or malleable iron.

Two winding drum diameters are available, the standard size being able to take 200ft of 5/16in rope, the larger unit only 170ft. A third drum, which is wider than these two will contain 240ft of 5/16in rope. The overhead version of the hoist is equipped with an automatic brake, a dead man's handle— operated by chains—and a lift limiting stop.

HARVEY FROST AND CO. LTD. Dunmow Road,

Bishops Stortford Herts.

A WIDE RANGE of cranes and other lifting devices is offered by this company. The range includes units lifted by mechanical means. that is to say by gearing and multi-purchase wire ropes. and by hydraulic power. All the units are mounted on wheels and are fully portable: the gantry types feature bolted construction which facilitates transportation if required.

The mechanical cranes are produced in four variations. The first range. known as Jackcranes, is particularly useful in the workshop, and features a horizontal boom carried on a wheeled bogie running on the main vertical assembly. The bogie is hauled up the main member by wire ropes through a hand-powered winch. The winch drum is driven through a gear train which is enclosed in an oil bath and embodies an automatic friction brake to support loads. A feature of the gearbox is that is can be replaced in the event of a failure without resorting to dismantling any other part of the crane. The main booms can be extended on an infinitely variable basis but of course the further the boom is extended the lower the safe working load.

An extension boom which can be used with all the Jackcranes provides for a maximum reach of 8ft and has a capacity of 4cwt. A cable drum of generous diameter is used on all the models to minimize wear and tear on the lifting cable. Jackcranes are produced with capacities of from 10cwt up to 2 tons. Next in the mechanically operated range are general-purpose cranes. They are both of 35cwt capacity and one is equipped with both the standard horizontal boom as on the Jackcranes, and with a variable position overhead jib. This adjusts to three positions the highest of which provides for a clear lift of 7ft 11 in. When the overhead jib is in use, the jacking boom folds away into the main framework of the crane. The other of these two models is as above but without the jacking boom, There are two models in the floor crane section of the range one of 12cwt and the other of 30cwt. These units are of cantilever con struction and the lifting winches are of a simple worm and wheel design. A ratchet pawl mechanism prevents loads from lowering unintentionally and the 12cwt model is equipped with stabilizing jacks for use when the winding gear is being used.

Gantries are made with capacities of 25cw1 and 3 tons. There are two types of threetonner. One has a maximum lift of 12ft

WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

continued from p. 89

while the other lifts 13ft. The gantries are fitted with a winch at each side of the framework which comprises two latticebraced double-channel uprights bolted together through a spreader. Well-braced, wide feet which give the units stability are mounted upon generous-sized castor wheels for mobility. Stabilizing jacks are mounted inboard of the castors to steady the gantry while lifts are being undertaken.

The 25cwt model has both lifting ropes led on to one winch. Two separate winding drums are fitted to the winch, one being free running on the winch spindle while the other is fixed. When it is necessary to use both ropes the second drum is locked to the fixed spindle by a spring-loaded plunger.

Four different hydraulic models are produced by Harvey Frost. They have capaci ties of +-, -, 1and 2-ton—the 2-ton unit can be supplied with an electrically driven pump. All these units utilize the hinged boom principle and on each one the boom can be extended to three positions. The smallest of this range. when its boom is fully extended. will lift 2cwt and the lifting hook travels over a range from floor level up to a clear height of 8ft Bin. The heaviest unit, with its boom fully extended, will lift 12cwt from 1ft 3in above the floor to a clear height of 9ft 5in.

HERBERT MORRIS LTD.

P.O. Box No 7, Loughborough, Leics.

PERMANENTLY installed overhead cranes are The speciality of this manufacturer. It produces both electrically powered and hand-powered overhead gantry units, straightforward chain hoists and an extremely versatile hoist called the Leverlift.

Hand-powered chain lifts with capacities of 1-, 1-, 1.5-, 2-. 3-, and 5-ton are made, all of which can be mounted on travelling trolleys. The mechanisms of these models take the form of double-reduction spur gears with a built-in device which makes it impossible for a load to cause the lift to lower unintentionally.

The Leverlift has a capacity of 3 tons and comprises a pair of reduction gears in a casing, driven through a ratchet lever. The lifting chain is hauled in over a gipsy wheel and is passed through a single-purchase block. This unit is probably the most useful to have in any medium-size workshop. It will tackle any lifting job within its capacity, can be used for moving heavy equipment over floors and even as a recovery winch. The Morris Universal crane is of the gantry type and eminently suitable to the very large garage doing major overhauls. The Universal is designed to run on tracks positioned at each side of a building or any one bay of a building and it is produced with capacities of from 1up to 10-ton. Two standard types are made, one having a single bridge-girder and the other a double bridge-girder. The single girder types have a maximum capacity of 5 tons.

A 30-min rated sqiiirrel-cage hoist motor is used and where two-speed lifting and lowering is required the second speed is achieved by using two independent sets of windings. Thus no extra gears or clutches are necessary. An electromagnetic disc brake is fitted to the tailshaft of the motor. It is wired so that it comes into operation whenever the current to the motor is cut, making it an efficient fail-safe device. Control is by a hand-held push button panel. This is suspended either from the carriage of the bridge girders and the buttons must be held on to keep the crane operating. fso forming a type of dead-man's control. The panel is of the low-voltage type.

G. HUNTER (LONDON) LTD.

Gumley Road, Grays, Essex.

IT WOULD be hard to select a type of lifting gear that this company does not make or market. Its products range from a small class of chain block with a capacity of 5cwt up to a bigger but similar model for 40 tons. The company makes ratchet lifts, and markets Geo. W. King Ltd. electric hoists and overhead gantry cranes. Floor cranes are produced with capacities from 10cwt up to 3 tons, and it also markets the Minilift hoist.

Hunter's range of chain blocks bear the trade name International Exo and feature die cast aluminium-bronze load wheels said to ensure perfect movement of the load chain —and an automatic brake which comes into operation as soon as the movement of the hand chain ceases.

Travelling bogies can be supplied for all the units and there is an alternative design in which the block and bogie form an integral beneath the lifting hook. All the travelling bogie types can be supplied either as a freerunning unit or with the bogie wheels driven through a chain and wheel.

A small-capacity electric hoist for weights up to 5cwt is marketed and called the Matom Mk. II. It features a safety device known as the Prezet which is a friction coupling between motor and gearbox that prevents overloading. Like the hand-powered models, the Matorn can be supplied as a hook-suspended or trolley-mounted unit. Wire rope hoists are marketed and have capacities of from 10cwt up to 3 tons. These bear the trade name Wire-Worker and feature the motor built into the wire drum.

The heaviest lifts of the electric types marketed are those in the Mammoth range. These are chain lifts and four models rated at 31-. 61-, 10and 131-ton are included As with the other King lifts the mechanisms of the Mammoth range are completely enclosed. One of the features of the King ranges of chain blocks described here is a quick-change chain gipsy. This unit can be replaced by a fitter of average skill in under 2 hrs. A second feature of the King blocks is the exclusive chain guards which give protection against incorrect feeding of the chain, give warning of stretch in the chain. stop the motion if the chain is incorrectly positioned on its gipsy and prevent excessively angular lifting. Two more electric chain hoists cover a range of capacities from +-ton up to 3-tons and are known by the names MyTeMin and Marvex.

Hunter also manufactures mobile gantries in various sizes up to 5-ton capacity.

LISTER EQUIPMENT LTD.

31 Minshull Street, Manchester.

ALTHOUGH not a manufacturer of hoists this company claims to be the sole distributor in the motor trade for a device called the Mini-lift. This is a unique hoist comprising a hand-held, two-speed, winding unit on which is mounted a tube through which passes the lifting cable. At the opposite end of the tube a single purchase block and an integral anchoring bracket are fitted.

The lift will handle up to 15cwt and the cable bracing tube can be supplied in various lengths up to 8ft. The standard length is 4ft. Lifting cables can also be supplied in various lengths providing for total lifts of 6ft Bin. 10ft and 20ft.

Two types of overhead trolley are available for use with the Minilift, one being of the push-along type and the other equipped with driven rollers. The drive is through a train of gears operated by an endless leather belt.

The lifting winch comprises a light alloy case in which two shafts are carried on ball bearings. The gear reduction is by roller chain and sprockets and both shafts project through the casing so that the handle will operate on both ratios, 1 to 1 and 3 to 1. A band brake prevents inadvertent lowering of loads and is operated by a lever grip on the handle of the winding box. The brake is applied when the handle is released. When lowering loads, the winding spindle is disengaged and an automatic restrainer regulates the speed of descent.

WESTINGHOUSE GARAGE EQUIPMENT LTD.

Hanham Road,

Bristol.

TWO styles of floor crane are offered by this company. One is a mechanically lifted unit using a geared hand-winch and the other of the rocking boom type powered by a hydraulic ram.

The mechanical crane, known as the Telejib Jack Crane FJ40, has a maximum capacity of 40cwt with the jib fully closed. In this condition it provides for a maximum reach of 3ft 5in. while at its furthest extension when the capacity is 12cwt, the reach is 5ft.

With an overall height of 8ft 6in, the maximum height of the jib hook is 7ft 2in. while the lowest possible height is 5j-in. The unit weighs 8-3-cwt.

The hydraulic floor crane is called the Tonner and it employs a retracting hydraulic ram to provide its lifting power. As its name implies it has a capacity of 1 ton with its boom fully retracted—in this condition the maximum height which can be obtained is 76.4in. With the boom fully extended the capacity is 10cwt and the lift 881in. Power is provided by a double-acting hand pump.

A long-reach jib is available for use with the Telejib crane: with this fitted it provides for a maximum reach of 8ft 2in. and a maximum height of 8ft 9in. The safe working load with this boom is 4cwt.

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