GB2391217A

GB2391217A - Handling device and method of using same

Info

Publication number: GB2391217A
Application number: GB0217307A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Preston Jones; Wieslaw Kazimierz Wojtulewicz
Original assignee: A V BIRCH Ltd
Current assignee: A V BIRCH Ltd
Priority date: 2002-07-26
Filing date: 2002-07-26
Publication date: 2004-02-04
Also published as: GB0217307D0

Abstract

There is described a handling device 10 comprising: ```a support member 11 engagable beneath a load to be lifted; ```at least one wheel 26 engagable with a ground surface, at or adjacent a rear part of the support member 11; and ```a handle 16 operable from the rear of the support member to lift the support member with the at least one wheel as a fulcrum, ```wherein the support member extends laterally beyond the at least one wheel. ```Also described is a method of moving a roof truss (40, Fig 3) over a surface on which it lies, comprising:- ```engaging a pair of respective wheeled handling devices 10 with the rafters (44) of the truss; and ```moving the handling devices, with at least a substantial part of the weight of the truss carried thereby, on their wheels. Preferably, the truss is moved down ramps (50, Fig 5) and tilted onto a storage rack (60).

Description

4: PATENTS ACT 1977

A 1 0675GB - GMD/TMA/lh Title: Handling Device and Method of Using Same Description of Invention

5 This invention relates to a handling device and method of using same.

More particularly this invention relates to a handling device and the method of using same to effect lifting of a truss, e.g. a wooden roof truss, and subsequent movement thereof.

Such wooden roof trusses, which conventionally have an A-frame 10 configuration comprising a ceiling joist, rafters and intermediate support struts, are usually manufactured on large flat plywood or metal tables. The components of the roof truss are laid out on the table in the correct orientation and position relative to one another and are then fastened to one another using truss-connecting plates. The truss- connecting plates are flat metal brackets 15 with pressed-out portions, which are substantially at right angles to the plane of the bracket, and provide teeth which engage with adjacent components of the roof truss to hold the components relative to one another. The teeth on the bracket are conventionally forced into the surface of the wood by a moveable press, which is mounted on or relative to the table.

20 Conventionally the wooden A-frame trusses have been made with a high number of lightweight intermediate support struts to provide a strong roof truss at a minimum weight. However due to the demand to provide more useable space in a roof of a building, e.g. for a conversion into an attic room, A-frame trusses have been redesigned with the exclusion of many of the intermediate 25 support struts. Therefore to retain the strength of the roof truss the components of the roof truss have been replaced with stronger/heavier components. As a result the average weight of a typical A-frame roof truss has risen from around 30kg to between 80 and 160kg.

À4 One problem with such heavy roof trusses is that in order to move a truss from the table on which it is manufactured to a stacking facility, it has to be manhandled. Sometimes up to 6 persons may be needed to move a single heavy roof truss, which is inefficient on resources and slows the rate of production.

5 Also due to health and safer regulations, trusses weighing above 95kg are not allowed to be manually lifted and moved and therefore the only option is to use a mechanical handling device to move the truss from the manufacturing table onto the stacking facility. This would again be inefficient on resources and would also slow the rate of production as well as increasing production costs.

10 It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a handling device, and a method of using it, to overcome the problems associated with moving roof trusses from a manufacturing table to a stacking facility, and increase efficiency of production.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a handling 15 device comprising: a support member engagable beneath a load to be lifted; at least one wheel engagable with a ground surface, at or adjacent a rear part of the support member; and a handle operable from the rear of the support member to lift the support 20 member with the at least one wheel as a fulcrum, wherein the support member extends laterally beyond the at least one wheel. The extent of the support member laterally beyond the wheel(s) of the device in accordance with the invention has the advantage that, when the device 25 is presented to a rafter of a roof truss extending at an inclination to the axis of rotation of the wheel(s) the support member can be engaged with the rafter without any hindrance by the wheel(s). This is described in more detail hereinafter.

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( Preferably the at least one wheel is spaced rearwardly of the support member. Preferably the device comprises two wheels alongside one another.

Preferably the support member comprises a support plate.

S Preferably the device further comprises a wheel guard.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of moving a roof truss over a surface on which it lies, comprising: engaging respective wheeled handling devices with the rafters of the truss; and 10 moving the handling devices, with at least a substantial part of the weight of the truss carried thereby, on their wheels.

Preferably the handling devices are engaged generally in the mid-region of the rafters, to lift the apex or the ceiling joist of the truss, and are used to move the truss in a direction generally perpendicularly to the ceiling joist IS thereof. The method may be used to move the truss from a surface on which it is fabricated to a stacking facility.

Preferably the handling devices move the truss over the surface on which it is fabricated and down corresponding ramps towards the stacking 20 facility. After having been moved to the stacking facility, the truss may be pivoted, by one or more persons, from a substantially horizontal orientation, to a substantially vertical orientation on the stacking facility, by using the ceiling joist as a fulcrum.

25 The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a side view of a handling device in accordance with the invention;

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( Figure 2 shows a front view of the handling device of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a plan view of a roof truss in a first position on the surface of a manufacturing table, Figure 4 shows a plan view as shown in Figure 3, wherein roof truss has S been lifted and subsequently moved to a second position, and Figure 5 shows a composite side view of Figures 3 and 4 wherein the roof truss is moved from a substantially flat orientation to a substantially vertical orientation.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a handling device 10 10 according to the present invention. The handling device 10 has a substantially flat rectangular base plate 12 with a front edge 11 and a rear edge 13.

Connected to the base plate 12, near the rear edge 13 thereof, is an elongate handle 14. The handle 14 is a tube having a bent portion 16, at its end remote from the base plate 12, which is directed upwardly away from the rear edge 11 15 of the base plate 12. At the upper end of the handle 14 there is a substantially horizontal gripping tube 18 transversely of the handle 14, which assists a user in gripping the handling device 10. The connection between the base plate 12 and the handle 14 is provided by a weld at 20, together with a strengthening plate 22, which strengthening plate 22 is substantially perpendicular to the base 20 plate 12 and is connected to the upper surface of the base plate 12 and to the lower end of the handle 14.

The handling device 10 has a pair of wheels 26 on which the device 10 may be moved over the ground or other surface. The wheels 26 are connected to the handle 14 at the lower end thereof, by a pair of brackets 24. The brackets 25 24 each have an aperture to receive a spindle 28 on which the wheels 26 can rotate about the axis of the spindle 28. A cover plate 32 for the wheels 26 is also provided, connected to the lower end of the handle 14, above the wheels 26, to provide a safety guard for the user.

::' ' d: It It will be noted that the base plate 12 extends laterally, on each side, a substantial distance beyond the wheels 26.

When the underside of the base plate 12 is engaged with a flat surface, the lowest edges of the wheels 26 engage the flat surface, thereby assisting 5 stability for the handling device 10, when not in use.

Now referring to Figures 3 and 5 there is shown a roof Muss 40 of an A frame configuration, which has been fabricated on a manufacturing table 42.

The Muss 40 has a ceiling joist 467 a pair of inclined rafters 44, which meet at an apex 49, and intermediate strengthening struts 48. The components of the 10 truss 40 are connected together using truss connecting plates (not shown).

Connected to and extending away from the manufacturing table 42, at the edge of the manufacturing table 42 adjacent and parallel to the ceiling joist 46 are two ramps SO. The ramps 50 extend downwardly towards a floor surface 62 (shown in Figure 5). Positioned between the ramps 50 is a moveable stacking 15 facility in the form of a moveable rack with horizontally extending forks 60.

To move the truss 40 from the manufacturing table 42 to the stacking facility two handling devices 1O, as above described, are positioned such that the front edge 13 of the base plate 12 of each handling device 10 engages with the underside of the corresponding rafter 44 more or less in line with the centre 20 of gravity of the truss 40. Due to the shape of the base plate 12, i.e. that it extends laterally beyond both wheels 26 of each handling device 10, the base plate 12 can be positioned underneath the rafter 44 far enough to provide additional support for the truss 40 during movement, without the wheels 26 hindering the engagement with the rafter. Therefore when the handling devices 25 10 lift the Muss 40, the ceiling joist 46 is lifted off of the surface of the manufacturing table 42. The apex 49 of the truss 40 can be dragged along the surface of the manufacturing table or can be lifted together with the ceiling joist 46.

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Referring to Figures 4 and 5 there is shown a plan view as shown in Figure 3, wherein the truss 40 has been lifted and subsequently moved towards the forks 60 of the stacking facility. In order to lift the truss 40, Me handle 14 of each handling device 10 is moved towards the surface of the manufacturing 5 table 42, using the wheels 26 as a fulcrum, such that the edge of the base plate 12 remote from the wheels 26 is displaced upwardly. The wheels 26 of each handling device 10 are then free to rotate and move handling device 10 along with the truss 40 towards the stacking facility. Both handling devices 10 must be moved simultaneously in order to balance the truss 40 and direct the truss 40 10 towards the forks 60 of the stacking facility. Each handling device 10 is wheeled across the surface of the manufacturing table 42 and down its corresponding ramp 50 towards the stacking facility. Once the ceiling joist 46 has overlapped the forks 60 of the stacking facility, the edge of the base plate of each handling device 10 remote from the wheels 26 is lowered by the user, by 15 moving the handle 14 upwardly. This engages the lower surface of each base plate with the surface of its corresponding ramp 50. The ceiling joist 46 is thus lowered towards the forks 60 and engages the ceiling joist 46 therewith.

Once the ceiling joist 46 is engaged with the forks 60 of the stacking facility, one or more users can pivot the truss 40 about the line of contact of the 20 ceiling joist 46 with the forks 60, thereby stacking the truss 40 on the stacking facilities. The pivotal movement of the truss 40 is best shown in Figure 5, which shows a composite view of Figure 3 and 4 wherein the truss 40 is moved from a substantially flat first position 40a to a substantially vertical second position 40c through an intermediate position 40b.

25 In such a way the truss 40 can be moved from the manufacturing table 42 without one more persons having to lift the total weight of the truss member 40. In the present specification "comprises" means "includes or consists of,'

and "comprising" means "including or consisting of'.

::! l ' 41 4: :. The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following

claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any 5 combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

::..: 't: t: CLAIMS

1 A handling device comprising: a support member engagable beneath a load to be lifted; 5 at least one wheel engagable with a ground surface, at or adjacent a rear part of the support member; and a handle operable from the rear of the support member to lift the support member with the at least one wheel as a fulcrum, wherein the support member extends laterally beyond the at least one 10 wheel.

2. A handling device according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wheel is spaced rearwardly of the support member.

15

3. A handling device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the device comprises two wheels alongside one another.

4. A handling device according to claim 1 wherein the support member comprises a support plate.

5. A handling device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the device further comprises a wheel guard.

6. A method of moving a roof truss over a surface on which it lies, 25 comprising: engaging respective wheeled handling devices with the raDers of the truss; and moving We handling devices, with at least a substantial part of the weight of the truss carried thereby, on their wheels.

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7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the handling devices are engaged generally in the mid-region of the rafters, to lift the apex or the ceiling joist of the truss.

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8. A method according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the handling devices move the truss in a direction generally perpendicularly of the ceiling joist.

9. A method according to any one of claims 6, 7 or wherein the truss is moved from a surface on which it is fabricated to a stacking facility.

10. method according to claim 9 wherein the handling devices move the truss over the surface on which it is fabricated and down corresponding ramps towards the stacking facility.

15

1 1. A method according to claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the truss is pivoted, by one or more persons, from a substantially horizontal orientation, to a substantially vertical orientation on the stacking facility, by using the ceiling joist as a fulcrum.

20

12. A method according to any one of claims 6 tot 1 using handling devices according to any one of claims I to 5.

13. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. A handling device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

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l 11. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein andior in the accompanying drawings.