This crane is configured by being provided with: a telescopic boom having an inside boom element and an outside boom element that overlap each other in an extendable and contractible manner; an extension/contraction actuator that displaces one boom element among the inside boom element and the outside boom element in the extending and contracting directions; at least one electric drive source provided in the extension/contraction actuator; a first coupling mechanism that operates on the basis of power from the electric drive source and that switches between the coupled state and the uncoupled state of the extension/contraction actuator and one of the boom elements; and a second coupling mechanism that operates on the basis of power from the electric drive source and that switches between the coupled state and the uncoupled state of the inside boom element and the outside boom element.

Telescoping boom systems, devices, and methods are provided in accordance with various embodiments. For example, some embodiments include zero dead band telescoping boom systems, devices, and methods. Embodiments in general include hard stop preloading mechanisms for telescoping booms with multiple tube segments. Some embodiments provide components that facilitate the deployment sequencing of the multiple tube segments along with facilitating preloading of the multiple tube segments of a telescoping boom. The tools and techniques provided may be integrated into the multiple tube segments rather than being provided as a separate system. Some embodiments allow for precise deployment of the multiple tube segments of the telescoping boom systems, devices, and methods.

A telescoping jib of a mobile crane having a basic box and a plurality of inner boxes that can each be extended from a retraction position to an extension position and that can be locked and unlocked together in the respective retraction position or extension positions by means of bolting holes, which are arranged in the basic and inner boxes, and associated locking bolts. In order to provide a telescoping jib of a mobile crane which can be easily unlocked in an emergency, it is proposed that, in the retraction position of the basic and inner boxes, the bolting holes for the extension positions are aligned with one another.

Example embodiments relate to a lightweight crane. In one nonlimiting embodiment the crane is comprised of a telescoping boom having a first boom nested in a second boom which in turn is nested in a third boom. The first, second, and third booms may be made from aluminum to reduce the weight of the crane. The first boom may have a first open section and a second closed section wherein the open section is configured to accommodate a structural member to which an actuator is attached. The first and second booms have lower surfaces with inclined surfaces so that the first boom self-aligns with the second boom and the second boom self-aligns with the third boom.

A drive system (46) for a telescoping boom (22) includes an elongated member (48), a locking head (50) configured to be driven on the elongated member, an actuator (52) configured to drive the locking head on the elongated member, and a cabling assembly (54) interconnected between the actuator and the locking head such that the locking head is driven on the elongated member in response to operation of the actuator, the cabling assembly including a cable (64) and a plurality of sheaves (66, 68). The telescoping boom includes a base section (34) and one or more telescoping sections (36, 38, 40) configured for telescoping movement relative to the base section, and the locking head is configured to selectively engage and disengage a telescoping section of the one or more telescoping sections.

A pin actuator assembly for a telescoping boom includes a locking head having a base, an operating plate operably coupled to the base, one or more cylinder pins and/or one or more section lock arms movable in response to movement of the operating plate relative to the base. The pin actuator assembly also includes an actuator operably coupled to the operating plate and configured to move the operating plate relative to the base. The actuator includes an electric motor and a drive arm. The electric motor is configured to drive the drive arm between an extended drive arm position and a retracted drive arm position. The pin actuator assembly further includes a motion mitigator having a housing, a rod movable relative to the housing and operably coupled to the actuator, a first biasing member coupled between the rod and the housing and a second biasing member coupled between the rod and the housing.

Telescopic arm for a crane for lifting loads, which comprises a first tubular segment, a second tubular segment located in the first segment and extractable with respect to the first segment along an extraction axis (X). The telescopic arm comprises a clamping device configured to axially and selectively clamp, along the extraction axis (X), the first segment and the second segment. The clamping device comprises a clamping seating provided in the first segment and a clamping pin associated with the second segment, sliding along a sliding axis (Z) transverse to the extraction axis (X) and able to be selectively inserted in the clamping seating.

An expansion/contraction mechanism includes a telescopic cylinder, boom fixing means, cylinder-boom connecting means, and a hydraulic-pressure supply unit, and telescopes a plurality of booms except a base boom by telescoping the telescopic cylinder. The hydraulic-pressure supply unit includes a pneumatic-pressure source, a selector valve which selects a destination of air provided from the pneumatic-pressure source, a first pneumatic path through which first air sent from the selector valve circulates, a second pneumatic path through which second air sent from the selector valve circulates, a first pneumatic-to-hydraulic conversion unit which converts a pneumatic pressure provided by the first air to a hydraulic pressure and supplies the hydraulic pressure to a first hydraulic cylinder, and a second pneumatic-to-hydraulic conversion unit which converts a pneumatic pressure provided by the second air to a hydraulic pressure and supplies the hydraulic pressure to a second hydraulic cylinder.

A crane telescope locking device includes a control device which is hydraulically in contact with a telescoping cylinder of a crane telescope and, for the purpose of actuating, with at least one cylinder lock hydraulic cylinder and includes a valve which is open in its inactivated resting state and thus opens a fluidic connection between the telescoping cylinder and the at least one cylinder lock hydraulic cylinder. A telescoping cylinder (6) of a crane includes such a crane telescope locking device.

A method for operating a telescopic device and the elongated telescopic device per se comprises a support element formed to encompass first and second telescopic element mounted so as to be telescopically slidable relative each other in a longitudinal direction; the support element comprises a support element fluid actuator assembly; the first telescopic element is arranged to encompass the second telescopic element and comprises a first fluid actuator assembly. The support element fluid actuator assembly is fixed to an interior portion of the support element and is arranged for engagement or disengagement to a first envelope surface of the first telescopic element and wherein the first fluid actuator assembly is fixed to a first interior portion of the first telescopic element and is arranged for engagement or disengagement to a second envelope surface of the second telescopic element.